President Donald Trump has been promising to abolish the Education Department since the 2024 campaign. Here’s what to know about his effort to close it.
Politics
Local, statewide and national political news from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Posted inPolitics
House Republicans try but fail to remove censure of Laurel Libby
The move delayed debate over an $11.3 billion state budget on Thursday.
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Posted inNews, Politics
Gov. Mills signs budget bill into law, calls lawmakers back for special session
Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law an $11.3 billion budget that was passed by Democrats early Friday over the objections of Republicans.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Julia Lipez confirmed as Maine’s newest state supreme court justice
The Senate’s confirmation of Lipez to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court fills a yearlong vacancy on the state’s highest court.
Posted inNation & World, Politics, Schools and Education
Trump plan will dismantle US Education Department
The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News, Politics
A $3M boost to Maine’s public defense spurs objections on all sides
An emergency bill sought to compromise the demands of Gov. Janet Mills and the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services as the state faces a constitutional violation over a lack of court-appointed attorneys.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine bill would allow doctors to keep their names off prescription labels for abortion pill
The proposal comes as advocates have noted an increase in threats against abortion providers in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Posted inElections, Kennebec Journal, Local & State, Local Elections, News
Augusta again considers whether to consolidate voting at Civic Center
Some residents say closing the city’s neighborhood ward polling places could suppress voting by making it harder for poor or elderly people, or those who do not drive, to get to the Civic Center.
Posted inKennebec Journal, Local & State, Local Elections, Local Government
Pittston voters elect Holzinger to Select Board
About 400 voters filled the Town Office on Tuesday to cast their ballots.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine lawmakers weigh property tax relief, even as Mills signals she won’t support most efforts
Inflation and a runaway hot real estate market have led to a spike in property taxes across Maine — an issue that came into focus last year when lawmakers repealed a new program that froze property taxes for older adults because it was financially unsustainable.