Christopher Cousins
Bath Bureau
- 207.443.5310
- ccousins@bangordailynews.com
Bill to create Maine presidential primary, adopt ranked-choice voting comes with hefty price tag
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine would replace party caucuses with a nonpartisan presidential primary and elect its governor, legislators and federal officials with ranked-choice voting under a system proposed Monday in the Legislature. The multimillion-dollar cost of implementing the bill could prove to be its biggest challenge, given the state’s financial ...
Now that Maine schools have been graded, what will be done?
AUGUSTA, Maine — The grades assigned to Maine schools this week under a new state grading system triggered a maelstrom around the unsurprising results: Schools with A’s were generally in wealthier communities, while those with F’s were generally in lower-income ones. Giving schools grades brought this reality of an income ...
POLL QUESTION
Three-quarters of Maine schools at, below average under controversial new state grading system
AUGUSTA, Maine — Three-quarters of the state’s schools received a grade of C or lower under a new ranking system unveiled by the Maine Department of Education on Wednesday. Only 10 high schools, most of them in southern Maine, received an A grade. While there has been widespread resistance to ...
POLL QUESTION
Democrats, GOP continue fight over Medicaid expansion, hospital repayment
AUGUSTA, Maine — Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday continued to spar over linking acceptance of Medicaid expansion funds from the federal government with repayment of the state’s outstanding Medicaid debt to 39 hospitals. Although both sides say there is no disagreement about finally paying off $484 million owed to Maine ...
‘Gang of 11’ lawmakers prepare to unveil tax reform, budget plan
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bipartisan group of legislators who have been working quietly behind the scenes is set to unveil a tax reform package Wednesday that they hope will stabilize revenues for the state while providing relief to income and property taxpayers. Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said the package ...
Maine Republican Party questions Democratic legislators’ conduct; Democrats call probe request ‘garbage’
GOP questions leadership Criminal Justice Committee, clown nose incident
Tensions mount among Maine lawmakers handling gun bills
AUGUSTA, Maine — A subject as emotionally charged as gun rights will raise the tension virtually anywhere it comes up, but on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee, tempers are boiling over in public. One committee member suspects his house was targeted by a vandal for his vote to limit the ...
Suicide prevention bill receives unanimous support of Legislature, LePage
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that aims to prevent suicide among Maine’s youth breezed through the House of Representatives and Senate on Thursday on unanimous roll-call votes and was signed into law immediately by Gov. Paul LePage. The measure passed 147-0 in the House and 34-0 in the Senate before ...
POLL QUESTION
LePage to towns: If you want revenue sharing, find other budget cuts
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage reacted to a widespread revolt over elements of his biennial budget proposal that will eliminate funding for towns and cities by challenging local officials to come up with alternatives. Raising taxes, as has been proposed by numerous bills in the Legislature this week, is ...
Cara Courchesne talks about street harrassment
Cara Courchesne, communications and outreach coordinator at the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, talks about how street harassment contributes to the culture of sexual violence.
Debate continues over weight of student test scores in teacher evaluations
AUGUSTA, Maine — A lengthy and ongoing legislative debate over how much student test scores should count when evaluating teachers continued Wednesday with a new proposal to limit the scores’ impact to 10 percent. Boothbay Democrat Rep. Bruce MacDonald’s bill, An Act to Limit the Effect of Standardized Tests on ...
Maine lawmakers propose $30 million in additional education funding without revenue to pay for it
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Legislature’s Education Committee recommended increasing education funding by some $30 million over Gov. Paul LePage’s biennial budget proposal Wednesday, though members of the budget committee countered by asking that they find a way to fund the recommendations or at least set priorities. The majority of the ...
Alewives win full passage to St. Croix River watershed without LePage’s signature
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that opens the entire St. Croix watershed to sea-run alewives for the first time in nearly three decades went into law Tuesday without the signature of Gov. Paul LePage. The bill, LD 72, An Act to Open the St. Croix River to River Herring, breezed ...
Democrats propose tax increases to counter cuts proposed by LePage
AUGUSTA, Maine — Democrats followed up their criticisms of Gov. Paul LePage’s $6.3 billion biennial budget proposal with a slew of bills that propose tax increases or new taxes to raise revenue. Democrats characterized their bills as tools to fairly equalize Maine’s entire tax burden, including property taxes, and pass ...
Proposal to create online Legislature clicks with lawmakers
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to study the possibility of conducting legislative business online sailed through its first test since being introduced Monday when it won unanimous support of a legislative committee. LD 855, a Resolve to Create a Study Group to Research the Possibility of a Virtual Legislature, would ...
Lawmakers deadlock on bill requiring advance notice for group home opening
AUGUSTA, Maine — A measure that would have required the Department of Health and Human Services to notify communities in advance of the creation of residential facilities for people found not criminally responsible for crimes because of insanity led to a stalemate Monday in the Legislature’s State and Local Government ...
New bill would outlaw business ties between taxpayer-funded entities and terrorist states
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that would bar government agencies in Maine from doing business with terrorist states triggered a slew of questions Monday when it was introduced to the Legislature. Among those questions included what constitutes a terrorist state and how a local or statewide entity would know. Unanswered ...
Georgetown man dies in single-vehicle accident Saturday night
GEORGETOWN, Maine — Alcohol is considered a contributing factor in a motor vehicle accident that claimed the life of a Georgetown man Saturday night, according to authorities. Henry S. Gilliam III, 24, died after his vehicle veered into a wooded area and crashed into some trees, according to Sagadahoc County ...
LePage, medical and economic officials tout benefits of clinical trials
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage joined with medical and business leaders Friday at the State House to tout not only the public health benefits of clinical trials, but their economic effect on the state as well. The press event centered around the release of a report called “Research in ...
POLL QUESTION
Augusta lawmaker wants State House security checkpoint removed
AUGUSTA, Maine — A proposal to eliminate the security checkpoint at the entrance to the State House appears poised to move forward 15 months after the checkpoint was built. A subcommittee of the Legislative Council, which is made up of legislative leaders, decided Thursday to recommend that the full council ...
Call put out for ground search volunteers in effort to find missing Glenburn teen
More than 500 help with ground search for missing Glenburn teen Nichole Cable
Three indicted in Houlton meth bust, endangering welfare of child
One winning ticket sold in Florida in historic $590.5 million Powerball drawing
Job openings on the rise as Maine slowly climbs back from recession
Jeffrey Nugent says his brother Ted Nugent is wrong on background checks
Maine protects a woman’s right to choose
Funding isn’t everything: Education reform takes innovation, cooperation
Strengthening the schools Maine already has
Emma Libby, 15, overcomes ruling to win Sport-4 race at Speedway 95
Marcus Davis wins mixed martial arts main event at NEF VII
For those who are too fat for Abercrombie and Fitch
Market Basket in Biddeford starts hiring 300 workers
Promise of land brought Theriault family to ‘Acadie’ in 1630s
How do I teach my kids it’s not OK to be bullied, even by family?