Meanwhile, the Maine Principals’ Association has challenged the Trump administration’s findings from a separate federal investigation into the body’s rules regarding transgender athletes.
Politics
Local, statewide and national political news from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Jobs for Maine prisoners are shifting online. The state wants to charge for the tech.
Lawmakers have started questioning what the current economy inside Maine’s prisons looks like since the Department of Corrections proposed some new fees for its inmates.
Maine homeless advocates, emergency shelters call for more state funding
A bill before lawmakers would raise funding for shelters by $5 million, but the Mills administration has said it can’t identify revenues to support it.
Medicaid cuts would be devastating, Rep. Pingree, health care providers and patients say
A bill that will likely include substantial cuts to the program has passed the U.S. House and will be considered by the Senate this year.
Social Security workers, union say staffing cuts would gut the agency
They warn that it is already understaffed and that further cuts, including the possible closure of the Presque Isle office, could lead to major disruptions for 355,000 older and disabled Mainers.
Chief justice, in rare statement, rebukes Trump’s call to impeach judge who ruled against his deportation plans
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeachment — a rare step usually taken only in cases of grave ethical or criminal misconduct — as an inappropriate response to a ruling the president doesn’t like.
White House giving Maine 10 days to comply with transgender ruling
The federal DHHS says the state is in violation of Title IX and must accept a proposed resolution, which includes returning federal funding and retraining staff, or risk referral to the Justice Department ‘for appropriate action.’
King, Pingree demand answers on why USDA cut local food programs
Sen. Angus King joins dozens of Senate colleagues in calling for the funding to be restored.
Bill would devote $6M per year to support Maine community college students
Sen. Mattie Daughtry and community college leaders say students receiving free tuition often need support in other areas — including housing, food and counseling — to succeed in higher education.
A professor from Brown University was deported to Lebanon without explanation, despite US visa
Dr. Rasha Alawieh arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday and was detained at least 36 hours before being sent back to Lebanon, despite a judge’s order that a hearing be held first.