Maine lawmakers OK $149.5M education, roads bonds: What’s in the bond package. AUGUSTA — Maine voters will be asked this November to decide how much the state should borrow for roads, bridges and education facilities. Adrienne Bennett, a spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Paul LePage, said Friday that he has signed a five-bill bond package worth […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Has Gov. Paul LePage said too much?
AUGUSTA — On paper, Paul LePage’s resume reads like the answer to Republican prayers. A son of laborers, LePage learned English as a second language and fled an abusive father and a family of 17 brothers and sisters. He wound up living on the streets as a child. He worked his way through school with […]
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‘When I want to say something that is off-color, I’m going to tape my mouth shut.’
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage now keeps a roll of duct tape on his desk as a reminder to himself. “We all have faults. Mine is that I can’t keep my mouth shut,” LePage, 64, said Thursday here in his office. “I promised my staff: Now till Election Day, when I want to say something […]
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Lawmakers find little to cheer about in report that Maine’s sales tax burden is nation’s third lowest
AUGUSTA — A new study by a national think tank says Maine’s sales tax is the third-lowest in the country. But legislators — even those known to be proponents of lower taxes — said that’s not necessarily good news. The Tax Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan research organization that has monitored fiscal policy […]
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Maine lawmakers OK $149.5M education, roads bonds
AUGUSTA — A $149.5 million state borrowing plan for roads and education facilities is one step closer to the November ballot following lawmakers’ approval of the bond package during a special legislative session on Thursday. The five-bill bond package proposal easily reached the two-thirds majority in both chambers necessary for approval. The bills now head […]
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Maine House passes 4 of 5 bonds
AUGUSTA — The Maine House of Representatives has approved part of the $149.5 million bond package proposal making its way through the Legislature. The House passed four of the five bills that make up the state borrowing package for roads, bridges and education facilities. The Maine Senate also has approved LD 782. The four approved […]
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Lawmakers pass bill that addresses overcrowding at Riverview
AUGUSTA — The Maine Legislature Thursday took the first tentative steps towards solving overcrowding and understaffing problems at the state’s Riverview Psychiatric Center. Meanwhile, the federal government’s Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services approved a corrective action plan for the facility after it found patient and staff safety issues and treatment shortfalls during an inspection in […]
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Kevin Raye says he will run for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District
AUGUSTA — Former Maine Senate President Kevin Raye says he’s running for Maine’s open 2nd Congressional District Seat and plans a formal announcement after Labor Day. Earlier this week, former Republican state treasurer Bruce Poliquin announced his candidacy. Raye, also a Republican, said at the time he wasn’t ready to make an announcement. But he […]
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Analysis: Democrats claim momentum while Republicans cite outside money
BATH, Maine — Democrats said Eloise Vitelli’s victory in Tuesday’s Senate District 19 special election is proof that voters are swinging to the left, though Republicans said it was another example of the power of Democratic money in local elections. Whether Vitelli’s victory is a preview of Democratic victories in the 2014 general elections remains to be […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Vitelli takes oath to join Maine Senate for special session
AUGUSTA — The Democratic winner of the special election in Maine Senate District 19 is joining the Legislature for a special session. Republican Gov. Paul LePage swore in Democratic Sen. Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic on Thursday morning. Vitelli won the election Tuesday to fill a seat left vacant by the resignation of Democratic Sen. Seth […]