Good morning, Gov. Paul LePage will continue his budget and tax tour Wednesday with two stops in Bangor. The first will be a luncheon with the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative advocacy group. MHPC is using the event as a fundraiser. Tickets were $45 for members and $55 for nonmembers. It will be interesting […]

State Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn, had to perform some verbal Jiu jitsu Friday. Or Aikido. Or whatever martial arts discipline that leaves its practitioner vulnerable to self-inflicted wounds. Brakey presented his bill to repeal Maine’s seat belt law to the Transportation Committee just two days after a 75-car pileup left a stretch of I-95 west of […]

We’ve all seen it. Skid marks on straight stretches of road that lead to crumpled guardrails. The car ahead creeping along for no apparent reason. The guy who reflexively looks both ways before darting into an intersection, but who pulls into oncoming traffic because the voice machine affixed to his ear has apparently told him […]

The parade of opponents to Gov. Paul LePage’s tax overhaul continued Monday as lawmakers on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs and Taxation committees received testimony on proposed increases to the sales tax and broadening the tax to include new goods and services. As was the case last week on hearings devoted to the income tax […]

Happy Monday. Lawmakers are returning from break this week. Some, specifically those on the Appropriations and Taxation committees, never really left as the committee held several hearings last week on the governor’s two-year budget. The public hearings will continue on the budget Monday and through the week. Members of legislative leadership were largely absent, although […]

Good morning and, for some of you, happy shoveling. Thursday marks the third consecutive day of public hearings on the governor’s budget and related tax overhaul before the Legislature’s budget and taxation committees. The hearings have been linked to specific portions of the budget and the tax plan in particular. Tuesday’s hearing was devoted to […]

Yes! More snow. ‘Cause we need it. Yeah. Light schedule at the State House on Friday. The budget committee will discuss and possibly vote a number of bills, including a supplemental budget proposal designed to bail out at least five county jails running deficits. The proposal has been altered since it was introduced Tuesday. First, […]

It’s been relatively placid at the State House. Democratic lawmakers aren’t blasting Gov. Paul LePage and the governor has refrained from barbs against liberals. After all, he might need a few of them if he wants to pass his budget. But the armies for both sides are marching. The governor’s town hall meeting in Westbrook ended […]

Forget whoopie pie vs. blueberry pie. It’s time for black lab vs. shelter dog (or Golden retriever, or border collie, etc…) On Wednesday, the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee will hear public testimony on a bill by Sen. David Dutremble, D-Biddeford, that would designate the Labrador retriever as Maine’s official state dog. It seems […]