Maine News for Friday, March 7, 2008

Portland Press Herald

Foreclosures in Maine surge to record level
New figures show the state is faring worse than national averages during the mortgage crisis.

Snowe, Collins OK bill for tougher toy standards
The White House, though, is critical of a provision to establish a public database for complaints.

House acts against human trafficking
The bill would protect victims from being deported before they have a chance to testify.

Column: Nomination not all that's contested

M.D. HarmonAs in most elections, it's easy to confuse polls with votes
Thinking that a survey in March can tell us what will happen in November is too much to swallow.

ANOTHER VIEW: Letting in-state illegal aliens get licenses a shameful act
It is also shameful that the newspaper supports it, and that voters could allow it.

Stewart BakerRejecting Real ID a costly move
Maine's opposition to this program is based on misconceptions about privacy and security.

Bangor Daily News

Coast, country to lose education aid
AUGUSTA, Maine - Preliminary estimates for state education subsidies released by the Department of Education last week create winners and losers in school districts across Maine.

Official, lawmakers discuss regulating denturists, hygienists
A state official told lawmakers in Augusta on Thursday that denturists should continue to be regulated by the Maine Board of Dental Examiners, despite denturists’ repeated petitions for the state to establish a separate board.

Connors says budget debate needs attitude adjustment
ROCKPORT, Maine — Dana F. Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, says a change of attitude and mindset about providing government services will have to take place outside the usual process.

Allen, Collins trade barbs as campaign heats up
Though the general election is eight months away, the two main contenders in Maine’s U.S. Senate race are not waiting until the weather warms up to start criticizing each other.

Baldacci: More budget cuts down the road
AUGUSTA, Maine — The ink was barely dry on a second package of $95 million in budget cuts when Gov. John Baldacci said Thursday that yet another set of reductions is likely as state revenues continue to fail to meet estimates.

EDITORIALS:

Maine's tax poll
Friday, March 07, 2008
The poll released by Market Decisions this week showing that 80 percent of Mainers oppose expanding taxes and fees even temporarily to cover the state budget gap is being waved like a banner by those who believe state government is bloated.

Editorial: Vote this way...or not
Friday, March 07, 2008
A column in the March 3 issue of Time magazine by managing editor Rick Stengel argues that newspapers should drop their long-standing policies of endorsing candidates for elected office.

Op-Ed

Richard C. McDonald: Breathe new life into MCA
Since 1986, when Yo Yo Ma and Isaac Stern performed for the inaugural celebration, the Maine Center for the Arts has proved itself as the cornerstone for the arts in eastern, northern and central Maine.

David Trahan: School funding gimmick courts disaster
Over the last four years, rural Maine’s educational system has endured three dramatic and potentially damaging changes to the way our children learn. First, the passage of the Maine Municipal Association-initiated referendum to force the state to fund 55 percent of local education.

Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA FLOOD WATCH BEGINS: Above-average snowpack fuels concern for next two months
AUGUSTA -- As melting season approaches this year, it brings with it an elevated potential for river flooding. An above-average snowpack that has grown with each winter storm is to blame.

Most finding Maine Revenue Services walk-in service center
AUGUSTA -- With about six weeks to go until the tax-filing deadline, most residents seeking face-to-face help with their state forms have managed to find the new home of the walk-in service center for the Maine Revenue Services.

Bicycle Coalition of Maine director to head Thunderhead Alliance
AUGUSTA -- Jeffrey Miller, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Thunderhead Alliance, a group comprised of North American bicycle and pedestrian-advocacy organizations.

Editorial: Budget cuts painful, but unavoidable
That's the general attitude around the Statehouse, where Gov. John Baldacci released details this week of his plan to cut an additional $95 million from the state budget.

Column: Bush's fiscal priorities run counter to Maine's
One third of Maine's state spending comes from the federal budget so what happens in Congress matters greatly to our state's economy.

Column: Democratic superdelegates must answer 2 key questions
The race for the Democratic nomination got a lot more interesting this week. Hillary Clinton's victories in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island have broken Barack Obama's momentum and guaranteed that she will stay in the race -- probably until the Democratic National Convention in August.

LTE: Demand accountability from Bush now
No doubt Bush's most compliant senator, Susan Collins, will strongly support this ominous weapons influx into the Middle East. Americans must demand Bush ...

Sun Journal

Some lawmakers want to force out Pan Am Railways
AUGUSTA (AP) - Some Maine lawmakers want to force Pan Am Railways to sell its lines in Maine because of complaints that it's failing to provide timely and consistent service to many of its manufacturing customers.

Real ID Act may mean travel woes for Mainers
AUGUSTA - As the implementation deadline of the Real ID Act gets closer, Mainers find themselves caught between principle and convenience.

MPBN

Amended School Consolidation Bill Passes House

By a fairly sizeable margin, the Maine House has given preliminary approval to an education bill designed to fix some major financial flaws in the original school consolidation law. The amended version of the bill mirrors legislation passed last month in the Senate. And it provides more options to local planning committees who want to retain some local control. As A.J. Higgins reports, LD 1932 could ultimately be on a collision course with Governor John Baldacci who wants all of the amendments stripped from the bill.

Attorneys Fear Clients' Rights Could Be Jeopardized

A legal showdown is looming over budget cuts proposed for Maine's court system. The Baldacci administration is asking court officials to cut 2.1 million dollars from its budget at a time when system administrators say they're already coping with a 2.7 million dollar budget shortfall. And as Barbara Cariddi reports, that's raising issues that go to the heart of the American constitution.

Conditions Right For Active Spring Flooding

It's not just your imagination, there is more snow on the ground than normal, a lot more. And with warmer temperatures around the corner, along with the chance for rain and snowmelt, the combination can create the kind of conditions that the state's River Flow Advisory Commission worries about. And as Murray Carpenter reports, the group met today to consider spring flooding potential.

Portsmouth Herald

Where will victims go? Agency may close The staff at Caring Unlimited, a domestic violence program serving York County, says if federal and state budget cuts are approved as proposed, they will be forced to close their doors to the women who need them most.

Bar Harbor Times

State may slash special ed funds Mount Desert Island High School and MDI’s four elementary schools would lose more than $500,000 in anticipated state funds for special education if the Legislature approves a recommendation of its Education Committee to help balance the state budget.

PolitickerME

Maine Education Association - Mills in Nasty Divorce Battle
They fought over money, and that appears to have been the final straw for Mr. Crouse. Well, that and a break-up note he sent to Senator Mills

House passes public notices bill
The House has passed a bill 71 to 53 today that will phase out public notices from newspapers. The newspaper industry and the Maine Press Association lobbied heavily against the bill, sponsored by Rep. Terry Hayes, D-Buckfield.