Our View: LePage won’t let public see costly report AUGUSTA — In a letter to Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the state’s top law enforcement officer demanded he follow the law and release copies of a publicly funded study of the state’s welfare system. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills on Wednesday sent LePage a terse letter regarding […]
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LePage administration withholds consultant’s report on welfare reform
AUGUSTA — State officials are continuing to deny access to a publicly funded study examining Maine’s welfare system, including the possible impacts of a Medicaid expansion here. The study, commissioned on a no-bid contract for $925,200 by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, is being completed by a Rhode Island-based consulting company, the […]
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Maine lawmakers prep for short session to start Wednesday
AUGUSTA —Bills addressing issues ranging from slot machines to renewable energy to revamping a state-sponsored health care rides program await lawmakers Wednesday at the State House. The first week of the “short session,” which is set to end in April, starts this week. But topping the list is what appears to be a more than […]
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LePage continues effort to lower energy costs for Maine ratepayers
AUGUSTA — For the fourth year in a row, Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is pushing to roll back or significantly change portions of Maine law aimed at boosting in-state renewable energy production. LePage says he wants to level the state’s energy-production playing field and open the door to cheap, renewable hydropower from Quebec and […]
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Maine governor candidates attack LePage on renewable policy push
LEWISTON – The leading candidates running against Republican Gov. Paul LePage said he is off course with his stance toward renewables. “Renewable energy is a strategic asset that Maine should look to expand, not undermine,” said Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. “Gov. LePage’s efforts on energy move us backward and threaten a growing industry […]
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Gay-rights group endorses Michaud in governor’s race
LEWISTON — A group that successfully advocated for gay marriage in 2012 has endorsed the only gay candidate in the race for Maine governor. EqualityMaine announced Thursday its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. The Democrat is seeking his party’s nomination in a race against incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage and independent candidate Eliot Cutler. […]
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Maine’s political gaffes fetch mea culpas in 2013
AUGUSTA — They put on clown noses in committee, lambasted each other with crude insults on television and spent time thinking with or about their “man brains.” Maine politicians, both Democratic and Republican, were anything but boring in the things they did or said in 2013. And it wasn’t even an election year for most […]
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Cutler refuses political action committee money for campaign
AUGUSTA — Independent candidate for governor Eliot Cutler announced Monday that he will not accept campaign donations from any political action committees for the 2014 election, a move that his campaign said will put him in office with no strings attached but which a spokeswoman for Democrat Mike Michaud said would have little effect on […]
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LePage battles ‘cronyism’ accusation in controversial hiring
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday defended himself and his administration against accusations of cronyism in hiring Gary Alexander, a controversial consultant, to study and make recommendations for Maine’s welfare system and potential Medicaid expansion. LePage said he has met with Alexander just three times: One of those meetings took place in 2010, when […]
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Ideology guides hiring at DHHS while chaos reigns
Please hop aboard the way-back machine for a short trip. It’s August 2011, and Paul LePage has been governor for seven months. After experiencing difficulty finding a director of Health and Human Services, the governor appoints Mary Mayhew, a former lobbyist for the Maine Hospital Association. Some people voice concern that she has had no […]