Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

As things continued to grind to a halt Sunday at the GOP state convention, rumors were flying about possible cost overruns if the convention went past 6 p.m.

The party booked the Augusta Civic Center for Saturday and Sunday, with an end time of 6 p.m. on Sunday. But the convention went about three hours past the scheduled end time amid confusion about delegate votes and contested results.

Earl Kingsbury, major event coordinator for the civic center, said this morning that he's not sure whether they will charge the party for any extra costs incurred. He needs to wait until the executive director, who is out sick today, comes back so they can discuss what's in the contract and whether staffers were required to stay late to clean up after the convention ended.

Kingsbury said he did not know the total cost of the rental for the weekend and did not want to speculate about what any OT might cost.

"The civic center is still evaluating the convention itself," he said, noting that he was so exhausted he took Monday off.

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Open Season targets all of Maine's political wildlife, from Portland city government to the donkeys, elephants and independents stalking the Statehouse and U.S. Capitol.

John Richardson joined the Press Herald in 1990 after working as a reporter in New Jersey. He has covered a variety of beats, including marine issues, the environment and health care. He is now covering politics and focusing on Maine's U.S. Senate race.
John can be reached at 791-6324 or jrichardson@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @jrichmaine

Colin Woodard has covered politics and elections for more than two decades, from Bosnia and Bucharest to Washington, D.C., Augusta, and Portland City Hall. He has written for a wide range of national and international publications and is the author of four books, including "American Nations," a history of North America's regional cultures. He joined the Portland Press Herald at the end of April and covers political finance and lobbying, among other things.
Colin can be reached at 791-6317 or cwoodard@pressherald.com

Susan Cover has covered Maine politics for 10 years and worked in Kansas, Ohio and Rhode Island as a reporter. This year, she is focusing on covering the same-sex marriage debate for MaineToday Media.
Susan can be reached at 621-5643 or scover@mainetoday.com

Michael Shepherd joined MaineToday Media in May 2012 after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono, where he edited The Maine Campus, the student newspaper there. Until November he'll be writing the Truth Test, a recurring feature analyzing political statements and advertising.
Michael can be reached at 621-5632 or mshepherd@mainetoday.com

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