Maine Political News

Maine News for Wednesday, December 10, 2008

2008-12-10T09:29:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Illinois governor accused of brash plot to get rich
Rod Blagojevich of Illinois tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder, the FBI says.

Phone calls swamp state jobless centers
Thousands of calls are cut off or abandoned in past week

Banker: Recovery starting to work
But the missteps that led to today's problems were years in the making, TD Banknorth's CEO says.

Planned influx of refugees debated
Some predict a strain on social services. Others say Iraqis uprooted by a U.S.-led war deserve our help.

Portland delegation suffers power shortage in Legislature
After enjoying leadership roles for many years, the lawmakers seek slots to protect the city's interests.

Domestic violence deaths more than double over 2007
Maine health care workers are urged to look harder for signs of domestic violence and sex abuse.

Cianbro to use old factory for training
The former show factory will be a central training facility in the town where Cianbro Corp. was born.

Species battles back on Penobscot
Researchers use sonar to reveal a growing population of shortnose sturgeon wintering in the river.

Judge won't block cleanup of mercury
But more appeals are likely concerning an order to remove tainted soil at Orrington landfills.

A crisis bright spot: Cost of oil, gas falls DOE slashes energy demand forecast
Crude slides to about $42 a barrel, and a 2009 forecast predicts demand will fall by 450,000 barrels a day.

Toy Fund: Lobstermen's families try to ride out financial storm
The global recession eats into demand and earnings, forcing some Mainers to seek the toy fund's help.

Editorial

Automakers seeking a down payment
The bailout bill now being discussed may not be enough to rescue the Big Three.

Aging boomers have a place in the work force
As the state gets older, Maine will have to be creative to keep and attract older workers.

Where are all the socialists? Here, there and everywhere
While some work within mainstream politics, others prefer to influence issues in their own groups.

Bangor Daily News

Maine earns a C+ in disaster preparedness

In a new study of states’ preparedness for disease outbreaks, bioterror attacks and other large-scale disasters, Maine scored six points out of a possible 10 and earned a grade of C+.

Brewer Automotive Components plans shutdown

BREWER, Maine — The national slowdown in the auto industry will cause a temporary shutdown at Brewer Automotive Components.

County schools weigh consolidation penalties

FORT KENT, Maine — Three St. John Valley school districts have opted to pay annual financial penalties rather than move forward with any consolidation plans as mandated under state law.

Maine dealers back help for auto industry

From the governor’s office to the showrooms of small auto dealerships throughout the state, many Mainers are paying close attention to the proposed $15 billion bailout of U.S. automakers.

Fraser sues firm for not paying $933,000 bill

BANGOR, Maine — Fraser Papers Ltd. has sued a Michigan firm in U.S. District Court seeking payment for 1.8 million pounds of specialty paper manufactured at Fraser’s Madawaska facility and shipped to North Carolina between May 5 and June 2.

Hermon panel averse to proposed RSU

HERMON, Maine — With little discussion, Hermon School Committee members expressed “no confidence” Monday night in the planned regional school unit consolidation with Carmel and Levant. The unanimous vote is largely symbolic.

Health care providers asked to screen for domestic abuse

Maine Gov. John Baldacci and other state officials on Tuesday announced a public health advisory on domestic violence and sexual assault, calling on health care providers to institute routine screening as part of regular medical visits.

Pastors fight change to Hollywood Slots’ Sunday hours

BANGOR, Maine — A group of local pastors plans to attend a meeting of the Gambling Control Board in Augusta Wednesday, Dec. 10 to oppose a proposal by Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway to offer Sunday morning gambling.

Breakfast cut at assisted living sites

Because of anticipated state and federal budget cuts, elderly residents at some Maine assisted living facilities will no longer be served breakfast beginning on Jan. 1.

Maine Green party chairwoman to run for governor

BAR HARBOR, Maine — An attorney who has championed numerous environmental and human rights causes in Maine has announced that she intends to run for governor in 2010.

Editorial
Small-Business Boost A loan program unveiled last week fills an important void by targeting money to

Insurance Reform The country’s health insurance industry was praised last week for joining the

Cruelest lies often told in silence Today is a pretty important anniversary. Sixty years ago the world’s

Recognizing economic human rights Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Kennebec Journal

More aid for older Mainers sought
AUGUSTA -- Advocates for the elderly plan to expand legislation requesting an additional $1 million for aid programs, despite state budget shortfalls.

Gardiner gets $25,000 grant for playground
GARDINER -- The city recently received $25,000 toward the cost of a new playground on Gardiner Common.

CHINA: Voters to elect new school unit
CHINA -- On Feb. 3, voters will elect the town's two members of the Regional School Unit 18 board of directors and decide at least four and maybe six local questions -- and they won't have as long as usual to do it.

Cryptozoologist to speak at UMA
AUGUSTA -- Researcher and author Loren Coleman, who has written 30 books on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and other animal mysteries, will speak at the University of Maine at Augusta on Saturday.

Cianbro eyes expansion in Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD -- The Cianbro Corp. plans to purchase the former San Antonio Shoe factory off Waverly Avenue for use as its central training center.

Thinking beyond themselves
AUGUSTA -- Two St. Michael School sixth-graders decided on a whopper of a good deed this holiday season: They donated all their birthday presents to the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers.

Editorials:

State expands struggle against domestic abusers
Seventeen Mainers have been killed so far this year by their spouses, ex-spouses, partners or ex-partners. That's more than twice the number of domestic violence-related homicides in 2007.

GEORGE SMITH : Lucky us! We're expected to bail out the nation's stalled economy
Get out there and spend, you miserly peasants! Don't you know it's Christmas, the season of giving and getting, when retailers count on as much as 50 percent of their annual sales?

PAMELA M. PRAH : States' budget gaps balloon to $97 billion
Still reeling from high gas prices this summer and plummeting retirement savings this fall, Americans will soon be feeling the pinch in other ways -- from increased tuition to potentially higher taxes, as states try to close some $97 billion in budget gaps over the next two years.

Sun Journal
5 poisoned by CO in Maine
SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) - Carbon monoxide poisoning is being blamed for the hospitalization of five people who lived in a duplex in South Portland.

Probe finds air toxins around Maine schools
Two northern Maine schools are in toxic hot spots and several tri-county schools are located in areas likely to have poisonous chemicals and cancer-causing agents in the air, according to an investigative report by USA Today.

Estimate on pilfered pills increases to 6,000

Editorial
In parks, battle of the butts
Lewiston's city council is on the right track with its concern about cigarette butts and dog waste in city parks. The presence of both turns what should be a community asset into an impromptu trash dump.

Obama finds comfort in lessons from Lincoln
Barack Obama has been accused of hubris and arrogance for his continuing references of identification with Abraham Lincoln, who by the measure of many was the greatest of all our presidents.

MPBN
Panel Reviews Use Of Deadly Force In Cases Involving Mentally Ill

A new report recommends that law enforcement officers in Maine be given more information about people with mental illness who could pose a danger to the public. The findings of a task force convened by Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe propose, among other steps, a change in state law that would require mental health workers to disclose pertinent information to police.

State Leaders Call For Stepped Up Domestic Violence Prevention

December 9, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

As Maine's statistics on domestic violence-related deaths surge to new levels, a coalition of medical violence prevention professionals is calling for earlier detection of the signs of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Unemployment Woes Have Less Impact On Health Care Workers, Lawyers

December 9, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

In November, the country lost more than a half million jobs, the biggest monthly cut in 34 years. Maine has not been immune. To date, employers have slashed 4,000 jobs over the course of the year, according to the State Department of Labor.

The Return Of The Root Cellar

December 9, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

An increase in home gardening and a desire to save money have prompted a surge in the popularity of old-fashioned root cellars. Root cellars aren't just a place to throw a bag of potatoes. In fact, maintaining proper temperature and moisture levels is a tricky science.

Times Record

Gerrish honored for 20 years of service in 'best job I've ever had'...(full story)

Military training center imperiled...(full story)

Nature agencies merger fizzles...(full story)

Mentors help teens' biz plans...(full story)

City development group still unsure of waterfront plan...(full story)

Maine News for Tuesday, December 9, 2008

2008-12-09T08:46:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
A call to fight for justice
Teachers turn the NAACP president's visit into a teachable moment after recent racial incidents.

Auto bailout plan gets tuneup
With the bailout, an overseer would be named to 'achieve long-term sustainability.'

Maine delegation differs on automaker rescue

Up to 200 Iraqis likely to relocate to Portland
Refugees are resettling on their own from other U.S. cities after hearing good things about the area.

Birth-control consent issue revived
A state senator may file legislation to require a parent's OK for a teen to obtain birth control.

Proposal would let town oust its officials
Windham's council will hold a hearing on the recall provision on Dec. 16.

Group seeks public use for Park Street School
Kennebunk voters will get a chance to decide whether the town should borrow funds to renovate the property.

Editorial

Sprawl's decline is good news for Maine
Decades of troubling development patterns are starting to reverse themselves.

State's nonprofits find giving's getting harder
Groups receiving less have less to give, even as public agencies face cutbacks, too.

RON BANCROFTWe can't wait to 2016 to help our graduates learn the essentials
While we may not reach 100 percent right away, 70 percent is within reach – and is an improvement.

BILL NEMITZFenced in, animal isn't fair game

Bangor Daily News

Budget cuts imperil assisted living homes

OLD TOWN, Maine — Betty LeBretton’s recent fall wasn’t serious. “We were having a fire drill,” the 83-year-old explained Monday. “I was reaching for my housecoat, and I slipped and fell on my knees and then right down on my face.” A tiny abrasion on her forehead and another on her nose mark the incident.

Secrets of the deep

Twenty feet down in the dark, ice-cold muck of the Penobscot River near Bangor lurks a creature so reclusive and so mysterious that for decades no one knew it was there.

UM eyes offshore wind farms

ORONO, Maine — Waters off the Northeast coast are called by some the Saudi Arabia of wind for their potential in providing massive amounts of energy to the region.

Homeland Security gives Silver Medal to worker with Maine ties

WASHINGTON — A man with strong Maine ties has been awarded the second-highest honor accorded by the Department of Homeland Security.

Temple airs medical marijuana plan

BANGOR — The Rev. Kevin Loring, head of the Temple of Advanced Enlightenment, proposed Monday night that his church join with Bangor police and city officials to develop a plan to distribute medical marijuana to residents who have prescriptions for cannabis.

Methadone moratorium on Brewer council docket

BREWER, Maine — The six months given city staff to review and update land use codes concerning methadone clinics apparently is not enough time to complete the work, so another six months has been requested.

Editorial

Chaos in Ottawa

The political meltdown in Canada, at first, looks like a power grab by the Conservative Party and its leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A closer look reveals that the parliamentary crisis came

Kennebec Journal

Blaine House raps DAs
Budget cuts ordered by the governor's office for the coming year are not aimed at reducing the law enforcement presence in central Maine, but rather are a challenge to identify alternative ways to reduce spending in tough times, a top aide to the governor said Monday.

CIVIL-RIGHTS TEAMWORK
AUGUSTA -- Imagine a classroom full of students. One says to another, "Get out of my way" using a word referring to sexual orientation.

AUGUSTA Council pledges help on school cuts
AUGUSTA -- City councilors on Monday vowed to work with the Board of Education as it works to overcome a potential $1.5 million school budget deficit.

Editorials:

Rewriting book on government could save money
Property owners rarely spend the money to build ramps for the disabled on a whim or for frivolous reasons. Either the owner has been required by law to construct the ramp or there's someone with a disability who needs it to regularly navigate into, and out of, the building.

ADAM D. LEE : Detroit Three need new rules of conduct if bailout funds given
Five times a day, I get asked the same two questions:

DAVID B. OFFER : After budget frills are gone, it's time to end agency duplication
Gov. John Baldacci and state legislators can learn some unpleasant but essential facts about budgeting from Augusta School Superintendent Cornelia Brown.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS : Protecting our senior citizens from harmful retirement account penalties
The precipitous decline in our nation's financial markets is presenting America with its greatest economic challenge in decades. Broad measures of stock-market value have fallen more than 40 percent since the beginning of this year.

Sun Journal
5 poisoned by CO in Maine
SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) - Carbon monoxide poisoning is being blamed for the hospitalization of five people who lived in a duplex in South Portland.

Scouts' victory
Boys' Life magazine features Lewiston Scout Troop 007's unofficial tournament at Belfast Curling Center

Probe finds air toxins around Maine schools
Two northern Maine schools are in toxic hot spots and several tri-county schools are located in areas likely to have poisonous chemicals and cancer-causing agents in the air, according to an investigative report by USA Today.

Estimate on pilfered pills increases to 6,000

Editorial
In parks, battle of the butts
Lewiston's city council is on the right track with its concern about cigarette butts and dog waste in city parks. The presence of both turns what should be a community asset into an impromptu trash dump.

MPBN
The Reach of The Creative Economy
Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz talks with Jean Maginnis, Founder and Executive Director of the Maine Center for Creativity about the creative industries growing role in Maine's economy.

Maine Car Dealers Call On Congress To Approve Bailout, Save Local Jobs
December 5, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

As the chief executives of the Big 3 automakers asked Congress to reconsider a bailout, some of Maine's auto dealers are making a similar case at home.

Environmental Groups Criticize Car Makers' Resistance To Clean Car Standards
December 5, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

As automakers pledge to switch production to hybrids and fuel efficient cars, a New England environmental advocacy organization is questioning the industry's intentions. The Conservation Law Foundation is reminding Congress that General Motors and Chrysler are waging a legal campaign in several states to block new emissions standards.

Times Record

Public, Realtors take issue with Navy housing plan...(full story)

Staffer to start, but some aren't happy...(full story)

Eddy resigns Brunswick post: Economic development chief takes job with Eaton Peabody...(full story)

Holbrook's revival takes next step...(full story)

Woodlot taxation program mended...(full story)

New power prospects re-energizing Wiscasset...(full story)

Maine News for Friday, December 12, 2008

2008-12-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Program offers small loans to small business
The program is aimed at starting and improving businesses in distressed areas of the state.

Delegation pressed to OK auto bailout
Maine dealers plan a news conference today on the industry's ties to the state's economy.

Crews spend second night at site of Paris fire
Firefighters will continue containing hot spots and flare-ups at a paper and pulp warehouse today.

Polluted runoff near mall leads to cleanup order
The EPA will require up to 110 property owners to take measures to help restore Long Creek and protect Casco Bay.

Firefighter accused of sex abuse of two girls
The teenagers participated in Cumberland's Fire Explorers program. Craig Rawnsley's attorney says he is innocent.

Editorial

Stimulus should not include money for states
There are better ways for the federal government to get the economy moving.

Provider 'conscience rule' tips the balance too far
Workers' right of refusal should not stand in the way of patients exercising their rights.

M.D. HARMONWhen the money tree's shaking, grab the bushel baskets
It's good that our society has finally rejected outdated notions of responsibility and thrift.

Bangor Daily News

Worker injuries down, and is cost for worker's compensation

AUGUSTA, Maine — State insurance regulators have approved a filing by the National Council on Compensation Insurance that will result in most employers in Maine seeing a decrease in their workers’ compensation insurance rates in 2009, with business groups saying that is good news as employers deal with the recession.

Stove buyers still waiting

BANGOR, Maine — Don French has been waiting for his pellet stove since July, when he paid a deposit of $1,000. Charlie Anderson and William Osmer have been on the hook even longer and for more money.

New low-interest loan program unveiled

BANGOR, Maine — The bankers, politicians and nonprofit officials behind a new, $9.5 million low-interest loan program for small and medium-sized businesses in Maine are hoping they have hit upon a way to give the state’s economy a much-needed lift.

Mainers hammer trade agreements

BANGOR, Maine — A panel seeking to learn how international trade agreements are affecting the lives of Mainers got an earful Thursday night.

States mends rules after lynx trap death

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine wildlife officials rushed through new rules Thursday intended to help keep Canada lynx out of sportsmen’s traps and the state out of hot water with the federal courts.

Auburn Manufacturing wins defense contracts

MECHANIC FALLS — Auburn Manufacturing Inc. said it has won two U.S. military contracts worth up to $7.8 million over several years.

Wreath convoy to depart for Arlington National Cemetery

HARRINGTON, Maine — An annual convoy of trucks carrying wreaths made by a local company is scheduled to depart for Arlington National Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7.

Editorial
Don’t Waste Two Months

This interregnum seems interminable. Barack Obama was elected president on Nov. …

A search with few clues LUBEC, Maine — Officers from the Maine State Police and Marine Patrol

Avoiding agricultural meltdown

Food is the centerpiece in our physical existence, and should be guarded far.

Kennebec Journal

STATE SEES $3.3B TAB FOR ROADS
AUGUSTA -- The state of Maine needs $3.3 billion in the next decade to modernize and maintain highways and bridges, Maine Department of Transportation officials said Thursday at the 58th annual Maine Transportation Conference.

AUGUSTA: Council moving weekly meeting
AUGUSTA -- The Augusta City Council's regular Monday night date will move to Thursdays starting in January.

On Maine Politics

Who will fill Mills’ House seat? 12/04/08

Maine car dealers urge bailout support
Local economies feared at risk; Congressional delegation appears undecided

FAIRFIELD: KVCC, UMF team up on education courses
FAIRFIELD -- Kennebec Valley Community College will begin hosting advanced classes in Early Childhood Education in the fall of 2009, through a partnership with the University of Maine Farmington.

Chamber selling gift certificates
AUGUSTA -- The Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce is once again selling "Shop Local" gift certificates, offering shoppers certificates in $10, $25 and $50 denominations redeemable at more than 100 area businesses.

Business breakfast to focus on business succession planning
WATERVILLE -- The next Business Breakfast Series, presented by Thomas College in partnership with the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, will focus on executive transition and business-succession planning.

Wreath work a boost for Somali refugees
LEWISTON -- When Maine wreath-makers and veterans groups honor U.S. veterans in Arlington National Cemetery Saturday, they'll be taking the handiwork of a group of the city's newest residents with them.

Suspect in child-sex crimes arrested, jailed
A Fairfield man is scheduled to appear by video today in Augusta District Court on charges of five counts of unlawful sexual contact that allegedly occurred in Waterville, involving two girls younger than 12.

Editorials:

If local bidder isn't lowest, it's the wrong choice
Perhaps it seemed like a good idea at the time.

L. SANDY MAISEL : Bush using last weeks in office to further his agenda, help friends
Eleventh-hour pardons. Burrowing. Midnight regulations.

DAVID LILLARD : Maybe Victory Gardens can save U.S. again
With millions of baby boomers racing toward retirement, you might think it's time for their parents, "The Greatest Generation," to fade into the sunset. Not so fast!

Sun Journal
Biz loan capital provided
PORTLAND (AP) - Coastal Enterprises Inc. and Bangor Savings Bank are making $9.5 million available in the form of low-interest loans to small- and medium-sized businesses in hopes of providing a spark to Maine's economy.

Firefighters battle on
PARIS - Firefighters Thursday night made their way to the heart of a smoldering fire in a massive Pine Street warehouse, removing stockpiles of rolled paper as their battle entered its second day.

Teen gets 8 years in prison
PORTLAND - A former Edward Little High School football player was sentenced to eight years in prison Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine out of an Auburn apartment.

Fabric firm wins Navy contract
MECHANIC FALLS - Auburn Manufacturing Inc. on Thursday announced that it has won two U.S. military contracts worth up to $7.8 million over several years.

Bailout mulled
PORTLAND (AP) - Members of Maine's congressional delegation say they're waiting for more specifics on the proposed bailout of the nation's top three automakers before deciding whether to get behind the plan.

Men sentenced in beating
BANGOR (AP) - Two Maine men will each spend more than a decade behind bars after being sentenced for attacking a Bangor hotel guest with a bat and a hammer in a case of mistaken identity.

Editorial
Hospital's debt should be paid, first
News that Gov. John Baldacci will ask the Obama administration for a Medicaid waiver for Dirigo Health is not exactly news; the waiver, which would match federal funds to Dirigo premium payments, was part of Dirigo 1.0.

Those other elections were also important
A month after Barack Obama's triumphant victory, we are still celebrating America's only authentic national religion, and it isn't Christianity - it's presidentialism, the worship of the president as an all-powerful, all-knowing deity who is the only important political actor in our country.

MPBN
Bank Teams Up With Non-Profit To Create 9.5 Million Dollar Small Business Loan Fund Bangor Savings Bank and Coastal Enterprises have formed what's being billed as a first-in-the-nation partnership to create a pool of low-interest loans for small and medium-sized businesses in the most economically distressed parts of the state.

Trade Policy Activists To Sound Off On Effects Of Free Trade

December 4, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Laid-off workers, union members and others concerned about trade policy are expected to attend a meeting Thursday in Bangor of the Citizen Trade Policy Commission of the Maine Legislature. By statute, the group holds public hearings twice a year to hear from citizens about the local and global effects of so-called "free" trade policies. And as Susan Sharon reports, a bill co-sponsored by Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud is expected to be touted as a way to make trade agreements stronger.

New Gas Tax and Freight Fees Recommended To Fund Ailing Transportation Infrastructure

December 4, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

The nation's transportation infrastructure is in need of a massive overhaul according to two national spokesmen for the industry who spoke Thursday at the 58th Annual Maine Transportation Conference in Augusta. State leaders say Mainers have to look beyond local potholes to envision a national movement to rebuild a transportation network that peaked years ago with the completion of the Interstate Highway System.

New Report Looks At Impact Of Retiring Newcomers On Rural Communities

December 4, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

The coast of Maine is one of the most popular retirement destinations on the eastern seaboard. But what happens once newcomers, who tend to be more affluent and educated than many long-time residents, settle into their new lives? That's the topic of a new report from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire entitled: "Grey Gold: Do Older In-Migrants Benefit Rural Communities?"

Times Record

Former corpsman sentenced to 5 years...(full story)

Tow truck driver's woes pile up...(full story)

Women take reins of new Legislature...(full story)

Local farm aims to corral national alpaca market...(full story)

Bath officials urge 'proactive' approach on housing...(full story)

Editorial
Sleazy and unfair...(full story)

Maine News for Thursday, December 4, 2008

2008-12-04T08:22:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
New Legislature faces immediate test
Few incoming groups of Maine lawmakers have faced a larger budget deficit.

Women lead Legislature for first time
Libby Mitchell is now Senate president and Hannah Pingree is the new speaker of the House.

Unions make concessions to boost aid bid
United Auto Workers leaders suspend laid-off workers' pay and delay medical fund payments.

Big Three unlikely to force closures here, dealers say
But some think a declining market might drive some dealerships out of business.

School jobs left open, signaling start of cuts
Portland must offset a $1.8 million reduction in state aid, as soon as possible.

Swastikas painted on downtown buildings
The former Public Market is one location targeted. Civil-rights advocates are concerned.

Guard seeks to lower altitudes for pilot training
Residents in the Maine military space expressed concern if the flight ceiling drops to 500 feet.

Brunswick squadron chief relieved of post
Cmdr. Llewellyn Lewis loses his command after crash-landing his P-3 Orion in Afghanistan.

Gorham bypass to open on Friday

Editorial

Spend conservation fund efficiently
The Energy and Carbon Savings Trust should go after the least-expensive ways to conserve.

Adults shouldn't try to minimize student cheating
Educators' responses to a new survey are almost as troubling as its findings.

Heating oil contracts: Mainers paying the price for Wall Street hype
Contracting to pay a fixed price for oil meant dealers had to contact to buy it at a certain price, too.

Bangor Daily News

Maine women to lead Legislature

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s glass ceiling developed a few more cracks Wednesday as women were sworn in as Senate president and House speaker. And in one of its first acts, the newly seated Legislature elected Maine’s first female attorney general.

Hard times eating away at grocers

BANGOR, Maine — The bad economy appears to have eaten its way into the food business in Maine. The 22-year-old Shaw’s Supermarket near the Bangor Mall is scheduled to close on Jan. 31, and an unspecified number of jobs will be eliminated from the Hannaford Bros. corporate headquarters in Scarborough.

Man faces plea deal in assassination threats

MIAMI — Trial was delayed Wednesday to allow time for a possible plea deal for a man arrested with a collection of weapons and military-style gear on charges of threatening to assassinate President-elect Barack Obama and President George W. Bush.

Ailing Blue Hill hospital’s CEO replaced

Citing the need for stronger financial leadership, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems President Michelle Hood announced Wednesday that Blue Hill Memorial Hospital is under new management.

Development debate postpones land use plan

State regulators voted Wednesday to delay work on a critical planning document in order to allow additional dialogue about how development pressure is affecting the Unorganized Territory.

Hostage takers’ weapon probed

SEARSPORT, Maine — Police believe the semiautomatic handgun taken from Randall Hofland after he held the Stockton Springs Elementary School fifth grade hostage five weeks ago was the same one reported stolen by a retired sea captain.

Conference focuses on forest industry

ORONO, Maine — As the future of some of Maine’s wood-based businesses hangs in the balance, more than 100 people gathered this week to discuss how biotechnology can be used to stimulate the existing forestry industry in both Maine and Atlantic Canada.

Marquee crowns opera house renovation

As one half of the brand-new marquee for the Bangor Opera House dangled from a crane Wednesday afternoon, a passenger in a car driving past flagged Penobscot Theatre producing artistic director Scott Levy down. “Looks good, Scott!” she said, stopped in traffic at the intersection of Main and Union streets in downtown Bangor. “Looks excellent, it really does.”

EMMC employee struck in State Street crosswalk

BANGOR, Maine — An Eastern Maine Medical Center employee suffered minor injuries Wednesday crossing busy State Street when she was struck by a vehicle driven by another hospital worker.

SAD 67 policy clears way for Breathalyzer testing on students

SAD 67 students who show signs of intoxication at school will be subject to Breathalyzer testing under a new school policy, school officials said Wednesday.

Editorial

Auto Bailout, Round 2

Although the price tag for a government bailout of the auto industry has …

Altitude Adjustment

A prepared military needs places to practice its maneuvers, which are often loud and disruptive. To meet its readiness requirements, the military should find the best place to do this training with the least disruption on the ground.

Kennebec Journal
'YEAR OF THE WOMAN'
AUGUSTA -- The members of the 124th Legislature took their seats Wednesday on a day marked by tradition, hope and history.

AUGUSTA CMP pitches expansion
AUGUSTA -- Tim Basham's property in China borders high-voltage transmission lines Central Maine Power Company hopes to upgrade as part of a billion-dollar overhaul of the state's electrical grid.

Low-flight plans draw opposition
FARMINGTON -- Air National Guard representatives say their pilots need to fly as low as 500 feet over western Maine terrain to better train for, or combat, terrorism from the sky.

State makes 1st foray into carbon-trading auctions
AUGUSTA -- Regulations under consideration by a new state agency may soon help Maine make good on promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions by investing in energy efficiency and new low-carbon technologies.

SAD 16 board holds last meeting as standalone school unit
FARMINGDALE -- The School Administrative District 16 Board of Directors held its last meeting of 2008 Wednesday.

AUGUSTA Capitalizing on an identity
AUGUSTA -- Augusta has a capital-sized identity crisis to figure out.

SAD 67 policy clears way for Breathalyzer testing Intent is to keep kids from coming to school events intoxicated
SAD 67 students who show signs of intoxication at school will be subject to Breathalyzer testing under a new school policy, school officials said Wednesday.

Portland fighting rash of bias grafitti
The discovery of several swastikas spray-painted on Portland buildings has civil-rights advocates concerned that some people feel such expressions are acceptable.

On Maine Politics

A big day for women 12/03/08

Editorial

It's time to think outside the box for our schools
State budget woes mean big cuts for education. And that means school boards, administrators, teachers and parents are struggling to come up with the least painful ways to rein in spending.

Maine's governorship the last male bastion
This is almost the last editorial we'll write on this subject. As soon as the state elects a female governor, we'll write our last one.

SEVERIN M. BELIVEAU : Don't throw more taxpayer money into bottomless pit of greed
It is apparent that Congress' record $75 billion infusion into our financial institutions has not produced the results promised by President Bush and Secretary Henry Paulson.

DAN BILLINGS : Memo to Democrats: It's all downhill from here
It's a tough time to be a Republican. The November election resulted in the election of a Democratic president by a significant margin and an increase in the Democrats' majorities in the U.S. House and Senate.

GORDON L. WEIL : Budget cutters need scalpels like surgeons, not axes like lumberjacks
This is the week that the newly elected Maine Legislature arrives in Augusta.

Sun Journal
In Dirigo state, women lead
AUGUSTA - It's likely that Margaret Chase Smith, Maine's first female senator, would be delighted to know that a pair of women are leading Maine's Legislature for the first time.

Navy sub set to be deactivated at Kittery
KITTERY (AP) - The Navy's only research submarine is coming to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where it will be inactivated after nearly 40 years in service.

Lawmakers pass anti-hate order
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine's Legislature passed a resolution denouncing acts and suggested acts of hate and violence in reaction to postelection incidents suggesting violence against President-elect Barack Obama.

Editorial
Landmark pick, as a prosecutor
Rep. Janet Mills of Farmington is a landmark choice for attorney general, but not because she's the first woman to hold the prestigious office. She is the latest in a long tradition of women holding powerful political positions in Maine.

MPBN
124th Legislature Kicked Off In Augusta

Members of the Maine House and Senate kicked off the 124th legislative session today with a series of organizational formalities that included the election of presiding officers and those nominated to the state's constitutional posts. Gov. John Baldacci administered the oath of office to all 186 members of the Legislature and emphasized that bipartisanship will be imperative in the months ahead as lawmakers work to close an $800 million budget gap during a difficult economic period.

Teen Birth Control Expected To Be Challenged

December 3, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

The Family Planning Association of Maine held the first of a series of forums in Bangor last night, where several doctors, parents and teens talked about their efforts to preserve teens' ability to obtain birth control and other reproductive health services without their parents' consent. The association expects that state law will be challenged by at least one bill in the upcoming legislative session.

Mishaps Raise Questions About Aging P-3 Orion Aircraft

December 3, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

The crash of a P-3 Orion airplane in Afghanistan has cost a naval officer in Brunswick his job. Commander Llewellyn Lewis of Brunswick Naval Air Station was removed as a squadron commander after the aircraft he was piloting crash-landed at Bagram Air base in October. This and other recent P-3 mishaps are raising questions about the safety of the aging aircraft.

State Officials Ponder Future For Unwanted Horses

December 3, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

State agriculture officials, veterinarians and animal rescue organizations are struggling with a difficult problem that's made worse in a bad economy: what to do with all the unwanted horses in the state? Estimates put the number of horses at risk of going hungry or in need of surrender in Maine at more than 500. As Susan Sharon reports, options for getting rid of them are limited and expensive.

Times Record

Bathport upgrade gets initial OK...(full story)

P-3 Orion pilot relieved of duty...(full story)

Council weighs greater scrutiny of development...(full story)

History made with Mills as new AG...(full story)

Ellsworth American
State’s Budget Woes Threaten Maine’s $50 Million Shellfish Industry
ELLSWORTH — Faced with the difficult decision to either cut key programs or raise license fees at the Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Governor John Baldacci on Monday directed Commissioner George Lapointe to come up with a better idea.

School Consolidation Plan Goes to the Voters Tuesday
ELLSWORTH — As intricate as a business merger and as thorny as a prenuptial agreement, negotiations to combine Ellsworth, Union 96 and six Union 92 towns into a single regional school unit have been in the works for over a year.

Editorial
The Committee Got It Right
In a Nov. 26 editorial, the Bangor Daily News scolded the Legislature’s Transportation Committee for taking “the indefensible action of indefinitely shelving a compromise plan for state-owned Sears Island.” We believe the Committee, whose co-chairman is Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Hancock County) got things exactly right with regard to the proposal that, in theory, would set aside about two-thirds of the 931-acre Penobscot Bay island for conservation while allowing future port development on about 300 acres.

Maine News for Wednesday, December 3, 2008

2008-12-03T08:46:00.003-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Lots of energy efficiency cash – so who gets it?
Millions per year will be given out by trustees, who will gather advice at a public hearing today.

Baldacci confident Obama will aid strapped states
After a meeting with the president-elect, the governor hopes Maine will receive millions in extra federal funds.

Janet Mills nominated to be next Maine AG
The lawyer from Farmington, a 32-year veteran of the state's justice system, would be the first woman to hold the position.

At private colleges, a degree of caution
As endowments shrink drastically, Maine schools rein in spending and plan for difficult times ahead.

Man gets six years for child porn
A judge sentences the former U.S. Navy reservist, who had been collecting child pornography online.

NAACP chief to lobby for prison reform
Benjamin Jealous will visit Maine next week to meet with officials and deliver two speeches.

Editorial

Latest terror attacks call for diplomatic surge
The terrorists win big if tensions grow between India and Pakistan.

Humility and details may not be enough to save Detroit
The Big Three automakers are off to a better start with Congress, but skepticism remains.

GREG KESICHObama girls might have raised hope in public schools
A private family decision has bigger implications when you are talking about the first family.

Bangor Daily News
Group fighting same-sex marriage

ORRINGTON, Maine — Nearly 100 ministers and lay leaders representing churches from Fort Fairfield to Richmond met Tuesday afternoon at Calvary Chapel to launch a biblically based opposition to

Battle looms on access to birth control

BANGOR, Maine — A state policy group that wants to preserve teens’ unrestricted access to birth control is gearing up for a potential legislative battle.

Obama welcomes governors’ advice

PHILADELPHIA — President-elect Barack Obama pledged quick work Tuesday on an economic recovery plan to include tax cuts and increased federal spending, and told the nation’s governors he wants

welcomes public comment on Calais LNG

BANGOR, Maine — Calais LNG was the last of three companies to propose building a liquefied natural gas project in Washington County — but its directors intend for it to be the one that succeeds.

Gendron on education team to support Obama transition

AUGUSTA, Maine — Commissioner of Education Susan A. Gendron has been tapped to serve on a committee of education leaders tasked with developing a transition plan on education policy for

Mainers find clever ways to hawk lobster

Times are tough for our many-legged ocean-dwelling friends, Homarus americanus — the American lobster. But times are even tougher for our two-legged, dock-dwelling friends, Traphaulinus mainerus — the Maine lobsterman.

Winter road maintenance a balancing act

BANGOR, Maine — The life of a winter road maintenance worker is always a delicate balancing act this time of year. Dozens of crew supervisors with the Maine Department of Transportation and some

Experts stress ‘can-do’ in quitting smoking

ORONO, Maine — Despite growing scientific evidence about the dangers of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, many doctors steer clear of discussing the issue with their patients, a tobacco

Editorial
Electronic Baby Sitter Here’s a distressing statistic: Children spend nearly three times as much

National Security Team Beyond the criticism — from both the left and the right — that his Cabinet

Trade pacts may undermine state laws A mother in the grocery store wants to be sure that the formula she is feeding

Kennebec Journal

STATEHOUSE Democrats back Mills for AG post Legislature expected to confirm state representative today
AUGUSTA -- Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday nominated Janet Mills, of Farmington, to be Maine's next attorney general.

AUGUSTA ROTARIES PROJECT: Memorial Circle to get same treatment as eastside roundabout
AUGUSTA -- Motorists confused by the new layout of stripes and arrows guiding traffic around the redesigned Cony Circle better get used to it soon: A similar layout could be coming to Memorial Circle next summer.

GENDRON ADVISING OBAMA
Maine Education Commissioner Susan Gendron is one of 10 state education chiefs helping to lay the groundwork for President-elect Barack Obama's incoming education secretary.

County praises sex registry volunteers
AUGUSTA -- Ronald Raymond could spend his retirement at the beach, or taking up a new hobby.

To school into July?
OAKLAND -- School Administrative District 47 board Chairman Michael Gosselin isn't happy about the $295,000 the district expects to have to cut from the current budget.

On Maine Politics

Cummings calls lawmakers “noble and absolutely crazy”

Editorial

Shopping for a victim
Lawyers have been hired. Various parties are positioning themselves with public statements. Talk radio and daytime television have commandeered the story, which will, once there are charges, trials or settlements, slowly get untangled.

Device can keep drunken drivers off the road
There's no good reason Maine should have as many drunken drivers on the road as we do.

Sun Journal
Action assures Mills of AG post
AUGUSTA - Maine's newly elected Democratic legislators settled a three-way race for state attorney general Tuesday by nominating former prosecutor and three-term Rep. Janet Mills of Farmington for the $92,296-per-year post, assuring her of election by the full House and Senate.

Obama's pick for U.N. has ties to Maine
PORTLAND (AP) - The name of President-elect Barack Obama's selection for United Nations ambassador will have a familiar ring to many people in Maine.

Recount: Maine defeats slots
SCARBOROUGH (AP) - A ballot recount has confirmed that there won't be slot machines in Scarborough any time soon.

Man pleads not guilty in Internet sex case
PORTLAND (AP) - A 28-year-old Brownfield man has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he offered money to a father of four in return for allowing him to have sex with his 12-year-old daughter.

GM wants billions, or industry will crash
WASHINGTON (AP) - Humbled and fighting for survival, Detroit's once-mighty automakers appealed to Congress with a retooled case for a huge bailout Tuesday, pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for a federal lifeline. GM said it wouldn't last till New Year's without an immediate $4 billion and could drag the entire industry down if it fails.

Winter festival planned to honor earmuff inventor

Editorial
Not another downtown plan, please
For Lewiston's strategic planning to bear fruit, it must not repeat prior work. It must embrace fresher approaches toward the city's future prosperity. This means turning the city inside out.

Black Friday: The great lie of American consumerism
I like stuff as much as the next guy.

MPBN
Democrats Select Janet Mills As AG Candidate

December 2, 2008

Majority Democrats in Augusta have selected Janet Mills as their nominee for State Attorney General, capping a campaign that has drawn an unusually significant amount of public attention. A.J. Higgins has been covering the party caucuses at the State House, and he spoke last this afternoon with Keith Shortall.

Proposed Air Guard Flyovers Front And Center Again In Western Maine

December 2, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Residents of western Maine have one more chance to have their opinion heard on a proposal to allow fighter pilots to fly as low as 500 feet overhead during jet fighter training missions. As Anne Ravana reports, the proposal has met with opposition from local residents in recent years, and Governor John Baldacci's office is concerned that the Air National Guard has not thoroughly examined the environmental impacts of such a proposal.

Study Examines Impact Of School Soda Bans

December 2, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Since 2005, Maine schools have banned sodas from their vending machines in response to emerging evidence that sugary drinks contribute to obesity among young people. But prior to the ban going into place, Janet Whatley Blum, an associate professor in the Exercise, Health, and Sport Sciences department of the University of Southern Maine, decided to test how well the bans on soda worked, including sodas, sports drinks and diet drinks.

Maine's OUI Laws Cricized By MADD

December 2, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Maine could do a better job in reducing alcohol-related highway fatalities. That's the message from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which has issued a new national report that finds Maine among the states seeing an increase in the percentage of aolcohol related deaths over the past two years.

Maine Forest Practices Examined

December 2, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

A new, in-depth survey of logging practices in Maine finds most loggers are taking the right steps to protect water quality and avoid stricter federal regulations. The first-of-its kind survey by the Maine Forest Service looked at 250 randomly chosen logging operations by both large and small landowners. And while there are other signs that forest practices are improving, at least one environmental group says they could be even better.

Times Record

Bath gains 'Preserve America Community' status...(full story)

Shipyard receives $45.8M for DDG-1000...(full story)

Brunswick renews talk of all-day kindergarten...(full story)

Feds chip in $1.1M for BNAS planning...(full story)

Navy housing market glut looms...(full story)

Vaulting into the spotlight...(full story)

Panel bids to up ante for 'clean elections'...(full story)

Editorial
Surviving the 'perfect storm'...(full story)

Maine News for Tuesday, December 2, 2008

2008-12-02T08:41:00.003-05:00

Portland Press Herald

Race for AG move into the spotlight
The selection of Maine attorney general never used to get much attention, but public interest is high this year.

Maine native's daughter gets Cabinet post
Susan Rice, named U.N. ambassador, often visits her family's summer home in Lincolnville.

Obama's picks praised by Maine's delegation
They call his choices for national security posts thoughtful and bold.

Again, Wall Street dives for cover
A recession is officially declared, and signals that it may be deep and long cost the Dow 680 points.

'A new dawn of ... leadership'
Obama chooses people with lots of experience and strong views for his national security team.

Mayor Duson sworn in; major challenges await
The budget and revival of the pier project are at the top of Portland's list.

Editorial

Waxman should recuse herself on pier votes
The city councilor should not take part in negotiations with her former employer.

Clinton appointment not without some risk
But the New York senator will bring much to the new administration as its top diplomat.

RON BANCROFTHow do we help all our students learn what they need to succeed?
The Maine Learning Results still hold promise, but commitment remains haphazard.

Bangor Daily News

Lawmakers ponder alcohol-related fatalities

BANGOR, Maine — A report released by Mothers Against Drunk Driving suggests Maine still has work to do to reduce the number of alcohol-related highway fatalities.

Cyber Monday shopping growing in popularity

When Nory Jones couldn’t find the comforter she wanted on Black Friday, the University of Maine associate professor of management information looked to her calendar for help: She shopped on Cyber Monday.

LURC staff urge more talks on Unorganized Territory

Staff of the Land Use Regulation Commission are recommending that work on the agency’s comprehensive plan be pushed back several months to allow additional discussion about development trends in the 10½-million-acre Unorganized Territory.

Baldacci wants varied stimulus efforts

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci is joining most of the nation’s governors in a closed-door meeting with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia today, with the economy at the top of the agenda.

Old Town Canoe cuts back production

OLD TOWN, Maine — Citing economic stress, Old Town Canoe recently slowed its production schedule, cutting hours for some workers.

Pet guidelines for Bangor trails, open space weighed

BANGOR, Maine — A recent spate of concerns and complaints involving pets on city trails and open spaces may cause city officials to consider adopting animal guidelines.

Old Town deer hunt slow on first day

OLD TOWN, Maine — Monday’s icy drizzle likely dampened first-day participation in the only deer season on Marsh Island in recent memory, and the deer may not have been cooperating, either.

Editorial
Moving Beyond Mumbai Last week’s attacks in Mumbai exposed numerous fault lines in India and

ClickBack on spending, pot This week’s ClickBack focuses on state spending, terrorism in India and

Health care spending: Let’s talk Drunken sailors cannot hold a candle to physicians when it comes to spending

Kennebec Journal
Developer, city in deal to preserve old YMCA building for only one year
AUGUSTA -- The old YMCA building will stand for at least one more year.

CITY'S OPTIONS TURN DRASTIC
AUGUSTA -- Any of the hard-to-swallow options -- closing Hussey Elementary School or Hodgkins Middle School, eliminating all sports and other after-school activities, or cutting 30 teachers next school year -- may not be enough to alone close a projected $1.5 million budget gap for Augusta schools.

Bad roads blamed in fatal crash
CARRABASSETT VALLEY -- Police said icy, slushy roads from an overnight snowstorm contributed to a two-vehicle, head-on collision on Route 27 Monday morning that killed a 25-year-old Whitefield man.

GARDINER BRIDGE JOB WON'T SNAG TRAFFIC
GARDINER -- Temporary bridges, one for each travel lane, will be in place by the end of the month, in time for the removal of the 100-year-old New Mills Bridge.

Little aid living with AIDS
AUGUSTA -- HIV and AIDS are prevalent in Maine, and attacking the problem will require leadership and doing more with fewer state resources.

The town line
CHINA -- Residents will get a chance to hear about Central Maine Power Company's plan to upgrade 350 miles of transmission lines, a portion of which runs through this town.

On Maine Politics

Orientation days, then swearing-in 12/01/08

Editorials:

Panel must balance needs of all students
The ranks of autistic children are swelling in Maine and across the country. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, from 1994 to 2005, the number of children ages 6-21 years receiving services for autism increased from 22,664 to 193,637.

Columns:

DAVID B. OFFER : Murder, love, faith makes whodunit a real page turner
There are about 1,600 books on the shelves in my house. Actually, they don't all fit on the shelves; many are in piles, some stacked behind each other.

Sun Journal
New Legislature to pick AG nominee
AUGUSTA (AP) - The three-way race for one of the state's most prominent public offices, attorney general, will be decided Tuesday as the newly elected Legislature chooses a nominee to head the $30 million department that represents the state in legal matters.

Maine scallop season opens
PORTLAND (AP) - Maine's scallop draggers and divers face a shortened season and new restrictions as the scallop season gets under way.

Lewiston aims for brighter future
LEWISTON - The notions that have guided planning and development decisions for Lewiston are outdated, city officials said Monday.

Recession deepens
WASHINGTON (AP) - Most Americans sorely knew it already, but now it's official: The country is in a recession, and it's getting worse.

Down we go again: Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow
NEW YORK (AP) - The stock market suffered one of its worst days since the financial meltdown Monday, slicing 680 points off the Dow Jones industrial average as Wall Street snapped out of its daydream of a rally and once again faced the harsh reality of a recession.

Editorial
Is 'Black Friday' worth it?
It's called chumming the water. Marine biologists drop bloody, ragged fish meat into shark-infested waters. Then, on cue, the sleek beasts emerge from the shadowy sea and enter a tail-whipping, teeth-baring feeding frenzy.

World jihadist movement targets India's affluent
They were young and cleanshaven, wearing Western T-shirts and carrying rucksacks. They could have fit in easily with the cosmopolitan and robustly growing "New India." If that weren't exactly the India they had come to destroy.

MPBN
World AIDS Day Observed

December 1, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Today is World AIDS Day. A lot has changed since the first World AIDS Day, 20 years ago. Drug cocktails have prolonged people's lives indefinitely. Mainers who used to go to Boston for treatment can go to their local clinic. Some patients need only take a pill a day. But still there is no cure, and more than 50,000 new cases are cropping up each year in the United States. As Josie Huang reports, advocates say far too many people have contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and don't know it.

Lawmakers Briefed On Roles And Challenges

December 1, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

New members of the 124th Legislature spent much of Monday being briefed on their roles in the legislative process and the challenges that will face them in the months ahead. Chief among those are solutions to close a projected $800 million shortfall during the next two-year state budget cycle. The lawmakers were told that nearly all of the states face the same obstacles to balancing their budgets. And as A.J. Higgins reports, they are approaching the state's financial predicament cautiously.

Shrimp Fishermen Counting On Bigger Catch This Season

December 1, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Although scores of Maine fishermen opted not to battle the wind and rain this morning, December 1st marks the beginning of a shrimp season that runs through May 29th, 28 days longer than last year. But, while shrimpers are expecting a larger harvest, they're also crossing their fingers for a better price.

Potato Crop Smaller, But Price Stable

December 1, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Maine’s 2008 potato harvest is one of the smallest in decades, but the Maine Potato Board reports that most farmers chose to plant fewer crops because in recent years, supply has exceeded demand. And that decision has kept the price of potatoes stable, which is good news for farmers.

Maine News for Monday, December 1, 2008

2008-12-01T08:45:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Roof caves in on new housing
Starts are down by almost half from 2006, forcing builders to focus on first-time buyers and niche markets.

Low on options, two districts may merge
Acton and Wells-Ogunquit will discuss consolidating, although some in Wells want to stay independent.

Scarborough gets a break on sea wall
The Patriots Day storm in 2007 led to federal and state help for replacing the Higgins Beach wall.

Duson: Challenges demand vigor, know-how
She'll start a second mayoral term as the city faces a stalled pier plan and another tough budget season.

Mandates driving surge to the river for hydropower

Toy Fund: Family of 7 bearing load of bad luck
Fearing foreclosure, a jobless couple try to make the holidays happy for their kids.

Editorial

Government should not force retiree stock sales
Sen. Susan Collins is right to call for an unusual response to an unusual circumstance.

City smart to seek outside help on police chief search
But a head-hunting service should not make success less likely for an in-house candidate.

LEIGH DONALDSONWithout adequate incomes, many have little to celebrate this year
As unemployment and underemployment rises, there should be action to benefit the needy.

Bangor Daily News

Savvy drivers seek out cheap gas

BANGOR, Maine — Local drivers who paid around $4 a gallon for gasoline just a few months ago have become savvy in finding the cheapest prices around, and don’t plan to make any changes even though gas prices have dropped.

Firearms deer season comes to its '08 close

Despite a fatal hunting incident on Saturday in which a New Gloucester man shot himself near Greenville, Maine’s firearms deer hunting season wound down Saturday with relatively few mishaps, according to state officials.

Police suspend aircraft purchase

AUGUSTA, Maine — After strong, bipartisan criticism, the Maine State Police decided not to use money forfeited by drug dealers to buy a new airplane at a cost of $345,000 after convincing the appropriations committee they needed to purchase the plane immediately.

Hunter death attributed to self-inflicted wound

BEAVER COVE TOWNSHIP, Maine — A New Gloucester man died Saturday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while hunting alone on Prong Pond Mountain about 10 miles northeast of Greenville, according to officials.

BDN single-copy price of the weekend edition to increase

The single-copy price of the weekend edition of the Bangor Daily News, currently $1.50, will increase to $2 at news-stands and stores beginning today, Nov. 29.

Editorial
The Shipping Rules Federal regulators last month belatedly finished rules requiring ocean vessels

Age of Consent Considered together, two recent news stories on two very different issues

Israeli civilian expectations low when cease-fire ends Dec. 19 is a significant day for Israeli civilians living on the other side of

Kennebec Journal
Starting over
When the security alarm went off just before 3 a.m. on May 27, William Guerrette Jr. knew it wasn't a fault in the system. Something was gravely wrong.

Former Cony basketball star wins title of Miss Maine USA
Five years ago, as a senior at Cony High School, Ashley Underwood was a finalist for Miss Maine Basketball.

Editorials:

Obama, Paterno agree on college football playoff
You are separated by a generation. Or even two. But you are bound together by a common, well-founded belief that major college football needs a playoff system to determine the national champion each year.

Sun Journal
Jackpot grows larger
PORTLAND (AP) - There were no jackpot winners in either of Maine's multistate lotteries Saturday night.

Shrimp season kicks off
PORTLAND (AP) - New England fishermen will have a long season and an abundant resource to fish from when the northern shrimp season kicks off Monday.

Maine man faces weapons, drug charges
ELIOT (AP) - A 25-year-old Eliot man faces charges after police say they found numerous weapons and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition inside his apartment located above a day-care center.

Swiss OK legalized heroin, but pass on pot
GENEVA (AP) - The world's most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters, who rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.

State road projects keep region rolling

Editorial
Let Auburn lights shine, somewhere
'Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and along Vista Drive, not a light was flashing, chasing or dancing, not even to the Bee Gee's disco anthem, "Stayin' Alive."

Obama needs to focus on more than just bin Laden
Barack Obama has said there can be only one president at a time. But in this interregnum - when the White House has already given up on making foreign (or economic) policy - the words of the president-elect matter.

MPBN
AG Race Heats Up

November 26, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

Three Democratic lawmakers are locked in pitched battle in an attempt to emerge as the majority party's choice for Maine's next attorney general. Reps. Sean Faircloth of Bangor, John Brautigam of Falmouth and Janet Mills of Farmington are courting the Democratic majority in the next Legislature in their efforts to secure enough votes to win. But as A.J. Higgins reports, the role of choosing the next attorney general may actually fall to Republicans who are now questioning the qualifications of one of the candidates.

Study Finds Some Teachers Lack Training In Topics They Teach

November 26, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Pop quizzes - teachers announce them at the most inopportune times to test our knowledge. Far too many teachers in Maine, however, haven't had to demonstrate knowledge of the material they teach. That's according a new study by the Education Trust, which analyzed teacher data from all 50 states. In Maine, about a fifth of teachers are teaching without an academic major nor state certification in the subjects they teach. That's higher than the national average.

Economic Downturn Finds Professionals Using Online Tools To Find Jobs

November 26, 2008 Reported By: Jon Greenberg

The economic downturn has put lots of people into the job market. Many of them are seasoned professionals who haven’t had to navigate these waters for a long time. They’re using a blend of traditional methods as well as some new online tools to find work. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Jon Greenberg has more.

Times Record

Today, it all becomes real: Squadron's departure today marks key phase ...(full story)

Still waiting for the missing link: Mid-coast connection to Downeaster hinges on $35M federal loan...(full story)

Editorial

The long farewell begins...(full story)

Maine News for Wednesday, November 26, 2008

2008-11-26T08:31:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Governor issues state of emergency
Tens of thousands lose power and one man dies in a storm-related car crash.

Go light on new bills, legislators urged
State House: With budget problems and other big issues looming, it's time for efficiencies, some say.

Bailout expands to basic credit
The government will use as much as $800 million to stimulate home mortgage and consumer markets.

Plan for higher tolls tries to spread pain
Out-of-staters would pay more, as would Mainers, but E-ZPass users would be spared.

Grocery coop helps those who help others
Those who enjoy the discount food of Serve New England must spend two hours a month volunteering.

Rally today will condemn 'KKK' graffiti in Hallowell
Police are trying to determine who marked the rail trail area and if the meaning is racist.

Augusta searching for its identity
Its Branding Committee plans a pubic forum for ideas at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3.

Toxic soil fix may cost $100 million
The DEP orders a cleanup of the former HoltraChem site in Orrington.

List of banks in trouble grows 50 percent in quarter
That's a sharp increase, but involves only a small portion of the industry.

Wall Street shrugs off grim data
Third-quarter numbers indicate the economy is weakening faster than previously believed.

Editorial

Strong field doesn't mean AG process is best
The current method for picking an attorney general in Maine heavily favors insiders.

Choices abound for urbanites who crave the outdoors
A new trail along Long Creek in South Portland joins a list of special places in the area.

Bangor Daily News

Retail experts urge caution with gift cards

BANGOR, Maine — Holiday shoppers should carefully do their homework before plunking down hard-earned money to buy gift cards, according to retail experts.

Man charged as spy released after BIA arrest

BANGOR, Maine — A U.S. citizen working as a military translator in Iraq who authorities allege was a spy in the United States for the former regime of Saddam Hussein was released on bail Monday after appearing in U.S. District Court in Bangor.

Adoptive birth certificates to be unsealed

Beginning on Jan. 2, people adopted in Maine who are 18 or older will be able to find out the names of their birth parents.

Storm cuts power to 40,000 Mainers

A late autumn storm brought soaking rains, high winds and heavy snow to northern New England on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of people and causing headaches for drivers.

Birth control for minors scrutinized

Anticipating a legislative challenge to state laws giving teens access to birth control prescriptions and other reproductive health services without the consent of their parents, the Family Planning Association of Maine will host a series of forums around the state, beginning Tuesday in Bangor.

DOT request cancels Sears Island meeting

A Dec. 1 public meeting scheduled to be held in Searsport has been canceled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the request of the Maine Department of Transportation because of a legislative committee vote on Nov. 18.

Dedham woman evaded vehicle taxes, court says

PORTLAND, Maine — A Dedham woman has lost her bid to register her car in Louisiana while living in Maine.

Cuts threaten red tide monitors

Shellfish harvesters and dealers warned Tuesday that loss of the red tide monitoring program would likely be the death knell to yet another aspect of Maine’s commercial fishing tradition.

EMHS buys Cianchette Building in Brewer

BREWER, Maine — Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems officials bought the Cianchette Building, home to their headquarters on Whiting Hill, earlier this month, saving the company millions of dollars but removing more than $300,000 from city tax rolls.

Bangor High School threat a hoax

BANGOR, Maine — In the end, it was all a hoax, but the rumor that began during the day on Monday and spread into the evening put many students, parents, school administrators and police on temporary alert.

Sangerville man guilty of trespassing with dog

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — A Sangerville man who was summoned on two counts of criminal trespass in June 2007 for exercising his dog at the Sangerville recreational field was found guilty of both counts Tuesday by a jury in Piscataquis County Superior Court.

Editorial
Sinking Sears Island

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Legislature’s Transportation …

Today’s Barbary Pirates

The lyrics of the U.S. Marine Corps hymn, “From the Halls of Montezuma to the …

Making a very conservative case for marriage equality

As recently as 1967 there were 16 states in which it was illegal for a black …

Kennebec Journal
City seeks 'brand' for instant recognition
AUGUSTA -- Say "the Big Apple," and everyone knows you're talking about New York City.

Take our reader survey: How should Augusta market itself?
'Capital City' not snappy enough. Brand recognition sought by Mayor Katz, officials. Have your save here.

HALLOWELL Anti-hate rally set for today
HALLOWELL -- So many people called the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence to condemn graffiti found on the rail trail over the weekend that a rally has been scheduled for today.

BIG BILL
Each year, state lawmakers consider hundreds -- often thousands -- of bills that deal with everything from waterskiing safety to using fallen apples to make cider.

Icy roads likely for holiday weekend
Maine travelers who are driving to reunite with family for Thanksgiving need to be aware of winter weather conditions, officials from the National Weather Service warned Tuesday.

On Maine Politics

Cummings goes back to school 11/25/08

Editorials:

Tax repealers' failure to file reports a big deal
Sometimes, being a couple days late with a report is no big deal. If it's a fourth-grader's book report, it might get you knocked down a grade. If it's the first-quarter financials, the boss might get a bit steamed, then forget about it.

EVERT FOWLE : Fewer assistant DAs equals less justice
A recent editorial in this newspaper about the state budget lamented that allowing department heads to identify cuts in their budget invited them to only "cut the football team," suggesting that we would always find the most popular or necessary program to cut.

GEORGE SMITH : Be thankful for family, friends, even a glass of healthy clean water
And just like Santa Claus, Thanksgiving Day is inside of you, waiting to drop down the chimney and bless your family and friends with gifts and a great day of sharing.

Sun Journal
Maine AG race down to last week
AUGUSTA (AP) - The race for Maine attorney general is down to its final week.

Food banks struggle in lean times
LEWISTON - The declining economy has pinched nonprofit organizations from both sides, reducing donations and increasing the number of people seeking help.

Inauguration team run by Maine man
AUGUSTA (AP) - A Maine native is coordinating events for the upcoming presidential inauguration for President-elect Barack Obama.

4 men charged with poaching
AUGUSTA (AP) - The Maine Warden Service has issued summons to four men from eastern Maine, charging them with illegally killing or possessing moose, deer and turkeys.

Judge sentences con artist to 4 years
PORTLAND (AP) - An admitted con artist who fleeced six Mainers out of $205,000 has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Editorial
The great education policy swap
Susan Gendron, commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, is asking school superintendents for advice on repealing costly mandates, without harming the quality or delivery of education in the classroom.

Tree-stand Buddha spies no deer
To me, there's nothing like getting up ahead of the sun on Thanksgiving morning, hiking deep into the woods and squatting in frozen silence to watch for a deer to kill with my rifle.

'Why believe?' says God. 'Isn't that a fair question?'
I was crammed into a middle seat. The guy in front was practically in my lap and I had my arms drawn in tightly as I pecked furiously on the keyboard. God glanced over. "What are you working on?" He asked.

MPBN
Mallinckrodt Ordered To Finish Hazardous Waste Cleanup

November 25, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered a former owner of an Orrington chemical plant to remove hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of soil and sediment from the site, which has tested positive for eight types of hazardous waste. After several months of negotiations failed to produce an agreement, the DEP set a May deadline for Mallinckrodt Inc. to begin the soil cleanup at the former HoltraChem facility on the banks of the Penobscot River. As Josie Huang reports, the Missouri-based company has already spent several million dollars to remove contaminated storage tanks and buildings from the site. From the mid-1960s to 2000, HoltraChem produced chlorine and other chemicals and was New England's largest polluter of toxic mercury.

CMP's Proposed Transmission Upgrade Troubles Nearby Residents

November 25, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Central Maine Power Company's 1.5 billion dollar plan to upgrade 350 miles of transmission lines, mostly through an existing corridor in dozens of Maine towns came under fire Monday night in Lewiston. More than 30 residents told members of the Public Utilties Commission that they think the plan will put their property values in a nosedive, create more noise, disrupt the environment and potentially harm children's health. As Susan Sharon reports, several people also questioned its true benefits. Robert Fogg of Lewiston lives next to existing powerlines which would increase from 115 to 345 volts.

Shellfish Operations Fear State Budget Cuts

November 25, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

The hallways of the statehouse in Augusta are a long way from the muddy beds where James West harvests mussels for the company he co-owns, Eastern Maine Mussel Company. But, as Josie Huang reports, West says he sure is feeling the reach of the state's current budget crisis.

Downeast Physician Accepts Cash Only

November 25, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

A handful of primary care physicians in Maine are chosing to go it alone, forgoing the stability of working for a hospital or a hospital-run clinic. Instead they've opened their own private practices and to keep costs and paperwork to a minimum, they're doing away with insurance contracts and charging cash. As Anne Ravana reports, they want to revive the concept of the old-fashioned family doctor, complete with house visits.

Times Record

New cuts to programs for disabled Mainers start on Dec. 7...(full story)

Editorial

Let the voters decide ...(full story)

Maine News for Tuesday, November 25, 2008

2008-11-25T08:26:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Inaugural in hands of Obama aide from Maine
Emmett Beliveau, a Colby College graduate, leads 400 people planning the inauguration events.

Districts scrambling to deal with cuts in aid
Some officials may rely on reserve funds and others may trim staff, aware that more state cuts are ahead.

A state of hunger
A government survey finds more Mainers are going hungry

Cuts put 65 jobs in jeopardy at USM
President Selma Botman stresses action must be taken quickly. Layoffs will happen in coming weeks.

Maine Senators to reserve final judgment
But Reps. Tom Allen and Mike Michaud applaud Timothy Geithner's selection.

Obama: Bold stimulus is needed now
His sense of urgency and coordination with President Bush on rescue strategy boost the stock market.

Saving people on brink of foreclosure
A retired lawyer and others in a volunteer program give free legal help to homeowners.

Without license, officer off duty
Cape Elizabeth puts Capt. Brent Sinclair on leave after his OUI arrest leads to a license suspension.

Dentist to fill need in rural area
He belongs to a corps that brings doctors to low-income, under-served areas like northern Maine.

Amid bustle, a slice of solitude
A trail through the woods along Long Creek, not far from the Maine Mall area, is close to completion.

Editorial
Decisive yet careful right tone for Obama
In announcing his economic team, the president-elect signals he’s serious.

RON BANCROFTAs always, this holiday arrives with a lot to be thankful for
Before digging into the food, a family tradition dictates taking a moment to give thanks.

Bangor Daily News

Extension to aid state’s unemployed

AUGUSTA, Maine — About 3,500 Mainers who have exhausted their extended unemployment benefits can immediately apply for the extension of federal unemployment benefits approved last week by Congress. But that help may run out early in January.

d watches announced for parts of state

ROCKLAND, Maine — The National Weather Service on Monday afternoon issued flood watches for central, Down East and midcoast parts of Maine today and into Wednesday.

Highway driving down 7.5% as Mainers face bad economy

Maine is near the top of the list of states showing a decline in highway miles driven in September. American motorists drove 10.7 billion fewer miles in September than they did for the same month last year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. That’s a decline of 4.4 percent.

Manna seeks permits for family shelter

BANGOR, Maine — Manna Ministries Inc. has filed applications for permits to build a family homeless shelter at its Main Street site which would be the only facility of its kind in Greater Bangor.

Manna to serve up a holiday meal, more

BANGOR, Maine — Manna Ministries will host a free public Thanksgiving dinner 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at the Columbia Street Baptist Church in Bangor.

Firm must remove toxic soil

State regulators have ordered the former owner of the HoltraChem facility in Orrington to remove hundreds of thousands of tons of contaminated soil from the site in what would be one of the largest environmental cleanup projects in Maine history.

Editorial

Obama must look at fixes, not popularity

Conventional wisdom holds that political success lies in finding the center of popular opinion, which remains moderate to conservative. Coming from a media that have consistently failed to anticipate or even fully acknowledge the current economic crisis, such wisdom is suspect. Success in stable times may lie in claiming the center.

45 years: A long time to hide idealism

Forty-five years ago on Nov. 22, my heart broke. I was 15, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy shattered my world. All that optimism and all that idealism that the young president had harnessed were suddenly left with nowhere to go.

Kennebec Journal

Mainer guides Obama's plan for inaugural
AUGUSTA -- Maine native Emmett Beliveau is leading the presidential inaugural committee that's working on the Washington celebration to usher President-elect Barack Obama into office.

AUGUSTA CITY MAY GROW DISPATCH
AUGUSTA -- City leaders believe Augusta would pay more money and get less service and safety by joining the state Regional Communications Center.

'Fed Up' tardy, to pay penalty
AUGUSTA -- The ethics commission on Monday fined Fed Up With Taxes $10,000 for failing to file two campaign finance reports on time.

City may ink lease on vacant Y building
AUGUSTA -- The old YMCA building may be about to get a new lease on life -- at least for a year.

HALLOWELL Police pursuing graffiti case
HALLOWELL -- Police narrowed down the time when vandals defaced signs with graffiti on the Kennebec River Rail Trail over the weekend.

GARDINER City prepares for annual holiday events
GARDINER -- Public works crews were busy hoisting the city's Christmas tree Monday in Johnson Hall Park to help kick off the start of downtown holiday festivities.

Lowe's is high on expanding to Farmington
FARMINGTON -- Lowe's Home Centers, the nation's second-largest home improvement store, plans to present a preliminary plan to the Farmington Planning Board for a 138,893-square-foot store on Wilton Road.

On Maine Politics

Kennebec Republicans elect new leader 11/24/08

Editorials:

Economic woes send Obama out of shadows
The change we need right now -- as the stock market pitches in every direction and major financial institutions edge toward bankruptcy -- is the kind of change that will help our economy stabilize and get people back to work.

DAVID B. OFFER : In spite of worries, give thanks we have a democracy that works
A rafter of about a dozen turkeys has been wandering around my neighborhood all summer and fall. Obviously these birds know nothing about Thanksgiving or they are brave beyond words.

Sun Journal
Police investigate 'KKK' signs
HALLOWELL (AP) - Police are investigating the appearance of signs with the letters "KKK" in dozens of locations along a popular walking and bicycling trail in Hallowell and Farmingdale.

Mainers cut driving by 7.5%
PORTLAND (AP) - Maine is near the top of the list of states showing a decline in highway miles driven in September.

Man dies of burns from heater
SANFORD (AP) - An elderly Sanford man has died from burns he received when his clothes caught fire as he was standing near a propane heater.

Fishery offical faces tough cuts
WALDOBORO (AP) - Maine's top fishery official is proposing to eliminate the state's red tide monitoring program in order to comply with required budget cuts, a move shellfish diggers fear could drive them out of business.

Pay cuts offered to avoid layoffs
LEWISTON - Betty Robinson said she's willing to take a pay cut to help someone else not get laid off. Robinson is a professor and former dean at the University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn campus.

Lowe's reveals plan for store

Editorial
First step should be recognition
Talk about same-sex marriage in Maine tends to rush toward the conclusion: whether they should be legal. The recent announcement of a clergy coalition to draw attention to it - the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine - has renewed this debate, and drawn the usual opposition.

Movie character sets tone for male social mores
He's handsome and dresses with care, and he's what Joe Biden might call "clean and articulate." Women love him. He's the new beau ideal of the popular culture. But we're not talking about Barack Obama.

MPBN
The Return Of Whooping Cough

November 24, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

It's commonly thought that pertussis, better known as whooping cough, was largely eradicated with the arrival of a vaccine in the 1940s. But health officials have seen outbreaks of the disease in day care centers over the past few years, and as Josie Huang reports, the disease caused the temporary closure of an outpatient surgery center in Southern Maine.

Labor And Community Activists Assist Laid Off Workers

November 24, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Unions, community organizers, farmers, businesses and religious leaders gathered in Brewer today to present more than 150 Thanksgiving dinners to laid off workers from northern and eastern Maine. Union activists also used the opportunity for union leaders to give updates on status of their local mills and the number of workers still waiting to go back on the job.

Maine Wreath Makers In Full Swing

November 24, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

This is a busy shipping week for one of Maine's most important holiday industries: wreath makers. It's also a busy time of year for the state's forest rangers who are working to ensure that evergreen boughs or tips are harvested legally.

From Combat To College

November 24, 2008 Reported By: Avishay Artsy

Going off to college can be a tough transition for young people. Learning their way around campus, making new friends, handling heavy courseloads. But soldiers returning from active duty can find it especially challenging. New Hampshire’s colleges and universities are working to help student veterans cope with those new challenges. New Hampshire Public Radio’s Avishay Artsy reports.

Times Record

Recount confirms Goodall win...(full story)

Area schools react to state cuts...(full story)

Village Soup

Some win, some lose in oil price roller-coaster ride
11/24/2008

Maine News for Monday, November 24, 2008

2008-11-24T08:19:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Gorham senator to help lead cutback effort
Another priority is lowering Maine's dependence on foreign oil, says Majority Leader Philip Bartlett.

Maine AG seeks direct evidence of Standish sign
The state will proceed with a civil action if factual proof is developed of an alleged assassination pool.

Lagging economy whittles gas costs
As travelers prepare for Thanksgiving treks, the price of fuel drops to an average of $1.93 per gallon.

Maine mariners sail the pirate-filled seas
Merchant vessel crews get security training, but may not learn practical tactics for defending against an attack.

Reports: Deer harvest down
Anecdotal evidence from registration stations indicates last winter took a heavy toll on the herd.

Get to Hallowell? Go left
Some say the Augusta suburb tilts progressive because so many state workers live there.

Editorial

Expect social services, education to be cut again
The governor's first round of cuts focused on areas where the state spends the most.

Piracy thrives when nations struggle with stability
Things can be done to make the seas safer, but over time stable governments are the answer.

LEIGH DONALDSONRepublicans' future hinges on an ideological makeover
Unless the party turns away from its divisiveness and toward diversity, it has little hope.

Bangor Daily News

DOT may face even deeper cuts

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Department of Transportation is facing three years of reduced revenues, and lawmakers believe they will have to make cuts deeper than outlined by Commissioner David

Lincoln volunteers help insulate homes

LINCOLN, Maine — Penny Nash could feel the difference as soon as she got through the door. “When I walked in, it felt warmer,” Nash, 47, said Sunday.

Abdul fan battled depression, anorexia

WATERVILLE, Maine — A Paula Abdul fan who was found dead in a car near the Los Angeles home of the pop star she admired is being remembered in Maine by family members who say she

After last year’s harsh winter, ‘the deer aren’t there’

By this point in the hunting season, Dennis Beaulier has typically registered around 100 deer at his Ashland general store. This year, he may not even hit 50 for the entire season.

Bapst wins first state football title in 32 years

PORTLAND, Maine — The John Bapst Crusaders won their first football state title in 32 years with a 21-14 victory over Winthrop in the Class C state championship game Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Editorial
The Future of Marriage Maine and the nation are likely to become embroiled, yet again, in debate over

Whither the GOP? The Democratic showing in the election — not a landslide but decisive

Put brains and skills to work to solve real problems On the radio recently I heard an economist refer to Sept. 23 as the

Kennebec Journal
Liberal and proud of it: Hallowell flaps its strong left wing
Hallowell state's only city to support keeping the beverage tax on Election Day

Fear of new gun controls leads to increase in sales
WINSLOW -- Sales of semi-automatic weapons and handguns exploded in central Maine and across the country earlier this month as gun enthusiasts predicted the pertinent laws would become more restrictive with the change in the U.S. presidency.

Emergency center, YMCA on Augusta City Council's agenda
AUGUSTA -- Councilors meet tonight to discuss whether the city should keep its own emergency dispatch center or go with the state's Regional Communications Center.

Mainers seem to be buckling up
Part of being a reporter is watching trends. Some reporters pay attention to the economic trends of Wall Street, others are proficient at crime statistics and the luckiest reporters get to track batting averages season-to-season for the Chicago White Sox.

Sun Journal
Maine rail yard rebuilds trains
MILO (AP) - A Maine railroad whose business has long focused on shipping pulp and paper has found a new source of revenue in rebuilding locomotives and rail cars.

Marine recruit an inspiration
LEWISTON - A week ago, Ulysses Milana boarded a plane bound for Marine boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. He was a 23-year-old soft-spoken husband from Lewiston ready to realize a life-long dream of serving his country.

Editorial
Palin's rhetorical question
Sarah Palin is neither gone, nor forgotten.

Status-of-forces agreement seen as benefit for Obama
Iraq's prime minister just did Barack Obama a huge favor.

MPBN
Education and the Economy

November 23, 2008 Reported By: Irwin Gratz

Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz talks with Laurie LaChance, President of the Maine Development Foundation about the need to reign in school expenses while maintaining, or increasing educational attainment.

Organic Food Advocates Blast Government Proposal

November 21, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Local organic food advocates are speaking out and encouraging other Mainers to do the same in response to changes the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put forth regarding rules on genetically modified crops. The new regulations would preempt exisiting state and local regulations related to the presence of such crops.

Mainers Cut Back On Highway Miles

November 21, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Maine is near the top of the list of states that have seen a decline in the number of miles driven during the past year. That's according to the US Department Of Transportation, which reports that Americans drove 10.7 billion less highway miles in September than they did a year earlier. As Josie Huang reports, Maine was third on the list, down 7.5 percent, behind South Carolina and Vermont.

Boat Builders Count On Diversification To Rescue Industry

November 21, 2008 Reported By: Keith Shortall

Maine's high-end boat building industry is trying to weather some rough seas. Orders for new yachts are down, and some yards have been forced to cut their payrolls. But as Keith Shortall reports, Maine boat builders are banking on a diversified approach, and a concept called "coopetition", in their efforts to keep a foothold in what has become an expanding world-wide industry.

Effort Underway To Restore Natural River Flow

November 21, 2008 Reported By: Nancy Cohen

There are more than 19,000 dams in the Northeast. Many are small, dating back to the time when early industry harnessed the power of rivers. But today, environmentalists and government agencies want to restore rivers back to their natural flow for the benefit of both migrating fish and people. As part of a collaboration between northeast stations Nancy Cohen from WNPR in Hartford reports on the debate over taking dams down.

Maine News for Friday, November 21, 2008

2008-11-21T08:17:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
By 2010, unemployment in Maine and three other New England states could top 8%

Benefits extended as joblessness grows
About 1.2 million Americans whose assistance is running out will get a reprieve under the $5.7 billion legislation.

Big Three to provide a plan for survival
Democrats won't weigh a bailout until automakers show how they'll use the aid to rebuild the industry.

Services escape brunt of cutbacks ordered at DHHS
Day One, which combats youth substance abuse, is one of the agencies dealing with a rollback.

Standish councilors condemn sign
Councilors take a stand against the anti-Obama sign posted recently at the Oak Hill General Store.

Lewiston signs on for federal aid

Gas prices drop below $2 a gallon in 23 states
Oil prices, too, are at a three-year low, but the prices come at the cost of a battered economy.

Editorial

City should explore all its options for the pier
Still, given a dispute with the state and the slow economy, redevelopmet may have to wait.

Experience trumps novelty on emerging Obama team
Obama’s choices reflect a move to the center, but don’t mean things won’t get done.

M.D. HARMONWhat's so offensive about Mormons and marriage?
They're now under fire for adopting the view of it our culture has always held – and they haven't.

CYNTHIA TUCKERGetting married shouldn't be only 'for white people'
Perhaps our new president and his family can overcome a stereotype or two.

Bangor Daily News

Sen. Collins honored by Boy Scouts

BANGOR, Maine — Though perhaps best known for the work she does in the nation’s capital, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was honored Thursday for contributions closer to home.

Action on Sears Island sought

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci remains committed to a “positive and productive future for Sears Island,” his office said Thursday.

UMaine educator named Professor of the Year

ORONO, Maine — A University of Maine professor in the areas of soil science and forest resources has been named the 2008 Maine Professor of the Year.

Ex-tribal officials guilty

BANGOR, Maine — A federal jury Thursday found a former Indian Township Passamaquoddy tribal governor guilty on all but one of 30 charges, including misapplication of tribal and federal funds and making false statements to government agencies.

Councilor resigning his seat in Brewer

BREWER, Maine — When City Councilor Michael Celli was elected to the state House of Representatives earlier this month, he faced a challenging question: Should he keep both seats? more

Cupboard is bare at Indian Island

INDIAN ISLAND, Maine — Despite some recent renovations and the promise of a new roof during the weekend, the shelves are bare in the food pantry that serves this close-knit community.

UMaine takes 10th in national Chem-E-Car event

ORONO, Maine — A group of eight University of Maine students took 10th place out of 29 teams at last weekend’s national Chem-E-Car competition in Philadelphia.

Editorial

Legislating by Referendum

Next November, Maine voters will have another chance to rewrite their tax bills, just as they did on Nov. 4 by repealing the DirigoChoice beverage tax.

Only $600,000 a Year

It sounded voluntary and generous when the top executives of Goldman Sachs announced that they would give up their usual bonuses this year.

Time to keep on keeping on — politically

In his Nov. 13 commentary “1800s Civic Virtue Comeback Dubious,” Lynn Hudson Parson notes that “once the election cycle is complete, politics as a source of interest disappears, to be replaced by American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, the World Series or the Super Bowl.”

Kennebec Journal

STATE FUND LOSES $3B
AUGUSTA -- Wall Street's wild ride, with recent deep dips, has meant a nearly $3 billion drop in assets since July for the Maine Public Employees Retirement System.

University acknowledges a founding spirit
AUGUSTA -- Friends remember Richard J. Randall as a family man, golfer and dedicated servant to the University of Maine at Augusta.

Group links puppy mills, chain store
The Humane Society of the United States said Thursday that its eight-month investigation revealed extensive brokering between puppy mills and Petland, an international chain pet store.

Editorials:

Give thanks for what you have; hunger on rise
The family cooks are pulling together menus and shopping lists. Mom and Dad are plotting the car trip to Gram and Gramps' house or vice-versa. How big a turkey do we need this year? Are any vegetarians coming? Who's going to peel all the potatoes? Can we stop Aunt Mary from making that awful stuffing with prunes in it again?

L. SANDY MAISEL : With latest picks, Obama chooses staff with clear qualifications
I wish the critics would just chill. Remember the euphoria on election night when not only Barack Obama supporters but also many John McCain supporters felt good about the new direction the president-elect might take the nation, about one more barrier caused by racism that had been broken, about a leader who spoke to all of the people -- those who voted for him and those whom he had failed to sway?

Sun Journal
Lewiston seeking $35.7M from feds
LEWISTON - If Congress sets aside money to stimulate the national economy, Lewiston wants to get its share.

More red ink flows in Maine
AUGUSTA (AP) - Red ink continued to spill Thursday in the State House as state budget reviewers got a new report on plunging revenues and officials confirmed their belief that the shortfall for the current fiscal year will be just shy of $150 million.

Noted bridge deteriorating
NAPLES (AP) - One of Maine's most familiar bridges is in for an overhaul.

Mom accused of being drug mule
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire state police say a Maine mother of a 1-year-old girl served as a drug mule for a pair of drug traffickers.

USDA: Mainers struggling to eat AUGUSTA (AP) - Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate 13.3 percent of Maine households were having difficulty getting adequate food even before the economic slowdown.
The department's food security report covering the period between 2005 and 2007 indicates there were statistically significant increases in Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada and West Virginia. The largest increases were observed in Maine and Minnesota.

Bar Harbor guards darkness
BAR HARBOR (AP) - They take their darkness seriously in Bar Harbor.

Builders go green by going modular
BOSTON (AP) - It took six days for builders to put together a modular classroom with wood panels and walls of windows on a concrete plaza in Boston this week.

Editorial
Will we be cheap, or good?
Good government isn't cheap.

Universal health care a top priority for Obama
If you're having trouble remembering what the recent election was all about, rest easy: you're probably not going senile - you're likely experiencing the momentary effects of brainwashing. For weeks, your television, newspaper and radio have been telling you America is a "center-right nation" that elected Barack Obama to crush his fellow "socialist" hippies, discard the agenda he campaigned on, and meet the policy demands of electorally humiliated Republicans.

MPBN
Town Council Condemns Infamous "Lottery"

November 20, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Members of the Standish Town Council voted unanimously Thursday to condemn what has been called "the Osama Obama Shotgun lottery" sign at the Oak Hill General Store. The now infamous sign reportedly asked customers to bet a dollar to predict the days Osama bin Laden and President-Elect Barack Obama would be assassinated and suggested methods for carrying out the task. Stories about the sign have now circulated around the world. And as Susan Sharon reports, they have thrust Standish into the spotlight in a raging debate about race and free speech.

Holiday Shoppers Expected To Spend Far Less This Year

November 20, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

The unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season - post-Thanksgiving's "Black Friday" - is just around the corner. A national study indicates than most consumers are looking for less expensive and more practical gifts than they sought out last year. And a University of Maine economist says that the state's retailers can expect weaker sales than they've seen in many years.

Film Portrays Positive View Of Struggling Maine Industry

November 20, 2008 Reported By: Keith Shortall

Few businesses in Maine have escaped the effects of the downturn, even high-end boat builders, who have seen orders decline, and in some cases cut their workforces. But a new film that premieres in Rockland tonight takes an unapologetically positive view of the state's boat building industry. "Maine Built Boats: Art and Soul" was produced by author, lecturer and ESPN sailing analyst Gary Jobson. Keith Shortall spoke with Jobson earlier today at the Samoset Resort in Rockland.

Jetport Provides Special Lanes For Families

November 20, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Times Record

Town officials fear 'drastic' revenue drop...(full story)

Baldacci slices $80M; more state cuts loom...(full story)

BNAS redevelopers aim to tap stimulus package...(full story)

Editorial
Reject all hate speech ...(full story)

Maine News for Thursday, October 20, 2008

2008-11-20T08:28:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Baldacci orders deep spending cuts
His executive order calls for almost $80 million in belt-tightening, with more to come next month.

State education spending cuts could force school layoffs
A $27 million cutback in aid could also lead districts to combine bus routes and plan fewer field trips.

Gun sales shoot way up
Buyers say they fear new restrictions under an Obama administration

Race incidents blamed on 'tiny lunatic fringe'
Some Mainers fear the state might be seen as racist, but others believe outsiders know better.

New PAC focuses on GOP basics
Dean Scontras and other activists will take a lesson from Democrats.

USM wants frats, sororities to meet their neighbors
Continued complaints about the houses lead USM to invite 290 people to a community meeting.

State sex-offender registry challenge likely to go to trial
Thirty offenders have filed suit saying they would be unfairly harmed if their records are posted online.

Lobster feasts would be cause for thanks
To help Maine's fishermen, a Bangor woman starts a campaign to make it a seafood Thanksgiving.

Pier-bid loser back in the mix
Ocean Properties has said it's still interested in the pier project, and it plans to meet with city officials.

Editorial

Police shooting justified, but can be learned from
A report from the Attorney General's Office should allow for examination without blame.

High salt prices shouldn't mean more ice on the roads
Using this resource more wisely makes sense. Skimping on safety does not.

PERRY A. LAMBIt's time to resolve the issue of public use of private land
The question involves Maine statutes and case law versus our customs and traditions.

CHICHUN TSOUThe two shores of the Taiwan Strait are busy mending their own business
While Taiwan is embrolied in political scandal, life on the mainland embraces capitalism.

Bangor Daily News

$80M in cuts forced on state programs

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday ordered nearly $80 million in curtailments in state programs with education and human services programs absorbing the bulk of the impact of cutbacks that result from an ailing national economy that’s sliding into recession.

’Tis the season to give thanks for … lobster

BANGOR, Maine — To many, Maine and lobster are synonymous. But lobster and Thanksgiving? A Bangor woman hopes to make it so through a promotion aimed at getting people to add the tasty crustacean to their holiday celebrations, beginning with Thanksgiving Day.

Prescription privacy ruling could influence Maine’s law

CONCORD, N.H. — A federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation law making doctors’ prescription writing habits confidential.

Baldacci: Trade is key to recovery

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci considered canceling his participation in the trade mission to Canada this week. But he decided that with exports continuing to grow, he had to at least go to Toronto to help solidify trade with the state’s biggest trade partner.

Heating resource guide created

PORTLAND, MAINE — Maine Equal Justice Partners has created a resource guide to help those who need assistance with their winter utility and fuel bills.

No bids submitted for former Moosehead Manufacturing plant

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — No one submitted a bid Saturday for the purchase of the vacant Moosehead Manufacturing Co. plant.

Augusta man sues retailer over alleged ethnic slurs

BANGOR, MAINE — An Iranian-born U.S. citizen who is a Seventh-day Adventist has sued Sears in federal court, alleging that his direct supervisor at the store where he worked in Augusta referred to him as a “sand [n-word]” and “the terrorist” and called his religious views “crap.”

UMPI windmill project a ‘go’

PRESQUE ISLE, MAINE — The winds of change are blowing across the campus of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and drafts from that transformation could be felt at other campuses across the state and nation, UMPI President Don Zillman said Wednesday.

Lawmaker proposes $19M for ‘green energy’ mills

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud introduced a House bill Wednesday that would grant federal energy tax credits worth $19 million annually to Maine biomass boilers such as the one that powers the East Millinocket paper mill at which he once worked.

Leading role in genetics forecast for Bangor area

BANGOR, Maine — “Invented in Maine” is poised to join, and even supplant, “Made in Maine” and “Maine-grown” as important branding trademarks for the Pine Tree State.

2 lobster firms get ‘working waterfront’ aid

OWLS HEAD, MAINE — Two midcoast lobster businesses got help Tuesday when they were approved as working waterfront projects by the board of Land for Maine’s Future.

Editorial

The High Cost of Soda

Whenever government takes action that smacks of imposing values on a group of people, critics abound on both the left and right.

Automakers at a crossroad

With prospects of financial handout to American automakers fading, Congress and the car companies must look for alternatives that will preserve needed jobs but not sustain imprudent business decisions.

Kennebec Journal
STATE CUTS $80M
AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci signed an executive order Wednesday to cut spending by nearly $80 million to help close a shortfall in the $3 billion budget.

Education takes major hit
AUGUSTA -- Slightly more than half of the $79.8 million in cutbacks Gov. John Baldacci plans for state government this fiscal year target education-related programs.

Trial of offender registry likely
AUGUSTA -- A trial is likely in a case where 30 Maine people convicted of sex offenses decades ago seek to keep their pictures, addresses, educational sites, and workplaces off the Internet.

On Maine Politics

What will it take to revive the Maine GOP? 11/19/08

Editorials:

200 new-economy jobs find home in our area
"This center will support our strategy to alter traditional opt-in, population-focused disease management with little process and results transparency, to a fee-for-service, cost-effective approach with complete accountability," said Dr. Gary Ferguson on Tuesday.

Law enforcers shouldn't stop ATV just because
All-terrain vehicles, commonly known as ATVs, are obnoxiously loud. They can tear up the landscape and cause all manner of environmental problems, like erosion that pollutes fragile streams. They scatter wildlife with their noise and scare the heck out of hikers. And there's something about being on an ATV that can bring out the worst and most juvenile aspects of someone's personality -- Vroom! Vroom!

Sun Journal
Review upholds rejection of slots
SCARBOROUGH (AP) - Scarborough's rejection of slot machines has been upheld by an inspection of ballots by the clerk's office.

Cuts hit schools, services
AUGUSTA - Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday ordered nearly $80 million in curtailments in state programs, with education and human services programs absorbing the bulk of the impact of cutbacks that result from an ailing national economy that's sliding into recession.

Recount request withdrawn
Republican incumbent Michael Vaughan of Durham on Monday withdrew his request for a recount in the race for state representative from District 105.

Editorial
Have the court rule on Poulin
Efforts by the governor, attorney general, Democratic Party officials and others to unseat wayward Androscoggin County Commissioner Helen Poulin have reached a stalemate. So far, this group has opined that she's vacated her seat, and scheduled a caucus to select a replacement.

Giving to others is source of contentment, happiness
In an age when "big business" and "corporate greed" seem to be synonymous in the public mind, some bright lights occasionally emerge from the darkness brought on by AIG big spenders and over-the-top high-livers.

MPBN
Major Cuts Ordered By Governor Baldacci

November 19, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

Nearly 80 million dollars in curtailments have been ordered by the Baldacci administration as the first stage of what is expected to be a difficult period of transition in state finances. Gov. John Baldacci says another $70 million reduction to state programs and services will be submitted to the Legislature next month as part of budget revisions needed to balance the books through June 30th. As the state feels the sting of the national recession, Baldacci says all Mainers will have to make adjustments.

Sign Questioning Barack Obama's Fate Stirs Controversy In Standish

November 19, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Standish town officials will hold a special meeting Thursday afternoon at 1:00 pm to denounce the kind of inflammatory speech reportedly used on a sign at the Oak Hill General Store earlier this month. That sign, described in a story by the Associated Press, offered customers the chance to be part of a lottery predicting when President-Elect Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden would be assassinated. As Susan Sharon reports, there's a distinct line about what is and is not protected speech but that doesn't make it any easier to read or hear.

Officials Troubled By Increase In Student Racial Slurs

November 19, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Even though the nation's contentious and sometimes vitriolic presidential campaign ended over two weeks ago, venom in the form of racial slurs is still prevalent. That's the message from the Maine Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence. Center director Steven Wessler says he's receiving an increase in phone calls, many of them from school officials, seeking to tone down the racial remarks of students, many of them aimed at President-Elect Obama.

Soup kitchens feeling the brunt of the economy

November 19, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Maine has one of the country's highest hunger rates, and that was before the economy worsened. Now, soup kitchens and food pantries are seeing increased demand. Administrators worry that they won't be able to keep up with the demand.

Times Record

Bath planners OK downtown inn...(full story)

Editorial
Early voting a good idea...(full story)

Ellsworth American

Number of State Election Recounts Down
AUGUSTA — While Deborah Simpson’s political future hung in the balance, she knitted.

Editorial
Ugly Acts of Racism
The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States had scarcely been confirmed before the threats began — more than have been seen involving any previous president-elect, according to some officials. While the U.S. Secret Service cautioned the public not to assume that those threats are racially motivated, two separate incidents here in Maine would suggest otherwise.

Capital Weekly
Baldacci curtails budget
Augusta (By Christopher Cousins - 11/19)

House members elect their leaders
Augusta (By Christopher Cousins - 11/19)

Maine News for Wednesday, November 19, 2008

2008-11-19T08:37:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Lawmakers formulate resolution on racism
A sign in Standish and other post-election incidents in Maine prompt an official response.

AG: Police justified in fatal shooting
South Portland officers fired when a suicidal man with two knives advanced toward two other officers.

In a pinch over salt
Rising prices have municipalities thinking about ways to conserve.

Once-promising telemedicine company to close
At least 200 IntelliCare Inc. workers will lose their jobs when it shuts down for 'strategic' reasons.

Editorial

Better bill might give auto bailout better shot
A plan to address all that's wrong in Detroit, including union contracts, would make sense.

Racist posting in Standish store was anti-American
The message about our next president deserves to be condemned in harsh terms.

JOSEPH W. GAULDIt's possible to create a truly American system of education
If we shifted our education focus to hearts and souls, our students' minds would follow.

Bangor Daily News

Financial meltdown having an effect on tourism in Maine

A private report indicates that tourism in Maine hasn’t escaped the nation’s economic meltdown unscathed.

Lower diesel costs ‘not making a difference’ for lobstermen

This year isn’t turning out to be one that members of Maine’s lobstering community will remember as one of their best. And according to some, 2009 probably won’t be, either.

Ex-tribal governor’s case goes to jury

BANGOR, Maine — Defense attorneys told jurors in closing arguments Tuesday that finding a former governor of the Indian Township Passamaquoddy Indian Tribe and the tribe’s ex-business manager guilty of misusing funds boils down to whether the two intended to defraud the government or considered transfers of money from one account to another as loans.

Editorial

Dirigo’s Future

The repeal of taxes on beer, wine and soda to fund the Dirigo Health program leaves lawmakers with the difficult task of keeping the controversial program afloat.

Seeking Certainty

Financial markets are as much about confidence and certainty as they are about dollars and cents.

Kennebec Journal

STATEHOUSE: Baldacci to discuss spending cuts today
AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci today will detail his order to curtail state spending for the remainder of the fiscal year.

New call center in Winthrop promises 200 jobs
NotifyMD announces intention to open business in former manufacturing plant on U.S. Route 202.

School systems move closer to consolidating
Waterville, Winslow and Vassalboro schools on Tuesday moved closer than ever to forming an alternative school system in which they would share resources and services.

Editorials:

Business loans harder to get, slowing growth
Lawmakers on Monday heard a mixed message about the availability of credit in Maine.

GEORGE SMITH : Maine status as Democratic state outlives prediction by 20 years
Go Blue! This favored crowd chant for the University of Maine's hockey team fills Alfond Arena at every game, and now it fills all of New England.

RICHARD W. ROSEN : GOP helped Democrats pass critical legislation
In your editorial of Nov. 16, "Note to leaders: Work with each other, legislators," you state that "Carol Weston and Richard Rosen did not like to talk to, or negotiate with, Democrats -- thus consigning themselves and the vast majority of their party (and constituents) in the Senate to a marginal role."

SHERRY HUBER : LURC succeeds in defense of Moosehead area natural resources
The editorial last month, "LURC Decision on Plum Creek Strikes Balance," was highly informative and insightful. We Mainers are passionate about our natural resources, and the debates around Plum Creek's concept plan for development and conservation in the Moosehead Lake region are the latest example. As trying as those debates may be, they serve the public well, resulting in informed and balanced decisions.

Sun Journal
Racial slurs on rise
LEWISTON - Since the presidential election Nov. 4, the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence in Portland has received calls from schools about an increase in racial slurs and jokes among students.

Obama, race discussion slated
LEWISTON - A community discussion on the impact of Barack Obama's election on race relations in America and in Lewiston-Auburn will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 219 Lisbon St.

Recount request withdrawn
Republican incumbent Michael Vaughan of Durham on Monday withdrew his request for a recount in the race for state representative from District 105.

Outcome of Lieberman vote pleases Sen. Collins
PORTLAND (AP) - Sen. Susan Collins says she's delighted that Senate Democrats are allowing Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman to retain his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Editorial
Welcome to the Maine 'Wind Rush'
We may disagree with Bruce Cook's inspiration, but we admire his thinking. He is maybe the first public official in Western Maine to suggest a proactive approach to wind turbine construction, instead of scrambling after the fact.

Message of fear has been GOP stratagem for years
They'll be back. Don't think for a minute that they won't.

MPBN
Sears Island Compromise Still In Question

November 18, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

A compromise joint use agreement on the future of Sears Island seemed anything but certain Tuesday after a legislative panel voted to approve the plan pending the receipt of an offer for the construction of a new port on the property. The Legislature's Transportation Committee voted to approve a 601-acre conservation easement for the island just off Searsport, while reserving 330 acres for transportation uses. But as A.J. Higgins reports, some environmentalists who signed off on the plan originally now claim the lawmakers' action has voided the agreement.

Maine Delegation Contemplates Bailout

November 18, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

A possible bailout for automakers was high on the congressional agenda today. Top officials from the Big Three, GM, Ford and Chrysler, all want a piece of a $25 billion pie. Maine's four member delegation leans toward an economic recovery package but is examining the consequences before making commitments. And as Keith McKeen finds, their constituents have mixed reactions about a bailout as well.

Auto Industry Woes Affect Dealer Sales

November 18, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

In Maine as elsewhere, car dealerships try to stay afloat amid the auto industry's troubles. On the floor of Yankee Ford in South Portland, general manager Bob Esposito showcases the new models that he wishes he could sell more of. Josie Huang has the story.

Think About Lobster For Turkey Day

November 18, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Maybe you can't afford to buy a new or a used car to help the auto industry and the local economy right now. But with the holidays approaching, Maine legislative leaders and others are urging you to think about consumption of a different sort. What's red and dipped in butter and very important to the Maine economy? As Susan Sharon reports, lobster or lobstah as it's lovingly referred to in these parts, is being promoted as part of the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast.

WCSH6
Legislature Fights Back Against Racism

Maine News for Tuesday, November 18, 2008

2008-11-18T08:28:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Tight credit takes toll on Maine firms
Business owners tell a legislative committee about their difficulties in trying to secure new loans.

Ex-tribal governor denies misusing funds
Robert L. Newell says he didn't intend to break the law when he transferred tribal funds to pay bills.

UMaine system faces budget cuts
A global economic crisis, tuition declines and state cutbacks spell trouble for the current fiscal year.

Adoptee advocates for access to records
Maine has joined seven other states that have passed access-to-birth-certificate laws.

Governor to replace county commissioner
Attorney general says move out of the district by Helen Poulin is cause for her to be replaced.

Maine's delegates wary of auto bailout until they see specifics
Most would only support a Big Three rescue if it includes tough conditions and protects tax dollars.

Pier project on hold as council ends contract talks
The Olympia Cos. and the city can't agree on how to move forward during a land dispute with the state.

Car sharing coming to Portland
U Car Share will station PT Cruisers at two sites for use by fee-paying program members.

Editorial

Power-line issue part of larger trade-off debate
Pursuing a green energy future will create environmental and economic winners and losers.

Predator deal with Pakistan serves a short-term need
Over time, the war on terror requiresa more stable Pakistani government.

RON BANCROFTMaine's financial problems stem from lack of jobs, jobs and jobs
Our lack of growth, along with inefficient spending on Medicaid and K-12 schooling, hold us back.

Bangor Daily News

Easy to borrow? Depends whom you ask

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine banks and credit unions said Monday they’re financially healthy and ready to talk to borrowers as they addressed a legislative committee trying to assess how the state’s

Maine home foreclosures increase in 2nd quarter

AUGUSTA, Maine — The second quarter brought a slight increase in home foreclosures in Maine, but the state banking chief said Monday the number of foreclosures remains relatively small and poses no

UMS faces $27 million in reductions

The financial state of the University of Maine System was very much on the minds of system board of trustees who met Sunday and Monday at the Farmington campus to hear reports on how students

Towns reap tax benefits from wind farms

It has been two years since Mars Hill started receiving 20 years of $500,000 in annual payments from a tax increment financing deal connected to First Wind of Massachusetts’ 28-turbine wind farm

Driver’s license requirements

To meet the state’s proof of residency requirements for a driver’s license or state identification card, one must produce one of the following documents: - State driver’s license or

Deliberation to begin on former tribal governor

BANGOR, Maine — The jury is expected to begin deliberations today in the federal trial of a former Indian Township Passamaquoddy tribal governor and the tribe’s ex-business manager accused of

BMV: First day of new license rules ‘smooth’

BANGOR, Maine — Though personnel at Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices around the state were prepared for problems Monday, virtually none arose, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office said.

Editorial

Sears Island Compromise

A consensus on the future of state-owned Sears Island in Penobscot Bay, which took years to achieve, is poised for acceptance by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.

Kennebec Journal
BRACING FOR CUTS
The University of Maine at Augusta will likely cut $1 million from its budget this fiscal year, UMA President Allyson Hughes Handley said Monday.

Waterville to host energy conference
WATERVILLE -- Finding ways to conserve energy and promote sustainability will be the subject of a three-day community forum.

Law helps adoptees access information
AUGUSTA -- Tears came to her eyes when Lee-Ann Bragdon held up photos of her father, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Editorials:

Falling energy prices don't let us off the hook
The good news and the bad news are the same: Energy prices have declined.

DAVID B. OFFER : Oil companies make record profits, banks still pay bonuses
Several months ago, I signed up for a Master Card that gives me a 5 percent discount when I buy Shell gas. At the time, gas cost about $4 a gallon. The discount saved me 20 cents a gallon -- more than $2 each time I filled the tank.

REP. HANNAH PINGREE OF NORTH HAVEN REPRESENTS HOUS : As Mainers brace for winter, health care and economy top concerns
With the elections over, pundits are dissecting the results, trying to make sense of what motivated Maine voters at the polls. Mainers are famous for their independence and propensity for ticket-splitting. This year was no exception. It is one of the things I love about this state and its voters.

Sun Journal
First day of new license rules goes smoothly at state agency
LEWISTON - Life at the Maine Bureaus of Motor Vehicles in Lewiston and Mexico went on with minimal disruption during the first day that proof of legal U.S. presence was required for getting or renewing Maine driver's licenses or identification cards.

Maine home foreclosures increase
AUGUSTA (AP) - The second quarter brought a slight increase in home foreclosures in Maine, but the state banking chief said Monday that the number of foreclosures remains relatively small and poses no threat to the stability of state-chartered banks and credit unions.

UMS chancellor: Budget cuts likely
FARMINGTON (AP) - The global economic crisis is adding to financial difficulties for the University of Maine System, Chancellor Richard Pattenaude said Monday.

Lawmakers hear from state businesses
AUGUSTA - Maine banks and credit unions said Monday they're financially healthy and ready to talk to borrowers as they addressed a legislative committee trying to assess how the state's financial services industry and businesses are faring amid the world economic crisis.

AG: Poulin's move leaves office vacant
AUBURN - Gov. John Baldacci moved to replace Androscoggin County Commissioner Helen Poulin on Monday, calling on Lewiston Democrats to nominate possible replacements for the controversial politician.

Union backs Obama plan for teachers' merit raises
WASHINGTON (AP) - Citing New York City schools, a national teachers' union said it is open to President-elect Barack Obama's effort to tie pay raises to student performance.

Editorial
A problem of political perception
Something feels amiss with how Maine chooses its attorney general, but it's hard to put a finger on what.

Black Americans on path from victim to victor
The presidential couples, Laura and George W. Bush and Michelle and Barack Obama, standing in front of the White House, looked buff and comely in their ease and smiles. The president and the president-elect in their dark suits and blue ties and Laura and Michelle in different shades of red suggested cordiality with dignity. (If one couple looked more tanned than the other, only a churl would have imagined that an insult.)

MPBN
Business Owners Ponder The State of Their Climate

November 17, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

So, how is Maine's business climate fairing under the current circumstances? It depends on who you ask. A legislative panel heard conflicting stories today on the ability of Maine business owners to access credit. Lawmakers called the informational session to take the pulse of the state's lending institutions, all of which reported that they are financially strong and ready to talk to borrowers. But some business owners maintain that talk is about all they get from local lenders.

Home Foreclosures Increase In Maine

November 17, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Maine, along with the rest of the nation, continues to experience an uptick in home foreclosures. However the State Bureau of Financial Institutions reports that though the numbers are trending upward, the increase remains relatively low as compared to some other areas of the country.

Oil Price Confusion Caused By Early Lock-Ins

November 17, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

As home heating oil prices now average $2.70/gallon statewide, some Mainers are regretting their decision to lock-in a price last summer at nearly twice that amount. At the time, they feared prices would only get higher. Depending on type of contract customers signed, some are facing a loss while others are seeing rebates in the form of lower monthly bills.

Judge Coffin Honored For 60 Years of Public Service

November 17, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

He's one of the few people to have served in all three branches of government at the federal level as well as the military. His 60-year career of public service has included roles as chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, Congressman from Maine's second district, deputy administrator for the Agency for International Development under the Kennedy Administration, and for more than 40 years, a judge on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Frank Coffin has been retired as U.S. Senior Circuit Judge since 2006. But as Susan Sharon reports, tonight he'll be honored in Portland for his remarkable contributions to legal aid for the poor.

Maine News for Monday, November 17, 2008

2008-11-17T08:20:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Grid needs upgrades for wind power
A report's call for changes to facilitate 'clean energy' is expected to influence debate on Maine projects.

Child care centers feel pinch
Enrollments start to shrink as parents trim expenses, a trend that makes operators nervous.

Mainers train Montenegro's troops
National Guard soldiers go to the fairly new nation and its forces travel here as a relationship grows.

Tribute to celebrate work of Judge Coffin
After helping revive the state Democratic Party, the Lewiston native made a mark as a federal judge.

Lawmakers divided over bailout of auto industry
Some Democrats say American automakers can't be allowed to go under, while some Republicans say government help would only postpone inevitable failure.

Editorial

Congress should narrow its economic focus
A lame-duck session is not the time to make major commitments for new national policies.

Lawmakers ought to be wary of unintended consequences
As Nebraskans have discovered, good motivations can lead to disastrous results.

LEIGH DONALDSONIs college becoming unreachable because of rising loan costs?
Even worse, graduates are now dumped in a job market where payback is nearly impossible.

Bangor Daily News

State sees revenues declining

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine governments are facing a triple whammy in the current recession, with the three major sources of revenue for state and local governments all in decline, as well as other revenues, something that has not happened in decades.

In Maine, bishop pans gay marriage

PORTLAND, Maine — The leader of Maine’s Roman Catholic diocese issued a letter to be read at weekend Masses opposing gay marriage.

Bapst headed to state championship

BUCKSPORT, Maine — As murky fog off Penobscot Bay gradually engulfed Carmichael Field late Saturday afternoon, one thing couldn’t have been clearer for the John Bapst of Bangor football team.

UM business students get executive pep talk

ORONO, Maine — Dennis Carey worked his way through college waiting tables at Pat’s Pizza and, sometimes, ironing shirts for his fraternity brothers at 10 cents apiece.

Editorial

Consolidation Questions

While the rejection of school consolidation plans in some communities is troubling, the move toward centralized — and hence less expensive — administration is moving forward. Last week, 12 of 16 consolidation plans were approved. In those communities where they were rejected, alternatives are already being sought.

Kennebec Journal

Home-heating fuel prices plummeting
Heating oil has cost Mainers much less than many consumers feared it would.

When buying a dog as a holiday gift, Humane Society urges a bit of caution
With stores decked out in Christmas decorations, Thanksgiving only 10 days away, and a winter chill settling in, many Mainers -- and Americans -- are starting to think about holiday gifts for the family.

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT 11 Budget woes may force loss of school Options for T.C. Hamlin in Randolph to be discussed at Thursday meeting
GARDINER -- School Administrative District 11 will again consider closing T.C. Hamlin School in Randolph and moving students to the Pittston Consolidated School.

Editorial

Jeweler's policy on diamonds is truly a gem
Sometimes, the world's troubles are right at our doorstep.

MARINA SCHAUFFLER : Movement wants kids to 'experience life, not watch'
The recent Governor's Conference on Youth and the Natural World drew together 350 educators, health and recreation professionals and parents to discuss how Maine could advance the grassroots "No Child Left Inside" movement.

Sun Journal
Maine warden action challenged
PORTLAND (AP) - Civil libertarians are going to court to help defend of the rights of all-terrain vehicle riders, which they say have been violated by a Maine game warden's action.

Maine night hunting, poaching on the rise
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine game wardens say they are seeing an increase in deer poaching, including night hunting, in a trend that has been noticed in other states as well.

Honoring Frank Coffin
The Maine Bar Foundation will be celebrating the life and work of Judge Frank Coffin on Monday night in Portland. Coffin has spent most of his career advocating for low-income people in Maine through his work as a lawyer, congressman and judge. He is the namesake of the prominent Frank M. Coffin Family Law Fellowship in Portland. He was born in Lewiston, went to Bates College then Harvard Law School, then returned to Lewiston to practice law. He became a member of Congress and then a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Diocese: Same-sex unions not marriage
LEWISTON - In a letter read during Masses over the weekend, Bishop Richard Malone voiced opposition to news conferences held last week urging Mainers to end marriage discrimination and calling on state legislators to enact same-sex civil marriages.

Editorial
What's in the Gulf of Maine?
Government task forces have the sex appeal of cinder blocks.

Village Soup
State pension fund value plummets
Augusta (By Christopher Cousins - 11/16)

DHHS weighs $178 million cut from its $1.9 billion budget
Augusta (By Christopher Cousins - 11/15)

Maine News for Friday, November 14, 2008

2008-11-14T08:41:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald

Pingree likely choice for Maine House speaker
Hannah Pingree, daughter of U.S. Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree, is the unanimous nominee to wield the gavel.

Session to help state retirees with insurance change
Experts will offer details of the change in health insurance providers.

Same-sex marriage backed by ministers
Religious leaders in the state announce formation of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry in Maine.

Papers' future gets a bit clearer
The leader of the investor group hopes to reverse the company's slide, and already has a few changes in mind.

Project may need new lease on life
Portland intends to sue state, hoping to settle dispute delaying work

Former student charged with computer hacking
James Wieland stands accused of aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy.

Editorial

Submerged land issue shouldn't sink more deals
City and state should get to the bottom of who owns the land under the Maine State Pier.

Sentence sends a message about one man's bad choices
The family and friends of Robert LaPointe's victims will never get over his poor judgment.

M.D. HARMONOnce again, it's time to give advice to losers
Dick Richards, P.I., has only one purpose in life, but all the Wal-Mart greeter jobs were taken.

Bangor Daily News

Bangor Housing Authority faces heating surcharge suit

BANGOR, Maine — Two women who live in public housing have sued the Bangor Housing Authority over the way it imposed surcharges for heating oil last winter.

Red Cross recognizes Real Heroes

The American Red Cross 12th annual Real Heroes Breakfast on Nov. 13, opened with the ceremony of placing the Stars and Stripes and the Maine state flag on either side of the podium where three individuals and two couples were honored for their heroic efforts on behalf of others.

Hannah Pingree nominated for speaker

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — State Rep. Hannah Pingree, daughter of the state’s new congresswoman-elect, won her fellow Democrats’ nomination Thursday to serve as speaker of the House during the new two-year session.

Salmon hatchery on cutting board

The fish hatchery that has produced salmon for Grand Lake Stream and other top Maine fishing destinations for more than a century could be closed as part of a package of hard-hitting budget cuts under consideration by state officials.

DOT downplays possible job cuts

AUGUSTA, Maine — Possible budget cuts leading to layoffs in the state Department of Transportation will not occur this fiscal year, the transportation commissioner said Thursday.

Rep. Mills wins Glassman award

State Rep. Janet Mills, D-Farmington, has been named the recipient of the Maine State Bar Association’s Caroline D. Glassman Award.

Lawmakers steamed about lottery promotion

AUGUSTA, Maine — The state lottery is getting strong, bipartisan criticism for its “Funds For Fuel” promotion as lawmakers say the lottery should not be using Mainers’ fear of high fuel prices this winter to sell more lottery tickets.

Editorial

Political patronage amiss

Mainers may be surprised that there’s still a political campaign going on. Although it involves the state’s top legal officer, the public has no say and likely isn’t even aware of who is competing for the job. This is a poor way to choose an attorney general and other constitutional officers.

Big Three bailout

These are not good times for conservatives whose faith lies in the unfettered marketplace. With President Bush, Congress and President-elect Obama all supporting the $700 billion federal bailout plan, the government has committed to playing lifeguard, even if it means rescuing those who decided to go swimming in a hurricane.

Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA: State set to explain health-care changes
AUGUSTA -- State health insurance experts will be in Augusta next week to explain how a change in service providers will affect health insurance for retired state employees who are Medicare-eligible.

AUGUSTA: Parents cool to closure proposal
AUGUSTA -- Parents with students attending Hodgkins Middle School and Hussey Elementary School had a message for Board of Education members Thursday afternoon.

Religious coalition urges Maine to allow same-sex civil marriages
BANGOR -- Religious leaders across the state held news conferences Thursday to urge Mainers to end marriage discrimination against gay and lesbian couples, and called for the state to create same-sex civil marriages.

Editorials:

How to pick an attorney general
Three Democratic lawyers want to be elected the next Maine attorney general.

JOSEPH R. REISERT : Each one in family has a favorite thing to 'export' from Europe
After 10 weeks and nine countries, our adventure in Europe is coming to an end and my family has insisted that, in this column, all of us will share a little of what we've learned during our time away.

BILL TOWNSEND : Uniform sales tax more certain than 'use tax'
The current financial collapse will affect every level of our national economy for a long time to come. Even before it, the individual states had been put under enormous budgetary pressures as the result of a combination of factors, one of the most significant being the reduction in the dollars flowing to the states from Washington under the Bush-Cheney administration.

Sun Journal
Pingree nominated for Maine speaker
AUGUSTA (AP) - State Rep. Hannah Pingree, daughter of the state's new congresswoman-elect, won her fellow Democrats' nomination Thursday to serve as speaker of the House during the upcoming two-year session.

Man seeks to ban use of food stamps to purchase soda
BANGOR (AP) - The Bangor pediatric dentist and public health advocate who spearheaded a successful campaign to ban smoking in vehicles when children are present now wants to prohibit the use of food stamps to buy soda.

EMMC to run UMaine center
ORONO (AP) - Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor plans to take over operations at the University of Maine's Cutler Health Center in January.

2 Maine wind projects proposed
BANGOR (AP) - A Massachusetts wind power company has filed permit applications for two more Maine projects, a 40-turbine wind farm in the Lincoln area, and a 17-turbine project outside Danforth.

BIW loses out on $1.6 billion ship contract
WASHINGTON - The Navy on Thursday awarded Austal USA's shipyard in Mobile, Ala., an expected $1.6 billion contract to build 10 high-speed military transport ships.

Editorial
Difficult case; wise sentence
In modern language, the phrase "activist judge" has become a slur. A popular stereotype is a black-robed liberal trying to legislate an agenda from the safety of the bench.

Colombia free trade pact would divide Democrats
It wouldn't be the George W. Bush we all know if our shamed president didn't spend his remaining White House days in a final fit of polarization.

MPBN
Members Of The Maine Clergy Offer View On Same-Sex Marriage

November 13, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Marriage, say many social conservatives, is a holy union between a man and a woman, as ordained by God. But in Maine, a group of clergymen and women say same-sex marriage should be viewed separately from marriage. Their announcement comes just a day after same-sex couples in Connecticut started to marry, and just a week after California voters overturned a court decision legalizing gay marriage.

CMP Proposal Raising Public Concern

November 13, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Central Maine Power's proposal to upgrade and expand its high voltage electricity lines drew a crowd of concerned residents to a public hearing in Waterville last night. More than a dozen told the state's Public Utilities Commission that they question or oppose the project because they're afraid of health and safety risks and don't want CMP infringing on their property.

Lobster Industry Plagued By Reduced Income

November 13, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Marine biologists, economists and regulators, from as far away as Florida, gathered today in York to talk about the future of the declining lobster population in the gulf of Maine. Recent stock assessments have alarmed the lobster industy, and more negative projections are expected.

Times Record

Navy musters public input on BNAS reuse process...(full story)

Editorial
Nuclear power is no solution...(full story)

Village Soup
Dunlap: 'Real ID' could be real cumbersome, expensive
Augusta (By Christopher Cousins - 11/14)

Maine News for Thursday, November 13, 2008

2008-11-13T09:02:00.003-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Veterans give advice to Legislature's rookies
At the top of the list of tips for legislators being sworn in Dec. 3: 'Don't put in too many bills.'

GI Bill likely to benefit colleges
Federal tuition money for veterans could help offset budget cuts for Maine's universities.

State seeks input on new bridge
A hearing on Monday will be the first chance to comment on replacing Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Records requested to assure liberties
The MCLU seeks to verify that Maine's anti-terror information center is not violating citizens' privacy.

Duson will serve as city's mayor again
Portland city councilors choose an experienced leader to hold the mostly ceremonial post for a year.

City panel votes to end pier project negotiations
The Olympia Cos. wants a 75-year lease, but a lease with the state, which owns the sea floor, would be for 30 years.

Group signs deal to buy Blethen Maine Newspapers
Maine Media Investment must complete its financing to purchase the Press Herald's owner by year's end.

Editorial

Conservation should not decline with gas prices
It's still in consumers' best interests to save on gas usage wherever possible.

Snowe is right to call for new strategy in Afghanistan
The simmering front in the war on terrorism will require more than just additional troops.

PAUL BRANDES, Special to the Press HeraldWestgate developer tried hard to work things out with St. Patrick's
He says the church did not respond to repeated efforts to find a solution to its parking problem.

LOUISE ROCHA-McCARTHYWhy are residents of territories denied right to vote for president?

Bangor Daily News

Dentist: Taxpayers shouldn’t fund soda

BANGOR, Maine — Soda pop, the beverage of choice for hundreds of thousands of Mainers, is well established as a major contributor to dental decay, obesity and other health disorders.

Bangor area blacks share their views on Obama victory

BANGOR, Maine — On a Saturday afternoon more than nine months ago, Sterling Dymond left his house on Walter Street, got into his car and drove over to the Bangor Auditorium with the intention of getting into a rally held by Sen. Barack Obama, who at that point was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president.

Maine AG candidates debate

AUGUSTA, Maine — Some differences in the views of Maine’s three candidates for attorney general came to light during a forum in Augusta Wednesday, but none has plans for any major changes in the

Editorial

Safe at School

The near tragedy averted at Stockton Springs Elementary last month when a man took 11 children hostage at gunpoint, according to police, highlights the challenges school administrators face in keeping children safe.

Real Questions for Summers

Some ardent feminists have launched a campaign to block Lawrence H. Summers, former President Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, from taking the same post in the Obama administration.

Kennebec Journal

Gaining political capital
Freshman legislators make their debuts at Statehouse

3 seek post as Maine's lawyer
AUGUSTA -- The three Democratic lawyers who want to be Maine's next attorney general tried to persuade legislators Wednesday they are best equipped to take over the position.

AUGUSTA 'Green' store to open in 2009
AUGUSTA -- A new Hannaford supermarket under construction on the former Cony High School site is on track to open next summer as the world's first platinum-level-certified "green" supermarket, company officials say.

AUGUSTA: Closing schools possible money-saving option
Hussey Elementary and Hodgkins Middle school may be closed due to $2 million shortfall next year.

'We're calling out to veterans'
AUGUSTA -- When a new GI Bill goes into effect in August 2009, the University of Maine at Augusta wants to be in a position to enroll veterans returning from combat.

Towns ink merger
READFIELD -- The first phase of work is done for representatives from six towns proposing to merge their schools in response to Maine's school-district consolidation law.

Farmingdale eyes 2 grants
FARMINGDALE -- The Board of Selectmen Wednesday discussed a grant the Fire Department is in the process drafting for an all-terrain vehicle that would be used on the Kennebec River Rail Trail.

Editorials:

Economy needs people to keep their homes
The national mortgage industry estimates there will be 6,000 home foreclosures in Maine in 2008 and 2009. That's tiny compared to the projected 340,000 foreclosures in California, but in a state as small as ours, it's still a significant number.

Sun Journal
7 ballot recounts requested in state
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine's secretary of state has received two more requests for ballot recounts from the Nov. 4 elections.

Blue Cross pilot project in schools
PORTLAND (AP) - Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and its foundation hope to transfer experience gleaned from business health plans to school districts.

Emergency grant to help laid off paper workers
MILLINOCKET (AP) - Rep. Mike Michaud says the U.S. Department of Labor will award a $527,000 emergency grant to help workers laid off from Katahdin Paper Co.

Maine gets a 'C' in preterm births
PORTLAND (AP) - Maine is doing better than most states when it comes to preterm births but gets only a "C" in a new report.

MCLU wants info on intelligence-gathering centers
PORTLAND (AP) - The Maine Civil Liberties Union wants to know more about the activities and policies of a state center set up after the 9/11 attacks to bring together the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement and intelligence-gathering agencies.

Maine freshman lawmakers get some helpful tips
AUGUSTA (AP) - Don't put in too many bills. Make sure you return phone calls. Don't introduce off-the-wall legislation. And when you go to the supermarket, buy a gallon of ice cream first.

AG candidates make pitches to their peers
AUGUSTA - In about three weeks, Maine lawmakers will cast votes for the state's new attorney general.

Editorial
See joint services through
Some city councilors in Lewiston and Auburn have removed their executioner's hoods and given joint services a reprieve. It's taken deal-making and mind-changing among its proponents, though, so the issue remains troubled.

Union demands brought automakers to the brink
Remember when Democrats lamented the growing budget deficit and spoke of the burden our children and grandchildren would face if we didn't put our fiscal house in order? That was when Republicans ran the federal government and Democrats opposed tax cuts. Now that Democrats are about to be in charge, concern about the deficit has disappeared and spending plans proliferate, even though the national debt passed $10 trillion in September and we added another $500 billion last month.

MPBN
Election Strengthens The Hand Of Senate Democrats

November 11, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

Pending the outcome of recounts in three of last week's elections, the political composition of the Maine Senate has changed from 18 Democrats and 17 Republicans to 20 Democrats and 15 Republicans. With the Democratic hand strengthened, there are also signs the Senate may feature a more bipartisan atmosphere after last night's election of a more moderate Republican spokesman. Leaders on both sides of the aisle agree cooperation will be key in what is expected to be a rough legislative session ahead.

Criminal Background Checks Not Required Of Maine Nurses

November 11, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

In Maine and throughout the country, criminal background checks are standard for police officers, teachers and truck drivers who handle hazardous materials. But nurses, who also deal in life and death situations, and care for patients directly, get a pass in Maine, one of 18 states that does not require criminal background checks.

State Senators Choose Leaders

November 11, 2008 Reported By: Irwin Gratz

Republican and Democratic State Senators hold caucuses to make their choices for leadership positions in the 124th Legislature.

Low Income Solar Effort Underway

November 10, 2008 Reported By: Tina Antolini

The rise in energy prices is spurring more and more states to help homeowners pay for solar panels, which have an upfront cost of more than 40 thousand dollars. But even with government help most low-income people can't afford them. As part of a collaboration with other northeast stations, WFCR's Tina Antolini reports on the challenge of getting solar energy to more people.

Times Record

DHHS eyes all but 'most basic needs' for proposed cuts...(full story)

Room for improvement...(full story)

Ellsworth American

Looking Ahead to January
In about a month, members of the new 124th Maine Legislature will meet in Augusta to get acquainted and begin the process of organizing for their first session, which will convene in early January. Perhaps no legislature in recent memory has had a more daunting menu of issues than the one that will face members of the 124th when they begin their work in earnest.

Maine News for Monday, November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T09:22:00.003-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Fasten all seat belts – asphalt shortage delays road-repair projects nationwide

Rules on rowdy behavior spark tension at new student complex
Building managers walk a fine line between police and residents who object to the oversight.

Islands could lead way on wind power
A man who led efforts on a Danish island to stop using fossil fuels addresses a Belfast conference.

Backyard wind turbines enjoying boom in Maine
Environmental and fiscal concerns help fuel an expected three-fold jump in the use of the technology.

Scarborough may see second school vote
Another plan to replace Wentworth Intermediate School is expected to go before voters in 2009.

Divided over consolidation
Falmouth, SAD 51 may each try to go it alone

Editorial

Automaker bailout should look to future
Helping Ford, GM and Chrysler retool could make sense, but other ideas don't add up.

Early voting is changing the way we think about elections
Election Day is just part of the period in which people expect to be able to cast a ballot.

LEIGH DONALDSONObama's election helps bring America's black middle class to light
The vast majority of African-Americans are not poor, and yet they remain relatively invisible.

Bangor Daily News

Tax rate for jobless benefits to stay same

AUGUSTA, Maine — As many states are raising taxes on employers to pay for unemployment benefits, Maine employers will see the basic rate structure stay the same for 2009, Labor

Protesters ‘sickened’ by hanged black effigies

BAR HARBO0R, Maine — More than 75 people rallied Sunday against an incident last week in which black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island the day after Barack Obama won

UM’s Culturefest adds spice to weekend

ORONO, Maine — The aroma of foods typically not found in Maine enveloped those who stepped into the University of Maine Field House on Saturday, enticing them to taste the worldly cuisines of

Island residents leading way to self-sufficiency

BELFAST, Maine — Island residents are finding solutions to the high energy prices that threaten to make Maine’s coastal islands uninhabitable, Rob Snyder, vice president of programs at the Island

Snowe, Collins key players across Senate aisle

WASHINGTON — As moderate Republicans, Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins will play a major role in the new

Editorial

Technical education success

The former Boggy Brook Regional Vocational Center, renamed the Hancock County Technical Center, is playing a special role as Maine and the rest of the country slide into recession. Jobs are probably

Hard to open

Deterring shoplifting is important, but there must be better ways than the wasteful, and sometimes dangerous, packaging around toys, electronics and other products. Sadly, things will get worse in

Kennebec Journal
An uncertain future in politics
AUGUSTA -- Julie O'Brien is reassessing her political future after a loss Tuesday in an Augusta House race that has left her feeling disillusioned about politics.

Repeal try could block changes to school law
Maine education observers predict the state's school-district consolidation law will be the subject of heated debate when legislators convene for their 2009 session this winter.

New standards lead to cleaner versions of outdoor wood furnaces
FARMINGTON -- The popularity of outdoor wood furnaces has increased as the costs of oil, natural gas and electricity have risen.

Meetings put 202 corridor in limelight
The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments has planned a series of meetings over the coming days that will go a long way toward determining the future of transportation along the U.S. Route 202 corridor.

Controversial proposal faces action by Augusta council
AUGUSTA -- City councilors meet tonight to discuss changes to a controversial proposal which would require all commercial development projects taking place on major "gateway" streets in the city, regardless of size, to go before the Planning Board.

Speaker will criticize media
WATERVILLE -- Thomas B. Edsall, political editor of the Huffington Post and former Washington Post political writer, will speak at Colby College Tuesday at 7 p.m. on "The 2008 Presidential Election: Did the Media Do Its Job?"

Editorials:

Power line upgrade project affects most of us
When the intelligent and technically adept expert who heads the Public Utilities Commission describes an issue as "weird and complicated," then you know it's hard to understand.

Sun Journal

Editorial
Stimulus? How about survival?
A 25-year high in unemployment benefits nationally? A surreal 54 percent increase in unemployment claims in Maine over the past year? Automakers pleading for rescue? A stock market stuck in perpetual free-fall?

U.S. election important to show democracy in action
Standing in line for 80 minutes at a Philadelphia polling place Tuesday (the first time in 24 years I'd seen such a line), I got a lesson in renewed American civic engagement.

MPBN
Newly Elected Young Legislators Ready For Duty

November 7, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

On Tuesday, Maine elected at least 9 new state representatives under the age of 30. The youthful group is mostly made up of newcomers to Augusta, all of whom promise to bring new energy and perspective to issues affecting Maine families. But there is some concern that during a particularly challenging upcoming session, young lawmakers might make mistakes or simply have trouble identifying with the state's older population.

Process Of Electing Attorney General Questioned

November 7, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

Forty-three states elect them at the ballot box. A handful of others let their governors appoint them. And in Tennessee, the decision is left to the state supreme court. Only in Maine is the state's Attorney General elected by a vote of the Legislature. This year's race features three members of the House, all Democrats, who are vying to become the state's top lawyer. Some observers think it's time to change the process for how the post is filled.

Maine Farmers Weighing The Impacts Of Federal Farm Bill

November 7, 2008 Reported By: Tom Porter

The Federal Farm Bill - also known as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 - was passed by Congress back in May. But this $300 billion piece of legislation is so huge that only now are local farmers in Maine starting to learn how it will affect them. Officials from the US Department of Agriculture this week kicked off a month-long, statewide tour of meetings with Maine farmers. And today, being a farmer today is as much about environmental stewardship as it is about food production.

Unofficial Legislative Results Released

November 7, 2008 Reported By: Barbara Cariddi

Wondering if the Maine lawmakers you voted for won or lost? The Maine House and Senate have released unofficial their lists of winners.

Maine News for Friday, November 7, 2008

2008-11-07T09:24:00.003-05:00

Change.gov

Portland Press Herald
Democrats Mitchell, Pingree in line for legislative leadership posts
Both parties will choose their State House leaders over the next two weeks.

Maine House has glow of youth with six new members under 30
The lawmakers join two young re-elected colleagues, all from districts north of Augusta.

Surge in jobless claims signals recession taking hold in Maine
With new applications up 54 percent from a year ago, the negative trend in the job market appears to be accelerating.

Obama quickly aligns top staff
Hard-edged Rahm Emanuel accepts the chief of staff post, and more decisions are expected in the coming days.

Will Obama choose Mainers for federal posts?
Democrat Tom Allen and independent Angus King are in the running, experts say.

Financial crisis a test for Obama
The president-elect will have to weigh how to sway policy and Congress before he takes office.

Editorial

‘No’ means ‘try again’ to the gambling industry
The defeat of two ballot measures looking to expand legalized gambling won’t mean the end.

Voters in 12 towns made progress on school mergers
Tuesday's election results show that some towns still have a lot of work to do.

Bangor Daily News

Maine lawmakers to elect new leaders

AUGUSTA, Maine — Legislative Democrats, who appear to have strengthened their control of the State House, and Republicans mired deeper in minority status have one thing in common at the top of their to-do lists: Select leadership teams for the two-year session that opens on Dec. 3.

Youth Movement

BANGOR, Maine — Adam Goode won Maine’s House District 15 (Bangor) race on Tuesday with more than 70 percent of the vote. He’s 25, by the way.

Panel OKs $14M Penobscot County budget

BANGOR, Maine — The Penobscot County budget committee Wednesday night approved a $14.41 million budget for 2009, which is $36,360 less than this year’s budget.

Business owners in Brewer express project concerns

BREWER, Maine — The message from business owners along the North Main Street corridor, the stretch of roadway between Joshua Chamberlain Bridge and Penobscot Bridge, was loud and clear at Thursday’s public meeting about proposed traffic changes: Leave the downtown parking situation alone.

Editorial

Collins at the Center

Susan Collins not only won re-election Tuesday; she became the most important member of the Senate.

Campaign Finance Reform

The 2008 presidential election has provided more evidence of the need to reconsider campaign finance rules.

Kennebec Journal
Jail change aids women inmates
AUGUSTA -- After months of planning and construction, the Kennebec County Correctional Facility is prepared to move most woman inmates from different cell blocks throughout the jail into a single pod.

BAD NEWS ABOUT ECONOMY MOUNTS
WASHINGTON -- A fresh wave of bad economic news, including a half-million Americans newly out of work and the weakest October retail sales in nearly 40 years, pummeled the stock market Thursday, driving the Dow Jones industrials under 9,000 again with a stunning two-day decline of 10 percent.

Maine's U.S. senators disavow Cabinet talk
Maine's two moderate Republican Senators have been rumored as possible candidates for cabinet posts in the Democratic administration of president-elect Barack Obama.

Craigslist agrees to thwart inappropriate, illegal activity
Anyone advertising erotic services on the Web site Craigslist, in Maine or elsewhere, will now need to provide a working phone number and credit card, and that information would be shared with police, if subpoenaed.

Furnace debate heating up
RANDOLPH -- The Budget Committee wants to know why selectmen and the public-works director disregarded a directive by voters to install a new furnace in the town garage.

AUGUSTA: Conduct closes soup kitchen
AUGUSTA -- The bad language and bad behavior that caused a one-day closure of the soup kitchen in downtown Augusta was absent at lunch on Thursday.

'What an opportunity for women to grow professionally'
AUGUSTA -- Edie Benttinen spent much of her career as a truck welder and boat builder. But, she said, she did not find the work fulfilling.

AUGUSTA: City to change how it buys oil
AUGUSTA -- A few months removed from locking in a heating-oil price -- and then watching as prices plummeted -- the City Council approved a policy change which administrators think will help avoid future budget surprises.

Editorials:

Olympia Gaming loses its bet on Maine casino
You come into Maine, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a political and advertising campaign and leave empty-handed. Again.

Sun Journal
Legislators look to elect leaders
AUGUSTA (AP) - Legislative Democrats, who appear to have strengthened their majority control at the State House, and Republicans mired deeper in minority status have one thing in common at the top of their to-do lists: select leadership teams for the two-year session that opens on Dec. 3.

Disconnection rules begin Nov. 15
AUGUSTA (AP) - The Maine Public Utilities Commission's winter restrictions that bar electric utilities from disconnecting customers who try to pay their bills take effect Nov. 15.

Editorial
New county board should pursue charter
The two-thirds replacement of the Androscoggin County Commission, which too often put politics over public service, on Election Day was a mandate from voters to clean up the county's act.

Democrats must give up old ways, surge ahead
"What do we do now?"

MPBN
Allen Revisited

November 6, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

A late start, a reluctance to go for the jugular and a reliance on broad national themes are all being cited by political analysts as key reasons why Tom Allen suffered a stunning defeat in his U.S. Senate campaign Tuesday. Others say the Democratic congressman's reluctance to enthusiastically embrace voters in northern Maine's second congressional district may actually prove to be the reason why Republican Sen. Susan Collins led Allen by 22 points when the votes were counted.

A High-Powered Entepreneur To Operate Red Shield

November 6, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

The woman who's taken over the reigns at the former Red Shield Environmental mill in Old Town may not be what workers expected. Lynn Tilton is the high-powered entrepreneur and CEO of a 6 billion dollar New York City-based investment and acquisitions firm with a fondness for jewelry and helicopters. But she says her company, Patriarch Partners, is excited about the ethanol fuel technology being developed at the mill and passionate about giving jobs to laid-off workers in the manufacturing industry.

Voters Weigh In On School Consolidation

November 6, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Maine voters approved 12 school consolidation plans on Tuesday, but another five were rejected. The Maine Department of Education is hailing the approvals, calling them steps toward streamlining school operations in the state. However, some communities whose voters rejected reorganization say the costs will out weigh the savings.

Stringent Salmon Protection Opposed By Industry

November 6, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

Maine paper companies, water treatment plants and hydro-power producers are among those urging the federal government not to add Atlantic Salmon from the Androscoggin, Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers to the Endangered Species list. Salmon from eight downeast Maine rivers were listed eight years ago. But their recovery continues to be slow.

2008-11-06T09:32:00.002-05:00

Portland Press Herald
Election gives Democrats firm control of state Senate
The party's margin over the Republicans rises from one seat to five -- the biggest since 1999.

Election 2008 briefs

Casino backers: Mainers have lost their chance
After Question 2's defeat, developers will turn to other states, the proposal's supporters say.

After defeat, harness track may relocate
The owner of Scarborough Downs may seek a place more receptive to slot machines.

Obama skips spotlight, gets down to work
The president-elect forms a transition team and courts U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel to be chief of staff.

Hope stays high after cheering fades
Barack Obama supporters Wednesday say his victory inspires the feeling that the U.S. has turned a corner.

New Congress turning much more Democratic
They capture GOP-held House seats in all regions, adding at least 19 to the 30 they took in 2006.

Results don't alter political landscape
Analysis: Obama's win laid the groundwork for a major shift, but he needs re-election to assure it.

Editorial

Charter commission opens a path for change
Electing a mayor would have a bigger impact than replacing the names on the City Council.

Scarborough glitch shows that the system worked
Clear paper ballots that can be optically scanned work well on Election Day.

PETER H. JOYWood-pellet purchases display not 'panic' but serious forethought
If buying stock when it is cheap is selfish behavior, then so is laying in fuel for the future.

Time to trust the kids on ways to create a greener world
With Barack Obama as president, there’s nothing that can’t be hoped for on their behalf.

Bangor Daily News

Bangor employer faces 'Fear of the unknown' in keeping workers healthy

Bangor restaurateur Peter Geaghan offers health insurance to 10 of his employees through DirigoChoice. But on Wednesday, the day after Maine’s voters resoundingly overturned the new beverage tax that would have helped fund the state’s health insurance program, Geaghan already was looking for other options to keep his workers healthy.

Dems gain: Party intensifies grip on Legislature

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Democrats touted Election Day results Wednesday that they said show them expanding an already large margin of control in the state House of Representatives and the bare one-vote edge they have held in the state Senate.

Tribes reject Oxford casino

Last November, Washington County residents were stinging over voters’ rejection of a Passamaquoddy petition to bring gambling — and therefore jobs and tourists — to their economically depressed corner of Maine.

5 consolidation plans rejected , 12 OK’d

Of the 18 school reorganization plans up for votes around the state during Tuesday’s balloting, voters in affected districts approved 12 plans and rejected five, including three in Aroostook.

Tobin faces new charges

PORTLAND, Maine — A former Republican strategist pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to charges that he lied to federal investigators five years ago about his role in jamming phone lines in New Hampshire Democrats’ get-out-the-vote effort in 2002.

Baldacci orders agencies to cut $150M

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci has told state agencies they have a week to come up with ways to cut $150 million from current state spending as state revenues fall further behind projections.

Knox County votes out veteran commissioners

ROCKLAND, Maine — Knox County residents Tuesday voted out two veteran county commissioners and elected their replacements.

Time for change: Canadians express hope

ST. STEPHEN, New Brunswick — Anyone but Bush seemed to be the consensus among Maine’s Canadian neighbors as they woke up Wednesday morning to learn that U.S. voters had elected Sen. Barack

Maine, nation hit record turnout

Maine election officials have declared a record voter turnout but it’ll be days before a final tally is released, the secretary of state’s office said Wednesday.

Editorial

A Faith Restored

At several points in his improbable, inspiring and historic run for the White House, Barack Obama told voters his faith in America was restored by the electoral success he saw along the way. Pundits

Hope in the White House

As monumental as Barack Obama’s resounding victory in Tuesday’s election were the large, cheering, crying crowds that gathered in cities across the country to celebrate his win.

Kennebec Journal

Democrats take firm control of Maine Senate
AUGUSTA -- Richmond selectman and attorney Seth Goodall defeated an incumbent Republican Tuesday to help give his party firm control of the state Senate, according to election- night results.

Obama's long journey to White House
President-elect started with little beyond true believers

Activist from area returns to Chicago
Local attorney and Statehouse lobbyist Severin Beliveau said watching Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech Tuesday in Chicago is now at the top of his list of awe-inspiring political memories.

Voters' choices emerge in aftermath of election
Sen. Earle McCormick, R-West Gardiner, won re-election to his state Senate seat by defeating Democrat Sharon Benoit, of Monmouth, according to unofficial results.

On Maine Politics

Election upsets

Sun Journal
Senate 15 race heads for recount
After nearly 20,000 votes were cast, merely 102 ballots separated candidates in the race for state Senate District 15. Democrat Deborah Simpson upset Republican incumbent Lois Snowe-Mello by 0.5 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

Maine Democrats retain House, Senate
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine Democrats touted Election Day results Wednesday that they said show them expanding an already large margin of control in the state House of Representatives and the bare one-vote edge they have held in the state Senate.

Mills keeps House seat

Saviello keeps House seat

Knight re-elected in District 81

Gilbert wins House District 87 seat

Editorial
A trend toward gambling
This may sound strange, but in defeating Question 2, voters signaled support for casino gambling in Maine.

Credibility of major media melts away like early snow
More than the economy has melted down. What remains of big media credibility has also liquefied and won't recover anytime soon, if it ever does.

GOP's Summers concedes defeat in 1st District race
PORTLAND (AP) - Republican Charlie Summers congratulated Democrat Chellie Pingree Wednesday for her victory in their race for the open congressional seat in Maine's 1st District.

What's next for casino?
AUGUSTA - Gambling opponents said Wednesday that voters' refusal to allow a casino in Oxford County should close the door to more legalized gaming in Maine. But it looks like a safe bet that Mainers haven't heard their last gaming pitch.

Voters reject plan to close airport
BIDDEFORD (AP) - Voters in Biddeford have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would have closed the city's airport.

Obama victory inspires Jenkins
AUBURN - Mayor John Jenkins won't forget there was a time in the nation's history when a black man might have been lynched for whistling at a white woman.

Collins thanks Lewiston backers at hot dog stand
LEWISTON - When Republican Sen. Susan Collins learned she had beaten her Democratic opponent Tom Allen in the heavily Democratic city of Lewiston, she said it was the "highlight of the evening."

MPBN
Governor Prepares Sobering Revenue Message

November 5, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

While Democratic leaders in the Maine House and Senate were celebrating expanded majorities as the result of yesterday's election, Gov. John Baldacci was preparing a sobering congratulatory message. State revenues are expected to dip sharply below projections over the winter and the Governor is now signalling his intention to cut current state spending by $150 million dollars over the next eight months. The situation is so critical, Gov. Baldacci may have to call the current legislature back into session within the next 30 days.

Mill Workers Anxious To Get Back On The Job

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

The New York-based firm that purchased the Red Shield Environmental pulp mill in Old Town has announced it will put the 160 laid-off Red Shield employees back to work starting next week. Almost two weeks after the court-approved sale of Red Shield, Patriarch Partners closed on the deal on Tuesday and its CEO paid a visit to Governor Baldacci and mill managers on Wednesday.

Small Tech Company Proud Of Employee Healthcare Coverage

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Elizabeth Harvey runs a small technology company in Portland's Old Port. She helps clients boost the rankings of their web sites on search engines like Google. It's a small operation with just five employees, but Harvey takes pride in the fact that she offers health coverage through the state's DirigoChoice insurance program.

Casino Backers May Look Elsewhere For Opportunity

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Tom Porter

The defeat yesterday of Question 2 - the proposed casino in Oxford County - has left the project's supporters rueing what they describe as a missed economic opportunity. Pat LaMarche, spokeswoman for Olympia Group of Las Vegas, which is the company behind the casino, says backers could now turn their attention to Maine's neighboring New England states.

Three Women And A Man To Represent Maine On Capitol Hill

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Keith McKeen

Democrat Chellie Pingree's victory over Republican Charlie Summers means Democrats continue to control Maine's first district congressional seat. But it also means that three fourths of Maine's congressional delegation will soon be women. That's a rarity on Capitol Hill.

Question One Wins

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Josie Huang

Maine voters overwhelmingly supported Question One and repealed a beverage tax passed by the legislature earlier this year. According to unofficial returns, Question One nabbed 64% of the vote with 78% of precincts reporting. The beverage tax would have gone toward funding Dirigo, a state-sponsored health insurance program. But those who called for the repeal said the issue was not about health care, but about Mainers' high tax burden.

Question Two Defeated

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Tom Porter

Perhaps the most hotly contested issue on the Maine ballot yesterday was Question 2 - the referendum proposal to allow a casino resort in Oxford county. The question was headed for defeat by a margin of 8% with 479 of 613 precincts reporting.

Collins Wins

November 5, 2008 Reported By: A.J. Higgins

What was supposed to be a closely fought Senate race ended in lopsided win for Republican incumbent Susan Collins who dealt a stunning defeat to her Democratic challenger, Congressman Tom Allen. According to unofficial returns from the Bangor Daily News, Collins captured 61% of the vote with 479 of 613 precincts reporting. Collins told MPBN's A.J. Higgins that she's looking forward to six more years in the U.S. Senate.

Pingree Wins

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Susan Sharon

The decision of first district Congressman Tom Allen to try to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins set off a political chain reaction in southern Maine more than 18 months ago. But by the time the dust from the June primary had settled, the contest left two former state senators to battle it out: Democrat Chellie Pingree and Republican Charlie Summers. Both are former state senators. Both got their start in small business. Both had sought higher office before and lost. Now it appears that Pingree is headed for Washington.

Michaud Wins

November 5, 2008 Reported By: Anne Ravana

Democratic incumbent Mike Michaud is returning to Washington to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, handily defeating Republican challenger John Frary. This will be Michaud's fourth consecutive term.

Ellsworth American

An Incumbent and A Newcomer
ELLSWORTH — In two of the more closely watched races for the state House, incumbent Democrat Rob Eaton won another term in District 34, and Republican newcomer Brian Langley won the battle for District 38.

Incumbent State Senators Re-elected

ELLSWORTH — Incumbent state senators serving Hancock County enjoyed strong voter support in their bids for re-election.

Record Turnout
ELLSWORTH — Hancock County voters came out in force, casting nearly 32,500 votes in Tuesday’s general election and establishing a record turnout as 72 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots.

Voters Cork Beverage Tax

This Week in Pictures
Sports Editorial The News Waterfront Community Arts & Leisure 01 Sports 02 Editorial 03 The News 04 Waterfront 05 Community 06 Arts & Leisure Pause

An Incumbent and A Newcomer

Election 2008
ELLSWORTH — In two of the more closely watched races for the state House, incumbent Democrat Rob Eaton won another term in District 34, and Republican newcomer Brian Langley won the battle for District 38.
Read more...

Incumbent State Senators Re-elected

Election 2008
ELLSWORTH — Incumbent state senators serving Hancock County enjoyed strong voter support in their bids for re-election.
Read more...

Record Turnout

Election 2008
County Vote In Line with State, Nation ELLSWORTH — Hancock County voters came out in force, casting nearly 32,500 votes in Tuesday’s general election and establishing a record turnout as 72 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots.
Read more...


Voters Cork Beverage Tax AUGUSTA — A new tax adopted in April by the Legislature was repealed by a vote of the people Tuesday, leaving the Dirigo Health insurance program to rely on its former funding method.

Democrats Control State Legislature
AUGUSTA — With votes still trickling in early Wednesday, Democratic and Republican leaders agreed that the majority of political power in the Maine House and Senate will remain with the Democrats.

City Sees Record Voter Turnout
ELLSWORTH — The city of Ellsworth mirrored Hancock County with a record number of residents voting in Tuesday’s election both by absentee ballot and at the polls.

Maine News for Wednesday, October 29, 2008

2008-10-29T09:17:00.002-04:00

Real Clear Politics
RCP Average 10/21 - 10/28, Obama 50.2 to McCain 43.9

Pollster.com
Latest analysis

Portland Press Herald

An angry Allen says Collins crosses line with ads
Election 2008: He accuses her of distorting his voting record at times when family came first.

Sens. Snowe, Collins split on Stevens
Olympia Snowe wants him to resign; Susan Collins wants voters to decide.

Panel: Maine economy needs a few good ideas
A business forum talks of wind farms, biomedical research and the need for many ideas to toss around.

Dow leaps, but hopes for stability fail to follow
Investors are cheered by today's likely cut in interest rates, but they also are bracing for a recession.

Obama infomercial airs at 8 p.m. for half-hour
Obama is the first presidential candidate since Ross Perot in 1992 to purchase a half-hour of prime time.

Mainers gobbling lobster to keep industry afloat
Strong local sales help stabilize prices, but long-term changes are needed to expand the market.

Snow forecast jolts fall season
Ski resorts take notice as Maine's mountains were due to get 1 to 3 inches.

Airing out their differences
Rivals in 1st District spar on health care, taxes and economy

Editorial

Mermin, Suslovic for Portland City Council
Two moderate, articulate problem-solvers lead the field in this year's council races.

There's no clear path to unclogging credit markets
An infusion of capital into healthy banks hasn’t produced the desired result – yet.

GREG KESICHLooking for socialists in all the wrong places
'Socialist' has replaced 'liberal' as the meanest thing one candidate can say to another.

Bangor Daily News

Unemployment spurs state hiring

BANGOR, Maine — The current large number of unemployment claims in Maine means that people are pretty busy at the Maine Department of Labor.

State cuts may slice jobs

AUGUSTA, Maine — Hundreds of state jobs and some existing programs would be eliminated in order to meet Gov. John Baldacci’s goal of reducing state spending by at least 10 percent in the next two-year budget, documents indicate.

Mainers give Obama 19-point lead in poll; Collins ahead

PORTLAND, Maine — A new poll suggests a 19-point lead for Barack Obama over John McCain in the presidential race in Maine, while Republican Sen. Susan Collins maintains a 17-point lead over her Democratic challenger, Rep. Tom Allen.

Guidelines created to track graduation rates

WASHINGTON — High schools are coming under pressure from the federal government to improve the nation’s dismal dropout rate — one in four students.

Study: School consolidation partners report reluctance, pessimism

ORONO, Maine — Communities are doing what they have to do in order to comply with the state’s school consolidation law, but are doing so reluctantly, under compulsion and with little optimism about the final outcome.

Weak economy fails to deter arena panel

BANGOR, Maine — Even in the face of an unstable national economy, the city is not backing off its proposed timeline for a much-needed new arena and convention center.

Bangor housing project gaining ground

BANGOR, Maine — Demolition has begun on a rundown Harlow Street building, a site that soon will become home to a four-story, 55-unit apartment complex specifically marketed to the elderly.

Editorial
Oh, Canada

If you lived in Canada, your national elections would be over by now. And you …

An Unnecessary Ending

The McCain campaign’s descent into nastiness has elicited strong rebukes from …

Kennebec Journal

O'Brien blasted on dual roles
AUGUSTA -- The Maine Democratic Party filed a complaint with the ethics commission Tuesday that alleges a conflict of interest regarding an expenditure made by the Maine Republican Party to support House candidate and GOP Executive Director Julie O'Brien of Augusta.

Pingree, Summers spar about economy
Fixing the flailing economy was the hot topic in Tuesday's televised debate between the candidates in Maine's 1st Congressional District race.

Collins cites creation of jobs as top priority
NORRIDGEWOCK -- Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins said Tuesday that bringing jobs back to America is the key to a secure future as the nation and the state gear up for an historic election Nov. 4.

States team up vs. mercury
Officials in Maine and six other Northeastern states are hoping a never-before-used provision of the Clean Water Act will force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to control mercury emissions from power plants outside the region.

Snow, but little accumulation, gives area a preview of winter
The leaves are still changing color, Halloween is just around the corner and weather forecasters are predicting snow.

ATTENDANCE UNDER SCRUTINY
U.S. Rep. Tom Allen angrily defended his attendance record in Congress on Tuesday, accusing his Republican opponent in the U.S. Senate race, incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, of offending his family in a series of campaign advertisements that focus on Allen's missed votes.

Allen cites 'change' themes
WATERVILLE -- He might be down in the polls with a week to go, but Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Allen sees a path to victory in the Maine U.S. Senate race.

31/2 years for grandma who stole almost $1M from family business
AUGUSTA -- A Waterville grandmother will serve 3 1/2 years behind bars for embezzling almost $1 million from her family's business.

Panel: MaineHousing improperly nixed aid
AUGUSTA -- Failing to keep a clean, orderly house should not cost a disabled woman her public housing voucher, the Maine Human Rights Commission concluded Monday.

POLICE
AUGUSTA -- A Kennebec County jail inmate remained hospitalized Tuesday after swallowing pencils in an apparent suicide attempt.

Editorials:

Feds are too secretive about use of our $700B
We supported the $700 billion rescue program passed by Congress in early October. The idea behind it was to inject money into the financial system, which has been reeling from the toxic debt taken on by lenders in the subprime mortgage market.

New thinking about roads doesn't mean we should abandon them
The best transportation policy for Maine would be more efficient vehicles, cheaper fuel and less costly methods of construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.

Sun Journal
Allen lashes out at Collins over missed-votes TV ads
PORTLAND (AP) - Democrat Tom Allen lashed out Tuesday against Republican Susan Collins over campaign ads pointing out that he missed 157 votes in the House, calling them "petty, ugly and personal attacks." Collins said she stood by the ads.

Mainers favor Obama, Collins, according to poll
PORTLAND (AP) - A new poll suggests a 19-point lead for Barack Obama over John McCain in the presidential race in Maine, while Republican Sen. Susan Collins maintains a 17-point lead over her Democratic challenger, Rep. Tom Allen.

Voters ban election signs from traffic island

Editorial
Where does the invisible buck stop?
After Alan Greenspan testified before Congress recently, a question crossed our minds: In this failing economy, caused by a dearth of actual currency and a wealth of imaginary credit, where does the (real or invisible) buck stop?

Mugging claim provides a paradigm of paranoia
It smelled worse than rotting garbage in triple digit heat, but I'm not surprised some folks swallowed it anyway.

MPBN

Sex Offender Registry Revisions May Be Delayed

The Maine's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee's planned revisions to the state's controversial sex offender registry law may have to wait until Maine's highest court rules on several appeals. Earlier this year, the committee attempted to correct a retroactive amendment to the law that would remove the names of those who had committed crimes between 1982 and 1992. Gov. John Baldacci vetoed the bill and asked the panel to take another look at the issue next year. But as A.J. Higgins reports, by then, Maine may not have a sex offender registry law on the books.

Allen Defends Voting Record

Under attack by his opponent for his attendance record in Congress, Democratic Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen held an unusual news conference at his home with his ailing wife and his daughter today. Although Allen attempted to point out that he has taken thousands of votes in Congress and only missed several dozen during his career, there were also more questions raised about his missed votes by the Collins campaign. Susan Sharon has more.

Ad Execs Say Obama Masters Web Campaigning

Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz talks with Sam Surprise of Surprise Advertising and Brenda Garrand of Garrand and Company about the success the Democratic Presidential candidate has had raising money on the web and how the technique will change both political and commercial advertising.

Maine News for Tuesday, October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

Real Clear Politics
RCP Average 10/20 - 10/27 -- Obama 50.3 to McCain 44.1

Portland Press Herald
Fending off blight
Some Maine communities will get a share of federal funds to buy and resell homes lost to foreclosure.

Officers back before AG ruling
Police may change policies on reinstatements before a shooting decision is made.

One firm financing support for slots
The owner of Hollywood Slots in Bangor is behind the efforts to bring slot machines to Scarborough.

With week to go, Allen tries to cull momentum from Obama
Election 2008: Sen. Collins just needs to avoid errors, an expert says.

BILL NEMITZThis time, House 102 race isn't even close

State rejects plan for rebuilt dam
The DEP says the project to power historic Scribner's Mill would threaten Sebago Lake's landlocked salmon population.

Democrats fined $5,000 for late report
The party is accountable for a content change to mailers that required immediate disclosure.

Poll shows Palin hurting GOP ticket
The Republican base loves her, but others see Palin unfavorably and question John McCain's judgment.

DNC chairman Howard Dean to address UM-Farmington rally
The ex-Vermont governor also will campaign for Barack Obama in Orono and in Portland.

HOUSE DISTRICT 66: Brunswick voters will have three party options
A Democrat, Republican and Green vie to represent the town as it prepares for the base closing.

Editorial

Portland voters should start charter process
Introducing a popularly elected mayor is just one idea that is worthy of exploration.

State's high court got it right by protecting political speech
The government shouldn't be deciding which politicians are telling the truth.

RON BANCROFTIt will help a lot to send more moderates to Augusta
There are options in southern Maine for moving beyond partisan issues for the good of all.

Bangor Daily News

Early bird ballots

BANGOR, Maine — City voters hoping to avoid the usual hassles of Election Day by casting in-person absentee ballots may not experience the smooth sailing they expected.

The kindness of strangers

Air Force Master Sgt. Colette Beaulieu of Hermon had a lot on her mind as she prepared for her recent deployment. Because her future plans were unclear, she had a home to sell, household belongings to put into storage, and an 18-year-old son to settle into a new apartment.

Backers of beverage tax blast lawsuit

BANGOR, Maine — Supporters of the state’s DirigoChoice health insurance program have raised the alarm over a lawsuit filed last week that challenges the savings offset payment, the program’s primary but unpopular current source of funding.

Baldacci fiscal plan earns a 'B'

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. John Baldacci got a B on this year’s fiscal report card from the conservative, Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute, up from the D he got from the group two years ago.

Maine Democrats fined $5,000

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s campaign watchdog agency has fined the state Democratic Party $5,000 for filing an expenditure report 20 days late with the state.

New poll on Maine casino indicates dead heat

PORTLAND, Maine — A new poll commissioned by the company that wants to build a resort casino in Oxford finds that likely voters are narrowly divided on the project in what amounts to a statistical

UM gets patent for waterfront technology

ORONO, Maine — Researchers at the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center have been awarded a patent for new technology that could change waterfront construction methods for both large companies and individuals.

Hermon to decide local issues at polls

HERMON, Maine — People who go to the elementary school gym next Tuesday to vote for president will find that they also have stumbled onto a special town meeting.

Editorial

Lobster for Dinner

Maine’s lobsters are clearly sustainable, through license limits, trap limits, V-notching of females and throwing back undersize and oversize lobsters. But what about the lobstermen and the lobster industry? Both are in bad shape these days.

Kennebec Journal
ANIMALS' FATE IN BALANCE
AUGUSTA -- The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Monday considered the fate of 66 dogs, four cats and one bird seized in January from the Somerville home of Fern Clark.

Students see how top court functions
AUGUSTA -- The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Monday literally moved to Cony High School.

AUGUSTA Tax foes raise $3.5M Group seeks to kill beverage tax, which helps pay for Dirigo
AUGUSTA -- Fed Up With Taxes, the group behind Question 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot, has raised $3.5 million to fund a campaign to overturn taxes on beer, wine, soda and other flavored drinks, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

Dems fined $5,000
AUGUSTA -- The ethics commission voted 5-0 Monday to impose a $5,000 fine on the Maine Democratic Party for filing an expenditure report 20 days late.

Crockett denied funds
AUGUSTA -- The ethics commission voted 4-1 Monday not to award Rep. Patsy Crockett, D-Augusta, more public money for her campaign, even though a write-in candidate is running against her.

Dean, of Vt., to visit UMF Wednesday
FARMINGTON -- Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will speak at the "A Vote for Change" rally Wednesday at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Editorial

Clean Elections law plagued by 'substantial' hole
In early June, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics gave $4,144 to Rep. Patsy Crockett, who was running for re-election in a contested race for House District 57 in Augusta. Crockett was running as a Clean Elections candidate and that amount represented her allotment of Maine Clean Election Act funds from the state. The same amount was also paid to other House candidates in a contested general election.

MAROULLA GLEATON, M.D., OF PALERMO, PRACTICES OPHT : VOTE 'NO' ON QUESTION 1 Health coverage, quality care most important issues
As a local physician, I appreciate the opportunity to address concerns about Question 1. On Election Day, Maine voters will decide what is more important to them: preserving and expanding health coverage for Maine families, children and small businesses; lowering the current assessment on health claims; providing rate reform to 40,000 Mainers who pay for their own health insurance, or pennies on a glass of wine, a beer or soda.

DAVID B. OFFER : McCain, Palin should have seized moment
Serving as county sheriff used to be a family affair in Wisconsin.

Sun Journal
Casino election tight, poll suggests
PORTLAND - A new poll commissioned by the company that wants to build a $184 million resort casino in Oxford indicates that likely voters are narrowly divided on the project in what amounts to a statistical dead heat.

Bedbugs cause shelter to close
PORTLAND (AP) - An emergency shelter for drug addicts in Maine's largest city was closed because of a bedbug infestation, but officials hope they can reopen the facility Tuesday.

State opposes Crooked River dam
PORTLAND (AP) - The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a draft order that would block the restoration of the historic Scribner's Mill Dam on the Crooked River in Harrison.

Quoddy Bay withdraws request for state permits
AUGUSTA (AP) - Quoddy Bay LNG has withdrawn its request for state permits to build a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal and pipeline at the Passamaquoddy Indian reservation at Pleasant Point in eastern Maine.

Contrarian vs. incumbent in Maine's 2nd District
LEWISTON - Maine's sprawling 2nd Congressional District has produced such Republican luminaries as Bill Cohen, Olympia Snowe and the late Margaret Chase Smith, all of whom went on to the Senate and made names for themselves on the national stage.

Absentee ballots prove popular in Twin Cities
One in seven registered Twin Cities voters has already cast a ballot in November's presidential election, according to statistics from the offices of the city clerks.

Pair charged in plot to kill Obama, others
WASHINGTON - Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities said Monday.

Editorial
There's no defense for deception
As a newspaper, we vigorously defend the First Amendment right to free speech. It's the most potent freedom ever granted a human citizenry, and our most effective weapon against tyranny and oppression.

MPBN

Differences In Question One Debate Focus On The Numbers

On November 4, Maine voters will be asked Question One: whether they want to repeal a beverage tax that would fund the state's Dirigo Health program. It may be no surprise that those who want to dump the tax say it will cost more than those who support Dirigo, which provides insurance to Mainers based on their ability to pay. But the difference in the projected size of the tax is gaping. Josie Huang reports.

A Your Vote 2008 Candidate Profile: Chellie Pingree

s a young woman she never planned on running for the Maine Legislature or dreamed that she would head Common Cause or raise millions of dollars to mount a bid for Congress, twice. Those are just a few of the highlights of Democrat Chellie Pingree's resume. In legislative circles she's best-known for taking on the pharmaceutical lobby to spearhead the first-in-the-nation bill regulating prescription drug prices. Now she's hoping to be the first woman elected to Congress in Maine's first district. As part of our Your Vote 2008 Election coverage, Susan Sharon has this profile.

Maine Hopes To Tap Into Culinary Tourism As "The Next Napa Valley"

If asked to name two industries associated with the state of Maine, many of us would probably mention tourism and seafood. The combination of these two activities - vacations and dining - underscored a new three-day food wine festival in the Portland area, which wrapped up over the weekend. Harvest on the Harbor attracted thousands of visitors from Maine and across the country, featuring large scale, tastings, cooking demos, seminars and black tie dinners. Tom Porter was there.

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Maine News

Differences In Question One Debate Focus On The Numbers

A Your Vote 2008 Candidate Profile: Chellie Pingree

Maine Hopes To Tap Into Culinary Tourism As "The Next Napa Valley"

For Now, Credit Available to Maine Small Business

How the economic crisis on Wall Street affects main streets across the state will depend, in part, on whether loans continue flowing from local banks to small business. Karen Mills, a venture capitalist and President of MMP Group, tells Morning Edition Host Irwin Gratz government may have to help in the months ahead. And she urges small business to lobby Congress to include small business aid in any new economic stimulus bill.

Listener Feedback: From Sears Island to "Scallops"

From time to time, we share our listener's thoughts about our recent work. We've heard from several people about things they didn't like, as reported by Tom Porter and Josie Huang.

Maine News for Monday, October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T10:15:00.003-04:00

Portland Press Herald
Long-term state idea: Energy use 'clusters'
The strategy, plus an emphasis on renewable resources, is part of a draft plan that envisions an energy transformation in Maine.

1st District: Undecideds cloud race
Election 2008: Polls show Chellie Pingree has a lead, but large numbers of voters are still making up their minds.

State to scrutinize contracts with colleges
No-bid contracts, while legal, have little oversight and officials want to verify the money is spent wisely.

Wall Street turmoil cuts into Colby endowment

HOUSE DISTRICT 60: Energy, economy top campaign issues
Both rank as priorities for the candidates seeking the House District 60 seat that represents Topsham.

Editorial
County reform served best by Cloutier, Larsen
These experienced newcomers to county government can help make it better.

Leigh DonaldsonToo often contrary facts don't influence our beliefs
Our views of current events prove remarkably resistant to evidence or corrections.

Next Legislature should not knock out school merger law
School districts should still find partners
while the referendum process plays out.

[October 26, 2008]

Bangor Daily News

Rain, wind topple trees, spur floods

Gusty winds, hard rain and ocean swells of more than 9 feet caused damage in midcoast and Down East Maine on Sunday morning. Trees toppled, there was minor flooding and a lobster boat sank at the Searsport town wharf, but there were no reports of injury.

Why Maine splits its electoral votes

Does the Electoral College have you stumped, especially the part about Maine and Nebraska being the only two states that can divvy up their electoral votes among presidential candidates? Here’s a quick refresher course.

Rockland rallies to support state lobster industry

ROCKLAND, Maine — A day after the governor of Maine estab-lished a task force to review the sustainability of the state’s lobster industry, Rockland came together to rally the industry on its own.

Editorial

Houses and Homes

The next president and Congress have a rare opportunity to remake the way Americans build, buy and sell houses. The current economic downturn is linked in large part to the boom, bubble and bust cycle of the housing sector.

What’s the Rush?

There are good reasons for revising the Endangered Species Act — it is slow and cumbersome for some developers and landowners, for example — but any such rewrite must be thoughtful

Kennebec Journal

Mills eyes two state positions
FARMINGTON -- In November, a three-term representative in the Maine House, Democrat Janet T. Mills, hopes to be re-elected by voters in Farmington and Industry.

Major MaineGeneral donors express concerns
WATERVILLE -- Some area philanthropists have expressed concern about MaineGeneral Health's plan to consolidate operations in Augusta, with at least one saying the move will cost the medical center her financial support.

Auto dealers weathering the storm
Randy Miller has been selling cars for 35 years. He has seen the industry at its best and he has struggled through the worst, like the fear that gripped the nation as gasoline was rationed in the 1970s.

KENNEBEC COMMUTER: MTA tries to justify toll hike
A little bird (better known as our colleague Susan Cover) had a story in the newspaper not too long ago about the Maine Turnpike Authority raising the tolls next year.

Editorials

Political speech, other tall tales still protected
After a two-year-long presidential race, we hardly need to remind our readers that election campaigns practically invented lies, distortions, untruths, half-truths, falsehoods, misrepresentations and fairy tales.

Sun Journal
Collins: I want Lewiston
That Susan Collins wants to win her race for re-election should come as no surprise; that the incumbent Republican U.S. senator has a goal of winning the city of Lewiston, might.

Political campaigns flooding mailboxes
WASHINGTON (AP) - Mailboxes stuffed and it's not even the holidays? It must be election season.

Editorial
Cleaning out the inbox …
Cheers and jeers from around the news:

Next president should support Israel-Syria talks
The next president will inherit a depressing litany of Mideast problems. But there is a chance to change that negative dynamic by zeroing in on a promising Mideast peace track that was never supported by the Bush team.

MPBN

Chamber Challenges Dirigo Health Funding

The state Chamber of Commerce has a filed a lawsuit challenging the funding for Dirigo Health. Details from Josie Huang.

AG Candidate Addresses Past Lapse In Attorney License Status

With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, candidates for the Maine Legislature are actively courting voters. But behind the scenes, the candidates themselves are being courted by three legislators who are vying to become Maine's next Attorney General. Maine is the only state that elects its Attorney General by a popular vote of the Legislature. In the first of a two-part series on the contest, A.J. Higgins reports that one of the leading candidates for the job has not held an active license to practice law in Maine for five of the last seven years.

'Climate Change 21' Focuses on Current Research

Some of the nation's most current scientific research in the field of climate change was presented at the University of Maine this week. The Orono campus hosted a conference titled Climate Change 21: Choices for the 21 Century. As Anne Ravana reports, more than 500 scientists, students and others gathered to discuss issues ranging from the Ice Age to fuel cell technology.

Maine News for Tuesday, October 21, 2008

2008-10-21T08:47:00.002-04:00

Real Clear Politics
RCP Average 10/13 - 10/20 Obama 49.8 to McCain 43.8

Portland Press Herald
Maine parties keep feuding over McCain attack tactics
Amid the sparring, more Republicans criticize the Ayers theme that McCain has defended.

Health professionals urge rejection of Question 1
They say repealing the beverage tax would further cripple the Dirigo Health care system.

BILL NEMITZCollins gets October surprise

Cruise ships no cash cow for Maine?
A study ranks the state 41st in economic benefits from the industry, but some call the numbers misleading.

Second stimulus idea gains traction
Congress weighs a special session after the election, and Maine's delegation says more must be done.

Council clears way for retail complex
Westbrook approves a zoning change needed to allow construction of Stroudwater Place.

House District 121: Incumbent, newcomer competing for seat
One Democrat and one Republican from Cape Elizabeth outline their political priorities.

House District 134: Doctor challenges incumbent in Saco race
In a contest of 'new blood' versus experience, both women emphasize the need for state tax reform.

Freeport School Board: Incumbent, three other candidates seek two seats
Their priorities include the proposed consolidation with Durham and Pownal and improving curriculum.

Question 3: Upheaval unlikely to impact borrowing
Question 3 on the ballot, aimed at maintaining water quality, has generated little debate.

Allen-Collins debate refrain's the same
He stresses the need for change. She insists she's not been a rubber stamp for President Bush.

BOB DAVISGoogle's high-tech secret: Keep it simple

Freddie Mac lobbied in secret
The lobbying campaign aimed to derail regulatory overhaul of both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Editorial

Locking in oil price can still look like a good deal
Making sure you can afford to heat your home this winter has real value.

Negative campaigning by 'robo-call' deserved criticism
The calls placed by Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign could be misleading.

RON BANCROFTElecting more moderates would boost state's economic outlook
There are ways to find out where legislative candidates stand on policies that favor growth.

Bangor Daily News

UMS forced to make more spending cuts

BANGOR, Maine — The current global financial crisis has officially hit the University of Maine System. UMS Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude announced Monday afternoon a series of spending control measures, effective immediately, that the system hopes will reduce operating costs at its centralized operations center and seven universities.

Maine high court to bring justice to high schools

BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Supreme Judicial Court hits the road Wednesday in what has become its annual fall sojourn to high schools around the state. The seven justices will hear oral arguments in three different cases at each school, convening during the morning hours in towns from York to Washington counties.

Doctors blast ‘Fed Up With Taxes’ campaign’s advertisements, study

BANGOR, Maine — The doctors and others who oppose Question 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot on Monday blasted new advertisements and an economic study commissioned by their political foes, calling them misleading.

Change, partisanship topics of P.I. Senate debate

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and Sen. Susan Collins stuck to familiar themes when they met Monday night to debate for the eighth time, at Presque Isle Middle School.

Be ‘smart’ in converter box choice

The first five steps are the hardest ones in the conversion to digital TV. Do the time-consuming work on the first five steps featured in the first part of the series published Monday and it makes these next five seem like a piece of cake.

Camp owner seeks official’s recusal on wind farm plan

LINCOLN, Maine — An Upper Pond resident says planning board chairman Peter Phinney should recuse himself from deliberations over a proposed $120 million wind farm because Phinney works

Editorial

A Whiff of Socialism

Socialism has become a dirty word on the presidential campaign trail. Supporters of Republican John McCain increasingly say they fear that Democrats, led by their candidate Barack Obama, will lead the country into socialism, defined as a system under which the means of production and distribution are owned and operated by the community or society rather than private individuals.

Kennebec Journal
IRIGO DEMISE FEARED Health-care advocates say rejection of beverage tax could have 'crippling' effect
AUGUSTA -- Opponents of Question 1 -- a repeal on beverage taxes to pay for Dirigo Health -- said Monday that Dirigo would be "crippled" if the new funding source isn't allowed to go into effect.

AUGUSTA Council OKs taxi fare increases
AUGUSTA -- Taxi rates are going up. But other hotly debated changes proposed for the city's taxi ordinance are on hold, for now.

UMA president tells staff to prepare for cost-cutting steps
AUGUSTA -- University of Maine at Augusta's President Allyson Hughes Handley suggested to audience members during her formal installation ceremony Sunday that her honeymoon might be ending.

Study sees consolidation progress Sticking points also discovered among community voters
The committees planning school district mergers across Maine are making progress in complying with the state's district consolidation law, according to an analysis of the consolidation mandate.

On Maine Politics

Gordon Smith: Dirigo will be “wounded” 10/20/08

WATERVILLE MAYORAL CONTEST Debate hits contrasts
WATERVILLE -- Mayoral candidate Rosemary J. Winslow and incumbent Paul R. LePage described strikingly different leadership styles in Monday evening's debate.

Editorial

Pingree sports refreshing dose of bipartisanship
Chellie Pingree has changed from her more partisan days as a leading Democrat, in chambers comfortably controlled by Democrats, at the Statehouse in Augusta.

DAVID B. OFFER : McCain should return to integrity of 'Straight Talk Express'
Two weeks from today we will elect the next president of the United States.

Sun Journal
Drink tax supporters dispute study's findings
PORTLAND (AP) - A coalition that supports new taxes to help fund the state-sponsored Dirigo Health program said Monday that an opposition group is inflating the financial impact of the taxes.

Sunday Telegram endorses Pingree
PORTLAND (AP) - The Democratic candidate in Maine's 1st District congressional race, Chellie Pingree, has won the endorsement of the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Sunday River tests out new snowmaking guns
NEWRY, Maine (AP) - The snow guns have been running at the Sunday River ski resort in western Maine.

UMaine chancellor orders cost reductions
BANGOR (AP) - University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude is ordering systemwide spending controls in response to declining enrollments and the effects of the global financial crisis.

Study: State lags behind in cruise ship revenues
PORTLAND - Walking around the Old Port on Monday, you couldn't miss the cruise ship visitors.

Push is on to prime economy
WASHINGTON - What's another $150 billion on top of the more than $1 trillion that's already been spent to rescue the sinking economy and financial markets?

Editorial
Some good advice on robo-calls
As days grow shorter and weather turns colder, political campaigns lose their light and crank the heat.

The irrational exuberance of our nation's Election Day
"Throw the bums out!" That's one of the most familiar campaign cries in our history. It's even more effective than Herbert Hoover's slogan of "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" and stirs the blood like "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" never could. Sometimes a little bum-throwing makes sense. Sometimes it doesn't.

MPBN

Pledge in Casino Ad Questioned By Opponents

A new television ad for the proposed casino in Oxford County has become the latest flash point in the debate over Question 2 on next month's ballot. In it, two Maine lawmakers pledge that if Maine voters approve the question, they and the legislature will fix many of its flaws. But casino opponents say there's a problem with the lawmakers and their pledge. For one thing, both voted against the casino last spring. And for another, one of them is barred from seeking re-election because of term limits. A.J. Higgins reports.

Casino Stakeholders Identified

The chief spokesman for the anti-casino campaign in Oxford county has welcomed the unveiling by a local newspaper over the weekend, of the project's minority shareholders. Dennis Bailey, from the Casinos No pressure group, said the identification of the 9 individuals by the Lewiston Sun Journal on Saturday was 'better late than never.' Tom Porter has details.

LED Lights Brighten Pineland Campus

Hundreds of people work in offices on the Pineland Farms campus in New Gloucester. In recent weeks, some of them began noticing something odd going on. The light bulbs were disappearing from the lampposts. But the fixtures were still lighting the sidewalks and parking lots. As Josie Huang reports, Jim Caspar, director of facilities, explains how by pointing to the top of one such lamppost.

Maine Trade Center Plans Mideast Trade Mission

The smaller states ringing the Persian Gulf are a region of explosive growth. Next February, a trade mission to Dubai is aimed at helping Maine companies win a larger slice of that growing economic pie. The Maine International Trade Center's President, Janine Bisaillon-Cary, has already visited the region and told Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz there's a huge need for one of Maine's natural resources: hardwood lumber.

Political Ads Analyzed

Advertising executives Brenda Garrand and Sam Surprise join Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz in a discussion of political ads being run by Maine's candidates for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.

Maine News for Monday, October 20, 2008

2008-10-20T09:29:00.002-04:00

Real Clear Politics
RCP Average 10/13 - 10/19 -- Obama 49.0 McCain 43.8

Portland Press Herald
Riding the oil roller coaster
The drop in heating oil prices produces a mix of regret and satisfaction among customers who signed early contracts.

Maine investors flock to bonds for state, local projects
Buyers are capitalizing on high interest rates while also helping the state raise money in tight times.

Retailers rationing as supply of wood pellets dries up
Demand is very high right now, but there will be enough pellets to last the winter, a state official says.

Question 1: Both sides make a case in beverage tax debate
A supporter of repeal calls it 'a massive tax,' while an opponent says it promotes health.

House District 117: Haskell a sure winner, but question is, which one?
Incumbent Anne Haskell and challenger Philip Haskell put a premium on tax relief for Mainers.

House District 118: Housing, health, energy concern candidate
Maine could benefit economically by creating more renewable energy sources, Jon Hinck says.

House District 119: Candidates differ on beverage tax, agree on exemption review
Universal health coverage is Daniel Jenkins' priority. Herb Adams backs funds for preserving public land.

MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Span to be site of national homeland security testing
Officials plan to see how vibrations affect bridges, which, they say, are key to the nation's infrastructure.

Bush economic adviser: Parts of country already in recession; bailout will take time

Editorial

Social Security ripe for a sensible fix
The politics of the issue are hard, but the numbers argue for a straightfoward solution.

Old nickname should be off the table in Scarborough vote
'Red Storm' may not be an inspired choice, but getting rid of an offensive name was.

LEIGH DONALDSONLack of voting rights for poor women remains an American problem
Official policies and laws enable easier voting, but many remain absent from voting booths.

Bangor Daily News

Allen, Collins take different roads to debate

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, 1st District Rep. Tom Allen, prepared in different ways over the weekend for their debate tonight in Presque Isle.

Maine delegation backs special session for stimulus

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s congressional delegation says the economy needs a further stimulus, and supports the move to reconvene in November to consider several proposals to accomplish that

BDN, Times Record endorse Obama

BANGOR, Maine — Two Maine newspapers — the Bangor Daily News and The Times Record of Brunswick — have given their editorial endorsements to Barack Obama.

State, federal crews conduct tests on Waldo-Hancock Bridge

PROSPECT, Maine — The aging Waldo-Hancock Bridge may have a role to play in homeland security before and after it is torn down. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is working

Editorial

Floundering Fisheries

At a Senate subcommittee field hearing in Portland Tuesday, a federal fisheries regulator said the current rules have “not entirely achieved the desired results.” That was a big … more

| 10/20/08

Thankless Hometown Duty

Senators and representatives to Congress earn about $170,000 annually, enjoy generous health care benefits and, if they stay in office long enough, receive a generous federal pension.

Kennebec Journal
University forging ahead with plans for fundraising
AUGUSTA -- As colleges across the United States brace for a drop in donations and scale back ambitions accordingly, the University of Maine at Augusta will press on with plans to develop a fundraising operation from the ground up.

Handley installed; climate-change researcher speaks
AUGUSTA -- Representatives from the University of Maine at Augusta, the city of Augusta and Maine state government heaped praise on Allyson Hughes Handley on Sunday afternoon as the state's university system formally installed her as UMA's president at the institution's annual convocation.

Retailers, manufacturers try to keep up with demand for wood pellets
Twenty-four tons of wood pellets roll into Rocky's Stove Shoppe in Augusta every week, but owner Rocky Gaslin still cannot keep up with demand.

KENNEBEC COMMUTER: Check your car for the winter
We almost hate to talk about it, but you all knew it was coming: It's time yet again to winterize your vehicle for another Maine winter.

SAD 47 to close early Election Day to let voting to flow well
OAKLAND -- School Administrative District 47 will close its schools at noon on Election Day to make it easier for Oakland voters to get to the polling station, which is at Williams Elementary School.

Editorial

Drinking, waste water pipes need repairs

Sun Journal
Pingree, Summers vie for seat in 1st District
PORTLAND (AP) - The Maine stereotype holds that the people who populate the southern 1st Congressional District are a bunch of liberals who like taxes and gay rights and dislike hunting. They've elected Democrats in 11 of the past 12 elections.

New Hampshire arrives in port for commissioning
KITTERY (AP) - Escorted by a fireboat that sprayed plumes of water, the Navy's newest submarine has arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in preparation for this week's commissioning.

Powell backs Obama
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Democrat Barack Obama saw his campaign bolstered on two fronts Sunday - a key endorsement from a nationally known Republican and the announcement of a record month for fundraising - as forces seemed to be aligning in his favor for the final two weeks of the presidential campaign.

Locked-in prices a cause for pause
Crude oil prices that have been sliced in half since hitting a record high in July are leaving consumers almost as woozy as the sharp climb that took place this spring.

Allen: I represent change
Tom Allen is not a new face in Maine politics, but he's billed his campaign for U.S. Senate as one of change.

Quick bites
McCain: Supported campaign finance reform and authored legislation (McCain-Feingold) to restrict soft money. Is running his presidential campaign with public money and is abiding by spending limits.

Editorial
Toll plan must look at I-295
Any plan to raise tolls along the Maine Turnpike should also include proposals to increase revenue from traffic on I-295 from Portland to Gardiner.

MPBN

States Charges Nursing Homes With Mismanagement

The state has taken over seven private nursing and assisted living homes in Maine, citing corporate financial mismanagement. The state Department of Health and Human Services first received complaints of residents losing weight at Penobscot Nursing Home in Penobscot, but as that problem was resolved, inspectors became concerned about financial and accounting practices. As Anne Ravana reports, the Connecticut-based company that owns the facilities vows to fight the state's allegations in court.

LNG Plans Delayed

Quoddy Bay LNG, which is seeking to build an LNG terminal in Maine has been dealt what would normally be a blow by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Oklahoma-based company has been notified by FERC that it's being dismissed from the federal review process. But as Keith McKeen reports, the company's president says he welcomes the federal agency's decision.

Republican Collins Denounces Her Party's Phone Tactics

Maine Republican senator Susan Collins has denounced her own party's use this week of automated phone calls, or 'robocalls' linking Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama with 60s radical Bill Ayers. Tom Porter has the story.

City Council Squabble Becomes Civil Liberties Issue

When does a compliment rise to the level of a political endorsement? That's the question that Portland City Council candidate Dory Waxman wanted the state ethics commission to determine today in an ongoing dispute with her opponent, Portland Mayor Edward Suslovic. Suslovic was accused of "exaggerating" flattering comments made by well-known local politicians on his campaign literature. But as A.J. Higgins reports, his opponent's complaint was ultimately dismissed.

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