Republican Gov. Paul LePage has nominated one of his former election opponents to serve on two education boards. Shawn Moody, who ran against LePage as in independent in 2010, has been nominated by the governor to serve as a trustee for both the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System.   The […]

  The campaign for Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday attempted to link Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud to new pollution rules by the Environmental Protection Agency that critics say will make it more expensive for homeowners to purchase newer, cleaner burning wood stoves. Opponents of the regulations also argue that wood stove manufacturers would […]

Here’s the full audio of Gov. Paul LePage’s unexpected press conference. Click here to read the story about his remarks and the reaction from Democrats in the Legislature.  At the end of the press conference, Adrienne Bennett, the governor’s spokeswoman, tells reporters that he’ll take one more question. After LePage answers it, he says he’ll […]

Here to oppose cell F:5: The Legislature’s budget writing committee will begin a series of public hearings on two proposals designed to fill gaps in the state budget for the current and next fiscal years. Anyone who has been following the build-up to this process knows by now that the whole thing is completely unorthodox, if […]

  The Republican state lawmaker who has come under fire for a series of past statements about gays, rape and abortion said Wednesday that he regrets having made such comments. Rep. Lawrence Lockman, R-Amherst, is widely regarded as a polarizing lawmaker who frequently uses divisive rhetoric during floor speeches and press events. On Tuesday the […]

Pivot: By now most have probably learned that the Portland Press Herald inadvertently received emails of high level officials at the Department of Health and Human Services discussing its pivot from the a heavily criticized taxpayer funded Medicaid expansion study. However, the actual correspondence is now embedded in the story for those who are interested in […]

  (Update 2.13.14 — Looks like the lifecycle of Frary’s primary challenge was about 48 hours. He told Morning Sentinel Wednesday that he’s not running.)  Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton, has been an outspoken supporter of Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act, a position that puts him at odds with a number of his Republican […]

H/T to colleague Mike Shepherd for spotting a little problem with the latest Republican Governors Association attack against Democratic gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and another H/T to PPH D.C. bureau chief Kevin Miller for the context — S.M. The RGA press release: “Already Unaffordable Home Heating Oil To Get A Tax Hike Thanks […]

Colleague Eric Russell has the spot coverage of Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address. We’ll have more analysis of the speech later, but here’s some quick observations: * Striking difference between this year’s speech and last year’s speech. Last year the governor seemed to alternate between conciliatory remarks toward Democratic lawmakers and challenging […]

The back-and-forth accusations over Monday’s Democrat-led budget committee vote over a plan to forestall $40 million in revenue sharing raged unabated Tuesday. Both sides claimed the other is lying. Both sides say the whole affair has tainted the budget process and the sanctity of the negotiations. Both sides . . . The difficulty getting to […]