Posted inMaine, sj-web

Paul LePage said he took 'a nice ride' on LifeFlight when he was hospitalized

AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage’s recent health troubles alarmed doctors enough that they summoned a LifeFlight helicopter to transport him to a Bangor hospital last month. LePage confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was transported via LifeFlight, calling it a “nice” ride. But he declined to provide further details and said […]

Posted inMaine

Paul LePage refuses to apologize without Saviello saying he’s sorry first

AUGUSTA (AP) —Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday that he’ll apologize for calling a GOP senator the “most repugnant human being” once the governor himself gets an apology – or when “hell freezes over.” LePage told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has responded to a committee’s demand that he apologize to Sen. Tom […]

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Posted inMaine, sj-web

Adrienne Bennett returns to LePage administration

A former spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday she was returning to the Republican administration to serve in the Maine Department of Labor. Adrienne Bennett, who left the administration in 2017, posted on Facebook that she was rejoining LePage’s team and had started in her new role as the Director of Policy and Legislative […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Paul LePage says he will deny Medicaid applicants until expansion is funded

AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage said he’ll continue denying applications under a voter-approved Medicaid expansion until lawmakers provide funding under his terms. Pro-Medicaid expansion advocates who are suing to force Maine to roll-out voter-approved Medicaid expansion have encouraged Mainers to apply for Medicaid expansion this summer. But LePage said the plan is to deny […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Doctors advised Paul LePage to skip international trip

Gov. Paul LePage is skipping a planned trade mission to the United Kingdom and Ireland on the advice of his physician 13 days after he was hospitalized for what his office would only describe as “discomfort.”. Peter Steele, LePage’s communications director, on Friday described the decision as a precautionary measure. “He definitely wanted to go and is […]

Posted inMaine

Paul LePage halts nominations a day after panel rejects Maine Turnpike Authority nominee

AUGUSTA (AP) Paul LePage A spokesman is blaming “petty partisan politicians” for Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to halt his nominations for individuals to state boards and commissions. LePage’s adviser Michael Beardsley told a legislative panel Thursday that committees will not hold hearings scheduled on the governor’s nominations. LePage spokesman Peter Steele said it’s wrong […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Maine files documents to expand Medicaid and a request to reject it

The LePage administration on Tuesday submitted required documents to the federal government to expand Medicaid to 70,000 Mainers, but there’s a catch. Gov. Paul LePage – an expansion opponent – is asking federal officials to deny the application. “I strongly encourage CMS (U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) to reject the State Plan Amendment that may […]

Posted inLetters, sj-web

A sad time for Republicans

It is, indeed, a sad time for Maine Republicans. First off, critics say Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to challenge a federal court’s ruling that the Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender workers from discrimination casts Maine in a bad light and could hurt the state’s economic development efforts. And then Rep. Bruce Poliquin hides […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Paul LePage urged to apologize for last week’s outburst at Tom Saviello

In an unprecedented move, the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee sent a letter Wednesday to Gov. Paul LePage condemning his actions at a public meeting last week during which he called a lawmaker “the most repugnant human being” he’d ever seen. The committee urged the governor to apologize to Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton, and to the entire […]

Posted inMaine

Critics say LePage’s support for case challenging protections for LGBT workers puts Maine in a bad light

Critics say Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to challenge a federal court’s ruling that the Civil Rights Act protects gay and transgender workers from discrimination casts Maine in a bad light and could hurt the state’s economic development efforts. But a LePage spokesman said the governor is simply trying to prevent “activist judges” from rewriting federal […]