WASHINGTON — The sweeping farm bill that Congress sent to President Obama Tuesday has something for almost everyone, from the nation’s 47 million food stamp recipients to Southern peanut growers, Midwest corn farmers and the maple syrup industry in the Northeast. After years of setbacks, the Senate on Tuesday sent the nearly $100 billion-a-year measure […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Washington, Colorado airports casually restrict transportation of marijuana
DENVER — Among the many oddities that have arisen from marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado is this: It can be easier to get through airport security with a bag of weed than a bottle of water. At Washington’s airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International, there’s nothing police can do to prevent travelers from flying with pot […]
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Logging accident caused Saturday outage in Washington County
COLUMBIA — A logging accident was responsible for a power outage that left more than 5,000 Emera Maine customers in Washington County without electricity for a couple of hours Saturday, utility officials said Sunday. The power outage was caused when logging activity contacted a power line between Epping and Columbia Falls, near Epping Road, Emera […]
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Collins, King split on vote to restrict Senate filibusters
WASHINGTON — Maine’s U.S. Senators split on a Democratic effort to weaken filibusters and make it harder for Republicans to block confirmation of the president’s nominees for judges and other top posts. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins voted against the restriction while the independent U.S. Sen. Angus King voted for it. It passed 52-48 — […]
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Senate Panel approves Yellen’s nomination as Fed chairwoman
WASHINGTON — Janet Yellen’s nomination to be chairman of the Federal Reserve was approved by the Senate Banking Committee Thursday with a vote of 14-8. Yellen was approved by 11 of the 12 Democrats on the banking committee, and three of the panel’s Republicans. Republican Sens. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Bob Corker of Tennessee and […]
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‘Chemicals are everywhere’: Auburn moms join lobby for update to toxic substance law
PORTLAND — Bettyann Sheats said when her daughter was younger, they used to enjoy making crafts together. The Auburn woman said she later was shocked to learn that some of the metal charms they used to make beaded bracelets contained lead, and others may have contained cadmium, both toxic metals. Sheats was one of eight […]
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AP source: JPMorgan to pay $13B under tentative deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. has tentatively agreed to pay $13 billion to settle allegations surrounding the quality of mortgage-backed securities it sold in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, a person familiar with the negotiations between the bank and the federal government said Saturday. If the agreement is finalized it would […]
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‘Susan Collins is a gang of one’
WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, Sen. Susan Collins, dispirited, sat watching her colleagues on the Senate floor stake out opposing positions over funding the government. She decided she’d had enough. “Each side was lobbing partisan grenades at the other side, despite the fact that we had a really serious problem confronting us,” the Maine Repuiblican […]
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U.S. House to vote on budget and debt limit Tuesday night
WASHINGTON — Time growing desperately short, House Republicans pushed for passage of legislation late Tuesday to prevent a threatened Treasury default, end a 15-day partial government shutdown and extricate divided government from its latest brush with a full political meltdown. There was no immediate reaction from the White House to the measure, which was revised […]
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U.S. government work is losing cachet for some
WASHINGTON (AP) — There was a time when being a federal employee meant a steady paycheck, great benefits and pride in serving the country. But these days, many federal workers are frustrated, anxious and growing tired of being pawns in a never-ending political struggle over government funding. “The pay has fallen behind, the uncertainty of […]