AUGUSTA — In addition to retaining his position as Senate majority leader in his fourth term, Lisbon Falls Republican Garrett Mason will serve once again as co-chairman of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. Mason’s work on the panel during the last legislative session “was especially noteworthy, and I have no doubt he will be […]
Senate
Keim to run for Senate District 18 seat
DIXFIELD — Lisa Keim of Dixfield was selected at a caucus Tuesday night as the Republican Maine Senate candidate for District 18. She replaces Gary Knight of Livermore Falls, who withdrew from the race because of health reasons. “As a mother of three, and as someone who loves our state, I will work hard to ensure […]
Brakey announces re-election bid for state Senate
AUBURN — In his monthly radio appearance on Lewiston-Auburn station Z105.5, Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, announced the launch of his 2016 re-election campaign. “My priority in the Senate is always to help my constituents back home while advocating for limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedom from Augusta,” Brakey said in a prepared statement. “I […]
Bill to boost Maine law officers’ pay heads to LePage
AUGUSTA — A bill that boosts the pay of law enforcement officers, including troopers, game wardens, fire marshals and marine patrol officers and their supervisors, by 12 to 18 percent is on its way to the desk of Gov. Paul LePage after a vote in the Maine Senate. The bill, LD 1523, originally provided pay […]
State budget bill faces stiff GOP resistance in Maine House
AUGUSTA — Lacking the two-thirds support necessary to overcome a possible Gov. Paul LePage veto, an $11 million supplemental state budget appeared all but dead late Tuesday. The measure, which among other things would boost the pay of state law enforcement officers and workers at two state-run mental health hospitals, gained a strong 30-4 vote in […]
Former Lewiston Police Chief Welch seeks state Senate seat
LEWISTON — Former Lewiston Police Chief Bill Welch has announced his candidacy for Maine Senate District 21, which covers the city of Lewiston. Welch, who will run as a Republican against incumbent Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, made the announcement in a news release on Tuesday. Welch joined the Lewiston Police Department following his four years […]
Kimberly Sampson announces bid for state Senate District 20 seat
AUBURN — Kimberly Sampson, a dental hygienist and recent law school graduate, announced her campaign for Maine Senate District 20 on Friday. Sampson, an Auburn resident and Democrat, will run against Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, who is in his first term. The district also includes Minot, Mechanic Falls and Poland. “My great-grandfather, Amedee Gobeil, emigrated from Canada. […]
Lewiston student serving as Senate page in D.C.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has welcomed Lewiston High School student Amanda Alberda to Washington, D.C., to serve as a Senate page for the spring semester. She told the Sun Journal in November that as a child, she loved visiting Washington, D.C., more than Walt Disney World in Florida. She was nominated to the program […]
George Mitchell backs Iran nuclear deal at Lewiston Public Library
LEWISTON — The road to real peace is long and winding, but it always beats the alternative. While former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, an iconic Maine Democrat and global peacemaker, didn’t put it quite like that, his message to a group of about 150 gathered Tuesday could be easily summed up that way. Mitchell, who […]
Whimper, not bang, ends 2015 Maine lawmaking session
Happy clapping Maine Senate. Posted by Scott Thistle on Thursday, July 16, 2015 AUGUSTA — An often tumultuous first half of the 127th Maine legislative session came to a nondramatic close Thursday more than six months after it started — making it one of the longest in recent state history. Beyond a smattering of official […]