Politics
ANALYSIS
White House bumbles keep IRS scandal in spotlight
By Dan Balz, The Washington Post on May 22, 2013, at 11:42 a.m.
WASHINGTON — It is never good for an administration when a front-page newspaper article about an ongoing controversy begins as follows: “The White House offered a new account Monday of how and when it learned . . . ” That’s what readers of The Washington Post awoke to on Tuesday. ...
DAVID FARMER (blog)
Dawn Hill, Troy Jackson stand up for what’s right
on May 22, 2013, at 9:49 a.m.
On Sunday, during an emergency meeting of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, Sen. Dawn Hill, D-York, did something that’s very hard. She stood up to the governor of the state, in full public view, with the cameras rolling. She held her ground, and she did the right thing, ...
AGREE TO DISAGREE (blog)
“Democrats have been masterful”
on May 22, 2013, at 9:24 a.m.
Our political analysts Ethan Strimling and Phil Harriman both agreed this morning that “Democrats have been masterful” in tying the hospital payment plan with expanding health care. Whether that will be good for the state of Maine is a point of contention. Ethan sees this as win-win; hospitals get paid ...
Maine tax overhaul would raise sales tax, cut almost all income-tax deductions
The bill helps solve a current state budget shortfall of more than $800 million that lawmakers are trying to close as the end of the state’s fiscal year approaches on June 30.
Brunswick lawmaker says ‘backroom politics’ is plaguing base redevelopment bill
BRUNSWICK, Maine — After failing to gain committee favor by a single vote, a prospective bill to give Brunswick and Topsham direct appointments to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority board of directors now will have to win approval during a floor argument in the House of Representatives. The bill, LD ...
LePage pledges $44,000 for suicide prevention training for all Maine teachers
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage pledged $44,000 from his contingency fund Tuesday to support one of the most emotional bills presented to lawmakers this session. LD 609, An Act to Increase Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Maine Public Schools, won unanimous support at the committee level and in both ...
Police chiefs oppose bill to allow Mainers to carry concealed weapons without permit
PORTLAND, Maine — A group of southern Maine police chiefs gathered Tuesday morning to oppose a bill that would allow most Mainers to carry concealed weapons without filing for a permit. “We think this legislation is misguided and quite frankly a mistake,” said Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck, flanked in ...
Republican amendments on Medicaid expansion rejected
AUGUSTA, Maine — House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday continued to reject Republican efforts to separate an expansion of Medicaid from a plan to pay $484 million in Medicaid debt to Maine hospitals. The debate was the same in the House and the Senate. Minority Republicans wished to detangle the ...
Early voting amendment clears first Senate hurdle
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate on Tuesday gave its approval to a measure that would trigger a statewide referendum on whether to allow towns and cities to offer their residents the chance to cast ballots officially in advance of Election Day. The Senate voted 24-11 in favor of sending ...
DOWNEAST TO DC (blog)
LePage’s anti-income tax crusade contains political perils
on May 21, 2013, at 9:52 a.m.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s recent announcement he plans on eliminating the state’s income tax if re-elected may be heartening to some, but top conservatives in other states show just how difficult – and politically damaging – a task it is to achieve. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 ...
POLLWAYS (blog)
Three ways Maine can save money and lives
on May 21, 2013, at 9:43 a.m.
Listening to Mainers debate health policy, some seem to talk only about finances. They focus on what care costs, whether the state can afford it and the impact of decisions on hospitals’ bottom lines. But others contend that, while medical coverage is a financial matter, it’s also about improving health, ...
White House counsel kept IRS probe results from Obama
By Kim Dixon and Roberta Rampton, Reuters on May 20, 2013, at 10:38 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Two senior White House aides knew weeks ago that a probe of the Internal Revenue Service had found that the U.S. tax agency had inappropriately targeted conservative groups, but did not tell President Barack Obama, a White House spokesman said on Monday. A Treasury Department official informed White ...
AGREE TO DISAGREE (blog)
“Zip it!” Should the committee have let the Governor speak?
on May 20, 2013, at 7:32 p.m.
Governor Paul LePage is still railing against the treatment he got when he made an impromptu appearance at a rare weekend hearing of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. The committee was hearing testimony from DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew and others about a serious shortage of funding on the immediate horizon. The ...
LePage veto: Ban tobacco in Maine entirely, or not at all
AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill to “simply outlaw tobacco altogether” would make more sense than piecemeal bans on smoking, Gov. Paul LePage said Monday as he vetoed a bill to outlaw smoking on public college campuses. “I firmly believe Maine people are responsible enough to make their own decisions concerning ...
EDITORIALS
Ignore LePage politics, get to root of DHHS funding needs
on May 20, 2013, at 5:02 p.m.
A battle of wills and legislative powers took the spotlight Sunday, stirring up a political fire at a time when legislators and Gov. Paul LePage’s administration should instead be focused on fixing the state budget crisis and preventing future cost overruns at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. ...
LePage hopes to eliminate income tax by end of second term
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage said Monday he hopes Maine has no state income tax by the end of his second term if he’s re-elected next year. “The fact that we have an income tax at all is a massive disadvantage,” LePage said during an afternoon session on tax ...
Maine Senate approves bill that links Medicaid expansion to hospital debt repayment
AUGUSTA, Maine — For the third time in a week, Democrats in the Legislature prevailed Monday on a vote to link an expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Maine to a plan to repay the state’s Medicaid debt to its 39 hospitals. After lengthy debate, the Senate voted 20-15 in favor ...
Effort to change early voting in Maine kept alive by House vote
AUGUSTA, Maine — An effort to allow residents who vote early to place their ballots directly into a ballot box or voting machine rather than seal them in signed envelopes and submit them to a municipal clerk survived an initial vote Monday in the Maine House. The House voted 90-50 ...
POLLWAYS (blog)
Media should stop with the on-line “polls”
on May 20, 2013, at 11:15 a.m.
Even if a polling organization is trying to do competent work, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with public opinion research. So why do the media add phony polls to the mix? When media sites ask members of the public to respond to a question they ...
POLL QUESTION
Can Obama survive the scandals?
By Steve Holland, Reuters on May 20, 2013, at 8:27 a.m.
ATLANTA — President Barack Obama complained on Sunday that partisan battles in Washington are holding back stronger U.S. economic growth as he tried to recover from one of the most difficult weeks of his presidency. On a trip to Atlanta, Obama did not specifically mention the three controversies that engulfed ...
Orono man charged with murder in death of Glenburn teen
Police find remains believed to be Nichole Cable, 15, in Old Town woods
Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers
Old Town, Orono residents react to girl’s homicide with shock and grief
Glenburn woman gets 18 months for embezzling $100,000 from beagle rescue group
Nichole Cable: In our minds, hearts
Obama’s boyfriend line
How to humble a wing nut
Unity Raceway heading in new direction when track opens for season Sunday
Former Dexter, Nokomis coach Pratt takes Mount View football post
Bucksport’s Wood enjoying the professional cage in MMA bouts
UMaine’s Fransoso overcomes injuries, turns passion for baseball into stellar career
Houlton makes plans for new hockey boards at Millar Civic Center
Fun, informative or just plain strange: 8 museums in Maine worth a road trip
Bangor veteran of World War II exemplifies the way life should be
Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console
