AUGUSTA — Legislators were urged Wednesday to approve a bill submitted by Gov. Paul LePage to close an ethics law loophole that has allowed high-level state officials not to report millions in state payments to organizations run by themselves or their spouses. The governor proposed the bill, L.D. 1806, shortly after publication of a MaineMore
Editor’s note: This is the first part in a two-part series about the state Pine Tree Development Zones. Some people call tax breaks for businesses “economic development.” Others call them “corporate welfare.” In Maine, one of the names they go by is Pine Tree Development Zones. The premise of the program is that some businessesMore
Just a few months ago, almost nobody talked about the Strait of Hormuz, much less worried about its effect on our lives. Now, Iran threatens to close that narrow stretch of water in the Middle East. It’s the latest move in a growing international conflict over Iran’s possible development of a nuclear weapon. If theMore
We received your letter on Saturday. We are indeed working on the story. The research is under way. Please stay in touch. –John Christie
Final in a four-part series Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget restores to the state judicial system a position that in the past has helped to improve the hiring and training of state bail commissioners. According to Leigh Saufley, the chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, the governor has agreed to fund a criminal process manager, aMore
The next big splash in the Republican presidential season will come on March 6, called “Super Tuesday,” when more GOP convention delegates will be selected than on any other single day. In the meantime, the action turns from high-cost primaries to state caucuses, which are a relative bargain. In February, there will be aMore
Gov. Paul LePage has released the text of his legislation to close a loophole in state ethics law that has allowed high-level state officials not to report millions in state payments to organizations run by themselves or their family members. Current law only requires that legislators or high-level state employees report state purchases of goodsMore
A proposal for a joint venture that would undertake major construction of wind towers across the state and region has encountered more regulatory complications, a week after reports were published that state officials recommended the proposal be turned down. The state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was set to decide on Jan. 31 whetherMore
Correction appended below The sales tax is one of the touchiest political issues. Unlike the income or property tax, just about everybody pays it: rich and poor, resident and visitor — even the teenager who eats at McDonald’s. Almost every time a change to it is proposed, it sets off controversy. Recently, Gov. PaulMore
Last April, Maine’s largest wind energy developer, First Wind, trumpeted a multimillion-dollar deal that would pay for the company’s ambitious plans to erect more wind turbines throughout Maine and the Northeast. But in just the last week, the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) dealt a potentially fatal blow to the deal. Faced with what opponentsMore
