An auger head of a bollard installed by a Manchester company to protect an air-conditioning unit six days before a deadly September explosion at a Farmington nonprofit severed the propane line and caused the blast, the state fire marshal’s office said Friday. Read More
Maine’s education department is in the early stages of developing a clearinghouse for communities interested in enhancing the safety infrastructure and culture of their schools. Read More
Gov. Janet Mills used almost a minute of her State of the State address on Tuesday to say Maine should reconsider how it regulates utilities after spending much of the past year as a top defender of Central Maine Power’s proposed hydropower corridor. Read More
In her first State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Janet Mills called for more child welfare caseworkers, asked lawmakers to pass borrowing proposals while adding $20 million to the state’s reserve fund and urged a new affordable housing tax credit. Read More
Expect a relatively tight focus from Mills, who told Maine Public this week that “major reforms” won’t be accomplished in a short legislative session in an election year. Read More
After years of struggling to fix Maine’s county jail funding problem, a task force is suggesting methods that members say promote accountability and collaboration to reduce and stabilize costs rather than making big changes to a fraught funding system. Read More
Any proposed solution is likely to carry a price tag that could be tough for Democratic lawmakers to swing in an election year with conservatives who have argued that existing child care regulations are overly burdensome. Read More
Maine’s Republican senator is the first member of the state’s delegation to come out in favor of the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada. Read More
Maine’s struggle to fund its transportation system has not affected the amount of structurally deficient bridges in the state, but that lack of funding has led to patchwork repairs and closing some bridges altogether rather than dealing with true costs of repair. Read More
That is among a set of recommendations for changes to a law that has caused friction between the tribes and the state of Maine for decades since it was passed. Read More
Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note was expected to press for a long-term funding solution. Read More
A shipbuilding credit designed to benefit Bath Iron Works has contributed to a third of the state and local subsidies the shipyard has received in a 20 year period, according to a national tax subsidy tracker. Read More
Of the 12 Democratic candidates who qualified for Maine’s primary ballot, only two frontrunners are showing sustained interest in the state ahead of the March 3 contest. Read More
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ross LaJeunesse said his time at Google showed him the need for more aggressive regulations for big technology companies from the federal government. Read More
That’s frustrating to some Democrats and gun safety advocates, who thought things would go differently when Democrats took power. Read More
The U.S. Department of Defense wants to reduce the number of newer, expensive destroyers that it commissions from Bath Iron Works in the future, but the plan is only in the early stages and seems to have run into instant resistance from the White House. Read More
President Donald Trump gave U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine a rare shout-out on Twitter late Monday, promoting a fundraising page for the Republican while calling her re-election crucial for her party’s bid to maintain control of the upper chamber. Read More
How Maine weighs in on a regional effort to curb transportation emissions could have consequences for parallel efforts to increase funding for roads and bridges and reduce carbon emissions generally, according to elected officials. Read More
It may have been an off-year for elections, but 2019 in Maine politics was full of transitions and it set the stage for contentious campaigns and policy fights next year. Read More
An impending bill that will overhaul state-tribal relations will test how willing Maine is to repair its relationship with its indigenous tribes. Read More
