Christopher Cousins

Christopher Cousins

Bath Bureau

Christopher Cousins covers the Southern Coast, including Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties and Portland, from Bath.
 
Gov. Paul LePage

LePage vetoes bill calling for Internet sales tax study

By Christopher Cousins on May 17, 2013, at 5:40 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage vetoed his sixth bill of the legislative session Friday afternoon. LD 319 directed Maine Revenue Services to review Maine’s conformity with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement, which is an agreement among several states and retailers, and to report back to the Legislature’s ...

Democrats kill bills that would have given rights to fetuses, changed abortion requirements

By Christopher Cousins on May 17, 2013, at 1:03 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Two abortion-related bills and a third giving legal rights to fetuses, which drew more than six hours of public testimony Thursday, were rejected Friday by a majority of lawmakers on the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. For the most part, Democrats said little during the work session before seven ...
Color guards from numerous law enforcement agencies across Maine paraded into a ceremony memorializing fallen officers on Thursday, May 16, 2013, in Augusta.

Law enforcement officials gather for solemn memorial of 83 fallen Maine officers

By Christopher Cousins on May 16, 2013, at 4:07 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Dozens of police officers and civilians gathered Thursday for a solemn ceremony in remembrance of the 83 law enforcement officers from Maine who have died while on duty. Expressions on the faces of the law enforcement officers were grim and tears streaked the faces of some audience ...
POLL QUESTION
Rep. Stacey Guerin

Abortion rights debate reignites at State House with introduction of three bills

By Christopher Cousins on May 16, 2013, at 3:22 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The thorny issue of abortion rights came to the forefront Thursday in Augusta with the introduction of three bills that sparked strong words even before they were introduced to lawmakers. Pro-choice and pro-life activists pre-empted the introduction of the bills during competing news conferences only a few ...

Democrats move Maine teacher evaluation rules forward after scolding from Bowen

By Christopher Cousins on May 14, 2013, at 6:26 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — A dust-up around the introduction of new teacher and principal evaluation rules appeared to calm Tuesday with Democrats vowing to pull the measure into the process within a week. At issue are rules written by the Department of Education in response to a bill enacted last year ...
With two members absent, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 8-3 against LD 1229, An Act to Regulate and Tax Marijuana.

Bill to legalize marijuana fails, but support emerges for statewide vote

By Christopher Cousins on May 14, 2013, at 4:07 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bid to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Maine was imperiled by a strong negative vote Tuesday in the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, though the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, insisted that the issue is not dead. With two members absent, the ...
Rep. Corey Wilson, R-Augusta, said he will present an amendment to LD 1229, An Act to Regulate and Tax Marijuana, on Tuesday afternoon when the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee holds a work session on the bill.

Republican lawmaker to propose major amendment to marijuana legalization bill

By Christopher Cousins on May 14, 2013, at 12:59 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The face of a bill that would clear the way for legalizing recreational marijuana in Maine could change drastically Tuesday at the hands of a Republican-led amendment at the committee level. Rep. Corey Wilson, R-Augusta, said he will present an amendment to LD 1229, An Act to ...

House vote sustains LePage veto of rule allowing superintendents to live outside school district

By Christopher Cousins on May 14, 2013, at 12:15 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — More than 30 legislators in the House of Representatives voted Tuesday against overriding Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill they originally supported. The vote sustains the veto of LD 6, An Act to Prohibit a Requirement That a Superintendent Reside in a School Administrative Unit, which ...

Democrats push bill to stall virtual charter schools in Maine

By Christopher Cousins on May 13, 2013, at 6:33 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine would impose a moratorium on virtual charter schools and require that all charter schools function as nonprofit organizations if three measures endorsed Monday by the Legislature’s Education Committee become law. The committee voted 8-4 along party lines, with Democrats in the majority, to recommend passage of ...
James D. Campbell

Lawmakers stand squarely behind measure to audit Maine military sex assault laws

By Christopher Cousins on May 13, 2013, at 11:58 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers showed strong support Monday for a resolve that directs the Maine National Guard to bring the state in line with federal guidelines related to the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of sexual assault in the military. The Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee took the unusual step ...

Maine lawmakers recommend synthetic pot ban, stiffer bath salts penalties

By Christopher Cousins on May 10, 2013, at 7:57 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee gave unanimous support Friday to proposals that would increase the penalties for use, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana and a chemical hallucinogen known as bath salts. Variations of both substances are or have been legal in Maine, though the ...
Maine Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland.

Democrats stall teacher evaluation rules until LePage reveals education agenda

By Christopher Cousins on May 10, 2013, at 7:11 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — A week and a half of tension that began to mount last week with the release of an A-through-F grading system for public schools culminated Friday evening with Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen attacking Senate President Justin Alfond for delaying action on a sweeping teacher evaluation plan that ...
POLL QUESTION

Should Maine allow teachers to carry guns in school?

By Christopher Cousins on May 10, 2013, at 6:32 p.m.
The bill would allow school boards to establish procedures for trained school employees to carry concealed handguns on school property.
VIDEO
Chinese students Michael Gao (right) and Mindy Yi discuss their practice exam during their AP statistics class at Orono High School on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

LePage school grading system could hurt international student recruitment

By Christopher Cousins on May 10, 2013, at 11:47 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage’s new A-through-F school grading system will likely make it harder for Maine public schools to enroll international students, educational recruiters say. Many Maine schools, especially in the northern part of the state, have been recruiting students from Asia to offset dropping enrollments. “In Asia, ...
Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, is the primary sponsor of LD 1411, which would prohibit the use of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for foods that are subject to the state’s sales tax. That would rule out a range of foods defined as “junk foods” including soft drinks and certain snack foods.

Committee rejects food stamp junk food ban

By Christopher Cousins on May 09, 2013, at 7:23 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Proposals by Gov. Paul LePage that would bar food stamp recipients from using benefits to buy junk food and make convicted drug felons ineligible for public assistance were rejected by lawmakers at the committee level along party lines Thursday. Both measures, which are part of LePage’s efforts ...
POLL QUESTION
Gov. Paul LePage answers questions from reporters following his education summit at Cony High School in Augusta on Friday, March 22, 2013.

LePage bill lifts cap on charter schools, lets public money go to religious schools

By Christopher Cousins on May 09, 2013, at 1:58 p.m.
The bill comes come a day after education commissioner said no major new education proposals were expected from the governor.
Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth

Democrats unveil plan to develop plan for school grading system

By Christopher Cousins on May 08, 2013, at 2:56 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Legislative Democrats said Wednesday that they will unveil a new school ranking system by next year to replace the one introduced by the LePage administration last week, though Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen said that by then a slew of new initiatives to help failing schools will be ...
Stephen Bowen

Education committee stalls proposal to change charter school funding that they requested

By Christopher Cousins on May 07, 2013, at 7:29 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Members of the Education Committee on Tuesday abruptly tabled a proposal to change the way charter schools are funded, even though the proposal was what members of the committee had requested. Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen presented formal language to the committee that followed up on their request ...

LePage proposal: Struggling schools would lose students to school choice

By Christopher Cousins on May 07, 2013, at 10:40 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Struggling schools that fail to make significant improvements within two years would be subject to aggressive action by the state and their students would be free to enroll at another school under a new proposal by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration. Opponents of the governor’s education reform efforts ...
Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth

Democrats to counter LePage school grading system with formula of their own

By Christopher Cousins on May 07, 2013, at 9:58 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Democrats on the Legislature’s Education Committee will announce Wednesday a new proposal for grading schools that they said will replace what they call a “scarlet letter grading system” implemented by the LePage administration last week. Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-South Portland, and Rep. Bruce MacDonald, D-Boothbay, who are ...
 
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