State Sen. Michael Willette, R-Presque Isle, said Wednesday that he has no intention of resigning his seat after apologizing from the Senate floor for a number of offensive Facebook posts about Muslims, immigrants, race and President Obama. Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport, has said that the matter is settled, even though Senate Democrats have requested […]

Maine Senate Democrats have asked Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, to condemn a Republican state senator who last week posted a conservative meme on Facebook suggesting that members of the ruthless terrorist group ISIS are family members of President Obama. Minority leader Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, and assistant leader Sen. Dawn Hill, D-Cape Neddick, met Tuesday […]

Maine Democrats are increasing the pressure on a Republican state senator who last week posted a conservative meme on Facebook suggesting that members of the ruthless terrorist group ISIS are family members of President Obama. Sen. Mike Willette, R-Presque Isle, on Monday apologized for sharing the post publicly, but neither for the message that the post conveyed nor […]

  State Sen. Michael Willette apologized Monday for sharing a Facebook post criticizing President Obama’s handling of the terrorist group ISIS and suggesting that its members are family members of the president. Willette, a Republican from Presque Isle, posted a photo from Conservative News Daily that depicted Obama with the caption, “Why haven’t I done […]

Good morning, There’s no session Monday, but legislative committees will be buzzing with a host of public hearings and work sessions. The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold public hearings on several bills designed to restrict the use of consumer fireworks. Similar proposals have been introduced since the Republican-led Legislature legalized consumer fireworks […]

Aaron Chadbourne, a senior policy advisor to Gov. Paul LePage, once launched a failed effort to create an award at Harvard University — and name it after himself. According to his website, Chadbourne is a Gorham native who recently joined the administration to advise on policy matters, including the governor’s budget, which this year contains a sweeping […]

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 […]