U.S. job openings rose in August to a fresh record and the share of workers quitting their jobs held at the highest since 2001, underscoring signs of strength in the labor market that should help propel wages higher, Labor Department data showed Tuesday. Job postings exceeded the number of unemployed people by 902,000 in August, […]
politics
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
St. Lawrence University pressured to rescind honorary degree awarded to Susan Collins
Maine Sen. Susan Collins continues to receive pushback for her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh — this time from alumni and faculty of her alma mater, St. Lawrence University. According to a CBS News report, more than 1,800 alumni and dozens of faculty members at the small liberal arts university in New York have […]
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Posted inNation / World
Judge throws out Stormy Daniels’ lawsuit against Donald Trump
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from adult film actress Stormy Daniels that claimed President Donald Trump defamed her when he suggested she had lied about being threatened to keep quiet about their alleged relationship. U.S. District Judge James Otero in Los Angeles ruled that Trump’s speech was protected by the First Amendment […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Debates loom this week as race heats up in 1st District
The race to represent Maine in the 1st Congressional District has heated up in recent weeks with more advertising, stinging rhetoric and upcoming debates. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is trying to fend off two challengers, independent Martin Grohman and Republican Mark Holbrook, to defend her seat in Congress. The North Haven Democrat has held the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Police investigate suspicious letter sent to Collins' house
Federal and local police are investigating a letter that was sent Monday to Sen. Susan Collins’ Bangor home that the writer claimed contained the deadly toxin ricin, an act Collins’ office said was the latest in a series of threats against the senator in the wake of her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett […]
Posted inNation / World
Where people show up to vote — and where they don’t
The United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the developed world. In 2016, for instance, just under 56 percent of the voting age population cast a ballot in the presidential election, according to the Pew Research Center. In countries like Denmark, Sweden and Belgium, by contrast, participation in the most recent […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Trump picks Maine's Mary Mayhew to manage Medicaid
Former Maine health commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mary Mayhew has been tapped by the Trump administration to lead Medicaid, the health insurance program that covers more than 70 million low-income Americans. Seema Verma, head of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a statement Monday that Mayhew has been named deputy […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Jared Golden hauls in $2.7 million in most recent quarter
In the most recent quarter, Lewiston Democrat Jared Golden raised five times as much money for his 2nd Congressional District race as the Republican incumbent he hopes to defeat. Golden brought in $2.7 million compared to $538,000 for U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, who has represented the sprawling district since 2014. Calling it an […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Voters to consider higher ed bonds
Voters are facing a pair of higher education bonds in November aimed at helping the state’s public two- and four-year colleges ramp up programs aimed at easing Maine’s workforce shortages – particularly in the health care field – and put a dent in deferred maintenance of aging campus buildings. Question 4 ask voters whether to […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Conservatives ignored William Nordhaus when he offered tools to fight global warming
The awarding of a Nobel prize in economics this week to William Nordhaus — the first economist to develop a model of how the climate and the global economy are linked – highlights a tremendous lost opportunity to fight climate change. Decades ago, Nordhaus’s work provided a set of tools that should have appealed to […]