Maine House passes bill to allow second chance for those convicted of shoplifting – once

AUGUSTA — A bill that would give some people with a single, minor criminal conviction on their record a second chance passed the Maine House of Representatives on a 123-18 vote Tuesday. But the bill,

Anthem won't seek to block information release

LEWISTON — The state on Tuesday released the list of doctors and hospitals that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will allow patients to use in its newly proposed insurance plan.  The provider list includes some Central Maine Healthcare medical employees, including audiologists,...

Assistant GOP leader wants to override Medicaid expansion veto

AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate's assistant Republican Leader who helped craft a Medicaid expansion compromise says he is hopeful they can get enough votes to override Republican Gov. Paul LePage's...

Maine House sustains veto on study of long-term care insurance

AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers have sustained a veto by Republican Gov. Paul LePage on a bill designed to lower long-term care insurance costs. The House voted 87-55 on Tuesday to uphold the veto. Democratic Rep. Sharon Treat of Hallowell is the sponsor. It would have directed the ...

Nobel Prize winner for physics dies in Maine

SACO — Kenneth Wilson, a physicist who earned a Nobel prize for pioneering work that changed the way physicists think about phase transitions, has died in Maine. He was 77. Wilson, who died from complications of lymphoma, was in the physics department at Cornell University in Ithaca,...

Portland says 'Life's good here'

PORTLAND — Everyone knows that what happens in Las Vegas "stays in Vegas." Maine's largest city is betting they also will come to know "life's good here." The city launched a new marketing campaign Tuesday under the slogan: "Portland, Maine. Yes. Life's good here." Besides the city, ...

Maine House OKs $5 hike in snowmobile registration

AUGUSTA — Maine snowmobilers could see higher registration fees, under a measure given initial approval by the state House. The Democratic-controlled House approved the measure on a 97 to 40 vote on Monday. The bill would increase the snowmobile registration fee from $40 to $4...

University programs that train U.S. teachers get mediocre marks in first-ever ratings

WASHINGTON — The vast majority of the 1,430 education programs that prepare the nation's K-12 teachers, including the University of Maine System, are mediocre, according to a first-ever ranking that immediately touched off a firestorm.

Maine Senate OKs bill requiring warrant for police surveillance with drones

AUGUSTA — The state Legislature is poised to pass into law a bill requiring police to obtain search warrants before using unmanned aerial vehicles, known as drones, to collect evidence in civilian criminal investigations. Following a 23-12 vote in the Senate on Monday night, the Hous...

Wind farm proposed for central Maine

BINGHAM (AP) — Opposition is lining up against a proposed 62-turbine wind energy facility in Somerset and Piscataquis counties in central Maine. Boston-based Blue Sky West, a subsidiary of First Wind Inc., filed an application last month to build a nearly $400 million wind farm on a ...