AUGUSTA — Partisan battles over Maine’s state budget and Gov. Paul LePage’s record-breaking veto tally have recently garnered much of the attention but the Republican governor has also quietly signed many bills the Democratic-led Legislature sent to his desk as they wrap up the 2013 session. Despite their differences on the $6.3 billion state budget, LePage […]
politics
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Ticket-to-work law designed to help welfare recipients get long-term employment
AUGUSTA — A bill meant to more quickly move families from welfare to sustainable long-term employment has become law, the Democratic Speaker of the House Mark Eves said Tuesday. The so-called, “Ticket-to-Work” law provides resources and assessment for those receiving state and federal financial aid and looks to determine what specific training or educational programs […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Michaud committee raises $300K for governor’s race
BANGOR — U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud has raised more than $300,000 in little more than two weeks since announcing an exploratory committee to consider a run for governor. The preliminary fundraising total covers the period from the day Michaud formed his exploratory committee on June 13 until midnight on June 30. David Farmer, Michaud’s spokesman, […]
Posted inMaine
Jackson announces he will make run for U.S. Congress
ALLAGASH — State Sen. Troy Jackson announced Monday he will make a bid for the U.S. Congress. Jackson, a northern Maine Democrat and assistant majority in leader in the state Senate, was recently the brunt of vulgar criticisms uttered by Republican Gov. Paul LePage. Jackson will seek the 2nd Congressional District seat of U.S. Rep. […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
GOP leader Willette, 24, says he is candidate for Maine’s 2nd District
AUGUSTA — Assistant House Minority Leader Alexander Willette, R-Mapleton, has announced that he will file the necessary paperwork Monday to become a candidate for Maine’s 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Willette, who is in his second term in District 7 of the Maine House, said he will build his campaign around […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Marijuana’s march toward mainstream confounds feds
WASHINGTON — It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of “Reefer Madness” to the excesses of Woodstock back to the hard line of “Just Say No.” The next 25 years took the nation from Bill Clinton, who famously “didn’t inhale,” to Barack Obama, who most emphatically did. And […]
Posted inMaine
Few complaints about jobless claims process said officers favored workers
The data provided by the governor’s office to the Sun Journal in response to a Freedom of Access Act request show that most of the nearly 400 complaints at the governor’s office don’t take issue with the unemployment claims appeals hearing process.
Posted inMaine
State employees say LePage pressured them to deny jobless benefits
At a meeting last month, Gov. Paul LePage pressured hearing officers at the Department of Labor to decide unemployment-benefit cases in favor of business owners over workers, sources to the Sun Journal have said. LePage summoned more than a dozen employees at the state agency to a luncheon on March 21 that lasted more than […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine v. N.H.: The battle for booze bucks
HALLOWELL — Animated, with thick round glasses, salt-and-pepper hair and a tall, lean frame, Gerry Reid could pass for a professor in the Harry Potter universe. His last job was in tequila, as managing director at Jose Cuervo International, where he oversaw new product development, sales and marketing, and launched ready-to-drink margaritas. In his new […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Why are Republicans discouraging voting?
Election Day voter registration — known as same-day registration — permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day. Most U.S. states require voters to register before an election, with various deadlines. Ten states have some form of Election Day voter registration. Voter turnout is much higher in states using Election Day registration than […]