Like quickly passing summer showers, little bursts of political news barely dampen the ground around us. It’s summer in Maine, the election is 15 months away and frankly, my dear, we don’t give a hoot. The long-teased announcement that former Governor Paul LePage is seeking to return to the Blaine House raised brief interest in …
School is out, to the extent that it was ever in this year. Most kids are free — free of the classroom and free of the screens at home providing their education. Some kids loved it; some kids hated it. For parents it was the same. Whether or not anyone liked how they were getting …
We know, we know, if you don’t like the Maine weather wait a minute, but this is excessive. Cold enough for a jacket one day, too hot for any clothes at all the next, and through it all the wind blowing a gale. Regardless, tourists are going to have their summer. If Maine is Vacationland, …
Maine legislators returned to in-person sessions at the State House on June 2, thrashing their way through a daunting list of bills released from committees for final floor action. They dispersed again on June 17 with a scheduled return on June 30 when they are really, really going to finish this year’s work. Probably. In …
In the wee hours of last Friday, June 18, legislators were released into the wild for two weeks with the intention of returning on June 30 to finish this year’s work. In a frenzied eight days they moved ridiculous amounts of bills at a pace no one at a distance from Augusta could hope to …
In the last two weeks the Maine Legislature has attempted to process over 1,000 bills. There is always an end-of-session pile-up, but not like the likes of this. Thanks to the pandemic the legislative year was “end-loaded.” Committees met electronically, the chambers rarely convened and bills flowed through in a trickle. Now, with the anticipated …
Summer is upon us. On warm days when families take to the out of doors, there is a steady stream of baby strollers on the sidewalks. Sit yourself down where you can watch them parade by and you will be treated to one of the true joys of summer — baby feet. They dangle shoe-less …
By Jill Goldthwait At this time next year we will be up to our clavicles in election campaigns. There is not a presidential election, thank goodness, and in Maine we will not be electing a U.S. senator (Angus King is up in 2024 and Susan Collins in 2026). But all seats in the U.S. House …
The act to create “semi-open primaries” in Maine has been voted Ought to Pass as Amended by the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. If passed by the Legislature, the bill will allow unenrolled (independent) voters to pick a party and cast a ballot in a primary election. The positive committee vote is a step …
The winding down of the pandemic is coinciding with the winding up of summer. The streets are ablaze with out-of-state license plates, dog leashes run criss-cross applesauce across the sidewalks and the blare of car alarms fills the air. What is it with car alarms? Other than the amusement value of watching a frantic owner …
The 130th Maine Legislature can’t catch a break. Holding infrequent in-person sessions in the spacious Augusta Civic Center instead of the much smaller chambers at the Statehouse, the Legislature is once again on hold after two legislators reportedly tested positive for COVID. Barring additional cases, the Legislature will resume the week of May 17. The …
The days grow long and the 130th Legislature lumbers on. A mystery to the average bear in the best of times, we now see Augusta as through a glass, darkly. Many of the key indicators relied on by those who stay close to the process are missing. The limited presence of legislators in the Capitol …
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