Maine News for Thursday, March 27, 2008

Portland Press Herald

Biologists seek clues as bats die off
The cause and effect of thousands of deaths this winter raise concerns throughout the Northeast.

Reduction in federal grant hits state drug agency hard
Maine's force in the fight against trafficking will lose officers and prosecutors to a federal funding cut. More >

Maine appears in line to get Real ID reprieve
Gov. Baldacci's letter to Homeland Security could stave off travel restrictions for the state's residents.

1st District candidates take aim at each other
Election 2008: The U.S. House race gets more heated as seven would-be representatives question their foes -- regardless of affiliation.

Joining MaineHealth could benefit SMMC
The medical center looks to maintain a community feel while gaining access to valuable resources.

Region lags on warming goals
Despite some progress, environmental groups warn of big changes if states don't do more.

Gloom and ... boon?
From first-time home buyers to tourism businesses, downturn has an upside.

State museum to close Sundays if budget is cut
State House: Lawmakers continue deliberating the supplemental plan today.

Many Mainers in hurry to acquire passports
With travel requirements becoming stricter and the state in a possible Real ID fight, the rush is on.

Ex-Portland mayor tapped to be N.H. transportation chief
George Campbell, who moved to Portsmouth in 2006, held the same post in Maine in the early '80s.

Editorial: Real ID waiver's not the only thing feds owe Maine
Privacy matters aren't the major issue, which revolves around who antes up $200 million.

Column: Susan A. GendronSpecial ed students need consistency
The standards shouldn't include or exclude them depending on where they happen to live.

Bangor Daily News
Committee OKs tribes' exclusion from access law
Thursday, March 27, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The state Judiciary Committee Tuesday voted to exempt Maine's Indian tribes from the state law that requires government agencies to give members of the public access to documents.

Got 'Maine Fresh Milk'?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - In an effort to persuade members of the Legislature's Agriculture Committee to pass a bill that would put a 'Maine Fresh Milk' label on milk produced and sold in Maine, a former panel member went restaurant-hopping Wednesday.

Government reviews Baldacci Real ID letter
Thursday, March 27, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it is working with Maine and is encouraged by the efforts of the state’s leaders to move forward with procedures called for within the Real ID Act, which establishes national standards for state-issued driver's licenses.

Tests show high level of E. coli in St. Croix River
Thursday, March 27, 2008
ST. STEPHEN, New Brunswick - The river that serves as the international boundary between New Brunswick and Maine has high levels of E. coli, according to a local watchdog environmental agency.

Speakers at UCB focus on energy
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Two area academics upset some widespread beliefs about energy at a talk Tuesday morning at University College.

Editorial:Playing with Toxins

Thursday, March 27, 2008
Few would dispute that Americans now live in a toxic soup, with synthetic chemicals falling from the sky, leaching into drinking water, injected or absorbed in food, and emanating from materials in our homes and offices.

Kennebec Journal
Economic woes cutting into history
AUGUSTA -- The Maine State Museum would have to close on Sundays if budget cuts under consideration are approved by lawmakers.

AUGUSTA School Board approves smaller budget 18 positions cut, including some filled by teachers
AUGUSTA -- School board members unanimously approved a $28.1 million school budget Wednesday that cuts 18 positions, including elementary school teachers, custodians, an assistant principal and special-education teachers.

MAINE DELAY ON REAL ID
Maine travelers may dodge the threat of being unable to use their driver's licenses for security identification at airports this spring.

MAINE Slump not always bad news
About a 45-minute drive from Portland, on a quiet tree-lined road in Limington, sits one of the hidden bright spots in this gloomy economy.

Feds trip Mainers' travel plans
WATERVILLE -- The clash between the state and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over identification requirements is fueling a rush on passport applications as Mainers seek to avoid hitches in their travel plans.

Tax break eyed for wind farm
FARMINGTON -- Franklin County commissioners are considering a tax break for a $220 million wind farm project near the Canadian border.

State Budget blog

UPDATE: House passes budget 82-63 03/26/08

Statehouse Reporter Susan Cover will follow House and Senate budget debates all week, so check back for frequent updates on what's going on at the Statehouse.

Columns: KAY RAND : King's laptop legacy still reaps student benefits
Every governor who has ever served the state of Maine -- probably those who've served other states, too -- would confirm that at least one initiative becomes so associated with you that it is used against you as a bargaining chip amid repeated claims that "the governor is just concerned about his legacy."

JIM BRUNELLE : Legislature should honor state's anti-gambling vote
Imagine this scenario: Two items appear on a statewide referendum ballot, one to allow a big casino operation sponsored by Indian tribes to be established in, say, southern Maine, and the second to allow slot machines into one of the state's commercial horse racing tracks (Bangor Raceway, as it turns out). The first item is decisively rejected by voters and the second is narrowly approved.

Letters:
State workers paid less than same in public sector
Tarren Bragdon (Maine Compass, March 25) repackages his familiar call to cut state workers' pay and benefits. The problem: his numbers lie.

4th-grader weighs in on smoking in car with child
I agree with you about passing this decree of no smoking in a child-accompanied automobile. Smoking is very unfavorable to not only the person who tries one but also to everyone around. The sacrifice and cost of tobacco is extremely high.

Sun Journal
Maine Senate OKs bill for interlocks
AUGUSTA (AP) - More of Maine's convicted drunken drivers may be installing devices that measure the alcohol on their breath before they drive again.

Getting lead out 'a noble thought'
AUGUSTA - New legislation that would establish renovation standards for older homes and create a voluntary lead-safe housing registry has drawn skepticism from landlords and Lewiston code enforcement officials.

Effort to reduce inspections rejected
AUGUSTA (AP) - It appears that a bill that would have doubled the time between required safety inspections for Maine cars and noncommercial trucks will not pass.

Letters: Talk of secession in Roxbury
Few people are aware of the massive construction project necessary to erect wind turbines.

MPBN
Home Energy Audits Recommended for Saving Heat

As oil prices skyrocket, many Mainers are trying to find ways to stretch their seasonal heating budgets. While some homeowners are looking at alternative energy sources, there are those who believe that the first priority should be to conserve heat. And the best way to find out where heat may be getting waisted, they say, is through a home energy audit. Murray Carpenter tagged along on such an audit recently in Damariscotta, and prepared this report.

Municipal Officals Facing Stressed Budgets

The economic downturn that's wreaking havoc on Mainers' household budgets is also having a serious ripple effect on local government coffers. Lean budgets are forcing municipalities to delay vital projects. But as Keith McKeen reports, some towns and cities are facing greater obstacles than others.

PolitickerME
CD1 candidates debate in Portland

OPEGA cuts cause divisiveness in budget debate

MHPC back on Ethics Commission’s agenda

State Senate approves bill for in-car alcohol testing

Maine News for Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Portland Press Herald

Democrats motivated to vote on budget
State House: If they pass a budget quickly and adjourn, cuts could take effect in late June.

Plan to gut watchdog agency draws GOP fire
The state Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability is in line for a $1.2 million cut.

Truckers plan State House protest against cost of diesel

The mortgage squeeze: Adjustable rates are creating a crisis for subprime borrowers
As their mortgage costs rise along with prices for daily necessities, more Mainers struggle to keep their homes.

Pine Tree Legal gets funds to fight foreclosures
Lawyers say homeowners facing foreclosure need to act quickly.

Tax hikes likely even with cuts in spending
Projects such as road repairs will have to wait as communities struggle to balance budgets.

Editorial:

Special ed law should define education broadly
Not all disabilities that prevent a child from succeeding show up on reading or math tests.

State building standards should be enforced locally
All but the smallest cities and towns should work to make a uniform building code the law.

Column: Tarren BragdonMaine Medicaid program far more generous than almost all others
If the state merely conformed to national averages, we would save $146 million.

Bangor Daily News

Groups opposing LNG pipeline
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Several government agencies and Washington County residents have responded critically to Downeast LNG's intended pipeline route to connect its proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Robbinston to an existing pipeline in Baileyville.

Maine Arts Commission seeks design for UM plaza
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
ORONO, Maine - The Maine Arts Commission is calling on professional artists to submit proposals to design, execute and install artwork at the University of Maine's Cloke Plaza.

Maine leads nation in novelty-lighter ban
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - While in a small southern Maine grocery store with his mother last June 12 to buy sandwiches, Shane St. Pierre picked up a miniature baseball bat and flicked the switch to see what would happen.

Bethel soldier killed in Iraq
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
BETHEL, Maine - A 22-year-old soldier from Bethel has become the latest Maine service member killed in Iraq. Army Pvt. Tyler J. Smith died Friday of wounds received when his forward base near Baghdad received indirect fire.

Decline of bees stings growers
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
ORONO, Maine - As beekeepers across the country continue to lose beehives at unprecedented rates and as Maine's blueberry, strawberry and other crop farmers pay higher prices for migratory bee services, key research is taking place at the University of Maine.

Editorials:ClickBack on Lottery

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
This week, the Bangor Daily News' interactive commentary feature ClickBack seeks readers' thoughts on the Iraq War, new lottery tickets and summer vacation.

Kennebec Journal:
Funds for private high schools on chopping block
A tight budget forcing public school districts to cut back could spell trouble for a handful of private high schools in Maine that serve students whose tuition is funded by public money.

Watchdog office faces downsizing
AUGUSTA -- A proposal to significantly cut funding to the state's independent government watchdog office is drawing sharp criticism.

Heating-oil aid group to raise money year-round
AUGUSTA -- An informal group of social-service agencies and charities working together to help people with heating costs has decided to work year-round to raise money and enhance their effectiveness.

AUGUSTA: Job cuts set
AUGUSTA -- A proposed $28.1 million school budget, which cuts 18 staff positions, goes to the Board of Education for a vote Wednesday.

Colby to install new siren
WATERVILLE -- Colby College, in a move to bolster its ability to alert students and faculty to emergencies, has purchased a siren system once part of the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant early warning system.

Editorials:
4,000 deaths in 5 years, but no end in sight
Last week marked the fifth anniversary of America's invasion of Iraq. Sunday, the full human cost of that conflict was demonstrated when the day's death toll brought the total American service members and Defense Department employee deaths in Iraq to 4,000.

Columns:
TARREN BRAGDON : Without layoffs, fewer state employees would save $200M
In many ways, the Kennebec Journal's March 21st editorial was right on the money. Maine does indeed need a "steadfast commitment to fiscal conservatism and a new approach" if it is ever to turn around its economy and create a brighter future.

DAVID B. OFFER : We must not be numb to Iraq war news
Soldiers die; the news is reported in small articles inside the newspaper.

Sun Journal:
Hearing next week on plan for casino in Oxford County
AUGUSTA - Mainers will have the opportunity to tell lawmakers how they feel about a proposed casino in Oxford County at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 2. That's when a public hearing is scheduled before the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee addressing the latest bid to build a casino in the state.

Editorial: Trusting your gut on ethics
If lawmakers gave the same amount of scrutiny to all legislation, as they have to ethics reform, Maine would boast the most informed, enlightened - but not necessarily efficient - representative government in all the land.

Columnist: Democrats promise hike in government spending
We've all seen or heard about them. Perhaps they are friends or family members who have demonstrated financial irresponsibility: a college student who has a budget and quickly exceeds it on wild partying; a cousin or best friend who asks for a "loan" and then never pays it back; people whose credit cards are maxed out and they can't afford the finance charges.

Letters: Taxing tobacco
There is a proposal to add 50 cents to the cigarette tax to help fund the DirigoChoice program. I realize that it will affect people with low incomes the most, as people, like myself, with low incomes will spend a higher percentage of their income on increases in taxes like that one. However, I support that tax increase because it will provide health care to many who can't afford it on their own.

Regulate oil prices
With the price of a sweet crude oil barrel climbing to more than $110, with no end in sight, some predict gasoline will cost $3.50 per gallon by July 4. That would be economic travesty.

MPBN:
Casinos Prosper While Lotteries Suffer
A weakening economy didn't prevent New England gamblers from attending casinos in record breaking numbers during the fourth quarter of last year. That's the finding of research in Massachusetts. But while gamblers flock to casinos, state lotteries, on the other hand, are reporting a shortage of players and a decline in revenue. Keith McKeen reports.

Bowdoin to Offset Carbon Emissions with Wind Power
Bowdoin College has announced a three-year agreement to buy so-called renewable energy certificates, or REC's, from the owner of the Mars Hill Wind farm in Aroostook County. Barbara Carridi reports.

PolitickerME:
Whither OPEGA?

Maine News for Monday, March 24, 2008

Portland Press Herald
State building code finally has industry backing
State House: Lack of a statewide code has been cited as an obstacle to contractor licensing.

Senate race rivals kept busy raising money during recess
Susan Collins and Tom Allen are likely to spend a record-setting amount.

JUSTIN ELLISWhere have all the young readers gone?
NXT: THE NEXT GENERATION

Deeper in debt: As expenses outstrip income, more bills are left unpaid
The number of short-term loans, bankruptcies and delinquent accounts is growing steadily.

STATE HOUSE NOTES: Mission: Save the schools

Editorial: Legislature should work for a bipartisan budget
Lawmakers are close to filling a $190 million revenue shortfall without raising taxes.

OP-Ed: Former Rep. David Trahan and Rep. Peggy PendletonDon't turn lights out on state accountability Government watchdog agency is imperiled by some who would delete it by stealthy means.

Bangor Daily News
Diesel cost forces man to consider bankruptcy
Monday, March 24, 2008
HARMONY, Maine - A logging truck operator with a fleet of 10 registered trucks is losing his 35-year-old business as a consequence of skyrocketing diesel fuel prices.

Maine seeking to expand state's lottery options
Monday, March 24, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - State lottery director Dan Gwadosky says the lottery is seeking to increase revenue and change its mix of games and is using studies and focus groups to figure out what games Mainers would play and why.

Slated cuts hit private schools
Monday, March 24, 2008
Proposed cuts in the state education budget would reduce funds to private high schools in the state, although a compromise in committee would lessen the blow somewhat.

Suit against ex-lawmaker dismissed
Monday, March 24, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine - The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled in favor of a Frankfort man who sought the dismissal of a lawsuit that was filed against him when he served in the state Legislature in 2006.

Kennebec Journal
Support grows for statewide building code Current system is called a 'crazy quilt of code regimes' by Brookings think tank

AUGUSTA -- Groups that have traditionally blocked passage of a statewide building code are working together to make it happen this time around.

Plum Creek awaits more scrutiny Land Use Regulation Commission will weigh in on Moosehead region project
AUGUSTA -- After listening to hundreds of hours of testimony on the Plum Creek development concepts, the state's Land Use Regulation Commission plans to make some suggestions of its own.

Consolidation foes set to descend on Statehouse
AUGUSTA -- Opponents of the school-district consolidation law will be at the Statehouse on Wednesday to try to convince lawmakers to repeal the measure.

Editorials: Anti-hunger movement just too nice
Imagine that the nation's food banks all closed their doors.

Columns: LET IT BE SAID THAT IT ALL BEGAN RIGHT HERE, IN : We're losing fight to end hunger in U.S. Our job is not going well. Those whose nutritional well-being we care about, the children and adults for whom we advocate, are not getting our best efforts -- and certainly not what they deserve. I believe that as the nation prepares to elect a new president, perhaps one who truly cares about social justice and meaningful opportunity, we need to raise the bar substantially.

Sun Journal
Of all the agencies to cut... why this one?
In a maneuver assailed as "Midnight Madness" by Republicans, legislative budget-writers last week put the fiscal punctuation on a valuable government agency: the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

MPBN
Consensus-Driven Budget Solution Abandoned

After days of negotiations, Democrats and Republicans on the legislature's Appropriations Committee have abandoned their quest for a consensus-driven solution to balance Maine's two-year budget. That means competing budgets are likely to surface sometime next week. It also means that the majority Democratic version will likely prevail. Gov. John Baldacci has thrown his support behind the Democrats' plan because it doesn't rely on new taxes or drawing down state reserves. A.J. Higgins reports.

Real ID Showdown Brewing Between Maine and Feds

Late this afternoon, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff rejected a request by several senators, including Maine's, to grant a blanket exemption to states struggling over compliance with the controversial Real ID law. That sets the stage for a showdown between Maine and the Federal government as a March 31st deadline approaches for states to seek a extension for complying with the law. Barbara Cariddi reports.

Public Transit Boosted by High Gas Prices

The bad news is that gas prices are approaching four dollars a gallon. The good news is that it's been a banner year for Maine buses and trains. With gas at record high prices, many Mainers seem to be parking their cars, and as Murray Carpenter reports, it's part of a nationwide trend.