Christopher Cousins
Bath Bureau
- 207.443.5310
- ccousins@bangordailynews.com
Senators disagree over resolution creating government oversight of east-west highway
AUGUSTA, Maine — A resolve to ensure continued legislative oversight of the planning, creation and operation of an east-west highway in Maine caused dissention in the Senate Tuesday night, where Democrats sought to control the process and Republicans said it’s a private venture that should be left alone. The possibility ...
Democrats advance repeal of 2-year cap on treatments for addicts on Medicaid
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bid by Democrats to repeal the 2-year limit on methadone and suboxone treatments that are paid for by Medicaid passed Tuesday night in the Senate but could face a veto by Gov. Paul LePage, who has voiced support for the initiative since his campaign for office. ...
Senate rejects LePage bill to lift charter school cap, send taxpayer funds to religious schools
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bid by Gov. Paul LePage to lift a 10-school cap on charter schools and route some taxpayer funding to religious schools failed Tuesday night in the Senate by a vote of 29-6. LD 1529, An Act to Expand School Choice for Maine Students, was sponsored by ...
Tuesday vetoes highlight LePage’s conflicts with Democrats over education
AUGUSTA, Maine — A measure that would require charter schools to be operated by nonprofit organizations was among five bills that Gov. Paul LePage vetoed Tuesday evening. LD 671, An Act to Protect Charter Schools by Requiring Them to be Operated as Nonprofit Organizations, is a Democrat-sponsored bill that sought ...
Handful of Republicans being pressured to override LePage Medicaid veto
AUGUSTA, Maine — When Republican Gov. Paul LePage vetoed Medicaid expansion for the second time this legislative session on Monday, it set the stage for perhaps the biggest political showdown at the State House this year. A handful of moderate Republican senators are now expected to cast the key votes ...
POLL QUESTION
Replacement for LePage’s A-through-F grading system wins majority support in Legislature
AUGUSTA, Maine — A Democratic initiative to remove and replace Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s A-through-F school grading system implemented earlier this year won passage Tuesday in the Maine House and Senate. The Senate passed the bill by a 21-14 vote, then the House followed with an 80-55 tally for passage. ...
Former Newtown resident brings call for gun-sale background checks to Augusta
AUGUSTA, Maine — A national push for laws that keep guns out of hands that would do evil with them came to Augusta on Monday. Organizers of a 25-state, 100-day road tour designed to pressure political leaders to require background checks for the purchase of all firearms made their case ...
Despite new PC option, Apple technology dominates school laptop orders
AUGUSTA, Maine — A new option for schools in the state-funded student laptop program introduced earlier this year by Gov. Paul LePage has found relatively few takers, according to the Department of Education. The majority of schools will stick with Apple Corp. technology, though many will switch from laptops to ...
POLL QUESTION
House Democrats who voted against budget could decide veto override outcome
AUGUSTA, Maine — The passage of a biennial budget bill late Thursday represented a victory for Democrats who were able to negotiate away some of what they saw as Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s most disastrous proposals. But 10 House Democrats who voted against the budget said the compromise didn’t go ...
Maine House and Senate send $6.3 billion budget to LePage
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine House and Senate voted Thursday night to enact a $6.3 billion compromise budget for the two-year cycle that begins July 1. Each chamber voted twice Thursday on the budget, which legislative leaders plan to have on Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s desk Friday morning. The governor, ...
Congressional wannabes begin lining up in 2nd District
AUGUSTA, Maine — Thursday’s announcement by Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud that he is eyeing a run for governor set in motion a wild scramble among Republicans and Democrats hoping to win Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat if he abandons it. Based on immediate speculation and the initial reactions of ...
United Legislature moves Maine closer to paying off $490 million debt to hospitals
AUGUSTA, Maine — One of the highest-profile and longest-debated issues of the legislative session was resolved Wednesday and Thursday with unanimous votes in both the House and Senate in favor of paying off past Medicaid debt to Maine’s 39 hospitals. An under-the-hammer vote in the Senate on Wednesday night and ...
LePage reaffirms budget veto threat; Democratic leaders say make it quick
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage said Wednesday he’d rather let state government shut down than sign the biennial budget document that legislative leaders said will be on his desk by the end of the week. Democratic leaders fired back, urging LePage to veto the budget as soon as possible ...
Senate follows House in strong support of GMO food labeling
AUGUSTA, Maine — Support for mandating that genetically modified foods bear labels in Maine was as strong Wednesday in the Senate as it was Tuesday in the House, with lawmakers from both parties supporting the measure. Passage of the bill, LD 718, means that genetically modified food products would carry ...
Senate disagrees with House on override of LePage veto of drug overdose bill
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Senate on Wednesday upheld Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that would give witnesses to drug overdoses an affirmative defense in court. The Senate’s vote was at odds with a House of Representatives vote Tuesday to override the veto. Wednesday’s vote marks the third ...
Schools sort through laptop program options as state deadline looms
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Apple-versus-PC debate is unfolding all over Maine this week as school districts face a Thursday deadline to choose which brand of taxpayer-funded computers some 70,000 students and teachers will use for the next four years. One choice is Apple laptop computers and tablets, which have been ...
LePage vetoes bill that would protect overdose witnesses who call for help
AUGUSTA, Maine — Democrats who support a bill vetoed Monday by Gov. Paul LePage said the governor misunderstood its intent and have vowed to try to override the veto. LePage said in his veto message to the Legislature that LD 1044 would “create an unnecessary barrier for drug enforcement when ...
Maine Senate opposes sending recreational marijuana question to voters
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate on Monday snuffed any chance that the state’s voters would decide at the ballot box this year whether to make marijuana legal for recreational use. The Senate voted 24-10 Monday morning against sending the question to this November’s ballot. That followed a vote Friday ...
Is Maine a nanny state?
AUGUSTA, Maine — “Nanny state” is a label nobody wants, which lends it all the more impact when it comes to ideological clashes over how much or little government should regulate people’s lives. In March, when a Democratic proposal to ban teenagers from tanning booths dominated legislative debate, House Republican ...
Lawmakers propose increases to sales and lodging taxes as part of budget deal
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers propose to temporarily increase the sales tax by a half a percent and the meals and lodging tax by 1 percent in order to balance the state budget for the next two years and blunt some of the cuts proposed by Gov. Paul LePage. The tax ...
Orono man enters not guilty pleas in Cable kidnapping, murder
LePage speaks frankly to Dirigo Girls State delegates
Maine House fails to override Medicaid expansion veto
A vote against the budget is a vote for a state shutdown
LePage fails to surprise on Medicaid expansion
Susan Collins: Why Congress should reform federal court
The cost of requiring more renewable power
Maine Sports Hall of Fame revokes Dana Wilson’s 2012 induction
American Lung Association retires number of cyclist killed in Trek Across Maine
Retiring Hermon High School athletic administrator Soucy maintains love of sports
Report: Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez not ruled out as homicide suspect
Midcoast multibajillionaire knows what her husband is doing before he does it
The Esther II: A father’s boat, a son’s heart