AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has elevated the deputy of the Department of Education to acting commissioner. Jim Rier of Topsham has worked in the education department for a decade, starting as director of finance and operations. He’s served as deputy commissioner since 2011 under Stephen Bowen, who resigned last month to work at […]
politics
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
PUC orders UMaine to reveal wind project proposal details
AUGUSTA — State regulators say the University of Maine and its partner companies must reveal some details of its offshore wind project proposal. Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Welch said on Tuesday that some redacted version of Maine Aqua Ventus’ proposal should be made public by the end of the month. The company will work […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Shenna Bellows files for U.S. Senate race
Shenna Bellows, who’s seeking the Democratic Party nomination, tweeted a photo of herself outside the Muskie Building in Augusta, declaring that she’d filed paperwork necessary to become a candidate. Bellows, 38, resigned a little more than a week ago after more than eight years with the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine. Bellows is planning […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
DHHS lays off 56 employees, closes disability benefits office because of federal government shutdown
AUGUSTA — All employees at a disability services office in Winthrop and four more in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services were laid off Monday as a result of the federal government shutdown, Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday evening. The 52 employees at the DHHS Disability Determination Office in Winthrop make Social Security […]
Posted inMaine
Lewiston casino campaigners may get penalty reprieve in campaign finance case
LEWISTON — Promoters of a statewide effort to bring a casino to downtown Lewiston in 2011 might avoid paying more than $35,000 in civil penalties for presenting false information under Maine’s campaign-finance reporting laws, based on new documents released Tuesday. But the decision on what the political action committees set up by Stavros Mendros and […]
Posted inMaine
Maine’s Ethics Commission to recommend fines for PACs that backed Lewiston casino campaign
AUGUSTA — Two Lewiston men who were behind an effort to open a casino in Lewiston in 2011 are facing allegations that they hid the source of substantial contributions to the campaign in order to mislead voters. The allegations, made by investigators for the state’s Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, also say Stavros […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
New cellphone privacy laws go into effect Wednesday
AUGUSTA— Maine law enforcement will have to get search warrants to gather voicemails, text messages or data about someone’s recent location from a cellphone under two new laws that take effect this week. The laws go into effect Wednesday, 90 days after the end of the legislative session in July. Supporters say the measures are […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
State sandwich legislation is one of 401 ’emergency’ bills to be considered
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers will have a heavy load of bills to consider when they return to Augusta in January, ranging from mundane adjustments to county commissions to a measure that would make lobster rolls the official state sandwich. The 401 new bill titles that have been proposed include an attempt to outlaw sexual contact between clergy […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Most National Guard, shipyard workers return to work
BANGOR — Most of the 406 Maine Army and Air National Guard employees and 1,500 workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery furloughed last Tuesday when the federal government shut down have returned to work, officials said Monday. Maj. Michael Steinbuchel, public affairs officer for both branches of the Maine National Guard, said employees […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
White House would consider a short-term extension on debt limit
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House signaled on Monday that it would be open to a short-term increase in the nation’s borrowing authority as the United States moved a step closer to its first-ever default and a partial government shutdown entered its second week. Gene Sperling, a senior Obama economic adviser, was pressed on whether […]