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Maine Morning Star
Legislative leaders vote to advance added security measures for State House
A unanimous vote from Maine’s Legislative Council Wednesday advanced plans to improve State House security, an increasing concern following several threats in recent years as the political climate has intensified. The vote was solely to approve the use of an old cafe space near the State House entrance to build a new screening area, but […]
Sec. Buttigieg talks with Mainers about reimagining rural transportation
Against a backdrop of Interstate 295 and the former B&M Beans factory, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said you don’t have to be in a big city to have nice things. Buttigieg capped off a 50-state tour with a trip to Maine on Tuesday and Wednesday to learn about transportation-related challenges in the sprawling […]
Telehealth abortion still on the rise, especially in states with shield laws, report shows
Both the overall number of abortions and the use of telehealth abortion care continue to increase in the United States, according to the latest #WeCount report released Wednesday. Telehealth made up 20% of all abortion care in the first three months of 2024, and the monthly total of abortions exceeded 100,000 for the first time […]
Sometimes being a pragmatic progressive is what’s needed
Once upon a time, in a land where I was a much younger woman who had not spent over 25 years in the realm of social justice work, seeing how egos, passion and feelings — along with institutional roadblocks — get in the way of creating justice, I probably would have referred to myself as […]
Kamala Harris campaigns with running mate Tim Walz in Philadelphia: ‘It’s a fight for the future’
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared together in Philadelphia Tuesday at a rally on Temple University’s campus, the first time she has visited Pennsylvania as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president. It’s been less than a month since Harris’ last visit to the City of Brotherly Love, but […]
Maine Democratic leaders say Tim Walz ‘shares our commonsense values’
Prominent Maine Democrats praised presidential nominee Kamala Harris for selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, highlighting his experience representing rural America and positive stories of personal working relationships with him. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine served with Walz in Congress for several years, including on the House Agriculture Committee. “I know […]
Former mill town selected to house world’s largest duration energy storage project
A major investment may be on the horizon for a former mill town that is set to become home to the world’s largest multi-day energy storage system thanks to a nearly $150 million federal grant. Gov. Janet Mills and members of Maine’s congressional delegation announced a $147 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy […]
Child cannabis ingestions are increasing. Some fear a new law could make it worse
Amid an increasing number of reports of children in Maine ingesting cannabis , some worry that a new law could exacerbate the situation. States across the country are grappling with an increase in child cannabis ingestions, especially in the past few years as more states have moved to legalize. Accidental ingestions in children can lead […]
Maine manages to retain most Medicaid enrollees even as pandemic-era protections end
As pandemic-era protections end, Maine has managed to keep almost 70 percent of people formerly relying on state healthcare on Medicaid, a rate better than the national average and many other states. More than 300,000 Mainers have renewed their MaineCare coverage so far, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. MaineCare is […]
Here is a look at the new state flag design Mainers will vote on this November
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows revealed the winner of the Maine State Flag Redesign Contest on Monday in Augusta. The new design was the work of Adam Lemire of Gardiner. Although it closely resembles the flag bearing a pine tree and blue star already seen across the state, there are a few intentional details in […]
NH governor signs one bill targeting ‘forever chemicals’ but vetoes another
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill Friday that bans certain products with intentionally added PFAS from sale in the state starting in 2027 and creates strict liability for PFAS polluters. He vetoed another measure that would have created liability for PFAS facilities, citing its“broad” definition and the fact that its standard for chemical […]
U.S. unemployment rises as the Fed holds tight on key interest rates
The unemployment rate climbed to 4.3% in July, up 0.2% from June, the Friday employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, alarming some economists who believe the Federal Reserve has waited too long to cut interest rates. The economy added 114,000 jobs and the number of people who were on temporary layoff rose […]
Libertarian and two independent candidates added to Maine’s presidential ballot
There will be two independent presidential candidates on Maine’s November ballot, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, pending any challenges to the validity of their candidate petitions, as well as Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver. With these candidates qualified for the ballot as of Friday, Maine’s presidential election is expected to use ranked-choice voting […]
Maine ends fiscal year with $93.5 million surplus
Maine ended the 2024 fiscal year with a $93.5 million general fund surplus, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services announced on Friday. With year-end revenues exceeding projections, the surplus is allocated to certain accounts as directed by state law through a process known as the “cascade.” This means that, of the excess, $2.5 million […]
Harris’ possible running mates have record of securing reproductive rights post Dobbs
The Democratic Party kicked off its virtual roll call on Thursday to formally nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as its pick for the next commander-in-chief. Harris is expected to announce her running mate soon. Speculation over her vice presidential nominee has run rampant. States Newsroom’s Washington, D.C., bureau recently spoke with political experts who suspect Harris is […]
Wanted: Poll workers. Must love democracy.
This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups made a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in November’s presidential election. Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench […]
Mainers who broke barriers energized and organizing for Harris
When Marpheen Chann was door knocking in Portland for a city council race last week, he saw a cardboard sign that said “Kamala” written in crayon. It wasn’t flashy, but Chann — who will be a delegate for Maine at the Democratic National Convention later this month — saw meaning in its simplicity. “It got […]
Local Planned Parenthood offices warn of multi-million dollar deficit, call for state funding
Representatives of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England called on leaders in Maine and other New England states to fund Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers with state money during a press conference Thursday morning. PPNNE has a projected financial deficit of approximately $8.6 million over the next three years, said interim CEO Nicole Clegg, […]
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Maine Morning Star is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news site covering state policy and politics — and how they impact the lives of Maine’s people. We focus on issues that Mainers grapple with every day: from the overdose crisis, to housing affordability, to tribal rights, to the challenges of the legal system, to the impact that our changing climate will have on the geography and economy of the Pine Tree State. We aim to hold powerful people and institutions accountable and explain how their actions affect communities from Kennebunk to Caribou. You might say we’ve got Moxie™. Ultimately, we believe good journalism is essential for a strong democracy and that honest reporting can empower Mainers to create the world that they hope to achieve. Maine Morning Star is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers, which has editors and reporters throughout the country dedicated to relentless coverage of state government, policies and statewide issues. Our original reporting and opinions are free to readers and other news outlets, so please feel free to reprint our work. Also, drop us a line if you’d like to submit commentary for publication.
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