AUGUSTA — The governor’s office says it’s facing a mountain of public records requests, but one law firm isn’t waiting for its documents so patiently. Andrew Schmidt Law filed a lawsuit against the state, saying it’s been waiting for six months to get information behind Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to withdraw from the refugee […]
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Gov. Paul LePage releases 17 prisoners with commutation plan
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage said Friday that he has granted conditional commutation orders for prisoners through a plan that he says won’t threaten public safety and will help offenders get jobs. The ACLU of Maine and state prisoner advocates have applauded the Republican governor’s idea to release lower-risk inmates, while some fellow Republicans have […]
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Paul LePage tweaks budget proposal to boost legal fund, stop anti-bias program
AUGUSTA — Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage is tweaking his $6.8 billion budget proposal to add funds for private lawyers and cut a civil rights program, among other things. He’s proposing to eliminate the attorney general’s program aiming to reduce bias in schools, saving $550,000 over two years. His administration says the program should be […]
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Legislature sends marijuana regulatory bill to governor
The Legislature took a big, yet perfunctory step toward implementing marijuana legalization on Thursday. With a final vote in the Senate, a bill sponsored by House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, went to Gov. Paul LePage’s desk. It would: Move regulatory control of recreational marijuana from the Department of Agriculture — as the 2016 ballot initiative prescribed — to […]
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Analysis: What’s next for ranked-choice voting in Maine?
AUGUSTA — The implementation of ranked-choice voting hangs in limbo. The system, which election reform advocates have called a “better way to vote,” could be headed back to voters or could die at the hands of the Legislature, depending on what happens with two 11th-hour bills allowed into the legislative process on Thursday. Maine voters […]
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LePage adviser David Sorensen to join White House as speechwriter
PORTLAND — An adviser to Republican Gov. Paul LePage is leaving the administration to become a speechwriter for President Donald Trump. David Sorensen called the new job an “extraordinary honor.” In a social media post, he said it’s an opportunity “to help President Trump make America great again just as Governor LePage has made Maine […]
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LePage’s plan to dissolve turnpike authority hits roadblock
AUGUSTA — Without dissent, a key committee urged the Legislature on Thursday to turn thumbs down on Gov. Paul LePage’s bid to fold the Maine Turnpike Authority into the Department of Transportation. With little time and not much evidence that the move would help, the Transportation Committee had no trouble recommending leaving the quasi-independent state […]
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Democrats threaten to shut down Maine government over school funding
With less than a month left before statutory adjournment, Democrats have threatened to shut down government if state funding for schools doesn’t reach 55 percent. Fifty-two Democratic and two independent House members, along with four Democratic senators, have signed a pact to oppose any budget bill that doesn’t have “a progressive and sustainable funding source […]
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Gov. Paul LePage addresses Auburn-Lewiston Rotary Club breakfast
LEWISTON — Gov. Paul LePage attended the Auburn-Lewiston Rotary Club’s breakfast as their guest speaker Wednesday. The governor talked about ranked-choice voting, something he’s been vocally opposing since it was voted into law in November Maine’s Supreme Court released an “advisory opinion” Tuesday, stating the new law is a violation of the state’s Constitution which […]
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Mary Mayhew to resign as head of DHHS
AUGUSTA — Mary Mayhew, who has served as Maine commissioner of Health and Human Services since the beginning of Gov. Paul LePage’s tenure, will be leaving that post Friday. LePage announced her departure Wednesday in a prepared statement, in which he said she did an “exceptional job” at the helm of state government’s largest department. […]