The Telegram posed five questions to 14 Blaine House hopefuls. Their answers reveal partisan splits, but also defer to the will of the people.
Scott Thistle
Scott Thistle is the State House reporter for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He has covered politics and government in Maine since 2006. Prior to that he served as the State House reporter for the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota. A Maine native, Thistle has worked in journalism since 1990, when he got his start at a weekly newspaper in rural Oxford County, Maine. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an active volunteer with the National Ski Patrol. He resides with his wife, Amy and his two sons Finn and Kai, in Auburn, Maine. @thisdog
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
LePage says high court justice reneged on agreement to step down
The governor says he made a deal with Joseph Jabar that the justice would resign after reaching his 20th year of service.
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Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Senate rejects 2 immigration bills, including one championed by Collins, King
The bipartisan legislation crafted by the ‘Common Sense Coalition’ would have granted legal status to 1.8 million ‘dreamers’ and spent $25 billion for border security over the next decade.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Dozens testify on bill to ban the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ on minors in Maine
The measure would prohibit the practice of therapies that attempt to discourage same-sex attraction by altering sexual orientation, but critics say it goes too far.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
In final State of the State address, LePage stands firm on Medicaid expansion, says ‘our job is not done’
The governor defies protesters who want the voter-approved expansion implemented now, repeating his demand that lawmakers ‘show me the money’ to fund it.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
LePage unlikely to take his foot off the gas in final months as governor
He’ll lay out his agenda tonight in his final State of the State speech to the Legislature in Augusta.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Group plans rally in opposition to LePage before his final State of the State address
Mainers for Health Care will call attention to LePage’s resistance to Medicaid expansion, which voters approved at the ballot box in November.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Trump selects Maine attorney to direct White House ethics office
Emory A. Rounds III, who once served as ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, would replace Walter Shaub, a critic of the president’s continued ties to his business interests.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers face competing bills to criminalize female genital mutilation
One of the bills, backed by Gov. Paul LePage and sponsored by Scarborough Rep. Heather Sirocki, is being promoted by ACT for America, a national anti-Muslim group.
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Report recommends sweeping changes to Maine jails, including closing some
The Department of Corrections is suggesting that the state move to a three-region system with five jails in each region.