The sun really shone on the Dempsey Challenge this year, allowing about 4,000 people to participate in the third annual fundraising effort that benefits the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing. It was especially gratifying since the weather the weekend before featured rain, wind and cold that would have made many of the […]
Our View
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Plan to stop taxing pensions needs hard look
Gov. Paul LePage renewed his pledge Thursday to stop collecting state income tax on pension benefits, explaining it would attract well-heeled retirees back to the state. We have long heard stories about accountants who advise their wealthy clients to establish permanent residences in more tax-friendly climes to save money. On the other hand, a scholarly […]
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A look back at the week’s news
At the annual town meeting in June, Rumford voters rejected a $4,000 funding request from Safe Voices, the former Abused Women’s Advocacy Project. The vote was 708-546 which, at the time, Police Chief Stacy Carter called “crazy.” Last week, selectmen unanimously approved spending $600 to erect signs stating the town had zero tolerance for domestic […]
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Taking on some popular misconceptions
It’s Friday, time for a few unpopular opinions. Why Friday? Why not? Bank of America imposes a $5 debit card fee? Get over it. Debit cards are quick and convenient, and most banks have been offering them free for years. The banks paid for that service by charging fees, both large and small and mostly […]
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Buyers shaken by accounts of inaccurate pumps
Revelations that miscalibrated gas pumps have cost Maine consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars are outrageous and have shaken public confidence in the state’s ability to guarantee consumers are getting what they pay for. The Capitol News Service reported Monday that a station in southern Maine may have overcharged customers $316,637 in a single year. […]
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Proposed law will only lead to useless litigation
The Great Recession of 2011 has produced millions of tragedies. They are written in the faces of good people who would be gainfully employed if not for business and economic circumstances beyond their control. There’s always a certain amount of employment churn, even in a good economy. People lose one job and find another. Sometimes […]
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Measuring ME residency in different doses
Ernest A. Canning, a California attorney and investigative reporter who blogs about voting issues across the nation, set Maine’s Secretary of State Charlie Summers in his sights Sunday, blasting Summers for a letter sent to 206 out-of-state students enrolled in Maine’s public colleges. That letter, mailed on State of Maine letterhead two weeks ago, asked […]
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Ad watch: Biddeford racino
Race: Biddeford and Washington County racinos (Question 2) Ads: 1 print mailer, 1 30-second TV ad, “Putting Maine to Work” Sponsor: Putting Maine to Work (Ballot Question Committee in support of the racinos) Text: Print ad (excerpts) “Yes on Question 2: Building two new facilities . . . One in Biddeford, where voters have already […]
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Cleaning out the inbox
Cheers to Maine’s Legislature for pulling it together and “acting like grown-ups” as Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, put it after they voted nearly unanimously on a reasonable congressional redistricting plan. The new districts meet the goals of the law in providing a near-even, by population, distribution of voters between the state’s two U.S. congressional districts. […]
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Debaters better at pinning blame than offering ideas
After six Republican presidential debates, there is no debate about one thing — everyone in the race abhors “ObamaCare,” otherwise known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It’s a disaster, they agree, which should surprise no one. The plan passed the U.S. Congress without a single Republican vote. Having established that they oppose […]