The year is 2020, just nine years from now, and the state is facing the worst budget crisis in years. A new governor and Legislature are grappling with the inescapable fact that before they can spend a penny on schools, roads or welfare, they have to pay a $760 million bill — almost all of […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine prison property sale voided
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The state’s sale of property near the former prison in Thomaston to the current prison warden has prompted Attorney General William Schneider to declare the transaction void, saying it violates Maine law. Gov. Paul LePage also issued an executive order Monday telling the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to create […]
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Political Pulse: LePage’s ‘N.Y. city lawyer’ comes cheap
Nuggets from the notebook while taking a look at Louis DiLorenzo, the labor attorney hired by the LePage administration to assist in collective bargaining negotiations with the state’s seven unions … Democrats and union advocates have taken to calling him Gov. Paul LePage’s “New York City lawyer.” In two press releases last week lamenting the […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine law addresses methadone use by truckers
AUGUSTA , Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage faces a stack of bills he must decide whether he will sign, but one he’s sure to put his name on will make it a crime to drive a large commercial vehicle while on methadone. Lisa Ronan of Gray plans to be in the governor’s office Friday […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Marine with Maine ties dies in Afghanistan
A U.S. Marine with ties to Maine has died while serving in Afghanistan. Marine Cpl. Mark Goyet, whose maternal grandparents live in Westbrook, was killed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 28, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said in a statement issued on Friday. Goyet was assigned to 3d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, (Regimental Combat Team-8, II […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage signs bill to allow charter schools
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Fulfilling a campaign promise, Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday signed into law a bill making Maine the 41st state to allow charter schools, which create innovative educational settings for students who don’t fit into the public schools. LePage high-fived a group of students seated behind his desk before sitting down to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers cheer as Maine’s 2011 session ends
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — To the applause and cheers of lawmakers, the 2011 Maine legislative session ended Wednesday evening with Gov. Paul LePage and leaders of both parties ticking off a list of accomplishments during the past six months including lowering taxes, overhauling health insurance and easing state regulations. While highlighting successes they accomplished in […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers OK 75-mph speed limit between Old Town, Houlton
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to increase the speed limit on Interstate 95 between Old Town and Houlton breezed through the Legislature on Tuesday and now is headed to Gov. Paul LePage’s desk. The bill, LD 1557, would allow the state’s transportation commissioner to bump up the speed limit on Maine’s northernmost stretch of the […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
LePage to lead trade mission to Brazil, Chile
Gov. Paul LePage will lead his first international trade mission this fall, visiting Brazil and Chile with a delegation of Maine businesses. The group will visit Sao Paulo, Brazil and Santiago, Chile, and will be first trip to South America by a Maine governor since 1997. “We have received great interest in these developing markets […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers uphold Maine gov’s vetoes
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill calling for a study into the health effects of wood smoke will stand. The Maine House voted Tuesday not to override the governor’s veto. In his veto message, LePage questioned the study’s cost and whether it would undermine the use of wood as a […]