AUGUSTA – Maine Gov. Paul LePage urged residents to stay off the roads and hunker down Tuesday as winter storm Juno whipped across the state causing blizzard conditions and flooding along the coastline. LePage also announced all state offices would be closed Tuesday. LePage made the official declaration at about 4:30 a.m. Many schools and […]
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Maine’s new state treasurer wants to show you what the money buys
AUGUSTA — If you get any kind of check from state government, you are going to see Terry Hayes’ signature on it — at least for the next two years. Hayes, an independent who was recently elected state treasurer, said that’s one of the weirdest things about her new job. A former Democratic state representative […]
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Lawmakers hear from Maine’s conservation commission on ranger restructure
AUGUSTA — Maine’s agriculture Commissioner Walter Whitcomb on Tuesday shared new details of a plan that would restructure the state’s Forest Service, including the elimination of between 12 and 13 forest ranger positions. Whitcomb told a joint meeting of the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations and Agriculture committees that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation wanted […]
Posted inMaine
Maine jails are pressed for cash and facing funding crisis
AUGUSTA — The outgoing executive director of the state Board of Corrections, Ryan Thornell, confirmed for lawmakers Tuesday that Maine’s county jails are indeed facing critical funding shortfalls and public safety could be at risk. Thornell and Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry told a joint meeting of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Criminal Justice and Public […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Gov. LePage’s plan: How much nonprofits would pay
LEWISTON — If Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to tax nonprofits became law, Lewiston would get $3.3 million a year in added property taxes from its two hospitals and Bates College. Central Maine Medical Center’s property tax bill would be $1.17 million a year, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center’s would be $535,000, and Bates College would […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Forum focuses on tax reform and LePage budget plan
LEWISTON — The chief architect of a state tax reform plan that was rejected by the Legislature in 2013 said Friday that he sees hope on the horizon for a Gov. Paul LePage budget proposal that includes similar reforms. Former state Sen. Dick Woodbury, a Yarmouth independent, said LePage’s 2016-17 state budget proposal, currently being […]
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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 […]
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County jails may face funding crisis
AUGUSTA — With the resignations of one member of the Maine Board of Corrections and its only two staff members, county jails could be facing a critical funding shortage. The board, down to two members, lacks a quorum to do its business, including authorizing state funding for county jails. Amy Fowler, a Waldo County commissioner, […]
Posted inMaine
LePage budget plan reforms Maine tax policy
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Friday made good on his promise to “go after” Maine income taxes in his next two-year budget. LePage’s 2016-17 spending plan for state government includes sweeping reforms to Maine’s tax policy, dramatically changing the sources of state revenue from the income tax to a broader and higher sales tax. The […]
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LePage launches second term with promises of job growth and a stronger economy
AUGUSTA — Paul LePage launched his second term as Maine’s governor Wednesday with robust promises to create jobs and improve the state’s long-flagging economy. He also vowed to tackle the state’s income tax, saying his vision was a Maine without an income tax. “We want Mainers to know prosperity and not poverty,” LePage said. He […]