PORTLAND The year that’s drawn to a close was the deadliest on Maine roads in years — bad enough that the state will launch a public safety campaign in the new year. The state recorded 171 highway deaths through Sunday in an unofficial tally. That’s the most since 183 in 2007, said Lauren Stewart, director […]

OAKLAND ( AP) — Police say a 92- year-old woman was killed when a truck slid into the path of a vehicle in which she was riding in Oakland. WABI-TV reports that Jeannette Vigue of Winslow died Saturday afternoon in the head-on collision. Officials say three others were transported to the hospital. Officials say the […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine’s minimum wage increases to $10 an hour in the new year thanks to a law approved by voters in 2016. The hourly wage will then increase again to $11 in 2019 and $12 in 2020. Then, the wage will increase according to a formula. Certain white collar employees will see their […]

CALAIS (AP) — Police say one of the five men charged after a drive-by shooting in eastern Maine had more than 100 doses of drugs in his intestines. Police say 27-year-old Stephen Perkins of Baileyville was charged along with four men from New York City after shots were fired from a car Wednesday night in […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Mainers who want to run for office in 2018 can start gathering signatures. Voters this year will elect one of Maine’s two U.S. senators, Maine’s governor, two representatives to Congress, members of the Maine Legislature and several county officers. Anyone who wants to get on the 2018 ballot for the June 12 […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are returning to Augusta to tackle big questions on recreational marijuana sales and funding for voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Wednesday marks the first day of the second session of the 128th Legislature. This year, lawmakers face re-election. Several legislative leaders are running for governor and Congress. While Medicaid expansion and recreational […]

LEWISTON (AP) — A new mayor is going to be taking the helm in Maine’s second largest city. On Tuesday, Lewiston Mayor-elect Shane Bouchard will be sworn in at City Hall along with a number of other local officials. The Sun Journal reports that outgoing Mayor Bob Macdonald, who was limited to three consecutive two-year […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine will soon prohibit the sale of 33 invasive plants. State officials say that the Maine landscape is being invaded by otherwise lovely plants like “Crimson King” Norway maple, burning bush and Japanese barberry. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says such plants crowd out native plants and eliminate the […]

AUGUSTA (AP) — Mainers who want to grow industrial hemp can apply for the 2018 growing season. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry acknowledges that would-be hemp growers face barriers that make it tricky to grow the crop legally. Maine has allowed industrial hemp since 2016. But federal law requires a permit for […]