AUGUSTA (AP) — A Washington County minimum-security prison is slated to remain open through next June.
The prison got a reprieve in the $7.1 billion, two-year budget that lawmakers passed this week.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration previously sent pink slips to corrections officers. The Machiasport prison has been on the state’s chopping block for years.
The surrounding community has grown to rely on the jobs provided by the facility and the labor provided by its inmates.
Lawmakers are expected to debate the future of the facility and a long-awaited replacement when they return to Augusta in the winter.
The budget also prevented the elimination of 10 teachers and one principal at Long Creek Youth Development Center.
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