Raise your hand if you ever thought Gov. Paul LePage would propose raising the sales tax. Anyone? No. Me either. But there it was, smack dab in the middle of a $6.2 billion budget bill that pairs a massive tax code overhaul with many other significant policy initiatives deserving of examination. But for now, wow, where […]

Former finance chief Sawin Millett presented the governor’s two-year budget in 2013. 2 p.m. — Here we go again. Republicans on the budget writing committee and members of leadership are receiving their private briefing from the administration. That would appear to be a violation of Maine’s open meeting law because more than three members of a […]

Gov. Paul LePage hit a number of policy areas during his 40-minute speech at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday, including additional signals that he wants changes in local government and how it delivers services. However, before we get to speculating what he might have meant by his remarks, a check on a particular claim […]

Gov. Paul LePage will be sworn in for his second four-year term Wednesday during a joint session of the Maine Legislature held at the Augusta Civic Center. I’ll be live-blogging part of the ceremony beginning with a modified version of the Morning Briefing. Readers can also view a live stream of the governor’s speech on the […]

The presiding officers of the new Legislature on Tuesday revealed their choices for the 16 committees charged with vetting and negotiating bills next year. Included is the composition of an appropriations panel that will have a significant influence over the state’s next two-year budget. Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport, and House Speaker Mark Eves, announced […]

A brown, soggy Christmas approaches, and yes, Jackson Hole, the skiers here are feeling peanut butter and jealous. It’s been a sleepy couple of weeks in Augusta, but that will change very shortly. Gov. Paul LePage will officially begin his second term when he is sworn in at the Augusta Civic Center on Jan. 7. Two […]

UPDATE @ 1:54 :  There may have been a big mistake during the recount of the state Senate District 25 race. The Senate panel reviewing the contest on Wednesday opened the sealed containers containing ballots from Long Island. Here’s what happened when they did: A possible double-counting of ballots. The recount from Nov. 18 showed […]

By itself, the decision by the incoming Republican caucus to nominate former Democratic state Rep. Terry Hayes as state treasurer might seem like a small thing. It’s a relatively minor post, after all, a legislatively elected position that serves an important function in state government, but one that the public doesn’t typically care about. But […]

* There will be several more days of discussion over mystery ballots in the Senate District 25 contest between Democratic candidate Cathy Breen and Republican Cathy Manchester. Maine Republican Party Chairman Rick Bennett slammed Democrats for “dishonestly attacking the election process and, apparently, the Maine State Police, by falsely raising the specter of ‘fraud.’ ” Later, […]