Maine News for Friday, January 25, 2008

PRESS HERALD:
Families welcome Guard members
Thirteen communications specialists with the Maine Air National Guard have returned home after a nearly five-month deployment in Iraq.

Bus, rail expansion? Study starts
A $1 million project is looking at the merits of public transit to relieve highway traffic north and west of Portland.

N.H.'s PUC staff favors FairPoint deal
The land-line sales agreement is basically the same as those approved in Maine and considered in Vermont.

Proposals on state job cuts reviewed
State House: Lawmakers take a look at their options in the ongoing attempt to close a big budget gap.

EDITORIAL: Basketball franchise proposal has ingredients for success
Minor-league sports teams with a strong brand and good management do well in Portland.

EDITORIAL: Time to start citywide redistricting talks now
The Portland School Committee should redraw the school map to use scarce resources wisely.

COLUMN: Wow, the government wants to send us a check
There are ways this plan would make sense. Sadly, the way it's going down isn't one of them.

MAINE VOICES: Food pantries need help now -- and later
While winter makes people think of those in need more often, the need exists all year.

LTE: Take steps to abolish nuclear weapons

LTE: Keep Dirigo healthy, add Massachusetts mandate


BANGOR DAILY NEWS:
Oregon man subdued with Taser
An Oregon man with a long and violent criminal history, including a conviction for a 1984 murder in Louisiana, remained in custody Thursday after police officers used a Taser gun to subdue him at a local motel.

Firm's new Calais office welcome in a region hungry for fresh jobs
CALAIS - City officials were all smiles Thursday as a Canadian market research firm officially opened its first U.S.-based office on North Street.

Maine Dems reject parental consent bill
Legislative leaders, voting along party lines on Thursday, rejected proposed legislation that would require parental consent for schools to give children 14 and under prescription drugs, including birth control pills.

EDITORIAL: Stimulus and Housing
The plan to stimulate the sagging national economy, crafted by Congress and the president this week, focuses largely on giving checks to middle- and low-income people. The hope is that they will spend the money, and quickly, which in turn will stimulate the economy, which is heavily tied to consumer spending.

EDITORIAL: Offender Registry, Remade
As the Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee begins the difficult and emotionally charged task of remaking the state's sex offender registry in the wake of a Maine supreme court ruling and changes to federal law, lawmakers must ensure that the public is protected without excessive punishment or shaming.

Edward F. Snyder: Corrections system needs fundamental changes
The Friends Committee on Maine Public Policy, which represents Quaker meetings around the state, understands and appreciates Gov. John Baldacci's need to reduce state government spending in order to meet the constitutional requirement to balance the budget.

Joshua Foster : A fresh look at the plan for schools
While I've been educated in what I'm proud to say is one of the greatest public education states in the country, I now go to college in the nearby state of Massachusetts. Upon my convivial migration for winter break, I unwittingly drove straight into the great chaos that is school consolidation.

LTEs: Wiretapping outrage


MORNING SENTINEL:
$95 MILLION SHORTFALL: Lawmakers brace to pare state budget
AUGUSTA -- State lawmakers on Thursday reviewed state-issued contracts and proposed job cuts in hopes of finding more ways to save money to close a $95 million budget gap.

Southern Maine expected to see real estate stability
Southern Maine home prices will bottom out later this year, demand for Portland office space will remain strong and a large inventory of industrial space will flatten lease rates, experts predicted Thursday at the Maine Real Estate & Development Association's annual forecast conference.

Green groups target toxic toys
AUGUSTA -- Sandra Armington of Hallowell is worried about children who play with rubber duckies.

Somerset County to beef up emergency system
SKOWHEGAN -- Bob Higgins envisions a system of emergency shelters in Somerset County where even pets will have a place to go if the lights go out.

Colby now grants only
WATERVILLE -- Colby College made headlines last fall when it announced a plan to replace loans with grants for students from Maine who receive financial aid from the college.

Winter needs drain assistance funds
The Rev. Mark Tanner says money is being drained from the Ecumenical Ministerial Fund in Skowhegan like water through a sieve, as more and more calls come in for economic assistance.

CARLA DICKSTEIN LIVES IN WISCASSET AND : Maine faces tide of foreclosures: Rate of subprime mortgage loans in default highest in New England; federal action needed
Last June, the Maine Legislature unanimously passed legislation to protect Mainers from predatory mortgage lending practices that have contributed to a record number of foreclosures.

LTE: Inspections of vehicles every 2 years a bad idea

LTE: Lobby Congress to stop horse slaughter


KENNEBEC JOURNAL:
AUGUSTA TISSUE: New uses urged for old paper mill
AUGUSTA -- City officials are not ready to seize the former Augusta Tissue paper mill, but about a dozen neighbors Thursday shared their hopes for the nearly mile-long site with city officials Thursday.

LTE: Look at the facts regarding Citizens Energy
I would like to take this opportunity to address Mona Charen's Jan. 8 commentary concerning Joseph Kennedy II and his low-cost energy programs.


MPBN:
Legislature Asked to Crack Down on Metal Thieves
Skyrocketing prices for certain metals is fueling a bonanza in Maine for many recyclers. But it's also creating an alarming influx of stolen metal on the resale market. State lawmakers are now being asked to consider emergency legislation to help discourage metal thieves by imposing new requirements for scrap metal dealers. A.J. Higgins reports.

Maine Real Estate Officials Undaunted By National Trend
A national real estate trade group issued bleak news this morning, saying the nation's home sales saw their biggest decline in 25 years. But in Maine, the annual meeting of a real estate and development association was more upbeat. As Murray Carpenter reports, members say the real estate market is faring better in Maine than elsewhere in the country.

Harsh Prison Sentence Draws Mixed Reaction
A prison sentence meted out to an Aroostook County man this week by a federal judge in Bangor is likely among the harshest ever in Maine. It's life in prison for 56-year-old Michael Pelletier, sentenced for over a dozen felony convictions including drug trafficking, money laundering and social security fraud. But U.S. District Judge John Woodcock had no sentencing leeway, even though the defendent was confined to a wheelchair. Keith McKeen reports.


SUN JOURNAL:
EDITORIAL: Tax holiday would give us quickest relief
"If," said Rudyard Kipling," you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs... If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same... If you can wait and not be tired by waiting..."

LTE: Money or their life?
I cannot imagine why the governor wants to privatize the Elizabeth Levinson Center in Bangor. He is taking Maine's most vulnerable population, the children with the severe to profound range of mental retardation, and handing them off to the private sector.


PORTSMOUTH HERALD:
Study: Cut Maine taxes
PORTLAND, Maine — A study released Thursday by a conservative Portland think tank estimates that Maine loses $36.4 million in tax revenues annually from Maine residents who shop in nearby New Hampshire.

Local shipyard maintenance crew to have work in San Diego
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe, Susan Collins (R-ME), Judd Gregg and John Sununu (R-NH) announced today that the Navy will establish a detachment of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) in Southern California


BLOGS:
MPBN: Time for Tom Allen to change strategy
MPBN's Maine Things Considered aired a report last night that was pretty blunt about the direction of the Tom Allen for Senate Campaign so far. Here's how it started:

Collins Watch: Creeping Fascism?
I am disgusted by Sen. Olympia Snowe's stated position on the inclusion of immunity for telecoms in the FISA bill and justifications for it.

Senate Guru: Thursday Quick Hits
Maine: The New York Times eviscerates Susan Collins:

News of Maine: Tom Allen, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Telecommunications Immunity
Tom Allen, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Telecommunications Immunity

Turn Maine Blue: The Stimulus Package - Another Perspective
As the PPH and other sources are reporting, talk about the possibility of a recessoin has turned into how to hold one off. To that end, Bush and Congressional leaders (and Maine's delegation) have formulated a plan to provide a shot in the arm for the economy, a stimulus.

White Noise Insanity: Dennis Kucinich has dropped out of the presidential race
That's okay. I'm still caucusing for him in February and will cast my 2nd vote as 'uncommitted'. So the

Offthegridgirl: New FEMA blueprint seeks to clarify emergency response roles
Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mary Landrieu, D-La., praised the new framework, but emphasized that it is only the beginning of reforming the nation's disaster response capability. "We still have a lot of work left . . .

Maine News for Thursday, January 24, 2008

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD:
Portland could get pro hoops franchise
A group is trying to land an expansion team, with possible Celtics ties, in the NBA Development League.

Maine Guard soldiers depart on mission
Gov. Baldacci and a contingent of family and friends give the senior team of 18 a fitting farewell.

Maine's delegation backs stimulus effort
The four lawmakers likely would support legislation that quickly gets cash into the hands of citizens.

Tourism still No. 1, but ...
A new way of calculating travelers' spending leaves Mainers out of the equation.

MAINE VOICES: End war, support domestic needs (By Chellie Pingree)
Congress should get busy on universal health care, energy reforms and a host of other issues.

ANOTHER VIEW: Unlike the editorial, LURC got it right on wind- power project
The denial of one wind power project and approval of two others show the process works.

LTE: Senators make wrong call on telecoms immunity


BANGOR DAILY NEWS:
Funds to MCCS to provide grants to rural students
The Maine Community College System board of trustees at its Wednesday meeting accepted a handful of significant gifts to the system.

National Guard unit deploys for Afghanistan
Families and friends said goodbye on Wednesday morning to 18 Maine Army National Guard soldiers before the group departed for Afghanistan.

Judge's nomination questioned
Gov. John Baldacci's chief legal counsel said Wednesday the nomination of veteran Assistant Attorney General Susan Sparaco for a District Court judgeship had "absolutely nothing" to do with her close personal relationship with Baldacci's chief of staff.

Bill targets thieves caught 'blue-handed'
As the value of Maine's blueberry crop continues to grow, so does blueberry theft, a seasonal crime that robs legitimate Washington County growers of more than $200,000 worth of fruit each year.

EDITORIAL: Don't forget the poor
As the economic crisis deepens, it's an open question whether new spending money will be put into the pockets of the poor and lower-middle economic classes.

EDITORIAL: Kids, smoke and vehicles
A bill that would ban smoking inside motor vehicles if a child under the age of 18 is in the vehicle is being considered by the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee.

Cheryl Timberlake: Maine's tax burden out of control
"Is alcohol undertaxed?" was the question posed in a Jan. 14 editorial. Quite frankly, there is nothing undertaxed in Maine.

LTEs: Wind farms; Another view of Fallujah; Stop Consolidation


MORNING SENTINEL:
Wind power a possibility for Oakland municipal buildings
OAKLAND -- Wind turbines may eventually generate power for several or all municipal buildings here, if voters authorize the town to go forward with the idea.

Shipyard union endorses Lawrence
Tom Allen, who is running for the US Senate. The other Democratic candidates are Michael Brennan of Portland, Adam Cote of Portland, Steve Meister of ...

SOMERSET COMMISSIONERS: A county without a jail?
SKOWHEGAN -- Facing a state proposal to merge county jails into a consolidated corrections system, Commissioner Philip Roy floated a "scenario" to close the Somerset jail and lay off most corrections officers.

T.J. Maxx coming to Waterville
A 25,000-square-foot T.J. Maxx clothing and home fashions store will open in the JFK Mall off Kennedy Memorial Drive in late April or early May, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday.

EDITORIAL: No immunity in domestic spying
The Senate is currently debating controversial national security legislation that would, among many other things, grant immunity to companies that cooperated with the U.S. government's warrantless wiretap operations.

COLUMN: Prosperity Committee's report overrated
With partisan gridlock appearing to hold up action on our biggest problems, bipartisan compromise is often cheered by the media and the public.

LTE: Well-planned growth better than unregulated
While we all would probably like to turn back the clocks 30 or 40 years to a simpler time, development and growth are natural and inevitable in our state.

LTE: Michaud impeachment letter is 'drivel'


KENNEBEC JOURNAL:
ELECTRONIC TRACKING: Inmate bill axed
A proposal to track low-risk inmates and probationers electronically was killed Wednesday in a legislative work session.

Hospital cost cuts still light on detail
Plans to cut costs at MaineGeneral Health, which provides the bulk of the health care in Kennebec County, are still in flux, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Maine power grid in fix-up
The Central Maine Power Co. is giving towns a heads-up about a major initiative meant to ensure the reliability of its power system.

CMP sold for $4.6B
Maine regulators on Wednesday signed off on the $4.6 billion sale of Maine-based Energy East to Spanish utility Iberdrola SA in a deal that affects 3 million customers from New York to Maine.

LTE: Attend your local caucus and raise your voice
The nation, and the world, is looking at the upcoming presidential caucuses and primaries. Americans of all parties will come together in their various cities and towns and choose a candidate to take this nation into the future.


MPBN:
Landlords Leaving Tenants in the Cold
In Maine the cost of home heating oil is up a dollar and nine cents a gallon over last year. The higher prices are putting a strain on everyone. But in Auburn, it's been especially difficult for landlords and tenants who live in apartment buildings. As Susan Sharon reports, some landlords are simply giving up and leaving their tenants in the cold.

Studies Find Teacher Absenteesim Detrimental to Students
It's no secret that student learning can suffer when regular teachers are absent from the classroom. But new research is verifying that most substitute teachers cannot maintain the same quality of instruction. Teacher absenteeism, found to be on the increase nationwide, may be more costly than previously thought for both students and school districts. The President of the Maine Principals Association says there's ample evidence that the scarcity of adequate substitutes is a growing problem in Maine. Keith McKeen reports.

Pollsters Say Strategy Change Needed in Allen Senate Campaign
As Senator Susan Collins and 1st District Congressman Tom Allen inch closer to a center stage showdown in Maine's political arena, two pollsters from opposing political parties agree that Allen must change his strategy for defeating the Republican incumbent. They say that means relying less on Iraq policy as the cornerstone of his campaign. Now that apparent gains from the troop surge in Iraq may have made the war less objectionable for many Maine voters. But as A.J. Higgins reports, Allen remains confident that Iraq is the flashpoint issue that distinguishes him from his opponent.

Celtics Development Team Proposed for Portland
The owners of Oxford Hills Speedway have joined forces with several former coaches of the Boston Celtics in an effort to bring a minor league basketball team to southern Maine. As Keith Shortall reports, the goal is to establish a franchise of the NBA development league, that takes a page out of the play book of the city's highly succesful minor league baseball operation, the Portland Sea Dogs.


LEWISTON SUN JOURNAL:
Lansley bill would ensure no state tax on federal rebate
Mainers won't have to pay state income tax on any money they might receive from President George W. Bush's proposed economic stimulus plan.


TIMES RECORD:
Recession, rhetoric vs. reality
Careful to avoid mention of the word "recession" in announcing conceptual plans for a $145 billion "economic stimulus package," the president tried to diagnose a fast-moving and widespread infection of the U.S. economy as a case of the hiccups — one that could be cured by his favorite "shot in the arm," tax cuts.

Shenna Bellows: Don't let Congress set telecom rats free
Anyone who thought our civil liberties problems would disappear when control of Congress switched from Republican to Democrat has experienced a rude awakening.

Opinion: Better than 'average'
As a battered economy's impact on state finances elevates desperation levels under the capitol dome, Medicaid has become a prime target for cuts.

State budget takes another hit
November tax receipts lag $11.7 million behind projections; more cuts anticipated

School merger debate focuses on local control
The majority leaders in the House and Senate are supporting an amendment to the school consolidation law that would give more control to local school committees by keeping the union form of governance — a move that likely will lead to a legislative floor fight with no clear winner in sight.

LTE: Bush's Mideast visit
Last week the Feckless Leader visited Israel for the first time since he was governor of Texas, when he was helicoptered by Ariel Sharon to look at and approve its grabbing more land from Arabs to move in Jews.


YORK WEEKLY:
Region officials discuss York Toll Plaza in Ogunquit
Turnpike and regional public officials will meet today to discuss studies that looked at how many cars avoid the York Toll Plaza by taking Route 1.

How the Maine caucuses work
YORK — Unlike New Hampshire, Maine residents cannot vote in the opposite party's caucus.


MAINE COAST NOW:
Sen. Collins says make healthcare the focus
CAMDEN — If U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, were in charge of the Senate, she would spend the next several months tackling the healthcare crisis.

Rights are being eroded
The subject for this column is the pending vote in the U.S. Senate to provide retroactive immunity to telephone companies from lawsuits brought by states or citizens who believe their legal privacy rights were violated.

Consolidation repeal petition fails
The petition effort to repeal Maine's school district consolidation law appears to have missed the mark. We are glad. While the law on the books is imperfect, various amendments are being worked upon. We all need this process to move ahead, not fall back.


ELLSWORTH AMERICAN:
State's Money Woes Worsen
With December revenues coming in $11.7 million below an already pared-down forecast, the only question now is how deep the budget hole will be.

Tax Hike a Possibility in Bucksport
At a Jan. 17 meeting, the Town Council set a 2.5 percent local share tax increase as the budget target for the upcoming fiscal year.

Amendment to Consolidation Law Occasions a Likely Floor Fight
AUGUSTA — The majority leaders in the House and Senate are supporting an amendment to the school consolidation law that would give more control to local school committees by keeping the union form of governance.

EDITORIAL: Whacking Hospitals Again
All Maine citizens are sympathetic to the plight facing Governor John Baldacci and other authority figures in Augusta as they search for ways to address the state's budget shortfall. Everyone understands that, to a great extent, they are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. But the reality is that some of the proposals emanating from the Statehouse may result in more, rather than less, harm to Maine citizens. The $20-million cut in Medicaid reimbursement to hospital-based doctors, a component of the Governor's supplemental budget, is a case in point.

EDITORIAL: Free Trade, Immigration Are Connected
Immigration promises to be a major issue of debate in this election year. Across the nation, many voices in favor of restrictive immigration are calling for building a 300-mile border fence, or criminalizing the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

LTE: We Need Paper Ballots in 2008


Baltimore Sun Journal:
Maine senator runs afoul of PFAW
On the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade , People for the American Way, the liberal interest group, is going after Sen. Susan Collins, the moderate Maine Republican, for siding with the Bush administration on judicial nominees.

New York Times:
Kathleen Turner: Hold Susan Collins Accountable for the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has lurched far to the right in recent years, as President Bush has nominated Justices favored by the most conservative elements of the Republican Party. This shift has occurred in large part because moderate Republicans have voted in virtual lockstep with the administration on judicial nominations.

BLOGS:
Wednesday Briefs: MAINE
While Congressman Tom Allen opposes warrantless wiretapping and retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies complicit in such activities, Susan Collins supports letting the telecomm companies off the hook for their role in illegal wiretapping, like a good Bushie.

Collins Watch: NYT: Collins Huge Disappointment
The New York Times weighs in with a web editorial blasting Sen. Collins:

Collins Watch: Telco Immunity
Back in October, I wondered about the junior senator's position on granting retroactive immunity to telco companies who illegally disclosed customer records.

Politicker ME: For Senate candidates, campaign logistics coming together
Tom Allen's campaign has been in full swing for months. Susan Collins' campaign, however, is just starting to move into their Portland office.

Politicker ME: ALLEN CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP TEAM
PORTLAND - The campaign of Tom Allen for U.S. Senate today announced its team of senior leadership and consultants. Allen's team is led by people with vast experience and records of success in political campaigns, deep roots and extensive work in Maine.

Turn Maine Blue: Why Grant Retroactive Immunity to the Telecoms?
Today's Portland Press Herald has piece by Jonathan Kaplan regarding a bill that obsteneibly would update the FISA law (first enacted in 1978) to reflect advances in communications technology. Because of the nature of surviellence, a special court was created to hear the Fed's case in secret, a court that could grant warrants allowing the government to intercept certain communications.


FOSTER'S DAILY DEMOCRAT:
Sen. Collins tells Noble Middle School students to aspire to achieve dreams
Sen. Susan Collins visited Noble Middle School last week and spoke with eighth-graders who recently completed their study of the United States government.