Good morning from Portland, where a leading pro-legalization congressman is meeting with lawmakers and the public to preach the gospel of regulated, taxed and legal weed. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, has represented the other Portland in Congress for nearly two decades. In Washington, he’s proposed or supported not only legalization, …
Mario Moretto
State House Reporter
STATE & CAPITOL
Congressman brings legal weed tips from the other Portland
on Aug. 20, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
VIDEO
Portland elected officials rip mayor, oppose his re-election
In a targeted shot against Mayor Michael Brennan’s re-election bid, half the City Council and more than half of Portland’s school board have announced their support for challenger Ethan Strimling. The bloc, led by Councilor Nick Mavodones, revealed itself formally during a news conference Wednesday morning in …
VIDEO
Ethan Strimling enters race for Portland mayor
Ending months of speculation, former Democratic state senator Ethan Strimling announced Tuesday that he’ll once again run to be mayor of Portland. Strimling becomes the ninth candidate to enter the race to lead Maine’s largest city, and is perceived by many to be the most credible threat …
STATE & CAPITOL
Angus King wants to teach Maine businesses about cybersecurity
on Aug. 18, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good Tuesday morning! U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is in South Portland this morning, joined by officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Maine Chamber of Commerce. King et. al. are in town to offer a free cybersecurity briefing to members of Maine’s business community, “aimed at …
STATE & CAPITOL
Angus King wants to teach Maine businesses about cybersecurity
on Aug. 18, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good Tuesday morning! U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is in South Portland this morning, joined by officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Maine Chamber of Commerce. King et. al. are in town to offer a free cybersecurity briefing to members of Maine’s business community, “aimed at …
STATE & CAPITOL
Arcade bar owner, MECA student join Portland mayoral race
on Aug. 17, 2015, at 4:32 p.m.
As the deadline for ballot qualification nears, three more residents have taken out nomination papers to join Portland’s mayoral contest, bringing the total number of contenders to eight. The latest crop of candidates includes Benjamin Culver, 33, co-owner of Arcadia National Bar, and Brendan Glass, a 21-year-old junior at Maine College …
STATE & CAPITOL
With veto fight over, will strained relationships reset in Augusta?
on Aug. 07, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good Friday morning. The weekend is nearly upon us, but the week that was in politics went out with a bang Thursday evening. There was the Maine Supreme Judicial Court opining against Gov. Paul LePage in the curious case of disputed laws; Then the 10 top GOP presidential contenders met for a …
POLL QUESTION
Supreme court says LePage missed chance to veto bills
AUGUSTA | Gov. Paul LePage’s end-of-session gambit backfired Thursday, when the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said the governor has missed his chance to veto 65 bills. The unanimous advisory opinion was a blow to LePage and Republican lawmakers in the House, who had argued for a decision that would …
STATE & CAPITOL
Spate of heroin overdoses reignites political debate on fighting addiction
on Aug. 06, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good morning from Augusta, where the question of the day seems to be: How should Maine fight a dangerous, sometimes lethal epidemic? The state’s addiction to heroin has been thrown into sharp relief in recent weeks. There was the heartbreaking story in the Washington Post about how heroin addiction claimed the life …
Just how conservative are Maine’s rural voters?
AUGUSTA | Rural voters check the box for Republicans on Election Day. Urban ones vote for Democrats. So goes the conventional political wisdom. But a report released Wednesday by a pair of researchers at the University of New Hampshire indicates that particular demographic chestnut misses the mark. “Rural America …
Falling youth detention rate sealed Mountain View’s fate
AUGUSTA | Monday’s news that the Mountain View Youth Development Center, a state-run juvenile detention facility, would stop housing the state’s youngest inmates surely came as a surprise to many people. But not to Stan Gerzofsky. The longtime Democratic lawmaker from Brunswick and former chairman of the Legislature’s Criminal …
STATE & CAPITOL
Democrats to deliver ‘report card’ to Poliquin in Bangor
on Aug. 04, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good morning, Daily Brief readers. Augusta continues to do its best impression of a ghost town, and now the halls of Congress are following suit. Summer vacation for the nation’s lawmakers takes the form of the August recess, with the 50 delegations returning to their home districts for some good, old-fashioned constituent work …
5 things to watch as a Democratic primary unfolds in Maine’s 2nd District
With Bangor City Councilor Joe Baldacci joining the race last week, the Democratic primary for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District has become competitive. Baldacci joins Emily Cain, a former legislator from Orono who ran against Republican Bruce Poliquin when the seat opened last year. Poliquin defeated Cain, who turned her attention …
VIDEO
High court justices grill both sides in LePage veto dispute
PORTLAND | Four teams of attorneys representing various branches and agencies of government had their day in court Friday, when the justices of Maine’s highest court heard oral arguments in the case of 65 disputed vetoes. The courtroom was packed with lawmakers, reporters and others as the justices took …
STATE & CAPITOL
Supreme Court to hear arguments in disputed vetoes case this morning
on July 31, 2015, at 7:30 a.m.
Good morning from Portland (not Augusta! Can you believe it?). Daily Brief is back on its early schedule for one day only, as oral arguments in the case of the disputed vetoes will take place before the Supreme Judicial Court in less than two hours. Lawyers for Gov. Paul LePage, the presiding …
STATE & CAPITOL
Supreme Court to hear arguments in disputed vetoes case this morning
on July 31, 2015, at 7:30 a.m.
Good morning from Portland (not Augusta! Can you believe it?). Daily Brief is back on its early schedule for one day only, as oral arguments in the case of the disputed vetoes will take place before the Supreme Judicial Court at 9 a.m. Lawyers for Gov. Paul LePage, the presiding officers of …
VIDEO
In lawsuit, House Speaker Eves accuses LePage of blackmail
PORTLAND | House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, filed a civil lawsuit against Gov. Paul LePage in U.S. District Court in Portland on Thursday afternoon. The lawsuit alleges LePage “blackmailed’ Good Will-Hinckley — a Fairfield nonprofit that had recently hired Eves to be its president — by threatening to …
STATE & CAPITOL
LePage: I was ‘completely in the dark’ on budget despite staff involvement
on July 30, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good morning from Augusta. In a radio interview this morning on WGAN, Gov. Paul LePage maintained that he was “completely in the dark” about negotiations between lawmakers and the governor’s staff, which ultimately resulted in the $6.7 billion budget deal approved by Lawmakers in June. LePage has railed against the negotiations, …
STATE & CAPITOL
LePage: I was ‘completely in the dark’ on budget despite staff involvement
on July 30, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
Good morning from Augusta. In a radio interview this morning on WGAN, Gov. Paul LePage maintained that he was “completely in the dark” about negotiations between lawmakers and the governor’s staff, which ultimately resulted in the $6.7 billion budget deal that the Legislature approved over LePage’s veto in June. LePage has …
LePage, lawmakers continue fight over disputed laws in court filings
AUGUSTA | In a second round of written arguments in the ongoing veto dispute, Gov. Paul LePage and the presiding officers of the Maine House and Senate clashed on two fundamental questions. First, by leaving the State House from June 30 until July 16, did lawmakers prevent the governor …
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