The Maine member of President Trump’s voter fraud commission has written a pointed letter to its executive director, demanding he be given documents and kept informed about the group’s activities and charging that there is “a vacuum of information.” Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, one of four Democrats on the 12-person commission, sent the letter […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Legalize Maine warns rewritten marijuana law ‘not ready for prime time’
Legalize Maine has come out against the proposed legislative rewrite of a voter-approved recreational marijuana law, saying the bill that is slated for a special session vote Monday “isn’t ready for prime time.” The group’s president, Paul T. McCarrier, said the amendment to the state Marijuana Legalization Act would create chaos in the new market, […]
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Trump administration wants Paul LePage to accept job training funds
Vice President Mike Pence meets with Maine Gov. Paul LePage to discuss health care and tax reform in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Complex, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Washington. President Donald Trump’s secretary of labor last month asked Gov. Paul LePage to rethink his decision to withdraw from a federal […]
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Paul LePage has 'productive' meeting with sheriffs on immigration detention
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage and Maine’s 16 county sheriffs met in a closed-door session Monday in an attempt to settle a dispute over holding suspects for federal immigration officials. Though the issue wasn’t resolved, the sheriffs said it was a “productive” meeting that helped both sides clarify areas of contention. The governor had told […]
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Legislature to study nonprofit ownership of conserved lands
Thanks to an Oct. 6, 2014 land buy from Verso Paper Corp., the Androscoggin Land Trust of Auburn has permanently conserved for public benefit some 1,250 acres of forested land along the Androscoggin River in Canton and Jay. AUGUSTA (AP) — Lawmakers have begun diving into the issue of land conservation programs, which supporters say […]
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Susan Collins to announce Friday if she'll run for governor
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will make her much-anticipated announcement about whether she’ll run for governor on Friday, according to her spokeswoman. The time and location of Collins’ announcement was not disclosed, but the Republican senator is in Maine this week while the Senate is in recess. The only public event she […]
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If Susan Collins becomes governor, backers feel U.S. Senate would suffer
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, leaves a meeting with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. PORTLAND (AP) — Backers of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins say they wish they could clone the moderate Republican powerbroker from Maine who has been a crucial swing vote in Congress as Republicans struggle to […]
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Welfare fraud allegations don't always lead to charges
Gov. Paul LePage’s administration said this week that it has uncovered more than $1 million in alleged theft and fraud this year by people who receive benefits like food stamps and the state’s Medicaid program. But many such theft allegations haven’t led to criminal charges. Attorney General Janet Mills, whose office handles fraud by groups […]
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Paul LePage nominates Ricker Hamilton as DHHS commissioner
Gov. Paul LePage nominated acting Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Ricker Hamilton to be commissioner Tuesday. “We will continue to bring fiscal responsibility and accountability to this department while improving and reforming the programs that are vital to many of our most vulnerable citizens,” LePage said in announcing the nomination. Hamilton has served […]
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Paul LePage calls Legislature back to tackle food sovereignty, GIS funding
Maine Gov. Paul LePage, testifies during a House Natural Resources subcommittee oversight hearing on the Antiquities Act on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage announced Friday he was calling the Legislature back to the State House for a special lawmaking session set to start on Monday, Oct. […]