AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage announced Thursday that he vetoed a bill to prohibit tanning facilities from allowing those under 18 years of age to use tanning machines. LePage announced his veto via Twitter, saying it’s up to parents, not lawmakers, to decide whether kids should be allowed to tan indoors. “Maine parents can […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Fire officials say a 57-year-old man has been charged with arson for starting a fire that destroyed the Augusta apartment house he lived in. The State Fire Marshal’s Office says Stephen Cormier was arrested Thursday at a homeless shelter he was staying at in Waterville. Investigators say Cormier set fire to a […]

LEWISTON (AP) — Two state lawmakers from Lewiston are calling for an investigation into claims by a Maine Center for Disease Control official that she was ordered to destroy documents. Sen. Margaret Craven and Rep. Peggy Rotundo, both Lewiston Democrats, tell the Sun Journal that they’re asking the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability […]

FRYEBURG (AP) — An expelled Fryeburg Academy student has been charged with arson for allegedly setting a fire in the school gymnasium. Police say 18-year-old Dyllan Wilson, of Fryeburg, is charged with entering the gymnasium under the pretense of using the bathroom and setting a cork board and paper on fire at about 3 p.m. […]

WATERVILLE (AP) — Colby College has reached its goal of being carbon neutral. Colby says that as of Thursday, it has a net zero carbon footprint through a combination of minimizing greenhouse emissions and using carbon offsets to mitigate the remaining emissions. The liberal arts school in Waterville says it’s the fourth college nationwide to […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — The pool in the running for Maine Teacher of the Year has been narrowed to six semi-finalists. Gov. Paul LePage and Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen honored the group at a State House ceremony Thursday. The six include fifth-grade teacher Susan Carpenter O’Brien from George B. Weatherbee School in Hampden, fourth-grade teacher Mary […]

PORTLAND (AP) — A new campaign style TV ad aimed at garnering support for Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to pay off the state’s $484 million debt to Maine hospitals stirred up a political ruckus Thursday, with Democrats and Republicans accusing each other of partisan politics and former Democratic Gov. John Balcaddi stepping into the fray. […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. The slowdown is a reminder that the job market’s path back to full health will be uneven. The Labor Department said today that the unemployment rate dipped to 7.6 […]

Roger Ebert, the popular film critic and television cohost who along with his fellow reviewer and sometime sparring partner Gene Siskel could lift or sink the fortunes of a movie with their trademark thumbs up or thumbs down, died Thursday in Chicago. He was 70. His death was announced by the Chicago Sun-Times, where he […]