Congress faces a Friday night deadline to pass a spending bill after the House rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling.
Rachel Ohm
Staff Writer
Rachel covers state government and politics for the Portland Press Herald. It’s her third beat at the paper after stints covering City Hall and education. Prior to her arrival at the Press Herald in the summer of 2019, Rachel worked at the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, covering Franklin and Somerset counties, and the Knoxville News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tennessee, covering higher education. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University and when she’s not writing and reporting enjoys running, cooking and traveling to new places.
Posted inLocal & State
Gov. Mills names first director of Maine’s Office of New Americans
Tarlan Ahmadov, who currently oversees statewide employment programs at the Maine Department of Labor, will begin his new role in January.
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Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Gun safety advocates credit Maine for post-Lewiston reforms
The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence upgraded its assessment of Maine’s gun laws from a D-minus to a C-plus based on laws passed this year, while also calling for more action.
Posted inElection 2024, Local & State, News, Politics
Maine officially casts its Electoral College votes for Harris, Trump
Three votes were cast each for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and one vote each for Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Posted inElection 2024, Local & State, Politics
Maine will join other states in casting Electoral College votes Tuesday
Maine’s 4 electors will meet at the State House to cast ballots for president and vice president.
Posted inKennebec Journal, Local & State
Mainers with ties to Syria celebrate fall of Assad regime
Bashar al-Assad’s regime was reportedly responsible for the deaths of more than 200,000 Syrian civilians from the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in March 2011 to June 2024.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Politics
Despite progress, Maine women still earn less and are more likely to live in poverty
A report released Thursday calls for more equity in the labor market to close the gender pay gap and improve women’s access to higher paying jobs.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Politics
Feds announce permanent extension of asylum seeker work permits
Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Gov. Janet Mills recently asked federal officials to extend the maximum amount of time eligible immigrants and asylum seekers have for extensions on work permit renewals, from 180 days to 540.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Politics
Mills, Pingree, King push to extend asylum seeker work permits
Rep. Chellie Pingree, Sen. Angus King and Gov. Janet Mills are asking federal authorities to permanently extend automatic work permit renewals for up to 540 days because of a backlog in asylum cases.
Posted inElection 2024, Local & State, Politics
Collins, Golden could give Maine delegation outsized influence during Trump administration
Neither Susan Collins nor Jared Golden are seen as predictable votes for their parties, and narrow margins in Congress mean it’s more likely they will be looked to as key votes.