Maine News for Friday, April 11, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Governor's license bill won't be a 'slam dunk'
State House: Legislators must reconcile differences that were clear at a hearing on Thursday.

Smoking in cars with kids banned
Gov. John Baldacci signs the bill, citing the risk to children from secondhand smoke.

Electric firms moving on high-power line
Increased capacity for planned wind projects is one reason to study a link with New England's grid.

Teams work on funding for pier
The city and developer are finding ways to rebound from a legislative setback, the lead negotiator says.

Watercraft ban a test of state's reach
If Maine's high court rules against personal watercraft restrictions, it could affect dozens of water bodies.

Briefs
House on record supporting repeal of school merger law
Governor John Baldacci`s veto of a bill to refine last year`s sweeping legislation to consolidate Maine school systems continues to reverberate at the State House.

Monday`s veto was sustained by the Senate. But Wednesday night, the House of Representatives went on record in support of repealing the entire consolidation law, which remains in the implementation stage.

A new bill filed by Baldacci, shorn of the elements he found objectionable, is still to be considered. In his veto message, Baldacci said his new bill is designed to allow school units to negotiate local cost-sharing agreements. It also aims to allow districts that receive a minimum special education subsidy to continue to do so when they join a new school district.

Sex offender registry bill survives initial Senate vote
The Maine Senate has given initial approval to a bill making changes in the state`s sex offender registry.

The changes address concerns raised after two men listed in the registry were murdered in 2006.

The bill says those who offended from 1982 to 1992 and have not re-offended can be removed from the registry. It also changes the definition of lifetime registrant so it applies prospectively from 2005.

In addition, the bill makes changes to address flaws noted by the state Supreme Court last year. The bill faces further votes.

Editorials:
Mortgage bailout poses risk to recovery
Using loan guarantees or placing a moratorium on foreclosures could prolong the downturn.

Using refusal of a polygraph test to question drug thefts is wrong
People are entitled to reject lie detector exams that can't be used as evidence in court.

M.D. HarmonU.S. anti-missile capability finding friends abroad
With NATO's decision to buy into the system, everybody will end up safer than they once were.

Peggy SiegleThere's still time to block Real ID
Maine can set an example for other states in how to protect their citizens' privacy.

Bangor Daily News

Statewide building code proposed
Friday, April 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The House is expected to take up a bill today that proposes to replace the myriad of town building and energy codes with a uniform, statewide code.

Truckers gear up for fuel-price protest in D.C.
Friday, April 11, 2008
LINCOLN, Maine - The Coalition to Lower Fuel Prices hopes to roll on Washington, D.C., later this month as part of a national truckers rally and is holding a meeting Sunday to gear up for it.

License fee proposal divides Maine sportsmen
Friday, April 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Several of Maine's sportsmen's organizations were divided Thursday over a proposal to charge hunters and fishermen a few dollars more to help cover a budget deficit in the Maine Warden Service.

License bill goes before committee
Friday, April 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Senate President Beth Edmonds urged a legislative committee Thursday not to rush to meet the federal government's deadlines to ramp up security of Maine driver's licenses, and questioned whether its push under the Real ID law will make anyone safer.

Bill to fix state bridges passes its first hurdle
Friday, April 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The Legislature's Transportation Committee voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of Gov. John Baldacci's proposal to raise $160 million over four years to fix Maine's bridges.

Law prohibiting smoking in cars gets Baldacci OK
Friday, April 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday signed into law a ban on smoking in any vehicle when children under 16 are present.

Wind tower proposal on table in Addison
Friday, April 11, 2008
ADDISON, Maine - Bonnie Thompson said she wasn't optimistic when she applied last fall to erect an 80-foot wind tower on her property in Addison.

Bill would send government leftovers to the poor
Friday, April 11, 2008
WASHINGTON - Despite the millions of Americans who go hungry every day, government leftovers have been going straight to the trash because of strict liability laws.

Editorials:
Readers reply: night sky, drivers licenses
Friday, April 11, 2008
This week's ClickBack asked readers to comment on a recent story that showed how eastern and northern Maine are virtually free of light pollution, and about the state's ongoing debate with the federal government over the Read ID plan.

Editorial: Maine's $20 million bet
Friday, April 11, 2008
Bad news has come in about Maine's unfortunate investment last August in something called Mainsail II, registered in the Cayman Islands.

Kennebec Journal
STATEHOUSE: State's investing rules targeted
AUGUSTA -- A Republican state senator is proposing to tighten the state's policies in the wake of a $20 million investment that the state has yet to recover.

Hunger series wins national recognition
The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel editorial series, "For I Was Hungry," received honorable mention recognition in a national journalism contest.

Editorials:
We should ignore Heath, League, dogma of bigotry
We don't want to pay much attention to Michael Heath and the Christian Civic League, which he directs.

L. SANDY MAISEL : Seeking a balance between civil rights, national security
How does a nation, threatened by terrorists, balance respect for cherished civil liberties against the government's need to gain information and to maintain secrecy to protect us?

JEFF AUSTIN : Statewide building code could create bigger, not better government
Maine is poised to adopt a statewide building code. As this newspaper's March 31 editorial pointed out, this would be a big step for Maine. We currently have a statewide plumbing code, electrical code and fire code. Municipalities, however, adopt their own building codes.

Sun Journal
Bridge funding bill advances
AUGUSTA - A bill to authorize $160 million in municipal bonds over four years and increase vehicle registration fees to pay for bridge improvement projects received a public hearing before the Legislature's Transportation Committee on Thursday.

Maine lobsters closer to certification as sustainable
AUGUSTA (AP) - An effort to have Maine's lobster industry certified as "sustainable" is moving forward with the hiring of a Canadian company to review the state's lobster industry.

Baldacci signs bill banning smoking in cars with kids
AUGUSTA (AP) - Saying that children don't get to decide whether they have to sit in a smoke-filled car, Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill Thursday that will make Maine the latest state to ban smoking in cars in which children are present.

Editorials:
Teacher records merit fullest disclosure
When doctors lose their privilege to practice, the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine discloses details of the reasons why. When lawyers are reprimanded, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar makes it public.

MPBN
License Fee Increase Proposed To Help Warden Service
Rising fuel costs are hitting state agenices hard. Among them, the Maine Warden Service, which has restricted the number of miles its wardens can travel. Today lawmakers heard about a bill to fill the warden's gas tanks, by increasing the license fees paid by Maine sportsmen. As Murray Carpenter reports, it's an idea that drew opposition from an unlikely quarter.

Senate Approves Changes To Sex Offender Registry
The Maine Senate has given initial approval to a bill that changes Maine's controversial sex offender registry, which came under scrutiny in 2006 after two men whose names were on it were murdered in separate attacks by a Canadian man who later killed himself. The bill says those who offended from 1982 to 1992 and who have not re-offended or have a prior history of offenses can be removed from the registry. It also changes the definition of lifetime registrant. AJ Higgins reports.

PolitickerME
Opinion: Will the school consolidation law go up in flames?

Controversy calms over Allen staffers featured at press event

Appropriations table: Demand far exceeds available funds

Record number of MCEA candidates to see smaller checks

Committee hearing driver’s license bill

Maine News for April 10, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Businesses add to heat generated by plan to increase cigarette tax
State House: Those who sell tobacco products try to galvanize opposition to the added cost.


Bill to aid homeowners OK'd
State House: A measure passes to keep predatory lenders from shady forms of foreclosure purchasing.


Heath proposes law to ban civil unions
The referendum, sought by the head of the Christian Civic League, would also nullify Maine's gay rights law.


UMaine sets sights on going smoke-free
Smoking in buildings and the sale of tobacco are already banned.


Indebted state shows its gratitude
A ceremony honoring 13 former POWs heralds plans for a military museum.


Editorials:
Don't forget the tax form's Clean Election Fund checkoff
One choice at tax time can mean more choices for voters on Election Day.


Without exit strategy, Iraq progress wasted
It will be left to the next president to face up to the need to end the U.S. combat role.

Column:

Sen. Beth EdmondsEthics laws really a matter of fairness
While concerns abound, there is no real evidence of widespread abuses by lawmakers.

Bangor Daily News

Penobscot slots bill sent on way to approval
Thursday, April 10, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The Senate on Wednesday voted to engross LD 701, the bill that would allow the Penobscot Indian Nation to operate slot machines at its Indian Island high-stakes beano facility.

Baldacci touts wood energy use
Thursday, April 10, 2008
ORONO, Maine — Baldacci administration officials said Wednesday that Maine’s vast commercial forests contain enough "waste wood" to heat 150,000 homes and small businesses without reducing fiber supplies to existing mills.

State cuts squeeze job program
Thursday, April 10, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Shortly after 9 o'clock every weekday morning, Esther West is dropped off at work. She uses her red-and-white walking stick to guide herself across the parking lot and into the entrance lobby of Army National Guard Building 255 near Bangor International Airport.

Officials: Gun issue likely won’t appear in Acadia bill
Thursday, April 10, 2008
A congressional bill expected to benefit Acadia National Park likely will not contain a controversial provision that would permit people to carry loaded firearms with them when they visit national parks, according to officials who have been following the legislation.

Report: Downeaster train will generate billions
Thursday, April 10, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine — A Chicago-based research firm has determined that the Amtrak Downeaster is more than a train ride — it’s an economic engine that will generate billions of dollars in economic impact in Maine over the next 20 years.

League fighting gay rights in Maine
Thursday, April 10, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - One of the state's most vocal opponents of gay rights has initiated a referendum aimed at banning same-sex marriages or civil unions and prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting children.

Penobscots fear losing oil to resolve
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Penobscot Indian Nation officials are afraid they’ll lose the free heating oil agreement they have with Venezuela if Congress approves a resolution condemning the country’s government and deeming it a terrorist group supporter.

Kennebec Journal

School consolidation revise awaiting action
AUGUSTA -- With five days left in this year's legislative session, legislators have yet to take up a bill Gov. John Baldacci pledged to file in an attempt to amend Maine's school-district consolidation law.

Business professor urges more action to boost economy
WATERVILLE -- Maine business expert John F. Mahon likens our current efforts to improve the state's economy to the title of Samuel Beckett's book, "Waiting for Godot."

AUGUSTA Augusta to partner with Georgtown school
AUGUSTA -- The Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to provide superintendent, special education and business office services to the Georgetown school system.

MEDALS GO TO POWS In ceremony at Maine Military Museum, governor pays tribute to veterans who were captured
SOUTH PORTLAND -- Alfred Hills of Old Orchard Beach flew exactly 61/2 bombing missions in World War II.

RICHMOND Selectmen to discuss I-295 project
RICHMOND -- Selectmen meet today to talk with the fire chief about a state proposal to shut down both southbound lanes of Interstate 295 for reconstruction this summer.

Editorials:
Consolidation foes should ditch poison pill
Whether school consolidation will ever happen in Maine is anyone's guess these days.

Columns:
JIM BRUNELLE : We can't tax or legislate smoking out of existence
In Augusta these days, the motto seems to be: "Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that guy behind the tree." The guy behind the tree is a cigarette smoker.

Sun Journal

Governor to appeal decision
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci will appeal the government's denial of emergency assistance for expenses from the March snowstorm in northern Maine.

Maine looking to invest wisely
AUGUSTA - New legislation restricting state investments to those backed by the U.S. Treasury is aimed at preventing losses such as the one last August when nearly $20 million was never returned to the state.

Former POWs get state medals
SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci presented state medals to a dozen former prisoners of war in a South Portland ceremony marking Former POW/MIA Recognition Day.

Baldacci to honor U.S. Army Reserve
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci is setting aside a day to recognize a century of service by the U.S. Army Reserve.

Campus launches tobacco campaign
ORONO (AP) - The University of Maine is looking to become tobacco-free.

Editorial
'Lewiston, but not for long'
Most negative perceptions of downtown Lewiston are unwarranted, but sometimes they seem all too justified.

MPBN
Maine Senate Endorses Tribal Slots Measure

A bill that would that would establish a second slot machine parlor in Penobscot County received ovewhelming support from the Maine Senate today, enough in fact to override a threatened veto from the governor. A similar version of the bill fell three votes short in the House, but supporters are confident they can muster the support they need to permit the Penobscot Indian nation to operate 100 slot machines on Indian Island during the times they are also running high-stakes Beano. A.J. Higgins reports.

PolitickerME
As Maine Goes Website Delivers Beat Down to Allen Campaign

Clinton picks up a superdelegate

Wally Edge: One More Reason to Vote Absentee
Mike Heath, the Executive Director of the Christian Civic League has submitted language that will define marriage between a man and a woman.

Maine News for Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Pressure's on to reverse school vote
But the three Portland councilors who declined state aid for a new building stand by their positions.

Private schools brace for state funding cuts
Maine helps many towns send students to private schools, but that money will be cut drastically.
Baldacci proposes new, safer bridges
State House: His bill aims to raise $160 million over four years and ramp up repairs and replacements.

Collins wants Iraqis to take responsibility
ANALYSIS: During the war hearing Tuesday, she avoids placing any blame on U.S. Policies.

Late season worries maple syrup industry
In northern Maine, snow as deep as 3 feet still covers sap tubes, putting a crimp in production.

Editorial:
Worse ideas still infect Dirigo funding debate
Using sin taxes or general fund revenues to fix an already-bloated health-care system is unwise.

Columns:
Heather PerryWhere are promised savings from school regionalization?
The governor said there was $200 million-plus to be saved, but somehow most of it vanished.

Bangor Daily News
Veto sets stage for renewed battle over school consolidation law
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
The governor’s veto of the changes to the school consolidation law on Monday and the quick vote in the Senate that sustained that veto have left some in Augusta and beyond scratching their heads. It also has set the stage for another battle over changes to the law as the legislative session winds down.

Baldacci reveals bridge initiative
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Nearly five months after a report recommended a significant increase in funding for bridge replacements and repairs in Maine, Gov. John Baldacci on Tuesday unveiled legislation to raise $160 million over four years to fix and preserve Maine’s bridges.

Lawmakers tout easing truck weight limits
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud and state Rep. John Piotti of Waldo County believe the time is long overdue to begin allowing heavy trucks on interstates in Maine.

Editorial:

License failures
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
When someone can list as their residence the address of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles office where they are applying for a license and be issued a driver's license the system clearly is broken.

Editorial: Consolidation wind
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
The point of school consolidation legislation, which strongly won legislative support last year, was to reduce administrative expenses for both property tax relief and to direct more money toward instruction.

Column:

Candace Kuchinski: Dirigo is the choice plan; let’s fight to keep it going
I recently learned that funding for the Dirigo Health program is in trouble and that House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree has submitted a bill to stabilize funding and preserve the program.

Kennebec Journal

HALLOWELL: Along the river
HALLOWELL -- City councilors Monday approved plans proposed by the Waterfront Advisory Committee to complete a new boardwalk at the downtown waterfront park at an estimated cost of $50,000.

HALLOWELL: Along the river
HALLOWELL -- City councilors Monday approved plans proposed by the Waterfront Advisory Committee to complete a new boardwalk at the downtown waterfront park at an estimated cost of $50,000.

Collins treads cautiously at Iraq hearings
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Susan Collins carved a middle path during Tuesday's Capitol Hill hearing on the war in Iraq, neither criticizing nor praising last year's troop surge and offering no opinion on its success or failure.

Forward thinking
What's good for the Kennebec River in one spot can flow through the rest of the river as well.

Morning Sentinel

KIBBY WIND PROJECT Adviser: Tax break plan to boost economy Franklin County expects to use money to bolster tourism, pay for improvements
FARMINGTON -- Road improvements, tourism, economic development, public safety and even mapping trails in Franklin County's unorganized territory are some projects that could be funded through a tax break program proposed for the Kibby wind farm project, a consultant told county commissioners Tuesday.

Collins ambiguous on Iraq issues
WASHINGTON -- Maine Sen. Susan Collins carved a middle path during Tuesday's Capitol Hill hearing on the war in Iraq, neither criticizing nor praising last year's troop surge and offering no opinion on its success or failure.

On Maine Politics

Who would you like to see at your convention?

Editorials:

Taking on the cyber-bullies
Bullying by children and teens is mean, it's ugly and it's frightening.

Private interest versus public obligation
Maine elected officials are squeaky clean when compared to the antics of government officials in Rhode Island and other states to our south and west. Nevertheless, there's housecleaning that must be done in the Legislature, where for the umpteenth time, lawmakers are considering a mild but essential series of ethics reforms that will strengthen the wall between their private interests and their public obligations.

Columns:
GEORGE SMITH : Legislative wrap-up: Truth and consequences
Every government action has consequences, some planned, some unanticipated. It's the surprises that hurt because they are often negative.

Sun Journal
Hannaford yanks ads from TV station
PORTLAND (AP) - The Hannaford supermarket chain says it's pulling advertising from WGME-TV.

Maine lab finds toxins in toys
PORTLAND (AP) - The Alliance for a Clean & Healthy Maine has found high levels chemicals that can cause health problems in children's toys and products.

Baldacci plan targets bridge renovations
AUGUSTA (AP) - Nearly five months after a report recommended a significant increase in funding for bridge replacements and repairs in Maine, Gov. John Baldacci on Tuesday unveiled legislation to raise $160 million over four years to fix up and preserve Maine's bridges.

Editorials:
A power beyond the state
Few things are more frightening than dangerous chemicals that are everywhere, invisible, almost unpronounceable and near-impossible to spell. Few things are more difficult to legislate and regulate, too.

Letters: Cost and effect
While we are being forced to pay attention to the proposed increase in the cigarette tax, two competing measures are moving through the Legislature that would increase doctors' bills by imposing a 1.8 percent tax.

MPBN
Lawmakers Reject Sick Leave Measure
Mainers who get sick, but have no sick leave benefits, face tough choices. A proposed law would have required employers to grant employees an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. But opponents said it would make things harder for Maine businesses, and the bill died in Augusta today. Murray Carpenter reports.

Prominent Political Operatives to Spar During Casino Campaign
He is a former gubernatorial press spokesman whose public relations firm has turned back repeated efforts to expand casino-style gambling in Maine. She is the Maine Greens' two-time gubernatorial nominee and the party's most recent national candidate for vice-president of the United States. Now, Dennis Bailey and Pat LaMarche are poised to go head-to-head over a proposed casino for Oxford county as both prepare to roll out campaigns designed to persuade Maine voters in November. A.J. Higgins reports.

"Lemonade" Economics
Irwin Gratz talks with Karen MIlls of M-M-P Group about the impact of the recent slowdown on the Maine Economy and the opportunity it presents to position the state for the future.

PolitickerME

Tick tock: Statutory adjournment date looms as lawmakers push to get work done

Collins questions Petraeus, other Maine politicians respond

‘I missed the vote’ (for family reasons)

LaMarche to Serve as Spokeswoman for Oxford Casino Referendum

Seth Carey, the Rumford attorney responsible for the Oxford County Casino referendum that will be on the ballot this fall, has announced that Pat

Maine News for Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Portland Press Herald
School merger reforms vetoed
Lawmakers will now take up Gov. John Baldacci's alternative proposal for school consolidation.

Immigration coalition opposes licensing rules
Groups argue that Gov. Baldacci's proposal would prompt some aliens to drive without a license.

Bill sets fixed fee for Dirigo insurers
State House: It also would raise the cigarette tax from $2 to $2.50 to fund Maine health initiatives.

Breast cancer license plate due
The specialty plate will raise money and remind people of the benefits of early detection.

Caring Unlimited to keep funding, remain operating
The family service agency was among domestic violence projects in Maine facing potential cuts.

Colombian trade deal 'dead on arrival'
Three of Maine's four members of Congress oppose the free-trade pact; one is reviewing it.

Council says no to money for school
Portland passes up a chance to get $19.6 million from the state to build a new elementary school.

Loss of Monroe's post raises concerns
Some worry that cutting Portland's director of ports will mean less focus on waterfront issues.


Editorials:
Thud! Need for maintenance flowers with the spring
Taxpayers don't get excited about investment in road upkeep until the potholes get bad.

War's real costs are being paid by too few
A larger military would ease the strain of multiple deployments on service members.

Letters:
FairPoint exchange leaves caller upset with service

Taxpayers urged to beware of school consolidation

Bangor Daily News
School proposal changes vetoed
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - In swift succession Monday, the Senate approved changes to the school consolidation law and the governor vetoed the bill.

Allen takes Collins to task for her record on Iraq
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Tom Allen got a prime opportunity Monday to talk publicly about one of the issues he has made central to his U.S. Senate campaign.

'Sportsmen' license plate unveiled
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - State officials unveiled a new specialty license plate Monday that will benefit programs popular with outdoor lovers.

Fallen Maine soldier 'one of the very best'
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
BREWER, Maine - Upon hearing of the death of one of his former students, Brewer High School music teacher Brady Harris said the reality of war hit home.

Editorials:

Vacuum Cleaner Games
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
To date, Maine voters have not been kind to casinos or racinos; the vote that authorized Hollywood Slots in Bangor slipped through while attention was focused on a larger proposal for southern Maine, CasinosNO! maintains.

Should Hillary Quit?
Monday, April 07, 2008
Several Democratic politicians, a few columnists, and much of the talk-show world and blogosphere are telling Hillary Clinton to quit the race. She shouldn't and she almost certainly won't.

Kennebec Journal
BALDACCI VETOS SCHOOL BILL
AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci Monday vetoed a bill meant to amend Maine's school-district consolidation law hours after it passed the Senate.

New Maine plate aimed at raising breast-cancer awareness
AUGUSTA -- A new specialty license plate to support breast-cancer services will be available in the fall.

Waterfront progress in Gardiner
GARDINER -- Carroll Leighton was thrilled to hear the city is moving closer to completing a boardwalk and other improvements at the waterfront park.

A license to protest
AUGUSTA -- Requiring everyone to prove they are legal residents to get a drivers license would make Maine roads less safe, do nothing to improve the county's security, and discriminate against immigrant workers crucial to Maine's economy, immigrant rights groups said Monday.

Congressional race has forum in Augusta
AUGUSTA -- There are 80,000 veterans in the 1st Congressional District.

Editorials:
I-295 detour: not pleasant, but necessary
Sacrifice for the public good is a high-minded concept that's often hell on those doing the sacrificing. And if all goes as planned, a project to close and repave southbound Interstate 295 between Gardiner and Topsham during three months this summer will indeed benefit the greater public -- but require significant sacrifice by both motorists and those living along U.S. Route 201 onto which traffic will be detoured.

Columns:
BY REP. JON HINCK : Compelling reasons to limit vehicle idling
Few would argue for needless waste of oil, diesel fuel and gasoline. My commercial vehicle idling reduction bill, L.D. 2056, supports energy independence and environmental responsibility while improving business profits here.

Letters:
Law on smoking doesn't anger one smoker
I couldn't resist commenting on the new uproar over the no smoking in your cars with children under 16 years of age. Being part of the smoking population, I'm probably in the minority who aren't upset with this.

Sun Journal
School overhaul veto is upheld
AUGUSTA - Three months after action had been expected, state lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a bill to refine last year's sweeping legislation to consolidate Maine school systems. Almost immediately, as anticipated, Gov. John Baldacci vetoed it.

Immigration group targets governor
AUGUSTA (AP) - Immigrants' rights activists went on the offensive Monday against Gov. John Baldacci's proposal to make driver's licenses more secure, saying it targets the most vulnerable, encourages aliens to drive illegally and does little to make Maine safer.

Baldacci signs legislation to raise snowmobile fees
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine snowmobilers will be paying higher registration fees.

Allen announces broadband bill
BANGOR (AP) - U.S. Representative Tom Allen has submitted legislation that he says would expand high-speed Internet access in rural areas in Maine and across the country.

I-295 likely to close due to construction
AUGUSTA (AP) - State officials say it's all but a sure thing that the southbound lanes of Interstate 295 from Gardiner to Topsham will be closed to traffic for 2½ months this summer to rebuild the highway.

Baldacci speaks up for Dirigo Health
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci joined with the head of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care on Monday to urge support for a bill advocates say is needed to shore up Maine's troubled Dirigo Health program.

State parks are in demand
PORTLAND (AP) - Campsite reservations at Maine state parks have hit an all-time high for this time of year as Mainers look ahead toward summer.

Editorial:
A clearer view about tobacco taxes
For a momentary delight, a cigarette has serious long-term effects on smokers, those around them, and the public.

MPBN:
"Lemonade" Economics
Irwin Gratz talks with Karen MIlls of M-M-P Group about the impact of the recent slowdown on the Maine Economy and the opportunity it presents to position the state for the future.

Passenger Rail Funding Kindles Resentment in the House
A bill that began as a well-intended effort to expand passenger rail service in Maine quickly degenerated into a 45-minute debate on spending priorities in the House today and rekindled some long-held resentments that divide Maine's less prosperous northern residents from their wealthier southern counterparts. Lawmakers utlimately approved spending $2.5 million dollars a year to extend passenger rail service from Portland to Brunswick in a vote that divided largely along regional lines. A.J. Higgins reports.

Immigrants Target of Increased Prosecutions and Harassment
For the second time in a month, a Brazilian immigrant from out of state has been charged with transporting an illegal immigrant to Maine for financial gain. In both cases, federal investigators say the immigrants came to Maine to obtain drivers licenses. Maine is among a handful of states with lax rules for issuing drivers licenses, which can be used in other states to seek work. But advocates say the arrests reflect a growing trend in the prosecution and harassment of immigrants. Keith Mckeen reports.

PolitickerME.com
Strimling accuses Pingree of setting up ‘dirty trick’ through donation

Pingree poses questions to Petraeus

Pearson tapped as Common Cause's VP for Programs

Baldacci vetoes bill that altered school funding formula

Wally Edge Catholics, the MCLU and Driver Licenses for Illegals.
The AP is reporting that the MCLU, The Roman Catholic Diocese and several immigrants and civil rights groups are planning a press conference in.

Maine AP Wire
New Jersey lawmakers agree to offer 6 weeks of paid leave
New Jersey moved Monday to become the third state to require companies to offer six weeks of paid leave to workers wishing to care for a new child or sick relative.

Maine News for Monday, April 7, 2008

Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA Lawmakers try laptops in effort to reduce costs Pilot program takes aim at paper use; part-time staff positions

AUGUSTA -- Rep. Kim Silsby cleared her House desk of papers late last week, filling a small black trash can with all sorts of documents.

CONSOLIDATION Senate to vote today on bill Cost-sharing has no opposition
AUGUSTA -- Planners working out mergers between local school districts are turning up the pressure on legislators to pass a bill that would allow their consolidation work to continue.

Bullying moves to the Internet Online anonymity presents a whole new set of problems to those protecting children
It's an age-old problem that's taken on a new form in a new age. And it's posing a new challenge for educators.

MCLU's Heath stirring the civil union pot
AUGUSTA -- The candidates running for the 1st Congressional District are scheduled to be in Augusta tonight for an event sponsored by the Maine Veterans Coordinating Committee.

Editorial
Counting what needs to be counted
College acceptances are in the mail, and high school seniors are ripping open fat envelopes and thin envelopes and sitting down with their parents to figure out where they'll spend the next four years of their lives.

Letters:
Attack on state workers misses important point
The letter from Kevin P. Morrissey was appropriately dated, April Fool's Day. In that letter Morrissey calls his wages "earned" and reflects that state workers are "non contributor" workers. Morrissey, my wages as a state worker are actually taxed twice. Once when you "earn" your wages, and once when we state workers "earn" ours. That makes me a "double contributor."

Lets make county jail inmates earn their keep
What's next at the Kennebec County jail? Religious services! What's wrong with the penal system today? How much is this going to cost taxpayers? I have to laugh when I read stories like this. It just doesn't make sense. Growing up in the 50's and 60's, my understanding of jail was that it was a place where people who committed crimes served their sentence.

Portland Press Herald
State leaders lobby for new refueling tankers
Gov. Baldacci and the congressional delegation also push for basing an active-duty unit in Bangor.

Smokers incensed over tax proposal
Some say they'll buy cigarettes online or in New Hampshire if lawmakers pass another increase.

State campsites filling up fast
Reservations at Maine state parks have hit an all-time high for this time of year, officials say.

As heating season winds down, no relief in oil prices
Prices usually head lower in the spring, but the volatile crude oil market may play the spoiler this year.

Diesel price hits record; truckers hold protest
One Maine driver spends $620 to fill his tank with diesel.

JUSTIN ELLISCredit card debt on rise among college students

Commentary:
Cigarette tax shouldn't be used to boost Dirigo
Tobacco taxes can be good policy, but the health-care system is already overfunded.

The test of new jail panel will be its ability to close jails
Corrections reform has begun slowly with a deal between state and county officials.

ELIZABETH MITCHELLA booster shot, and more, for health care
A bill before the Legislature would strengthen and extend the good results of Dirigo.

LEIGH DONALDSON, ColumnistAmericans have to be assured their votes will count
Lawmakers should make sure balloting fiascos can't happen again and that the next big election is secure.

Bangor Daily News

Delegation targets energy speculators
Monday, April 07, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Mainers are paying more for their fuel because of unregulated speculation in the energy market, said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

Down East Tattoo Show in Bangor draws more women, older clientele
Monday, April 07, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - For 57-year-old Levant resident Steve Doddy, attending the Down East Tattoo Show has become a yearly tradition that includes a group of friends from Canada, a birthday party and searching for the perfect ink.

Injured Maine soldier dies
Monday, April 07, 2008
A University of Maine graduate wounded Wednesday on a combat mission in Afghanistan died the next day after being airlifted to a U.S. Army medical facility in Germany for treatment.

Pilot of downed plane missing
Monday, April 07, 2008
BELFAST, Maine - A pilot of a single-engine aircraft was believed missing after witnesses reported seeing the plane crash into waters off Seaside Drive on Sunday evening.

Oil prices not falling as N.E. spring arrives
Monday, April 07, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine - Along with robins and crocuses, a welcome sign of spring across northern New England is watching the heating season wind down. That usually signals a drop in the price of heating oil, but that hasn’t been the case this year.

Editorials:

Should Hillary Quit?
Monday, April 07, 2008
Several Democratic politicians, a few columnists, and much of the talk-show world and blogosphere are telling Hillary Clinton to quit the race. She shouldn't and she almost certainly won't.

National Service
Monday, April 07, 2008
One of the injustices of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq is that this dangerous and arduous work has been borne by men and women who were essentially contracted to do the job. And that group, men and women who enlisted in the military, represents a small minority of American citizens.

OP-Ed

Scott Lansley: Stimulus package? Not for Maine businesses
Many of you have received a letter in the mail announcing how much money the federal government will be sending you as part of an 'economic stimulus' package.

Kerry Millay : Democracy lacking in winner-take-all elections
The editorial 'Public Opinion: So What?' (BDN, March 29-30) touches on the crucial issue of American politics today, namely, that our political system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Sun Journal
Delegation to explore Maine's economy
PORTLAND (AP) - A delegation of business, tourism and elected officials from Northern Ireland is coming to Maine to explore Gov. John Baldacci's "creative economy" initiative.

Truckers protest $620 diesel fill-up
EASTON, Pa. (AP) - Many drivers are shaking their heads at spending $50 to fill up their tanks.

Maine wants refueling tankers upgraded
BANGOR (AP) - Maine leaders used a weekend visit by the director of the Air National Guard to make a pitch for bringing new refueling tankers, and possibly an active duty unit, to Bangor International Airport, home of the 101st Air Refueling Wing.

Editorial
Taking the battle out of consolidation
"I don't believe a committee can write a book," the historian Arnold Toynbee once uttered. "It can, oh, govern a country, perhaps, but I don't believe it can write a book."

Bush shamefully flees Iraqi refugee crisis
In several recent speeches on Iraq, there was one issue President Bush never mentioned. That's the issue of Iraqi refugees.

MPBN
Passenger Rail Funding Kindles Resentment in the House A bill that began as a well-intended effort to expand passenger rail service in Maine quickly degenerated into a 45-minute debate on spending priorities in the House today and rekindled some long-held resentments that divide Maine's less prosperous northern residents from their wealthier southern counterparts. Lawmakers utlimately approved spending $2.5 million dollars a year to extend passenger rail service from Portland to Brunswick in a vote that divided largely along regional lines. A.J. Higgins reports

Immigrants Target of Increased Prosecutions and Harassment

For the second time in a month, a Brazilian immigrant from out of state has been charged with transporting an illegal immigrant to Maine for financial gain. In both cases, federal investigators say the immigrants came to Maine to obtain drivers licenses. Maine is among a handful of states with lax rules for issuing drivers licenses, which can be used in other states to seek work. But advocates say the arrests reflect a growing trend in the prosecution and harassment of immigrants. Keith Mckeen reports.

PolitickerME.Com

Allen, Michaud attend Dems’ office opening in Bangor

Wally Edge: Where Did Prosperity Go?

Maine News for Friday, April 4, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Compromise helps corrections bill win support
A committee votes 10-1 to recommend passage of a measure consolidating jail management.

Smoking in cars: Law sides with kids
State House: The governor will sign the bill next week, despite critics' grumbling about legislating behavior.

Canadian doctor backs U.S. single-payer care
Recent studies are showing that a greater number of doctors in this country now favor national health insurance.

No shows: Mall drops movie plans
No reason is given for the decision not to develop a former Filene's store into a 14-screen theater.

Suspect in driver's license scheme to stay in jail
He's linked to helping illegal immigrants get licenses in Maine.

Fenway Park hawk attack an omen for Yankees?

Editorials: Governor's Real ID decision right one for Maine
Those who oppose the federal program should focus their attention on Congress.

Bangor Daily News

Jail bill overhaul allows county control
Friday, April 04, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci's legislation to take over the county jails has been totally rewritten by the Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee, which is recommending that the counties retain control of the jails and a new corrections board be established to coordinate between state and county correctional facilities.

Smoking ban bill wins final approval
Friday, April 04, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine is poised to become the most recent state to enact a ban on smoking in cars in which children are riding.

Maine leaders trading 'pork' for lobster
Friday, April 04, 2008
WASHINGTON - Some of Maine's leaders were accused this week of trading 'pork' for lobsters by Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan watchdog group that monitors government pork-barrel spending.

Maine 8th graders win high marks in writing report
Friday, April 04, 2008
The writing ability of Maine's eighth-graders continues to make significant gains, according to 2007 scores released Thursday by the federal government.

Loved ones see airmen off at Bangor ceremony
Friday, April 04, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - 'Daddy, when do you go on the airplane?' Hannah Nadeau, 4, asked as her little hand grasped for the pant leg of her father's fatigues.

Businesses discuss energy efficiency
Friday, April 04, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The message was echoed by almost every speaker and pamphlet at the Governor’s Energy Efficiency Summit on Thursday: Investments in energy efficiency will pay off for businesses and the environment.

Editorials: Home Is Where the Debt Is
Friday, April 04, 2008
As Congress debates ways to minimize the consequences of the breakdown of the mortgage and credit markets, it must not lose sight of homeowners at risk of losing their shelter and largest financial asset because of unsavory loan practices.

Certification Decisions
Friday, April 04, 2008
When a doctor's license is revoked by the state or a lawyer is disbarred, that information is available to the public. Under current law and practices, if a teacher's certification - basically a license to teach - is surrendered or revoked, that action is kept confidential.

Marla O’Byrne : 'Eco-resort' near Acadia stirs debate
Anyone who has traveled to the Schoodic Peninsula knows what a rare pleasure is in store at the end of land. After passing through the communities of Gouldsboro or Winter Harbor, the road weaves through forested landscape until vistas begin to open onto the ocean.

Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA STATE JAIL MERGER PROPOSAL ADVANCES 10-1 panel vote seen as indication of plan's chances in Senate, House
A bill that's been at the center of controversy among county and state corrections circles passed a committee vote Thursday and will be presented to lawmakers in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.

Cars to be free of smoke
AUGUSTA (AP) -- Maine is poised to become the latest state to enact a ban on smoking in cars in which children are riding.

WILTON JOBS ARE CALLING
AUGUSTA -- A major global financial services company has selected Wilton as the location for its new customer care center.

AUGUSTA Charter Commission looks at limiting number of wards
AUGUSTA -- Board of Education members urged the Charter Commission to keep the city's current four-ward, four-at-large system of representation as commissioners Thursday continued to move, slowly, through their review of perhaps the city's most important document.

AUGUSTA Budget next year tops $51M
AUGUSTA -- If the city budget is passed as proposed, the average Augusta homeowner will have to stick an additional $20 bill in with his or her annual property tax payment.

Editorials:

Real ID turns into a circus
If Chertoff was inexplicably lenient with that handful of states, he played it inexplicably tough with Maine -- and Maine residents were facing the imminent possibility of not being able to use their drivers' licenses for identification when traveling by airplane. Last-minute negotiations over the past week consisted of the Baldacci administration making offers to comply, at least partially, with Real ID -- and the feds digging in their heels.

JOSEPH R. REISERT : The value of life is not a matter of choice
Sex-selective abortion has come to America, according to a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sun Journal
Report calls for boosting Maine's energy efficiency
AUGUSTA (AP) - Adopting cost-effective measures that are already being looked at in other states could save Maine's industrial and non-manufacturing businesses $450 million a year, a report released Thursday says.

$1 million fine plus refunds for insurer
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine state officials say MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company, accused of improperly determining premiums for individual health insurance policies, has agreed to pay a $1 million fine and to refund $4.6 million, plus interest, to consumers.

Baldacci: Aroostook a disaster
CARIBOU (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci is asking President Bush to declare a disaster in Aroostook County following a blizzard that capped a season of record snowfall.

Smoking with kids in car to be illegal
AUGUSTA (AP) - Maine is poised to become the latest state to enact a ban on smoking in cars in which children are riding.

Firearms sale ban signed by Baldacci
AUGUSTA - Now there is a law.

MPBN

Energy Efficiency Could Save Maine Millions
Maine could save more than 400 million dollars a year and create up to 2500 jobs in just over a decade, just by implementing simple energy efficiency strategies that have already been adopted by other states. Those are the major findings of a report released today at the Governor's Energy Summit in Augusta. As Susan Sharon reports, the report and the summit are billing energy efficiency as one of the best investments Maine businesses can make for themselves and the environment.

Superdelegates Say Clinton-Obama Competition Good for the Party
A lot has happened since February when Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made their pitch to the party faithful during Maine's presidential caucuses. Two months later, both candidates remain locked in a tight race that may have to be determined on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in August. Obama holds a slight lead over Clinton in the number of committed delegates, and some Democrats are calling for her to drop out of the race. Others say it's time for the two to agree to a merged ticket. One superdelegate and two potential delegates from Maine say that, at least for the moment, the competition is good for the party. A.J. Higgins reports.

Recycling Energy
Tom Casten wants you to know that most power plants today waste 2/3rds of their output. Mostly, it's the heat, generated in the plant that goes up the stack or the cooling tower and into the air. Casten, who heads a company that designs "recycled energy" plants, says, that heat could be re-used, but only if the power plant were built on a college campus or near downtown. And doing that, Casten says, is tough because of old rules meant to protect electric utilities.

MaineAP

Dollar oil change fees may be dropped
Six months after $1 fees were added to the cost of oil changes in Maine to raise money to clean up polluted waste oil sites, lawmakers are voting on a bill to drop the charges at the retail level and make distributors pay instead.

PolitickerME
Ethics bills clear both chambers
By Jessica Alaimo
Tags: Janet Mills, John Patrick, ethics commission, Clean Elections
Two ethics bills have recently advanced in the Maine Legislature. read more

Maine News for Thursday, April 3, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Promised changes earn Real ID extension
State House: Complying with federal standards still will require approval from Maine's divided Legislature.

TJX to pay up to $24 million in data breach
The MasterCard settlement must be approved by at least 90 percent of the account issuers.

Maine's cigarette tax could be tops in U.S.
Health groups want Maine's per-pack levy to go from $2 to $3, in part to help fund Dirigo.

USM will cut at least 30 jobs
Positions to be eliminated likely will involve faculty, professional employees and administrators.

States hoping to force action on emissions
Maine is among 18 states taking the EPA to court over its failure to address a greenhouse gas ruling.

Lender falls victim to credit crisis
Downeast Mortgage is no longer making loans and has closed all but one of its offices.

Watson, Can you hear me now?
In just three decades, cellular phones have taken charge – 84 percent of us own them.

Vermont lawmakers told of impending water crisis
Legislators are taking up a bill to protect groundwater.

Commentary:
School district mergers likely to survive
Lawmakers should focus their attention on making the existing law work better.

Patient ratings are good, but should not be the only data
Consumers should consider other patients' outcomes as well as their comfort.

ANOTHER VIEW: Shared revenues from racino revive horse racing in Maine
Contrary to an editorial, the gambling law has supported the industry and the tradition.

Bangor Daily News

Maine gets extension on Real ID compliance
Thursday, April 03, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Federal officials on Wednesday granted Maine an extension to comply with Real ID driver's license security requirements after giving the state an extra 48 hours to refine its request.

Caribou: Collins backs County disaster relief
Thursday, April 03, 2008
CARIBOU, Maine - U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has made an appeal to President Bush asking that he support Gov. John Baldacci’s request for federal disaster assistance in Aroostook County as a result of recent major snowfall and winter storm conditions.

Tree growth penalty funds eyed to pay for trail grooming
Thursday, April 03, 2008
GREENVILLE, Maine - The use of tree growth penalty funds could be an innovative way to help defray local snowmobile trail grooming costs in future years if Greenville Town Manager John Simko gets his way.

Air, land, sea: House approves data system
Thursday, April 03, 2008
WASHINGTON - Legislation sponsored by Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, that would strengthen ocean observation techniques and improve understanding of the nation's bodies of water passed in the House on Monday.

Editorials
Population Challenges
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Maine's high tax burden relative to its low wages and high transportation and heating costs are frequently blamed for the state's lack of economic prosperity. But another factor in Maine's economic fate, the growth of its residential population, is often overlooked or at least underemphasized.

Financial (Non)Reform
Thursday, April 03, 2008
The best comment so far on Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.’s 200-page plan to restructure government financial regulation came from Laurence Summers, treasury secretary under President Clinton.

Opinion: Tarren Bragdon: Dirigo Health experimentwell-intentioned failure
Let’s face it: Gov. John Baldacci’s Dirigo Health plan, a state-funded program that was supposed to provide subsidized health coverage to some 128,000 Maine people without insurance, is a costly failure.

Kennebec Journal

MAINE Feds grant state extension on Real ID
AUGUSTA -- Mainers will not face added hurdles when they try to board airplanes or enter federal buildings next month because the federal government has given the state a last-minute extension to comply with the Real ID Act.

TAX PLAN IGNITES DEBATE
AUGUSTA -- Health groups urged lawmakers Wednesday to increase the cigarette tax by a $1 per pack, saying the increase will encourage more people to quit smoking and generate more money for health programs.

School censure bill is delayed
AUGUSTA -- Legislators delayed a vote Wednesday on a measure that would make Maine the last state to submit information to a national database about teacher-certification suspensions and revocations.

Editorials:
Well-fed kids will learn Legislature expands school breakfast
Faced with a budget crisis that had to be resolved this week by cutting $170 million in state spending, lawmakers nevertheless did something extraordinary: They passed an expansion of the free school breakfast program.

JIM BRUNELLE : Campaign 2008: When will it stop, please?
This is surely the longest, most heavily covered and superficially reported presidential campaign in recent memory.

Sun Journal
Real ID extension OK'd
AUGUSTA - Federal officials on Wednesday granted Maine an extension to comply with Real ID driver's license security requirements after giving the state an extra 48 hours to refine its request.

Casino to hit ballot
AUGUSTA - A citizen-initiated bill that would authorize an Oxford County casino was killed in legislative committee on Wednesday. The issue will now be on the statewide ballot in November.

Group calls for more tobacco tax
AUGUSTA (AP) - A coalition of Maine health groups is calling for higher cigarette taxes to help fund Dirigo and other public health programs.

Teacher background plan gets OK from public
AUGUSTA (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci's proposal to require Maine to join every other state in the nation in reporting teacher certification denials and rejections to help flag sex offenders who move state-to-state drew no opposition at a public hearing Wednesday.

Report: Maine kids better off than most
AUGUSTA - Maine does a good job of protecting the well-being of its kids, but Michael Petit, former commissioner of Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, says the federal government is letting them down.

Editorial
How sharp are lawmaker memories?
A telling measure of the state's difficult budget deliberations won't be the fiscal or social impact of the many cuts, but how the memories of this difficult battle resonate with lawmakers.

MPBN
Oxford County Gambling Facility Now Up to Voters

Despite a number of proposals in recent years, Maine still has just one gambling facility, Hollywood Slots in Bangor. In November, Maine voters nixed a racino proposed for eastern Maine. Today, a legislative comittee heard yet another proposal, for a casino on the other side of the state, but it fell short of passage. As Murray Carpenter reports, today's action in Augusta means that Maine voters will see a gambling question on the ballot again this fall.

Cigarette Bill Draws Smoke at Statehouse With a contentious budget battle behind them, lawmakers in Augusta are preparing to take on a new flashpoint issue. Gov. John Baldacci is backing a plan to shore up a stable funding source for the state's Dirigo Health program--a 50-cent-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes. Senate members in both parties have united to defeat the new tax which they say will drive down overall tax revenues as smokers in Maine turn to the Internet or to tax-free New Hampshire to save on cigarettes. AJ Higgins reports

States Take EPA to Court Again Maine joined 16 other states, 3 cities and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups today in a measure designed to turn up the heat on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The states have asked the federal court of appeals to order the EPA to comply with a ruling made one year ago today. Details from Tom Porter

PolitickerME
Senate approves National Popular Vote initiative

Committee sends casino initiative to voters

Pig Book: Maine ranks 41st in pork barrel spending