A new permanent commission set up to examine the status of racial, indigenous and tribal populations says racial equity should be a central consideration for all new laws in Maine.
Scott Thistle
Scott Thistle is the State House reporter for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He has covered politics and government in Maine since 2006. Prior to that he served as the State House reporter for the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minnesota. A Maine native, Thistle has worked in journalism since 1990, when he got his start at a weekly newspaper in rural Oxford County, Maine. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and an active volunteer with the National Ski Patrol. He resides with his wife, Amy and his two sons Finn and Kai, in Auburn, Maine.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Mills administration proposes hiring freeze, spending cuts to offset revenue lost to pandemic
The plan proposes a hiring freeze and delaying technology upgrades to help make up for more than $500 million in revenue losses.
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Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Court puts brakes on decision to allow ranked-choice veto question in November
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court still must rule on an underlying appeal of Secretary of State Matt Dunlap’s decision to invalidate signatures on a people’s veto petition.
Posted inElections, Local & State, Politics
State’s high court hears case on people’s veto for ranked-choice voting
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court hears oral arguments in a legal battle over a people’s veto ballot question on ranked choice voting for president this fall.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Mills gives state agencies more time to propose cuts as shortfall looms
Facing a revenue shortfall of more than $500 million, Gov. Janet Mills gives agencies 7 more weeks to submit new budgets, while hoping Congress delivers more pandemic aid to states.
Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Time is tight for historic decision on ranked-choice voting in Maine
Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court will have to decide whether the state becomes the first in U.S. history to use a ranked-choice system in a presidential election.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics, Schools and Education
Under pressure, Trump administration extends waivers for free school meal programs
The waivers have allowed school districts in Maine to provide free breakfast and lunch to any student who asks for a meal.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Expiring waivers could make food harder to get for many Maine kids
A bipartisan group in Congress, including 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, is pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the waivers for the entire school year.
Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
LePage and Poliquin tout Trump before his acceptance speech
The former Republican governor and the two-term 2nd District congressman, who lost his re-election bid in 2018 to a Democrat, praised a recent trade deal that removes European Union tariffs on Maine lobster.
Posted inElections, Local & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Ad attacking Gideon for paying taxes late misses context
The ad by the 1820 PAC omits important information related to 77 tax liens on Freeport property owned by a real estate development company that Gideon’s husband established just as the Great Recession was beginning.