Maine News for Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Cost of Real ID challenged at hearing, as Maine worries about footing the bill
President Bush proposes providing just $200 million to cover the startup, but senators are told the tab could be $500 million.

House OKs bill to aid Acadia
The measure would allow the park to acquire more land and build a parking area for tourists on the mainland.

Washburn-Norlands fire spares center's crown jewel
The grand mansion remains, and the farmer's cottage and barn used by visitors will be rebuilt.

Contractor hired to rebuild stretch of I-295
A 22-mile section between Gardiner and Topsham will be closed while Pike Industries works on the three-month project.

Fed expected to cut rates again this week
The reduction could be the last for a while as the board tries to keep inflation from taking off.

Officials from York, turnpike share views on new toll plaza
An authority spokesman stresses that all options for the plaza location are being considered.

Northern Maine river levels rising
Officials and residents are keeping watch for floods after two days of rain amid the spring thaw.

Editorials:
Voter ID law reasonable if poor are protected
Elections will not be made more legitimate by a law that disenfranchises some voters.

Historic preservation itself warrants preserving
Planning staff cuts might be inevitable, but the benefits of a new state tax credit are vital, too.

ANOTHER VIEW: Measuring dropout rates uniformly only hides need to improve system
Substituting quantification for quality merely offers the appearance of action.

GREG KESICHRussian journalists struggle with 'interesting problems'
Reporters and editors are still groping to find their place in a rapidly changing society.

Bangor Daily News

Schools continue struggle with law
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
BELFAST, Maine - Some school districts are finding that recent changes to state law to remove financial barriers to consolidation aren’t making the process any easier.

Bangor extends talks with boat building firm
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - City councilors on Monday extended negotiations with a company that wants to buy a 17-acre city-owned parcel in nearby Hampden.

Flooding emergency declared in County
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci declared a State of Emergency for Aroostook County on Tuesday night, linking the declaration to flooding conditions, particularly in the Fort Kent and Wallagrass areas.

Ex-House candidate arrested in sting
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
ORONO, Maine - In a sting similar to those seen on TV's 'To Catch a Predator" series on "Dateline,' Orono police have charged a 44-year-old man with attempted gross sexual assault for soliciting what he believed was a 13-year-old boy.

Heavy rains prove problematic for harness horsemen
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - This week’s heavy rain is proving problematic for several harness horsemen who are using the stables at Bangor Raceway.

Editorials:
Tribal Gamble
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Gov. John Baldacci's veto of Penobscot Nation plans to install slot machines on Indian Island has grabbed headlines. But tribal frustration with state officials goes way beyond gambling.

Behind the Iraq News
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Back during the unpopular Vietnam war, the Pentagon ran 10-day junkets to the war zone to persuade news reporters as well as some public officials that the war was going well.

Brett D. Baber: Recognizing the rule of American law
On May 1 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Law Day, created in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower as a 'day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.'

Kathleen Parker: It's hard to woo people you don't love
In the days leading up to Pennsylvania's primary, white males — those knuckle-dragging, chaw-chompin', beer-swillin', bitter troglodytes - were suddenly the debutante's delight.

Kennebec Journal

National Weather Service issues warning for those living near the Kennebec River; 17-to-18-foot crest is expected today
AUGUSTA --The Kennebec River was expected to rise above the 12-foot flood stage in Augusta on Tuesday and continue to crest to 17 to 18 feet this morning, according to the National Weather Service in Gray.

A more perfect union?
Eight towns are making significant progress toward the development of a regional school unit, according to school officials.

(Mil)foiled again
Several Maine municipalities and organizations benefited from a tripling of grants aimed at stopping invasive plants in inland waterways.

Pellet mills retool state's aging wood industry
ATHENS -- The state's third wood-pellet mill began production two weeks ago on Route 150.

BRIEFS
AUGUSTA -- The Augusta Charter Commission meets Thursday to review the charter's rules for nominations and elections.

HALLOWELL Plan links trash, cash
HALLOWELL -- City councilors Tuesday gave informal approval for officials to develop plans to hire a single rubbish hauler and require households to pay for each container of trash they put out.

MAINE GETS 'D-PLUS' FOR ABUSE Study compares states and concludes Maine should do more to disclose information on child abuse cases
A national nonprofit agency said 15 states -- including Maine -- need "improvement" in disclosing information on fatal or near-fatal child abuse.

I-295 project detour called best option
RICHMOND -- From a podium coated in a layer of 30-year-old concrete dust, Maine Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday that both southbound lanes of Interstate 295 will be closed for reconstruction this summer.

Editorials:
Plotting a course for the North Woods
You have a chance to help shape the future of almost half the state of Maine.

Columns:
MICHAEL S. HEATH : The cost of rejecting natural law
The gardener digging in the cool, dark earth can see that each green, tender shoot springs up in pursuit of warmth and light. The warmth and light they seek comes from another world, a world that is high above them. What warmth and light are to a young plant, human reason is to the life of man. It too comes from high above us, as does the gift of divine revelation.

GEORGE SMITH : It's a corn, corn, corn, corn world
We are the corn people. We are made of corn, surrounded by corn, totally dependent on corn. We belong to the Clan of the Corn Stalkers.

Sun Journal

Petitioners look to repeal new license legislation
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Tuesday his office had received a people's veto application that could launch a referendum drive to overturn newly enacted legislation to tighten standards for getting a Maine driver's license.

Cianchette gets OK
PORTLAND (AP) - The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Bush's nomination of businessman Peter Cianchette of South Portland as ambassador to Costa Rica.

Emergency declared for Aroostook floods
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci declared a State of Emergency for Aroostook County on Tuesday night, linking the declaration to flooding conditions, particularly in the Fort Kent and Wallagrass areas.

Group protests Collins' lack of stand on Colombia deal
LEWISTON (AP) - A coalition of activist groups is calling on Sen. Susan Collins to take a position on a proposed free trade agreement with Colombia.

Editorial
Salary games
We're tired of the gamesmanship between the Androscoggin County commissioners and sheriff's office.

Christianity out of step with Jesus' teachings
James Lawson is out of step with modern Christianity.

Letters:
The high cost of high prices
This recession is caused by high prices for everything. As soon as senior citizens get a raise in Social Security, rent rates go up, the price of food goes up and so does everything else. So, we do not have any more money than before the raise.

MPBN
Congressman Allen Turns Down Challenger's Debate Request
Voters waiting for U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen to go head-to-head with his only challenger in the Democratic primary, Tom Ledue, will be disappointed. Allen, who now represents Maine's First District in Congress, has turned down all requests for debates, including one with MPBN scheduled for May 22nd. Campaign spokeswoman Carol Andrews says none of the debates could be worked into Allen's schedule.

Major Highway Construction Plan Detailed
The Maine Department of Transportation today unveiled plans for a major construction project this summer on a heavily-traveled 18 mile southbound stretch of Interstate-295. The two-and-a-half month project from June 15th to August 30 will require the complete shutdown of southbound lanes from West Gardiner to Topsham. Traffic will be forced onto either the Maine Turnpike or Route 201. While acknowledging the construction will cause traffic tie-ups and other inconveniences, transportation officials say it's the safest and least disruptive option. Keith McKeen reports.

York Toll Plaza Dispute Drags On
In a meeting that occasionally turned heated, board members of the Maine Turnpike Authority tried to persuade about 30 residents and selectmen of York today that no final decisions have been made about a proposal to relocate and expand the York Toll Plaza. Opponents are angry about a process that they say has been one-sided and highly-charged. And as Susan Sharon reports, they're asking the board to do things: be more accountable and consider keeping the toll plaza at its current location.

PolitickerME
Bennett eyes GOP National Committeeman seat

Paul delegates promise a presence at state convention

Cianchette confirmed

Maine News for Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Portland Press Herald
For beer brewers, there is a limit
As the cost of supplies rises, Maine brewers must be aware of a new production-based tax.

Truckers call for lawmakers to act on fuel prices
At least eight drivers from Maine and their families join in the noisy protest.

Maine incomes outpaced by health insurance costs
But the nation as a whole had a bigger disparity, data from 2001 to 2005 show.

Gas prices may send blueberry profits up in smoke
Growers must burn fields, and the need for fuel is creating an early deficit.

EDWARD D. MURPHY Door's open for older Maine job seekers

Robert Baldacci forms new firm

Editorial
Turnpike panel wrestles with toll fairness, loses
It's not the members' fault they couldn't solve a problem that may have no equitable answer.

RON BANCROFT Legislature's last-minute shenanigans hurt Mainers
The only good news is that without Reps. Fischer and Valentino and their Republican colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, it would have been worse.

ADAM COTE, Special to the Press Herald
Leadership, diplomacy will get us out of Iraq
We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in.

Bangor Daily News
Study lauds Maine health care solutions
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
It's no news that the cost of health insurance is out of reach for many families, but a new report from a respected national organization adds urgency to the search for a national solution.

Truckers reeling from high fuel costs rally in D.C.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
WASHINGTON - Horns blaring in a deafening fanfare, a convoy of truck drivers, including many from Maine, traveled to Washington on Monday to protest record fuel prices.

Editorial
Better Job Loss Benefits
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Despite talk of human rights, drug trafficking and tariffs, the political battle over the Colombia free trade pact is, in part, about taking care of those who are thought to lose their jobs because of increased foreign competition.

Marooned Middle Class
Monday, April 28, 2008
Some 80 percent of Americans define themselves as middle class. Though that self-assessment is most likely grossly inaccurate, it is telling.

Obama appears to take social values seriously
Beware of the campaign sound bite. Candidates live and die by clever one-liners. In Barack Obama's case, it is especially discouraging to see a candidate criticized for an off-the-cuff comment that hardly does justice to his own earlier and more careful reflections.

Kennebec Journal

New dog license law takes bite out of evaders' wallets
Hundreds of dogs in Maine communities go unlicensed every year, creating a massive amount of paperwork for town clerks, adding extra hours for overworked animal control officers and placing an extra burden on the court system.

Local doctor tells of health care beyond America's borders
AUGUSTA -- Working as a medical doctor overseas, Dr. William Alto says he has met three types of people also trying to do some good in foreign countries: missionaries, mercenaries and misfits.

Augusta traffic change weighed Study will look at Interstate 95 access issues with new cancer care center
AUGUSTA -- A major traffic study focusing on north Augusta is expected to ponder changing the Exit 113 interchange of Interstate 95 and Route 3.

Editorials:

Edging toward a farm bill
What do Caribbean trade, switchgrass, food stamps, Pacific salmon stocks and thoroughbred racehorses all have to do with each other?

Columns:

BY REP. NANCY E. SMITH : Midwives' bill is necessary and appropriate
During the 123rd Legislative session, I was actively involved in shepherding dozens of bills through the legislative process. I voted on literally hundreds more. I never imagined that the bill I sponsored in 2007 originally intended to license Certified Professional Midwives, or CPMs, would require explanation so soon after adjournment. This is one law for which I am confident the legislative process worked and the outcome was appropriate.

Sun Journal
Law changes cribbage rules
AUGUSTA (AP) - Organizations that want to host cribbage games will have a new state law to follow in July that allows them to charge higher entry fees and sets a standard annual license fee.

Blueberry growers feel pain of high fuel costs
ELLSWORTH (AP) - The high cost of fuel is being felt on more than just the state's roadways.

Saco considers residential wind turbine ordinance
SACO (AP) - Saco was the first Maine municipality to erect a city-owned wind turbine. Now it may become the city to pass an ordinance regulating residential windmills.

Hughes fined for violating Clean Election
AUGUSTA - The Maine Ethics Commission on Monday fined former legislative candidate David Hughes of Lewiston a total of $450 for Clean Election Act violations incurred during his campaign for House District 72 last fall.

Editorial
Stimulus checks are buying time
Long-awaited checks from the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 start arriving this week, either zipped electronically into bank accounts or stuffed into mailboxes in crisp, white government envelopes.

Support for children
I am writing in apprecation of Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello for her support of both the ban on the flame retardant DECA and the Kids Safe Products bills in the past year's legislative sessions.

MPBN
Weather Expected to Have Greater Impact on Tourism Than Gas Prices

Record-breaking gas prices are forcing Mainers to dig deeper into their wallets, but the escalating travel costs may hold a silver lining for the state's tourism industry. According to the American Automobile Association -- which tracks fuel prices nationally -- a gallon of unleaded gas on Monday was averaging $3.58 in Maine. But the cost of fuel is not expected to have as great an impact on the summer season as the weather will according to one toursim official. A.J. Higgins reports.

Expired Visa Progam Could Weigh on Maine Tourism

Many in the Maine tourist industry are crossing their fingers that Congress will renew the so-called H2B temporary visa program. That would allow the foreign workers Maine's hotels and restaurants depend on to return here by the time the season is in full swing. A political squabble in Congress has kept the program from being renewed, and many in the hospitality business say they're facing a worker shortage this summer. Maine's Congressional delegation is backing legislation to resolve the problem, but time is growing short. Keith McKeen reports.

Federal Government Urged to Fund Cluster Development Initiatives

Maine's boat-building industry is doing better because the boat builders talk with each other, with government, and with schools. They call it the "Northstar Alliance" and it's an example of a so-called economic cluster. Karen Mills, President of M-M-P Group, has just written a paper for Brookings, the Washington think tank, that is encouraging the federal government to get more involved in cluster development. She discussed the issue with Morning Edition Local Host Irwin Gratz.

PolitickerME

Eye on lobbying

National: Could Clinton's Pennsylvania victory be wiped out by Montana?

Maine News for Monday, April 28, 2008

Special: BDN Editorial from Weekend

Doom, gloom and taxes
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Does repeating something often enough make it true? That's what some business lobbyists and conservative activists seem to be trying with their repeated assertions about the state's bad business climate.

Portland Press Herald
Maine truckers head south to join Washington protest

Gas stations feel pinch of razor-thin margins
Some owners cut operating costs and others try to sell the business as high fuel prices change customer behavior.

Enrollment slide, energy costs to drive city's school planning
The City Council may take a step toward consolidation in a vote today tied to state aid.

New law sets standard license fee for games
The rules, effective in July, will guide veterans' groups and others who want to play cribbage.

Kibby Wind work may begin in August
But the developer says challenges such as fluctuating currency rates could stand in the way.

Editorials:

Proposals to alter NCLB would be for the better
The secretary of education wants us to know how all schools compare on graduation rates.

Genetic tests shouldn't be misused for discrimination
Their value as a diagnostic tool would be greatly impaired if people feared to take them.

Letters:
Lawmakers' 'tax frenzy' unfair

Bangor Daily News

Lawmakers explore expanding Net access
Monday, April 28, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - With a quarter of Maine households without relatively inexpensive broadband access, the Legislature’s Utilities Committee has asked the University of Maine System to set up a study group to look at ways to maximize the uses of its ITV system to provide access.

Lincoln: Maine truckers hoping for Capitol 'miracle'
Monday, April 28, 2008
LINCOLN, Maine - Truckers embarking upon an 800-mile journey to Washington, D.C., sought a repeat of one of the Bible's biggest miracles before they got under way early Sunday.

Hannaford offers overseas surgery option
Monday, April 28, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine - As more Americans choose to have medical procedures performed at lower cost outside the U.S., Hannaford Bros. has begun offering to employees the option of getting hip and knee replacements at a hospital in Singapore.

Hundreds of volunteers turn out for annual Acadia park cleanup
Monday, April 28, 2008
BAR HARBOR, Maine - Every April, hundreds of volunteers take to the streets and roads of Mount Desert Island, sacrificing a few precious Saturday hours to preserve the beauty around Maine's only national park.

Fuel costs worry blueberry growers
Monday, April 28, 2008
ELLSWORTH, Maine - The annual ritual of burning blueberry fields has been in full swing in recent weeks, but as growers go through the necessary process, they may be watching potential profits disappear with the thick, black smoke.

Energy expert: Earth can avert catastrophe
Monday, April 28, 2008
WISCASSET, Maine - The technology needed to reduce the use of fossil fuels is available today, but the world needs to commit to it if people want to prevent global warming.

Editorials:
Marooned Middle Class
Monday, April 28, 2008
Some 80 percent of Americans define themselves as middle class. Though that self-assessment is most likely grossly inaccurate, it is telling.

Trains Trending North
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Legislature's passage of a bill to fund an expansion of rail service could hasten the return of trains as a viable freight and passenger transportation option in southern and coastal Maine.

Katrina Bisheimer: Don't shift the cost of war to Iraqis
Sen. Susan Collins has endorsed legislation that would restrict future reconstruction dollars to loans instead of grants in an effort to make Baghdad pay for more of the costs of the U.S. combat mission and reconstruction in Iraq.

Matthew Arnett: It's time to reform medical insurance
About a month ago BDN columnist Dr. Erik Steele said it was about time we find ways to cut medical costs. Then a couple weeks later he made two suggestions, stop unnecessary blood transfusions and find a way to get the best medical practice information to physicians a lot faster.

Kennebec Journal

Section 8 clients hard hit by rising prices
WINSLOW -- Joseph Toy is grateful for the housing subsidy he gets for his small one-bedroom apartment on East Vigue Street.

New law for cribbage games
AUGUSTA -- Veterans' groups and others who want to host cribbage games will have a new state law to follow in July that allows them to charge a higher entry fee and sets a standard annual license fee.

HUNGER DISCUSSION ESCALATES
AUGUSTA -- A Blaine House dinner scheduled for May 6 will focus on the problem of childhood hunger in Maine.

Editorials:
Cybercommerce lets in thieves of 21st century
The theft of 4.2 million Hannaford Bros. customers' credit and debit card account numbers this past winter was neither the first, nor will it be the last, massive data compromise to hit Maine consumers.

Letters:

We should focus on issues that matter to families
A few weeks ago, the Maine Christian Civic League announced another voter petition drive. This should trouble all Mainers concerned about our families and children.

Film company discount better than no business
As a long-time Farmington business owner, I am alarmed and concerned to find that a project with so much potential to provide badly needed economic stimulus to Franklin County, Rusti-cator Pictures production of the forthcoming Independent film, "Tum-bledown," is being seen as requesting, rather than providing, money to our state.

Nurse practioners had to fight, just as midwives
I was surprised to see the column (April 25) against midwives by a nurse practitioner.

Please don't sign Heath's anti-gay petition
I'm writing in response to the anti-gay referendum proposed by Michael Heath and his so-called "Christian Civic League."

Sun Journal
McGowan denies he helped hunters to locate moose
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan says a disgruntled former state worker was the source of an allegation that he broke the law by using his personal float plane to help moose hunters spot prey last fall.

Editorial:
Wisdom among the wildness
Often, the Maine Legislature is chided for wrong decisions in the frantic, waning hours of its session. Last week, however, seven members of the Appropriations Committee showed wisdom is possible, despite wildness.

Column:

The Pennsylvania primary turned on Democratic base
Hillary Clinton's solid Pennsylvania primary victory may stem more from Democratic demographics than anything that happened in the bitter six-week campaign leading up to it.

MPBN:

Maine's Health Care Spending Second Highest in the Nation
A new state health plan released today concludes that Maine's per capita health care spending is the second highest in the nation and that Mainers rely on out-patient and emergency room services more than most other New England residents. The Baldacci administration's 2008-2009 State Health Plan identifies several factors affecting the growth of health care expenses. As A.J. Higgins reports, state health policy experts say Mainers can -- and must -- do their part to control spending.

Battle of the Woods Brewing in Northern Maine
It's shaping up to be the next big battle over Maine's north woods. And this time it's not over clearcutting regulations or a big development project. It's about fundamental priorities for planning in the 10.5 million acres that make up Maine's unorganized territories. At issue is the Land Use Regulation Commission's proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan, commonly known as CLUP. It's been ten years since the last CLUP was adopted. And LURC staff say much has changed since then. They've identified what they see as the biggest potential threats to the region and strategies for curbing them. But as Susan Sharon reports, large landowners and some sportsman say the CLUP itself is the biggest threat to the North Woods.

PolitickerME

Wally Edge: 7 jump OFF the cliff
You have to love the end of session in the Maine State Legislature. In the final 24 hours, they raised taxes on beer, soda and health insurance.

Maine News for Friday, April 25, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Baldacci's pocket veto of gaming bill criticized
A Pittsfield lawmaker says the decision shows how out of touch the governor is with Maine's citizens.

Romney to headline state GOP gathering
The presidential nomination is 'sewn up,' but platform discussions could yield good debate, a lawmaker says.

Clerks foresee problems in budget balloting
School referendum rules will make it virtually impossible for many absentee ballots to arrive on time to be counted, they contend.

Gas bargains hard to come by
Mainers find slightly cheaper fuel in New Hampshire and look for decent deals closer to home.

Editorial

'Familial DNA' proves to be vital tool of justice
Identifying criminals using freely given samples from relatives is not a major invasion of privacy.

Hannaford making real effort to protect customers' credit cards
But one chain can't solve this problem all by itself; changes are needed nationwide.

Kennebunkport offers improved deal to protesters
Changes to a proposed mass-gathering ordinance fit the First Amendment better.

M.D. HARMONGlobal warming policies will hit our economy hard
Ever wonder why so few stories relate the cost of these measures? Because the truth hurts – a lot.

Letters:
State's legislative leaders are too quick to raise taxes

Dirigo was noble idea but it hasn't worked

Minimum wage harms the most vulnerable employees

Bangor Daily News
Orono: UM gets $12.9M federal contract
Friday, April 26, 2008
ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine has received a $12.9 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to take the secure shipping containers developed in the campus laboratory to the marketplace.

Old pumps not made for new fuel prices
Friday, April 26, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Consumers are not alone in trying to keep up with the soaring cost of fuel. Older-model gasoline and diesel fuel pumps can't keep up, either, and the state has issued emergency rules to keep the fuel flowing.

LURC gathering public comments on its vision for Maine's North Woods
Friday, April 26, 2008
State regulators will travel throughout the state during the next two weeks to hear resident' views on the top issues facing Maine’s Unorganized Territory and how best to balance competing uses within the region.

Guard members working on border
Friday, April 26, 2008
Forty-five Maine Army National Guard soldiers recently returned from a three-week engineering mission on the Mexican border, and nearly 100 more guardsmen will depart for a similar mission within the next month.

Editorial:
Medicaid and Mirrors
Friday, April 26, 2008
It has long been clear that the Bush administration didn't have logic on its side as it tried to limit states' flexibility in extending health insurance to moderate-income children.

Job security through solidarity
May Day, the international day of labor solidarity, is coming up and it’s a good time for workers in eastern Maine to reflect on their employment.

Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA Romney to keynote state GOP gathering Columnist Cal Thomas also likely to appear at next weekend's meeting
AUGUSTA -- Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will headline the Maine Republican Party State Convention next weekend in Augusta.

On Maine Politics

Check out the GOP platform 04/24/08

Drivers search for cheaper gas
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, cars and trucks were lining up at the pumps at BJ's Wholesale Club gas station on Woodbury Avenue.

BRIEFS
GARDINER -- The Maine Technology Institute will hand out $25 million to $30 million in grants by September, institute officials said.

Editorials:
Lay midwives should not give medications New law gives potentially dangerous drugs to minimally trained home-birth helpers
In the old days -- by that, we mean the 1940s and 1950s -- childbirth was a pretty cold, clinical and over-medicated affair.

Columns:
GORDON SMITH : Beverage tax increase for Dirigo targets unhealthy behaviors
As a member of the 2006 Blue Ribbon Commission on Dirigo Health representing Maine's physicians, the Kennebec Journal editorial of April 17, titled, "Democrats slip in tax increases with night vote," was of great interest to me.

L. SANDY MAISEL : Keep 1980 Democratic primary votes in mind as '08 winds down
The Pennsylvania primary was a pivotal event in the Democratic nominating process -- in 1980.

Sun Journal
Lawmaker criticizes veto of bill
AUGUSTA (AP) - A Pittsfield lawmaker criticized Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday for refusing to sign a gaming bill sent to him at the close of this year's legislative sessions.

Resort sees cooking grease as fuel
CARRABASSETT VALLEY (AP) - Sugarloaf ski resort is expanding a program to run its off-road vehicles on a fuel that includes cooking grease.

High court sides with school panel
PORTLAND (AP) - Maine's highest court Thursday struck down a judge's ruling that required the Portland School Committee to allow a local newspaper to examine notes taken during an executive session last summer.

Ellsworth American
Freedom of Access Ruling Overturned
Maine's highest court has dealt a blow to one of the state's biggest newspaper groups. The Supreme Judicial Court has thrown out a ruling made last year which granted Blethen Newspapers access to notes taken during an executive session of the Portland School Committee. The media group says the decision violates the Freedom of Access law, and interferes with the public's right-to-know.

UMaine Receives Another Major Research Grant

The University of Maine has been awarded a 13 million dollar federal grant to continue development of a new type of secure cargo container. It's the second major research and development grant awarded to the school in as many weeks, and as Keith Shortall reports, Senator Susan Collins sees R & D as a niche that Maine cannot afford to let pass by.

Needed! Skilled Workers

As Baby-Boomers begin to retire, Maine employers are having trouble finding skilled workers these days. That's the conclusion of a study by the Maine Department of Labor. But Mainers who tune up their work skills or devleop new ones may find that in the future, the "sky's the limit." Keith McKeen reports.

Ellsworth American
Legislators Approve $210M in Bonds To Close Out Session

Statehouse News Service

AUGUSTA — Timing proved to be everything for those trying to push road and bridge projects through without taxpayer approval, as legislators voted in $210 million in bonds during the final days and even hours of the legislative session that ended on Friday night.

Effort Under Way To Repeal Tax Hike on Beverages

Statehouse News Service

AUGUSTA — Businesses hit by tax hikes on beer, wine and soft drinks, including one that would raise the price of a gallon of syrup used to make soda in restaurants by 40 percent, are considering organizing a people’s veto petition to get the increase repealed.

Consolidation Law Changes Provide Added Flexibility

Statehouse News Service

AUGUSTA — Changes made last week to the school consolidation law will allow some districts to move forward with their regional school units and others to propose unions that allow local school boards to keep some power, but not as much as they now have.

Editorial:
The Magnificent Seven

Editorials

Maine taxpayers owe a vote of thanks to the 123rd Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, and most especially two of its Democratic members. Rep. Jeremy Fischer of Presque Isle and Rep. Linda Valentino of Saco joined with Republicans on the committee last week in a 7-6 vote that stopped dead in its tracks a proposal that would have cost the state of Maine hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 20 years.

Maine News for Thursday, April 24, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Four Maine superdelegates remain uncommitted in Democratic race
Election 2008: They are among 200 around the country waiting to endorse either Clinton or Obama.

House opposition to Medicaid cuts could benefit Maine
Rules changes proposed by the Bush administration would cost the state $186 million over two years.

Drive to repeal drink tax being weighed
A citizen veto effort would target levies on beer, wine and soda.

Community colleges to raise tuition rates
A $1.2 million shortfall prompts a 2.5 percent rate hike next fall in Maine.

City's 'free yard sale' will end
Residents believe that abolishing heavy-item pickup will hurt people without trucks. Portland says that other services are more vital.

Poland Spring seeking OK to treat own wastewater
The company says a proposed irrigation system would lessen its environmental impact.

Editorials:

Close Democratic race good for party and country
Hand-wringing about making things easier for the GOP is overdone and unrealistic.

Plastic or paper? It's time to start saying, 'I brought my own'
Reusable bags cost money, of course, but the hidden costs of disposable bags are far higher.

York lawmaker's good idea now unfairly haunts her
An incomplete account led to a slew of hostile comments that Rep. Dawn Hill didn't deserve.

Bangor Daily News

State says workers needed
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Maine businesses may have trouble filling positions in the future, according to a study from the state's labor department. Poll: Do you consider yourself underemployed?

Community college fees to rise
Thursday, April 24, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Community College System board of trustees on Wednesday approved a 2.5 percent tuition increase at the state's seven two-year college campuses next fall.

UMS to stay competitive via Internet 2
Thursday, April 24, 2008
ELLSWORTH, Maine - The University of Maine System has hired a Maine company to help provide the state's universities and The Jackson Laboratory with the broadband Internet capacity they say they need to stay competitive with research and education institutions worldwide.

Cianbro kicks off refinery assembly
Thursday, April 24, 2008
BREWER, Maine - Cianbro crews began erecting Wednesday at the Eastern Manufacturing Facility the first of 52 construction modules that will become part of an expanding Texas oil refinery.

New law allows midwives to buy some medications
Thursday, April 24, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gv. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed into law a measure that authorizes Maine pharmacists to provide certain medications to certified professional midwives for administration to mothers and newborns during home births.

Sugarloaf to run vehicles off restaurant grease
Thursday, April 24, 2008
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine - Sugarloaf ski resort is expanding a program to run its off-road vehicles on a fuel that includes cooking grease.

Bangor area seeks ideas on open space
Bangor area seeks ideas on open space
A dozen Penobscot Valley communities are partnering with a national organization to develop a regional approach to expanding the amount of open space and conservation land in the area.

Editorial:

Baghdad's Burden
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Members of Congress and the Bush administration have long talked about the Iraqi government taking more responsibility for the security, economy and governing of their country.

Unelected Economy Czars
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Polls show the top issue among voters this election year is their fears about the fate of the economy. Voters can grill congressional candidates, but the fate of the economy may be most influenced by a body that does not answer to the American voter.

Don't blame NAFTA: Consumers and workers gain
Has NAFTA - the North American Free Trade Agreement - been a disaster for working Americans?

Kennebec Journal
NEW TAX BATTLE POSSIBLE Business groups considering people's veto to overturn taxes on beer, wine and soda
AUGUSTA -- Leaders from various business groups may launch a people's veto effort to overturn recently enacted taxes on beer, wine and soda.

Power play: CMP negotiates with China to site new power lines for aging system
CHINA -- Planners got an update Tuesday on plans to widen the power line right-of-way through China, and a request to seek a change in local ordinances to accommodate new utility poles.

VASSALBORO 'Pushing' incident prompts charge Code enforcement officer accused following alleged altercation over violations
VASSALBORO -- Richard Proctor was sitting in a chair in front of his garage Tuesday morning when he said he happened to look down the road and see a pickup truck "pushing" Leo Barnett with the front bumper.

Editorial:

911 consolidation naysayers' fear being borne out Emergency calls must be handled quickly
That's the amount of time an emergency dispatcher in Somerset County spent on hold one afternoon in late February. The dispatcher had called the Central Maine Regional Commune-ications Center in Augusta to request that a warden be sent to a snowmobile accident in The Forks.

KAY RAND : What's 'Christian' about Christian Civic League?
As a Christian, I am enormously grateful that I will be judged by a forgiving God and not by officials at the Christian Civic League of Maine.

JIM BRUNELLE : Legislative session could have been better ... or worse
On the whole, however, lawmakers ended up making the right decisions on the most contentious issues.

Sun Journal
Community college tuition rising 2.5%
AUGUSTA (AP) - The Maine Community College System board of trustees on Wednesday approved a 2.5 percent tuition increase at the state's seven two-year college campuses next fall.

Maine real estate sales, prices down
SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) - The Maine real estate market remained cool in March, with home sales down 28 percent and prices down more than 3 percent.

Editorial:
A victory for government transparency
Gov. John Baldacci's pocket veto of legislation that would have infringed public access to important legislative and municipal information, LD 1878, is a victory for clear, open transparent government in Maine.

MPBN
Maine Lawmakers Grant New Powers To Midwives

Certified professional midwives in Maine will soon be able to obtain certain medications from pharmacies to use in their practices. The new law, passed this session, is drawing criticism from nursing quarters. Barbara Cariddi reports.

Coaltion: Rid Public House Of Tobacco By 2009

Health care advocates and the State Fire Marshal's office have teamed up to urge local public housing authorities to adopt smoke-free policies by Jan. 1st of next year. Health officials say smoking continues to be the number one cause of fire-related deaths in the state. The Smoke-free Housing Coalition says the effects of second-hand smoke on non-smokers also contribute to a variety of illnesses or diseases that could be prevented by a smoke-free policy. A.J. Higgins reports.

Maine Ranks High For "Legal Climate"

Businesses in Maine may be unhappy with the tax burden imposed on them by the state legislature. But according to a survey released today, there does appear to be at least some good news for those seeking to make a buck in Vacationland. Tom Porter reports.

Nod Given To Rail Expansion Plan

Downeaster passenger trains will be going to Brunswick. Just before adjourning last Friday night, the legislature enacted a bill to pay for the 31-and-a-half million dollar track improvement project. As Irwin Gratz reports, it will mean more than just two more stops on the Boston-to-Portland run.

PolitickerME

Wally Edge: DC Pundits keep Maine’s two House seats in the D column.
Stu Rothenberg a well known DC politico has just released his latest predictions on the 2008 US House races. In his opening paragraph Rothenberg

Maine News for Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Soaring food prices drain schools' lunch budgets
In addition to charging more, they are looking for creative ways to provide healthful meals.

Snowe's bill bars genetic discrimination
The Senate is expected to pass the measure, aimed specifically at insurance companies and employers.

In wake of breach, Hannaford steps up security
Card numbers will be encrypted, an effort one expert praises but describes as 'reactive.'

Gambling measures among bills blocked by Baldacci

Story in Portsmouth, N.H., paper leads to backlash over Maine's Peeping Tom bill
A news article, picked up by Fark, failed to fully explain the measure, leading to angry online comments.

Commentary:
ROBERT A. KENNEDYVoter-backed R&D bonds paying off in private-sector jobs
The funding has helped the University of Maine enable a variety of businesses to grow.

Bangor Daily News
At UM, ecovillage idea gains allies
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
ORONO, Maine - Between the peeling exterior paint and spartan rooms, building 11-16 in the University of Maine's York Village doesn't look like your typical setting for a revolution in college living.

Judge: Sex offender can't live at home
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
BUCKSPORT, Maine - For the victims and family members who still deal with the trauma Travis White caused during several years of misconduct, the decision was a victory.

Internet gives high-schoolers taste of college
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
HOWLAND, Maine — Samantha Hockridge plans to go to college and she’s not wasting time.

Editorial: Close down Gitmo
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The prison at Guantanamo Bay has long been a national disgrace. The current mess over how to try suspected terrorists in improvised special courts highlights the need to shut down this facility.

Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA: Out in the open
AUGUSTA -- Councilors endorsed the creation of a group that wants to be among the best friends to the city's plants, trees, wildlife, waters and open spaces.

Hannaford takes steps to prevent data breech
Hannaford Bros. has beefed up computer security since a data breach exposed 4.2 million customer credit and debit card numbers to potential fraud, and plans other changes to make the system even stronger, executives said Tuesday.

Train trip from coast aims to boost future rail service
Jack Sutton believes rail transportation could be the future of Maine.

Hallowell joins regional waterfront effort
HALLOWELL -- City councilors Monday unanimously approved joining in regional efforts with Augusta and Gardiner to seek grants and other assistance for waterfront development.

Augusta woman among EPA awardees
AUGUSTA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded merit awards to 38 New England entities, including seven from Maine, agency officials said.

Jail isolates inmates with staph infection
SKOWHEGAN -- Two inmates at the Somerset County Jail are in isolation with what may be a Methicillin-resistant bacterial infection.

Editorial:

Lawmakers had session that was largely effective 2 less-than- admirable moves: Dirigo bailout, minor ethics reform
They dealt with jails and school consolidation, ethics and the environment, the state budget and state bridges.

Down East magazine reveals well-kept central Maine secret
"15 Small Town Getaways" was the colorful front-page headline in Down East' s April edition. I ripped the magazine open to page 76 to see the list of getaway towns and nearly fell to the floor. The world went dark. My town of Mount Vernon has been discovered.

MIKI MACDONALD, FNP : Amended midwives' law watered-down, dangerous
LD 2253, An Act To Provide Access to Certain Medications to Certified Midwives, as amended by the Legislature, was just signed by Gov. John Baldacci. The new law allows persons who hold no license to practice a health-care profession to prescribe and administer prescription drugs and other substances.

Sun Journal
Hedge fund contributions to Pingree questioned
PORTLAND (AP) - The two Democratic candidates who've raised the most money in Maine's 1st Congressional District race are trading shots over contributions from a wealthy hedge-fund manager.

Governor blocks four proposals
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci says he won't sign four bills enacted by the Legislature before its adjournment late Friday night.

Driver's license rules take effect
PORTLAND (AP) - Mainers seeking a driver's license were required to begin showing proof of residency effective Tuesday, but the change was largely uneventful.

Fort Kent holds snowplow parade
FORT KENT (AP) - After a nasty winter, residents of northern Maine have kept a sense of humor about the mounds of snow that piled up.

Editorial:
Why Maine ought to be in pictures
Knock, knock, it's the creative economy calling.

MPBN
"People's Veto" Discussed by Business Leaders
The term "People's Veto" has surfaced in talks among Maine business leaders. The idea of voters rescinding taxes raised in the waning hours of the legislative session reflects the degree of indignation felt by Maine's business community. Tax increases on beer and wine and a hike in the minimum wage, they say, is evidence the legislature has ignored the financial status of both business and consumers. Keith McKeen reports.

Candidate Ethan Strimling Profiled

We continue our series of profiles of the eight candidates vying for Maine's First District Congressional seat, long held by Tom Allen, who is now running for the Senate. Tonight we take a look at Portland Democrat Ethan Strimling. Strimling, who just turned 40, is serving his third term in the Maine Senate. He was first elected to the legislature in 2002, and for several years he's directed the social service agency Portland West, which provides education, counseling, housing and job training to low income people in the greater Portland area. Barbara Cariddi reports.

Maine News for Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Portland Press Herald
1st District candidates talk money
Election 2008: Portland's Ethan Strimling makes an issue of Chellie Pingree's hedge-fund contributions.

Schools cut back as costs rise, aid drops
Education officials reduce staff and programs and raise lunch prices to make ends meet.

U.S. attorney: Child porn prosecutions remain a priority
Federal cases nearly quadrupled over the past decade nationwide.

City layoffs: Severance costs unclear
Salary cuts may save $2.9 million, but payout expenses will offset that.

License in hand doesn't put alewives in the net
A dam in Winslow and conservation are among reasons Benton can't harvest the fish.

Yarmouth students investing in lives around the world
Using Kiva.org, an online platform, they've jumped wholeheartedly into microlending.

Editorials:

Addressing taxes has to start with cuts
Too often, lawmakers confuse 'tax reform' with the need to tax people less.

Earth Day ideal must translate to problem solving
The threats we know of today – especially global climate change – require new thinking.

RON BANCROFTLawmakers get bogged down in multiple ways
There are too many of them, one profession is too dominant and too many bills get filed.

CHELLIE PINGREE and PAUL EASTON, Special to the Press HeraldDemocrats sign on to plan to end Iraq war
Congressional candidates around the nation seek to repair the damage current policies created.

Bangor Daily News

Dirigo taxes upset business community
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - While lawmakers are congratulating themselves for a successful legislative session, many in the business community are less enthusiastic about what the lawmakers did - or did not do.

Maine gas buyers tanking
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Clark and Deborah Rafford know gas prices are a gamble, so they decided to gamble for gas money on Monday afternoon. POLL: Have high gas prices caused you to alter your vacation plans?

Baldacci tallies accomplishments
Monday, April 21, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine —-Day to day inside the State House bubble, there's a lot of maneuvering, cajoling, browbeating and scheming as a governor presses his speaking-with-one-voice advantage and lawmakers try to promote their party's priorities and their own pet projects.

Cobble beach access gem of Bold Coast buy
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
A major statewide land trust announced Monday that it has conserved nearly two miles of shoreline along Washington County's Bold Coast in a deal that will provide access to a scenic beach previously closed to the public.

Editorials:
ClickBack on taxes, flags
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
For most people, Patriot's Day was just another workday. Is the holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War outdated? Only Maine and Massachusetts celebrate it and to a diminishing extent. Is it time to retire this holiday?

Editorial: Don't waste Earth Day
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Requiring the recycling of computer and television monitors - and having manufacturers cover most of the cost - has diverted tons of lead from Maine landfills while saving residents money.

Kennebec Journal

Inmate labor on the rise
Roadside chain gangs might belong to an era gone by, but inmate work crews cleaning roads and other publicly-owned property around Kennebec County could become commonplace.

Continuing to improve their skills
AUGUSTA -- Firearms instructors by their side, the police cadets cautiously approach a wall of targets that resemble milk bottles.

Observing Earth Day just the beginning for some
While today marks the 39th annual Earth Day, central Maine residents have already begun observing the occasion.

Editorials:

Earth Day '08
If only Maine's attention to environmental issues and love for our most beautiful piece of Mother Earth could have an impact far greater than a rural state with 1.3 million people should expect.

DAVID B. OFFER : Park police failing to protect vulnerable national symbols
Few sights are more inspiring than the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial at night.

Don't give opinion until it's time to vote on issue
Regarding the newspaper's opinion article (April 11) about the Christian Civic League -- if you have an opinion on an issue, when it comes time to vote, and you feel we can't think for ourselves well enough to vote without your opinion, then be sure to let us know what we should do.

Oppose non-Christian vote for discrimination
This letter is in response to the recent announcement by the Christian Civic League to attempt to repeal the Maine Human Rights Law through a broadly defined referendum in favor of discriminating against gays and lesbians in the workforce and in housing, as well as in parenting rights.

Sun Journal
Day designated for threatened wildlife
WASHINGTON (AP) - Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein have introduced a resolution to designate May 16 as the third annual Endangered Species Day.

Veterans' health issues heard
SANFORD (AP) - A congressional field hearing on health issues involving female and rural veterans drew dozens of former service members to Sanford.

Editorial
Rebuilding EPA's eroded reputation
This Earth Day, we'd like peace on the planet and goodwill among environmental regulatory agencies.

Democrats jump aboard the God-talk express
Beware when politicians talk about "compassion," especially when they hold a "Compassion Forum" to do it, which is what they did at the appropriately named Messiah College near Harrisburg, Pa. Politicians identify with the messianic because they think they are God's gift to America.

There's only one Earth, please be kind
Today Earth Day is upon us, which should give us cause to pause and wonder what we're doing to the planet we will pass on to the next generation. How often do we think about how we affect the environment?

MPBN
Employment Figures Point to Slowdown in Maine Economy

From Cumberland County, where unemployment was four-point-one percent last month, to Washington County, where nearly eleven percent are jobless, there were signs last month that the Maine economy is slowing. Irwin Gratz spoke with John Dorr, Director of the Center for Workforce Research and Information at the Maine Department of Labor about the subject including who, exactly, is counted as unemployed.

York Residents Rally Against Turnpike Toll Plaza Plan

The slogan for the Maine Turnpike Authority is "Think Ahead," but in York County some residents are demanding that the independent state agency "Think Again." Plans by the MTA to relocate the York Toll Plaza and rebuild a larger 21-lane structure at a cost of more than 30 million dollars have outraged some area residents who say the plan is unnecessary and would be disruptive on several fronts. Yesterday dozens of people turned out for a rally against the plan on Route 1 in York. As Susan Sharon reports, many want to know why the MTA is proceeding full speed ahead.

Veteran's Groups Say Healthcare Lacking in Rural Areas

Dozens of Maine veterans and their advocates spent a good portion of Patriot's Day discussing the healthcare needs of veterans in rural areas. That was the focus of a Congressional field hearing today at Sanford Town Hall, conducted by Second District Congressman Mike Michaud who chairs the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on Health. Veterans arrived at the session armed with criticism for the Veteran's Administration. Keith McKeen reports.

PolitickerME

Wally Edge: Where my money at?
I hate to be a bother, I really do. But could someone please tell me where my 20 million dollars has gone. I can’t seem to find it anywhere.