AUBURN — Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte is urging broad participation when the Auburn School Committee meets Wednesday night to talk about the long process required by the state to build a new Edward Little High School. “This will be the largest public construction project in the history of our city,” LaBonte told the City Council […]
LaBonte
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Auburn mayor offers TIF money to help balance school budget
AUBURN — The city could use $450,000 in Tax Increment Finance money to offset a proposed 7.3 percent tax increase for schools, Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said Monday. LaBonte outlined his idea to use the revenue from city economic development TIF districts to fund career-oriented education for Auburn students. “I’m going to make a suggestion about […]
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Posted inLocal Sports
Beach to Beacon: Race continues to draw them in
For some, running the TD Beach to Beacon 10K is about the thrill of competition, both with other runners and with the ticking hands of time. For others, the race is about camaraderie, seeing familiar faces in a familiar — and healthy — setting each August. A select few continue to run the race, first […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
LePage to announce new L/A-Portland bus service
AUGUSTA — Just two days after the Auburn City Council voted 6-0 to contribute $50,000 to a $500,000 passenger rail development plan for Lewiston-Auburn, Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte are set to announce a new bus service for the Twin Cities. LePage and LaBonte, who is also director of LePage’s office […]
Posted inMaine
Dispute roils Land for Maine’s Future program; no end in sight
AUGUSTA — A dispute between Gov. Paul LePage and a coalition of land conservation groups and lawmakers over funding for the state’s Land for Maine’s Future program is unlikely to end anytime soon. LePage has refused to issue voter-approved funds for the program until the Legislature allows some of the revenue from timber harvested on […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Jonathan LaBonte blasts dam operators for closing canals
AUBURN – In a blistering post on Facebook, Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte is criticizing the corporate operators of a hydropower dam on the Androsscoggin River just days before one of Twin Cities largest festivals. “The balloon festival weekend approaches and I’m struggling at the moment to not be completely ticked off,” LaBonte wrote in the […]
Posted inMaine
Land for Maine’s Future bonds put Jonathan LaBonte in tough spot
AUGUSTA — Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte, former executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust and a well-known supporter of land conservation, is in a seemingly tough spot these days. LaBonte, who left the land trust in 2014 to become the director of Gov. Paul LePage’s Office of Policy and Management, is now responsible for scrutinizing […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Auburn pushing for better river access as Barker Mill dam license proceeds
AUBURN — The city will push for better outdoor recreation as the operator of the New Auburn hydroelectric dam works to renew its license. “It’s critically important, because Lewiston and Auburn have historically rolled over in these processes, thinking we don’t want to be anti-business,” Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said. “This is not anti-business. The waterways […]
Posted inFuneral Services
Richard M. Labonte
AUBURN — A Mass of Christian burial honoring the life Richard M. Labonte was celebrated by the Rev. Lionel Chouinard Friday afternoon, March 27, at Sacred Heart Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. At the beginning of Mass, Richard’s family draped his casket with a white burial pall, signifying Richard’s baptism into a […]
Posted inMaine
LaBonte says LePage plan helps more than hurts, but lawmakers have questions
AUGUSTA — As Maine lawmakers continued Wednesday to dig into Gov. Paul LePage’s recent budget proposal, which includes sweeping changes to the state’s tax policy, Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said taxpayers would gain more than they would lose. Among other changes, LePage’s proposal would eliminate about $62 million in state revenue-sharing with cities and towns […]