AUGUSTA — After pondering whether lawmakers will be able to deal with all of his vetoes in a single day, Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday he expects them to override at least a couple of them. He said legislators are likely to overturn his rejections of a ban on using handheld devices while driving and […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage blames GOP for student debt relief plan failure
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday he couldn’t round up enough support from wary Republicans to push through a proposed $40 million bond issue to help young workers pay off their student debts this year. But, he told radio interviewers, he’s not giving up. “I am going to take it out on the streets […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine legislative panel mulls levying 10 percent tax on marijuana
AUGUSTA (AP) — As the legalization of recreational marijuana sales in Maine nears, a legislative panel has spent months pondering the best way to tax pot to bring in state revenue, fund regulatory enforcement and discourage the illicit market. In November, legalization of recreational marijuana was approved. Possession of recreational marijuana became legal this year, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Analysis: Legislature has enough work to keep going into August
The Maine Legislature was back Thursday for what we thought was possibly their last day, but leaders quickly decided that the session that led to the first state government shutdown since 1991 will keep on giving into August. That protracted budget fight set the Legislature’s other business back significantly, leaving them to consider $200 million […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
The fate of Dakota, the husky 'pardoned' by LePage, could be decided Monday
The fate of Dakota, the husky pardoned by Gov. Paul LePage, could be decided Monday by a District Court judge if the former owner, the woman who adopted the dog and the Kennebec County district attorney strike a deal that would lift permanently the euthanasia order imposed in April. If Judge Valerie Stanfill were to […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Lawmakers disregard Question 3; insult or right thing to do?
LEWISTON — Roger Labbe and thousands of other Mainers voted for Question 2 in November, a referendum that passed statewide by about 10,000 votes. The tally was 383,428 in favor, 373,848 opposed. The referendum called for the creation of a 3 percent surcharge on annual incomes over $200,000; that money was to be dedicated to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Scott Hamann's anti-Trump rant gets him tossed off legislative committees
PORTLAND — Rep. Scott Hamann, D-South Portland, has been removed from two legislative committees because of statements he made online that suggested he would harm President Donald Trump if he got close enough. Three days after images of a profane Facebook post that Hamann wrote began to circulate online, House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, said […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Lawmakers return to Augusta to find funding for bills
AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers are set to return to Augusta this week to deal with vetoes, bonds and unfunded bills. The Legislature’s appropriations committee is scheduled to return Wednesday to decide the fate of a pile of bills needing funding to survive. Bills with high priority include more mental health first aid training for corrections […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Adrienne Bennett resigns as Paul LePage's press secretary
AUGUSTA (AP) — The long-time press secretary of Maine’s Republican governor is stepping down. Gov. Paul LePage says that Adrienne Bennett will leave in August for a marketing and communications position at Kennebec Savings Bank. The governor’s term ends in 2018. Her last day will be Aug. 2. The governor said she maintained composure while […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage vs. Janet Mills: 'She is a Democrat before she’s an attorney'
Gov. Paul LePage’s verbal assault on Attorney General Janet Mills continued Tuesday on the heels of Mills announcing that she seek the Democratic nomination to replace LePage as Maine’s next governor. LePage’s comments Tuesday morning during a radio interview on WVOM were nothing new but illustrated, again, how he has been loaded up against Mills for years and what the campaign […]