The bill aimed to reduce the tax burden for middle-income residents while also raising taxes on the wealthy, but Gov. Janet Mills said it would not provide meaningful relief and could create challenges for state budgeting.
Times Record News
Mills signs bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, update ‘yellow flag’ law
The newly signed law, which the governor proposed in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting, expands requirements for background checks to include private, advertised sales and also updates the existing yellow flag law.
Maine made progress in wages and productivity, but still faces shrinking labor force
A report released Friday by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development says the state has hit some of its 2030 targets but has fallen short of ‘where we need to be.’
Freeport increases cannabis grow facility licenses
The town will now offer six licenses for cannabis cultivation, and potential changes to who can receive those licenses could be on the horizon.
Brunswick educators receive funding for poetry stroll, eclipse programs and more
Educators at Brunswick Schools received $27,000 in grants this year from the Brunswick Community Education Department, which will be used to fund enrichment projects in the schools.
Maine’s high court upholds COVID vaccine mandate for EMS personnel
A group of emergency medical personnel challenged the 2021 vaccine mandate, but the Maine Supreme Judicial Court says a state board had full authority to impose the rule.
‘I’ll never give up on you’: Lewiston shooter’s friends knew he needed help
Daryl Reed, the soldier whom Robert Card threatened during the unit’s annual training, and Sean Hodgson, who was Card’s closest friend, spoke for the first time in front of the commission investigating the mass shooting.
Lawmakers, advocates at odds with Mills over right to sue in farmworker minimum wage bill
The bill, which the governor introduced, is unlikely to overcome her veto after lawmakers amended the legislation to allow farmworkers to be able to sue their employers for violations.
Portland attorney nominated to become federal judge
Stacey Neumann has been nominated to fill an upcoming vacancy in the U.S. District Court when Chief Judge Jon Levy retires in May.
Utility opposes new rules for heat pumps popular in Maine
Versant Power opposes a shift to whole-house electric heat pumps from those used in one or 2 rooms, saying affluent homeowners and developers will benefit.