In an interview after a Republican rally in Lewiston on Friday, the former governor said that if re-elected, he would once again try to take away their eligibility for assistance to pay for food, shelter and other needs while awaiting federal authorization to work.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
Posted inLocal & State
Abortions in Maine rose at twice the national average over 3-year period
A research group that supports abortion rights said a national increase reverses a 30-year downward trend and is likely the result of policies such as Maine’s decision to expand insurance coverage of abortion.
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Posted inLocal & State, Uncategorized
Maine legislator steps down to focus on consumer-owned power effort
Rep. Seth Berry of Bowdoinham has dropped his re-election bid, leaving it up to the Sagadahoc County Democratic Committee to name a replacement.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Big win in state Senate special election buoys Democrats
But Republicans dismissed the defeat as a ‘low stakes’ race that in no way indicates what will happen in November when both candidates face off again with former Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills at the top of the ticket.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
AG rules that state appointees can’t run for political office
The governor’s office had initially advised at least one Democratic candidate that she would only need to resign if she won based on what it now says is ‘a longstanding, but erroneous, understanding of the law’ that preceded the administration.
Posted inLocal & State
Gov. Mills assembling Cabinet-level group to address aging issues in Maine
The new ‘Cabinet on Aging’ will coordinate efforts to ensure that people can age safely, affordably and in settings that best serve their needs.
Posted inLocal & State
Don’t expect Maine to join the gun control debate, especially in an election year
The state has a high rate of gun ownership, driven primarily by hunters, and past efforts to restrict firearms and hunting have only motivated gun rights supporters to turn out to vote.
Posted inLocal & State, Uncategorized
Maine’s ‘yellow flag’ gun safety law still a work in progress
The 2019 law allowing police to temporarily confiscate weapons from people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others has had limited impact because it requires a medical assessment that hospitals are hesitant to provide.
Posted inLocal & State
Gun suicides in Maine far outpace U.S. rate
A new state report says more than 85 percent of Maine’s firearm deaths in 2020 were suicides, a percentage well above the national average.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Gov. Mills continues to outraise LePage in governor’s race
Gov. Janet Mills has more than double the amount of money raised by former Gov. Paul LePage and more than triple her Republican challenger’s totals for the last month.