Author: Steve Robinson

Solar power diehards in the Democratic Party have won their fight to protect a program that subsidizes large solar facilities through electric rate increases on Maine residents and businesses. The fate of that program, known as “community solar,” along with its funding mechanism, Net Energy Billing (NEB), was one of the last major pieces of business before the State Legislature this year. Community solar and NEB had become increasingly controversial after the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) released estimates showing the arrangement would cost Maine ratepayers $220 million by 2025. Those increased electricity rates, though collected by Maine’s power…

The Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor has notified 24,180 patients that their private patient records may have been exposed during a network intrusion that affected the hospital between April 28 and May 7. From DataBreaches.net: “The types of information that may have been impacted reportedly included name, address, date of birth, driver’s license/state identification number, Social Security number, financial account information, medical record number, Medicare or Medicaid identification number, mental or physical treatment/condition information, diagnosis code/information, date of service, admission/discharge date, prescription information, billing/claims information, personal representative or guardian name, and health insurance information.” In a June 5 online…

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused during Wednesday’s briefing to say whether President Joe Biden acknowledges Hunter Biden’s four-year-old daughter as his grandchild. https://twitter.com/theMRC/status/1676669300067688448?s=20 “I don’t have anything to share from here,” said Jean-Pierre, when asked about a New York Times story concerning the young child. The Times reported that the girl’s father, Hunter, has never met his child. DNA testing has proved conclusively that he is the girl’s father. However, President Biden has never acknowledged his granddaughter’s existence, and White House statements about the Biden family routinely omit her. Despite a lucrative career as a Ukrainian natural gas…

A community of conservative Christians in Maine has been frustrated by the State’s car insurance mandate. It’s become such a nuisance that some families are considering relocating to another state, like Vermont, that offers legal accommodations for religious minorities whose beliefs preclude them from using insurance products. The insurance mandate has already led some members of central Maine’s small community of Mennonites to list their homes for sale. The Mennonites, like the Amish, are a conservative branch of the Protestant Anabaptists. There are an estimated 2 million Mennonites worldwide, and their beliefs and traditions vary from community to community. Members…

More than 2 million people and an estimated $100 billion in wealth relocated to the Southeast United States in 2020 and 2021, according to an Bloomberg analysis released this week. From Bloomberg: For the first time, six fast-growing states in the South — Florida, Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee — are contributing more to the national GDP than the Northeast, with its Washington-New York-Boston corridor, in government figures going back to the 1990s. The switch happened during the pandemic and shows no signs of reverting. A flood of transplants helped steer about $100 billion in new income to the Southeast in 2020…

In a stunning turn of events, a small bag of white powder, later identified as cocaine, was discovered on White House premises, sparking an immediate investigation by the Secret Service. The cocaine was discovered on Sunday by Secret Service agents conducting a routine inspection of the White House. A preliminary test quickly confirmed that the baggy of white powder was cocaine. The Secret Service is conducting an investigation to figure out how the Schedule II substance might have found its way into the executive mansion where President Joe Biden lives. Reports initially suggested that the cocaine was found in the…

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has begun providing Driver’s Licenses to residents who are present in the U.S. illegally under the “Work and Family Mobility Act” as of July 1. The WFMA will allow all Massachusetts residents to apply for a Standard (Class D or M) driver’s license, regardless of their immigration status. The RMV is also extending its hours of operation, adding more staff, and translating materials to make the law’s implementation as smooth as possible. According to the RMV, the new law removes the necessity for residents to provide proof of lawful U.S. presence to obtain a driver’s license.…

One of the last remaining items of business at the State House this summer is what — if anything — the State Legislature is going to do about the soaring electricity costs driven by a 2019 law that handed massive subsidies to solar developers. [RELATED: Out-of-State Firms Reaping Windfall Profits on Maine’s $220M Per Year Community Solar Program…] Republicans and some Democrats agree that lawmakers made an expensive mistake in 2019 when they expanded Maine’s community solar program to include facilities up to 5MWs. The cost of that expansion was paid for by ratepayers in the form of higher electricity…

President Joe Biden’s plan to unilaterally forgive $20,000 of student loan debt, broadly seen as an unconstitutional gimmick to boost Democratic turnout prior to the 2022 midterm elections, was struck down Friday by a 6-3 majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Biden Administration had argued that the president had the authority to shift up to $20,000 per borrower of debt onto the taxpayers because of the 2003 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act. Chief Justice John Roberts rejected that argument, insisting that court precedent required “Congress speak clearly before a department secretary can unilaterally alter large sections…

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivered an anticipated veto of Democratic House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross’ tribal sovereignty bill Friday morning. The bill had backing from Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans, an unusual coalition that would amount to enough votes to override the veto in both the House and the Senate — but only if the coalition hangs together. The veto is a climax of sorts in the conflicting views of Talbot Ross and Gov. Mills. While Mills has sought to maintain a 1980s agreement that makes Maine a middleman between the tribes and the federal government, Talbot Ross wants to…

The United States Supreme Court ruled yesterday that colleges and universities cannot make admissions decisions on the basis of race, setting off a wave of outraged progressives. [RELATED: Supreme Court Declares Race-Conscious College Admissions Unconstitutional in Harvard Case…] Among the outraged: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a white woman who for years pretended to be Native American as a lawyer and later a professor at Harvard University. https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1674448621159305220?s=20 Warren has said she never used her fake ancestry to benefit from affirmative action, but the university touted her as a minority hire. She made nearly $430,000 per year. The elaborate ruse…

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills endorsed the largest state tax increase on Maine workers in more than two decades Thursday with an op-ed published in a liberal Portland newspaper. “I have repeatedly said I am opposed to increasing taxes,” Gov. Mills said, before going on to explain why she was supporting the tax increase contained in a Democrat-backed paid leave proposal. [RELATED: Appropriations Committee Approves $800 Million Spending Package in Early Morning Vote…] In the governor’s view, supporting the Legislature’s tax increase proposal as part of an $800 million spending bill is the better alternative to a far left proposal coming…

Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Thursday morning to discuss the migrant protest on Park Ave in Portland, the simmering migrant crisis, and how political leaders are attempting to resolve the problem. Read more of the Maine Wire’s coverage here: “This Is Insanity”: Portland Maine’s Liberal Redditors Turn on Migrant Policies Bad Food, No Showers: Migrants Protest Outside Portland Expo Over “Awful Conditions,” Uncertain Future Benefits Portland Officials Address Protest Over “Deplorable Conditions” at the Portland Expo South Portland Approves State-Funded Agreement to Keep Housing Migrants at Howard Johnson for 12 More Months Migrant…

Users on the most popular subreddit for Portland reacted harshly Wednesday morning to the news that migrants from sub-Saharan Africa staged a protest in the streets demanding better housing and benefits. Portland’s Reddit community, which tends lean left, appears to be changing its mind about the benefits of generous welfare policies and unlimited immigration. Here’s a few choice quotes from this thread in reaction to news of the protest: This is insanity. How far are we going to let this go? We’ve given them everything we have to the point where Portland taxes are poised to go up 10% if…

In a striking example of “burying the lede,” the New York Times revealed, deep into a story on bombshell IRS whistleblower testimonies, that the newspaper has independently confirmed the most sensational allegation from that testimony — a confirmation that calls into question multiple statements provided by the U.S. Attorney General. Two IRS whistleblowers said last week that their investigation into Hunter Biden’s unpaid taxes encountered politically driven roadblocks from officials connected to the Biden Administration. That allegation, if true, could prove devastating to the Biden White House and his 2024 re-election campaign. One of the whistleblowers, IRS official Gary Shapley,…

Gov. Janet Mills’ signature late-term abortion bill, the very bill she said she would not support during her re-election campaign, is expected to receive her signature later this week following final passage Tuesday in both the Senate and the House. The bill passed 21-13 in the Senate and 73-69 in the House. Almost all restrictions on abortion will be eliminated when the bill becomes law. Previously, abortion in Maine had been limited for 30 years by a 24-week viability threshold, with a few exceptions for cases coming after that point, such as when the life of the mother is in…

The debate over Gov. Janet Mills’ late-term abortion bill was one of the most controversial of the session, but it was also one of the most frustrating. It was a frustrating debate because neither the pro-abortion side nor the anti-abortion side could come to an agreement about what the bill even meant. They still can’t. On the pro-abortion side, left-wing politicians said over and over again that the bill was limited only to fatal fetal abnormalities, rare cases, and would not permit elective abortions of health babies carried by healthy women. On the anti-abortion side, conservative politicians insisted that the…

The federal government may have handed out more than $200 billion in taxpayer money to fraudsters under the guise of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). During the pandemic, the SBA handed out $1.2 trillion under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. “Using OIG’s investigative casework, prior OIG reporting, advanced data analytics, and additional review procedures, we estimate SBA disbursed more than $200 billion in potentially fraudulent COVID-19 EIDLs and PPP loans,” the OIG report states. The OIG report…

Maine’s State Senate on Tuesday blocked a proposed amendment that would have put a four-year moratorium on the trafficking of fetal remains leftover from late-term abortions. The proposed floor amendment from Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin) followed approval by the Senate of Gov. Janet Mills’ controversial proposal to eliminate restrictions on late-term abortions in Maine. By a vote of 23-11, the Senate voted in favor of Sen. Mattie Daughtry’s (D-Cumberland) motion to indefinitely postpone consideration of the amendment, effectively killing the proposed moratorium. If Gov. Mills’ late-term abortion bill becomes law, as now seems certain, elective late-term abortions on healthy babies…

Seventy-nine-year-old U.S. Sen. Angus King, who is not enrolled in a party but who caucuses with Democrats, said Tuesday he plans to run for re-election in 2024. https://twitter.com/JohnnyWGME/status/1673719415882362881 “There’s too much to do, I just don’t feel like this is the time to quit,” Sen. King said, according to a tweet from WGME reporter Johnny Maffei. King served two terms as Maine’s governor before trying his hand at lucrative green energy investments that later drew criticism from fiscal conservatives. In 2012, King ran for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe. As a Senator, King emerged…

Gov. Janet Mills dealt labor unions a major defeat Tuesday when she vetoed an offshore wind port construction bill that included lucrative carve outs for organized labor. The bill she vetoed, LD 1847, began as a governor’s bill; however, Sen. Glenn Curry (D-Waldo) and Senate Democrats attached an amendment to it that would have required all work on the project to go to labor unions under a Project Labor Agreement. That was a problem for Maine’s largest construction companies, which are employee owned and not unionized. It was also a problem for many of the smaller Maine-based subcontractors that could…

The Maine House of Representatives voted Thursday night to approve Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ plan to eliminate restrictions on late-term abortion in Maine, bringing the most controversial bill of the legislative session one step closer to becoming law. The 74-72 vote means it’s all but certain that the Democrat-controlled Senate will vote Friday to send one of the most radical abortion bills ever written to the Blaine House to become law under Gov. Mills’ pen. The bill was a top priority of leading abortion clinic operator Planned Parenthood, a group whose political allies spent heavily in the 2022 election cycle…

President Joe Biden was in the room when his son Hunter Biden sent a WhatsApp message to Chinese businessman Henry Zhao demanding to know why Zhao had not held up his side of an undisclosed bargain, according to documents released Thursday by House Republicans. In the 2017 WhatsApp message, Hunter Biden implied that Zhao failing to heed his words would result in his father, then the former-Vice President Biden, and “everyone he knows” holding a grudge. The documents include whistleblower testimonies from two IRS agents who allege political interference by the Department of Justice and the IRS into their investigation…

The young couple gunned down Monday night in Westbrook had recently relocated to Maine from Texas with their two young children. Michael Hayter, 41, and Brittney (McKinney) Cockrell, 37, were shot to death in front of their 7- and 11-year-old children by Marcel LaGrange, Jr., according to the Maine State Police (MSP), in what appears to be a random act of violence. Law enforcement has not said whether the case is being investigated as a hate crime. LaGrange, 24, had previously told corrections officers at the Long Creek Youth Correctional Center in 2018 that he wanted wanted to go on…

If lawmakers voted to approve a paid leave program — funded by a new one percent payroll tax on workers — then that would legally nullify a more radical version of the plan left-wing activists are pursuing via ballot referendum. So said Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) Thursday morning on the WGAN Morning News in an interview with host Matthew Gagnon. Listen here: Newsradio WGAN · Sen. Mattie Daughtry “From what I understand, depending on when the law takes effect, it would render the referendum null and void,” Sen. Daughtry said, after disclosing that she’s not a lawyer. Perhaps she should…

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said Thursday that the committee has received credible whistleblower testimony alleging misconduct and government abuse resulting in preferential treatment for the president’s son, Hunter Biden. During a press conference, Smith detailed three key areas of focus revealed by the transcripts of interviews with the whistleblowers: unequal treatment of taxpayers when enforcing tax laws, alleged overreach by the Biden Department of Justice in the investigation, and retaliation faced by Internal Revenue Services (IRS) whistleblowers. The whistleblowers, two IRS employees, were part of an investigation into Hunter Biden that began…

The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released shocking whistleblower testimonies suggesting alleged impropriety by the IRS and DOJ during the investigation into Hunter Biden’s potential tax evasion. The testimonies were provided by two IRS employees involved in the investigation of President Biden’s son. The IRS employees outlined instances of misconduct and governmental abuse at the IRS and the FBI, notably citing unequal enforcement of tax law, interference by the DOJ, and retaliation against whistleblowers. “The American people deserve to know that when it comes to criminal enforcement, they are not on the same playing field as the…

Maine’s Republican Senators on Wednesday defended their opposition to an effort by Democratic lawmakers to create a new one percent payroll tax on Maine workers in order to fund a mandatory paid family and medical leave program. In a vote that fell strictly along party lines, Senate Democrats approved the plan, setting up a future vote in the House of Representatives. The plan would cost taxpayers more than $360 million per year in taxed wages by 2026, according to the fiscal note estimate for the bill. That money would be used to create new government positions at the Maine Department…

One-hundred members of the House of Representatives voted Wednesday in favor of House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross’s (D-Portland) tribal sovereignty bill, a large enough bloc to override an expected veto from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Under federal law, Native American tribal organizations are entitled to certain federal assistance and programs, but a law enacted by Maine in the 1980s, and ratified by Congress, made state government a middleman between the tribes and Washington, D.C. Allowing Maine’s tribes to benefit from all federal programs, without having to first consult with the state government, has been a top priority for Speaker Talbot…

Maine’s top newspapers have refused to publish a pro-life op-ed written by the long-time former Executive Director of Maine’s State Board of Nursing, Myra Broadway. The opinion editorial, submitted to the Bangor Daily News last month, and later to the Portland Press Herald, centered on the relevance to Maine’s current late-term abortion debate of Dr. Shannon L. Carr, an OB/GYN Gov. Janet Mills and Democratic leaders tapped to serve as an expert witness in support of LD 1619. BDN’s Opinion Editor Susan Young did not respond to an inquiry asking why she rejected the op-ed, but Broadway confirmed that Young…

Boston Police and Fire crews responded to a medical emergency at a public housing complex Saturday and discovered a bizarre scene, including a dead person, dozens of sex toys, drugs, drug paraphernalia, and four kids apparently being hidden by an adult. The Boston Herald broke the news about the strange scene Boston emergency services uncovered at the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing complex, which is run by the Boston Public Housing Authority, after obtaining public records about the incident. Despite the shocking nature of the story, other New England-area media outlets have mostly left the story alone, with the exception of…

American 13-year-olds have posted another decline in math and reading testing, according to a Wednesday release of data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, sometimes referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” measured the lowest math scores since 1990 and the worst reading scores since 2004. Compared to previous years, average scores have seen a significant drop, both in the short term (since 2020) and over a decade. In the most recent assessment, average scores for reading dropped by 4 points and for mathematics by 9 points compared to the 2019–20 school year. This represents an…

A new rule from the Biden Administration has sharply limited the number of migrants who can legitimately claim asylum after crossing the southern border, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times. The new rules will disallow any migrants from eligibility for an asylum claim if they crossed from a third country without first seeking protections in that country, the LA Times reported Tuesday based on government records. Many of the migrants claiming asylum in Maine have said they arrived in the U.S. after entering Brazil and traveling north to the U.S.-Mexico border, which would mean he new policy would…

An aspiring rap artist from South Portland was arrested Monday night after allegedly murdering two Westbrook residents in front of their 7-year-old and 11-year-old children. Marcel Lagrange, Jr., 24, has been charged with two counts of murder and is currently being held without bail at the Cumberland County Jail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfbV85ZQ7YE Just five days ago, LeGrange was releasing music he produced on YouTube. The music was produced as part of the Maine Inside Out project, a Lewiston-based nonprofit that enriches the lives of incarcerated youth through theater and the arts. In 2021, LaGrange was on an Maine Inside Out livestream in…

The Maine State Police Bomb Unit was called in last week to investigate and disarm an “explosive device” discovered in the driveway of a homeowner on Tabor Road in Woodland, the Maine State Police said Tuesday. “On Friday, June 16, 2023 at approximately 9:30 am, the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Tabor Road in Woodland after the homeowner had discovered a homemade explosive device in his driveway,” the Maine State Police (MSP) said in a press release. “The Maine State Police Bomb Unit responded and rendered the device safe. Investigators with the Fire Marshal’s Office responded…

Former Democratic Rep. Clinton Collamore said Thursday that “someone in the Democratic Party” urged him to remain silent on his election fraud charges until after the Nov. 8, 2022 elections. The allegation, if true, suggests that the timing of the announcement that Collamore had been indicted involved, at some level, a political calculation to help the Maine Democratic Party hold power in Augusta. The Lincoln County News broke the story: [Collamore] said he wanted to hold a press conference prior to the November election but was told not to by members of his party because it might affect election outcomes.…

Candidates for state office who choose to seek taxpayer funding for their campaigns will not be required to disclose on campaign advertisements that taxpayers are footing the bill. Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) was the sponsor of a bill (LD 790) that would have required any politician buying advertising with taxpayer funding to disclose as much. The bill would also have required traditionally funded candidates to disclose on their advertising that their campaign funds came from private sources. On Wednesday, the Senate voted strictly along party lines to reject the disclosure bill. The House followed suit Thursday. That means taxpayer-funded candidates…

Last night, the Maine House of Representatives was up late debating whether to approve a bill that would add more security at the State House. Republican lawmakers were a little upset with the bill, considering that the same legislative body had earlier rejected proposals to add security to public schools. You can read more about that debate here. In the protracted debate that ensued, one Maine Democrat stood up to explain why extra security is so desperately needed at the State House. In so doing, Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D-South Berwick) brilliantly explained why so-called “Gun Free Zones” — a gun…

Maine’s House of Representatives approved a bill (83-56) that will increase security arrangements at the State House complex just moments after they killed several bills that would have increased security at Maine’s public schools. Late Tuesday night, the House of Representatives devolved into a caustic debate, as Republicans lampooned the idea of adding security for politicians, lobbyists, and state workers after blocking security for school children. “The bill before us proposes to protect us in the Burton M. Cross Building by putting in screening and security, yet, just moments ago, we voted not to protect our children by allowing armed…

The Maine House on Wednesday rejected a bill (76-71) that would have prohibited cities and towns in the state from implementing local ordinances to limit residents’ ability to choose natural gas and oil for home heating. The day prior the Senate had also voted against the bill (15-19), effectively opening the door for any municipality in Maine to begin restricting the energy sources Mainers can choose for their homes or businesses. More than 60 percent of Mainers rely on fuel oil for home heating, and natural gas continues to be a popular option for new home construction. However, oil and…

The Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) on Tuesday voted to approve electricity rate increases associated with a program that hikes rate costs for Maine residents and businesses in order to subsidize large solar facilities. Mainers will pay $168 million more for their electricity over the next year to back the so-called community solar program. The Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) has estimated that those costs will increase to $220 million per year by 2025. Although that money will be collected by Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant through electric bills, it doesn’t go toward revenues or profits for those…

Maine Republicans and conservative candidates posted victories last night in a State House special election and a handful local elections. Republican Rep.-elect Abden Simmons topped Democratic candidate Wendy Pieh 52-48 percent in a special election for House District 45. Republicans welcomed Abden’s win as a reassuring sign that the party might be shaking off the struggles evident last November, when a much-predicted Red Wave failed to materialize nationwide. “Abden’s victory tonight is an indication that changes are happening in the State of Maine,” said House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor). Abden’s district contains the towns of Bremen, Friendship, Louds…

As offshore wind power continues its inexorable advance in the Gulf of Maine, Gov. Janet Mills and Maine’s Congressional Delegation are pleading with the Biden Administration to protect the interests of Maine’s local fisheries. In a letter sent Monday to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Elizabeth Klein, Gov. Mills, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden submitted public comment to the federal agency concerning offshore wind development plans. In the letter, Maine’s political leaders requested the avoidance of key lobstering areas for wind development, with a strong emphasis on minimizing conflicts…

The scandal surrounding the Biden family’s foreign business deals took a turn Monday when U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said audio recordings exist that support the allegation that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter engaged in a multi-million dollar bribery scheme. In a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Grassley said that the foreign national who claims to have bribed President Biden and his son has 17 audio recordings of Biden and his son — recordings that were kept as a form of “insurance policy.” Grassley made his remarks in relation to an FBI document that…

North Korea has joined the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board, a leadership position that will give a leading state sponsor of terrorism a greater say in global public health policy. Dr. Jong Min Pak, director of the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of External Affairs based in Pyongyang, will represent the brutal dictatorship on the board until 2026. Officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the belligerent nation has been ruled by four generations of the Kim family and is known to operate concentration camps for political prisoners. The WHO Executive Board is comprised of 34 individuals…

Two academics at Canada’s University of Toronto have published a paper analyzing the use of medically assisted suicide in cases where an individual is suffering from “unjust social circumstances.” Philosophy Professor Amy Mullin and graduate student Kayla Wiebe, writing for the prestigious Journal of Medical Ethics, argue that Canada’s controversial Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program should be available to people who are unhappy with their economic situation rather than just terminally ill medical patients. “[S]hould MAiD be available to people in such circumstances, even when a sound argument can be made that the agents in question are autonomous? In…

In an effort to reduce the stigma associated with committing crimes and going to jail, Maine House of Representatives approved a bill that would rewrite portions of Maine’s statutes to replace politically incorrect terms with more nuanced, kinder terms. Prisoner and jail inmate will be replaced with “Resident.” As in: “He became a resident of the correctional facility after murdering two people.” [RELATED: Parole Reform Poster Child Tried to Murder Maine Family with Machete…] Drug user and alcohol user are also out. Instead, Maine’s laws will now refer to a “person who uses drugs,” and “persons with substance use disorder,”…

Democratic lawmakers on Monday rejected a proposal from Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris) that would have allowed the boards of government-run schools to employ armed security guards. “This bill would allow for school districts, who choose to do so, to be proactive in addressing their security needs,” Rep. Andrews said. [RELATED: Portland High School Denies Knife Involved in Violent Brawl That Lead to Student Suspensions [VIDEO]…] “As plain clothes security professionals, these men and women would be in schools daily serving a security role while appearing as an Ed-Tech or substitute teacher to students and staff,” he said. Andrews’ bill would…

Watch a fiery back-and-forth between Laurie Osher and Billy Bob Faulkingham An Orono Democrat on Monday compared members of the Maine Republican Party to the German Nazi Party in the run up to World War 2 and the Holocaust. “So the books being banned and challenged around the nation are often written by marginalized people, and students in clubs that would read them, or in classes, may have the– this may be the only way to learn about diversity,” said Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono). “This deeply concerns me because this mirrors what happened in Germany in the rise before-,” she…

Amid a debate over whether Maine’s schools should adopt a rating system for sexually explicit books, Rep. Charles Skold (D-Portland) on Monday compared Gender Queer — a book that contains cartoon images of children performing sex acts on one another — to the Bible. “My question is in reference to the Bible. Given stories of sex, incest, rape, murder — my question is, what rating we imagine the Bible might receive under such a system,” said Rep. Skold. The comment was made as the House of Representatives debated a series of school related bills, including LD 1008 from Rep. Gary…

Portland High School was temporarily locked down last week after a brawl between students that some say included a knife, though school officials have denied the presence of a weapon. Video of the altercation surfaced Monday in a social media post from a Portland parent. https://twitter.com/JoshHaefele/status/1668243588793212929?s=20 In the video, the unidentified student appears to have something in his hand, though it’s difficult to determine what it is. Josh Haefele, the Twitter user who posted the video, said the object was a knife, but Portland school officials have denied that it was a knife. Haefele also claimed that Portland school officials…

A Maine Transgender Network, Inc. steering committee member resigned from a voluntary position with the organization in May after writing a blistering critique of the Portland-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group. In the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Maine Wire, former steering committee member Sampson Spadafore alleged that the group has engaged in racism, transphobia, and has hosted youth programing in which minors have engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior. “I’ve witnessed sexual boundaries being crossed within our youth program and no adults stepping in to address it,” Spadafore said. “No matter how often we’ve talked about these issues…

In the latest round of legal filings related to Newcastle mom Amber Lavigne’s lawsuit against the Great Salt Bay Community School (GSBCS) in Damariscotta, AOS 93 school officials admit social worker Samuel Roy supplied Lavigne’s 13-year-old daughter with a breast binder. However, the school, represented by the liberal Portland-based law firm Drummond Woodsum, denies that the binder was given in secret. The Drummond Woodsum attorneys also claim in their legal filings that parents do not have a constitutionally protected right to be informed by government-run schools about vital aspects of their children’s lives, such as nascent sex changes. “The very…

The Maine Board of Licensure in Social Work held a disciplinary hearing Friday for a conditionally licensed public school social worker who last December provided a 13-year-old girl with a breast binder without her parents’ consent or knowledge.  Sam Roy, right, with two unidentified women attempting to shield him from being photographed The social worker, 26-year-old Samuel Roy, was employed by the Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta when he gave the breast binder to the daughter of Newcastle mom Amber Lavigne. [RELATED: Social Worker Who Secretly Coached 13-Year-Old Girl into Gender Transition Will Keep Public School Job…] Roy gave the 13-year-old…

After the Judiciary Committee gave Gov. Jant Mills’ late-term abortion bill the stamp of approval Friday, Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson sat down with Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin), Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), and Dr. Thom Page, DO, to discuss the development for the Maine Wire podcast. State House Democrats scheduled a snap hearing on Gov. Janet Mills’ late-term abortion bill, less than one day after a rushed work session for the bill ended in controversy, with Republicans accusing Judiciary Co-Chairs of pulling shenanigans to squelch debate. After a little parliamentary drama, Democrats were able to file an ought to pass…

Carroll Conley, Executive Director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, joins Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief for a podcast session on LD 1619, Gov. Janet Mills’ late-term abortion bill, as well as the influx of left-wing ideologies into Maine’s schools. Conley also shares insight into two pending court cases involving Christian organizations standing up to discrimination from state and local government.

Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips) joins the Maine Wire podcast to talk about how a policy 2021 policy aimed at advancing “environmental justice” pushed Maine’s municipal waste treatment facilities to the brink of environmental disaster. Soboleski, one of the top Republicans on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, explains how he was able to create a solution that earned support from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson and Soboleski also cover looming plans to construct a massive offshore wind power construction port in Searsport, as well as the environmental benefits — or lack thereof — of wind and…

The Democratic co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee have scheduled a work session on LD 1619, Gov. Janet Mills late-term abortion bill, for Thursday at 2:00 pm. The last minute scheduling move came late Wednesday evening. The bill would do away with all of Maine’s current restrictions on abortion. It would also allow physician assistants and advanced registered nurses to perform late-term abortions. Gov. Mills unveiled the policy earlier this year after vowing during her re-election bid that she would not change Maine’s abortion law, including the 30-year-old viability standard that limits abortions after 24-weeks gestation. Pro-life activists believe Democratic leaders…

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) tweeted Tuesday night an image of her setting fire to a Republican energy bill that would have protected Americans’ right to use natural gas stoves. “No one is coming for your gas stove!” Pingree tweeted. “Can we please focus on the real issues facing this country?” https://twitter.com/chelliepingree/status/1666141369067347968 Rep. Pingree’s tweet racked up hundreds of “likes,” but she probably should have had a conversation with her daughter before blasting this one off. Because her daughter is, in fact, coming for your gas stoves. Hannah Pingree, a former Maine state lawmaker who was appointed to lead Gov.…

Price increases in New England energy markets are far outpacing demand for electricity, according to a report released Wednesday by the Massachusetts-based Fiscal Alliance Foundation. The study, authored by energy policy expert Lisa Linowes, examined the relationship between energy prices and energy demand from 2008 and 2020. Despite an 11.4 percent decrease in annual energy demand between 2008 and 2020, Linowes found New Englanders are now paying 20 percent more for each kilowatt hour of electricity, with the most profound impact observed in Massachusetts. The report indicates that increasing subsidies for solar and wind energy, renewable energy regulations, and climate…

Democratic lawmakers have yet to move forward with Gov. Janet Mills’ signature second-term bill to eliminate all restrictions on late-term abortion despite signalling early in the session that the bill, LD 1619, was a top priority. Why the delay? “It’s simple: they don’t have the votes,” Carroll Conley, director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, said Tuesday morning on WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Show. Conley said there were seven or eight Democrats who never signed on as sponsors for the bill and even more who signed up as sponsors before they learned how extreme it really was,…

In a 77-63 vote that fell mostly along party lines, the House of Representatives moved Tuesday to kill a bill that would have allowed unvaccinated healthcare workers to return to work in the medical field. The bill, introduced by Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland), would have effectively nullified Gov. Janet Mills’ controversial and ongoing vaccine mandate had it become law. The bill would have opened the door for hospitals and healthcare providers to rehire former employees who refused to take the Covid-19 shots for philosophical or religious reasons. On Oct. 22, 2021, Gov. Mills mandated experimental Covid-19 injections as a condition…

Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot) offered searing criticism of Gov. Janet Mills during May 23 committee hearings, alleging that the governor has broken a public campaign promise she made during her re-election campaign. “I would note that the governor signed the energy choice pledge during the campaign last year, which was pretty explicit, and which is basically reflected by this bill,” Baldacci said, during a hearing of the State and Local Government Committee. Baldacci made his comments in regard to LD 894, a bill that would prohibit municipal governments from passing local ordinances or regulations that ban the use of oil…

Republican lawmakers who support transparency in public schools are “intellectually stifling right wing book banners and anti-LGBT zealot bigots,” according to a candidate for the school board in RSU 10. Caroline L. Mitchell, a write-in candidate for the district’s June 13 school board election, took aim at Rep. Rachael Henderson (R-Rumford) over a proposal that would require public schools to put curriculum material online. Such transparency is just too much work for teachers, Mitchell said, before mocking suggesting that Henderson believes the earth is flat. “Rachel Henderson, Rumford’s representative, wants all teachers to publish everything their children will see, hear,…

Central Maine Power, Hannaford, and LL Bean are just three of the well-known Maine brands that are supporting late-term abortion and a host of other far left policies by sponsoring Equality Maine, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for Democratic policies. Originally founded in the 1980s to advocate for the legalization of same-sex marriage, Equality Maine has morphed into a nonprofit advocacy group that backs a range of progressive policies. According to the “Our Current Agenda” section of the organization’s website, the group is currently “hard at work” opposing voter ID, local recall elections, curriculum transparency for public schools, and proposals…

With the legislature set to adjourn by the end of the month, one of the last remaining pieces of business lawmakers are considering is a bill that would allow Maine’s Native American tribes to benefit from federal laws that apply to other indigenous communities in the U.S. Unlike most of the State Legislature’s business this year, which has fallen predictably along partisan lines, the tribal sovereignty issue has pit the Democratic-controlled legislature against Democrat Gov. Janet Mills. [RELATED: Janet Mills Blows Off Historic “State of the Tribes” in Snub of Maine’s Indigenous Peoples…] Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook), House Speaker…

A competitive shooting event this Saturday and Sunday at the Hampden Rifle and Pistol Club is expected to raise more than $75,000 for the Travis Mills Foundation. The Trident Armory Standby to Fly Benefit Match, organized by two Hampden residents, is sanctioned by the U.S. Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) and serves as the Maine State Championship for the association. Co-founders Zach Greenier and Chris Austin have dedicated proceeds from the match every year to a different Maine-based charity that serves veterans of the U.S. armed forces, and this year they selected the Travis Mills Foundation out of nearly a dozen…

Legislative Republicans in Maine offered an amendment this week to LD 1347 in the hope of finding a palatable compromise that will rein in electricity rate increases caused by community solar and Net Energy Billing (NEB). The amendment, unveiled during a press briefing Tuesday, comes as ratepayers brace for a projected $220 million electricity cost increase in 2025 — a cost increase attributed entirely to changes the Legislature made in 2019 to boost solar. [RELATED: Out-of-State Firms Reaping Windfall Profits on Maine’s $220M Per Year Community Solar Program…] The bill, sponsored by Rep. Steven Foster (R-Dexter) and co-sponsored by Senate…

New Hampshire parents are concerned that a controversial proposal under consideration in Augusta will disproportionately impact Granite State children, WGME reported on Wednesday. That’s because the bill would allow Maine to take emergency jurisdiction over minors who cross the border for sex-change procedures. The bill, LD 1735, was sponsored by Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono), who said she asked State House staffers to model the legislation on a similar bill that passed in California. If passed, the bill would prevent Maine law enforcement from cooperating with police from another state to return a minor who has travelled to Maine to get…

The owner of a Maine bookstore says she wants people to bring children to a so-called “Drag Queen Story Hour” she’s hosting. If you think there’s something wrong with that, she says you’re a “pervert.” Ellen Richmond, the owner of the Children’s Book Cellar in Waterville, posted to Facebook that she would be kicking off the month of June, “Pride Month,” by hosting an event where men dressed like woman, aka in drag, read to kids. “I hope some people will bring children,” Richmond added. Drag queen story hours first began in 2015 in San Francisco, but since then, they’ve…

What if you could power your home or business with sunshine and save money on your electricity bill? That’s the offer of Maine’s community solar program, an offer that tens of thousands of Mainers have taken advantage of since the state expanded the program into its current form in 2019. More money for you, less yucky fossil fuels burning. You’re happy, Al Gore’s happy — what’s not to love? But despite the promise of Maine’s growing community solar industry, there remains no such thing as a free lunch. And the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) has grown increasingly vocal…

Falmouth Elementary School is celebrating “pride month” by raising money for nonprofits that support Democratic Party policies in Augusta, including late-term abortion. The Falmouth Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization (PTO) and the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee announced the fundraiser over the weekend. The groups will be selling “Hate Has No Home Here” yard signs and giving the proceeds to left-wing groups that lobby for Democratic policies at the State House. Money raised by Falmouth’s kindergarten through fifth grade school children will be split between PFLAG and Equality Maine. News of the joint fundraiser was first disclosed to parents…

Maine school officials in a public school district used their government email accounts and school resources to advocate against LD 123, a bill that would have prevented Maine’s public schools from including obscene material in school libraries. According to public records provided to the Maine Wire, MSAD 52 School Librarian Terry Castonguay used her official school email to forward an email containing explicit political advocacy against LD 123 from outside interest groups to multiple district employees on Feb. 10. MSAD 52 school board policies expressly prohibit the use of public resources to advocate an individual’s political beliefs or the agenda…

Health care workers who say Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated their First Amendment rights scored a victory Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First District. In a 42-page decision written by U.S. District Court Judge Sandra Lynch, a three-judge panel reversed a lower district court’s ruling that the plaintiffs in the case had no basis to claim that their First Amendment rights had been violated by Gov. Mills and the State of Maine. The plaintiffs are all Maine health care workers who lost their jobs because they objected on religious grounds to the experimental…

The Maine Community College System has been intentionally recruiting noncitizens to take advantage Gov. Janet Mills’ “free community college” program, the Maine Wire reported Wednesday. Thursday morning, Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson and State Sen. Jim Libby (R-Cumberland) joined WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler to explain how lawmakers discovered that Maine tax dollars are being used to subsidize the educations of people who aren’t from Maine — or even the U.S. Listen to the segment here:

Maine’s taxpayer-funded community colleges are advertising free college scholarships for recent graduates, including non-citizens and illegal aliens. “FREE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP,” states a promotional brochure obtained by the Maine Wire. “To qualify students must: Have a HS diploma or equivalent from 2020-2023, Enroll full time, pursue a degree or academic credential, Live in Maine while enrolled, Noncitizens qualify for the scholarship…” A related website operated by the Maine Community College System (MCCS) contains an FAQ which also boasts that “noncitizens” qualify for the free scholarship. Living in a community college dormitory satisfies the requirement that a scholarship recipient live in Maine,…

Maine lawmakers are considering a proposal that would expand access to sex-change drugs for minors, including in cases where the child’s parents object to the treatments. Rep. Erin Sheehan (D-Biddeford) is the lead sponsor of a bill, LD 535, which would allow medical providers to provide sex-change hormones to 16- and 17-year-olds over the objections of parents or legal guardians, according to a draft copy of the bill obtained by the Maine Wire. Under the proposal, medical providers would have to obtain written informed consent from minors, defined as between 16 and 18 years old, prior to administering the hormones,…

Saga of Jennie Butler https://rumble.com/v2nh8hc-saga-of-jennie-butler.html

Craig Hickman and Matt Moonen argue over bodily autonomy in Maine. https://rumble.com/v2nwt9q-hickman-v-moonen.html

Angus King pumping the now-disproven narrative that Trump colluded with Russia https://rumble.com/v2o3i7i-angus-king-russia-collusion-supercut.html

In a public hearing by the Maine Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, Rep. Rebecca Millett (D-Cape Elizabeth) struggled to clearly define the terms “abnormally dangerous” and “assault style weapons” in relation to her proposed bill to hold firearm manufacturers liable for damages inflicted by people who use their products. https://rumble.com/v2oe63w-rep.-rebecca-millet-crumbles-under-question-from-rep.-john-andrews.html

Federal immigration officials apprehended six illegal aliens in Rangeley on May 9 and placed all six into administrative procedures for removal from the country, an official from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed. The arrest of the foreign nationals followed an apparent health emergency at the ReEnergy Stratton biomass facility involving the employee of a Massachusetts-based contractor. Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols confirmed that his deputies assisted in the medical emergency at ReEnergy Stratton. “A Hispanic worker there passed out at the worksite, one of our Deputies responded and assisted EMS as needed. We did notify Border Patrol…

A Massachusetts man was arrested on Wednesday over allegations that he was not the simple Swampscott man he purported to be but was instead a Bosnian war criminal in hiding. Kemal Mrndzic, 50, from Swampscott, is accused of having manipulated the U.S. immigration system, masking his true identity as a monstrous prison camp boss and posing instead as a persecuted refugee. “Mrndzic served as a supervisor of the guards at a notorious prison camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the sectarian war which fractured the country in the 1990s,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston said in a press release.…

U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins resigned on Wednesday amid accusations that she violated the Hatch Act, illegally leaked Department of Justice materials to news media, and lied under oath to investigators. “We found Rollins’s conduct described throughout this report violated federal regulations, numerous DOJ policies, her Ethics Agreement, and applicable law, and fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the Department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney,” the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General said in a report released Wednesday. Rollins, the former Suffolk County District Attorney, said she will submit a letter…

A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy who is now serving in the State Legislature wants to eliminate up to $5,000 from the amount some U.S. military veterans pay in property taxes. Rep. Benjamin Hymes (R-Waldo) has introduced LD 1737, “An Act to Provide up to $5,000 in Property Tax Relief to Veterans,” a bill that would overhaul the property tax relief program currently available to disabled veterans and veterans over the age of 62. Rep. Hymes said he was motivated to introduce the bill after a conversation with Travis Mills about the inadequacy of Maine’s current property tax program…

The editorial writers for the Portland Press Herald have never been known for having original ideas or coherent policy recommendations. But an editorial the newspaper printed last week is so detached from the situation on the ground, so devoid of common sense, so infantile in its understanding of how government operates that it leads one to question whether the authors live in an alternate reality. I’ve seen higher quality thinking from high schoolers — even ones from Maine public schools. Those few septuagenarians who still subscribe to the paper will tuck it next to the fireplace along with the kindling.…

Maine’s entire congressional delegation, with the noticeable exception of Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (ME-CD2), endorsed former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah’s bid to become the director of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. “He’s a star and he knows the issues,” Sen. Angus King told WCHS. The outlet also reported Shah had the backing of Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree. Shah announced in January that he would be leaving Maine to become the principal deputy to outgoing CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. [COMMENTARY: The Truth About Nirav Shah The Maine Media Never Told You…]…

Brandon S. Brown, 36, (MDOC#111347) shot U.S. Marine Corps veteran James Sanders outside a nightclub in Portland in 2008, leaving Sanders paralyzed from the waist down. That same year, Leo R. Hylton, 33, (MDOC#70199) brutally attacked the 10-year-old daughter of former Maine State Rep. William Guerrette Jr. in a violent home invasion that left both Guerrette and his daughter, Nicole, permanently disfigured. Now, both Hylton and Brown have become the faces of a plan by lawmakers in Augusta to implement “restorative justice” practices in Maine, including two bills that would restore parole in Maine for the first time in nearly…

Portland cops arrested a South Portland resident Saturday night and charged him with violating the conditions of release, assault, disorderly conduct, refusing to submit to an arrest, and assault on a police officer. Saturday’s arrest adds to an impressively long list of crimes committed by Daniel Theriault, a.k.a. Angela Theriault, a.k.a. Alyssa Theriault, a.k.a. Levity Fern, 24. That record include previous convictions for terrorizing the Portland Police Department, numerous assault charges, burglary charges, and pending charges related to Theriault unleashing a fire extinguisher in Caribou High School last year. The latest arrest comes after Theriault grew belligerent Saturday night outside…

Central Maine Power (CMP), Maine’s largest electric utility company, has sent 62,000 disconnection notices to Maine residents since April 1 informing them their service will be cancelled if they can’t pay down their accounts. That’s about 10 percent of all Maine households, a startlingly high number that suggests Mainers are still struggling to cope with economic disruption of COVID-19 lockdowns and the soaring energy costs of 2022. “This is something that’s been brewing because of COVID-19 and the hold that was placed on these notices,” said Rep. Steve Foster (R-Dexter). “It’s coming to a head now,” Foster said. CMP suspended…

Republican lawmakers on the State and Local Government Committee suspect some cronyism was behind Democratic opposition Thursday to a series of bills that would allow for the recall of local elected officials, including school board members. Under the various proposals, residents of Maine’s cities and towns would be given the option to request a vote on whether to remove a local official, be it a town councilor or a school board member, from office. Committee members appeared to be getting caught up on the specifics of whether a local official would be subject to recall for any reason or only…

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (ME-2) and a bipartisan group in Congress have introduced a plan that will restore the authority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to deny entry to migrants at the southern border, similar to the now-suspended authority previously granted to them under Title 42. The bill would give the Biden Administration temporary expulsion authority for migrants who come to the United States illegally. Whether the Biden Administration would use that authority is an open question. Golden’s office said in a press release this two-year authority is intended to manage the anticipated surge of migrants at…

Maine lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted Thursday to approve a controversial rule that will expand the role of social workers and guidance counselors in Maine’s public schools. The rule, known at Chapter 117, is a major substantive rule from the Maine Department of Education, which means it requires additional sign off from the Legislature before it can take effect. Supporters of the rule argue social workers and guidance counselors are increasingly becoming an important part of Maine’s public schools and their official duties need clarification. However, parental rights advocates see the rule as an attempt to erode the…

America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, accusing them of unlawfully withholding records connected to the deadly March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. The records in question include the manifesto of the shooter, Audrey Hale, who took the lives of six people, including three children, at The Covenant School, a private Christian school. The lawsuit comes after Metro Nashville Police Department denied a request from Michael Patrick Leahy, a journalist from Star News Digital Media, Inc., who sought the release of Hale’s manifesto and autopsy report on April 24,…

No one was injured when a truck suddenly caught fire and exploded between the Chamberlain Parking Garage and the Blaine House where Gov. Janet Mills lives on Thursday around 2:30 pm. One witness shared video of the second explosion. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1656733531400175651 Witnesses reported hearing two loud booms and seeing flames and black smoke rise from the bed of a truck. The vehicle appeared to be unoccupied. Emergency responders were on the scene. This is a developing story and we will update as new information becomes available.

Maine may soon pause the enforcement of an “environmental justice” policy passed in the last legislature after the new law resulted in a human waste glut at municipal waste treatment facilities, higher costs for cities and towns, and brought Maine perilously close to an environmental disaster — exactly as Maine’s largest landfill operator said it would. The law, which stems from Sen. Anne Carney’s (D-Cumberland) LD 1639, aimed to stop the flow of garbage from out-of-state into Maine, with supporters saying that Maine should not be a dumping ground for other New England states. But Maine’s largest landfill operator, Vermont-based…

The Biden Administration issued a memo on March 31 to city officials in Portland, Maine, instructing them on how to accommodate the arrival of busloads of foreign national migrants delivered from the southern border, according to a copy of the “Migrant Busing Toolkit for Receiving Cities” obtained by the Maine Wire. “The Biden Administration is committed to ensuring that city, county, and state governments are prepared to receive migrants who are bused to their jurisdictions from the southwest border,” the Biden Administration memo states. “The Administration is marshaling all available federal resources to cities already accepting migrants, and actively helping…

Gov. Janet Mills unveiled a new $900 million plan on Wednesday, a combination of already appropriated funding and new appropriations, which will increase current biennial budget spending from $9.9 billion to $10.3 billion. “This proposal lives within our means, using revenues in a responsible way to address serious, pressing issues – like the housing crunch, homelessness, and food insecurity – while also making thoughtful, strategic investments that will strengthen our economy and make Maine a better place to live in the long-run,” Mills said in a press release. The new spending will be paid for using 2023 surplus tax revenues…

Colorado mom Erin Lee has sued a public school for recruiting sixth-graders, including her daughter, into a secret after-school club focused on gender and sexuality. Lee’s lawsuit alleges that the club was deceptively advertised as an “art” club, according to a report from Fox News. Lee’s daughter was among the students who joined the club, where an external presenter discussed topics such as gender, sexuality, polyamory, and suicide. The presenter also allegedly spoke about puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, cautioning the children that their parents might not be “safe” people to confide in about their identity struggles. The lawsuit against…

Republicans at the State House on Tuesday urged their colleagues to support a series of bills that would impose transparency requirements on Maine’s public schools and protect parental rights in education. Republican leads on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee along with Assistant Senate Minority Leader Lisa Keim (R-Oxford) said Tuesday during a press conference in Augusta that the bills they have submitted would protect parents’ rights, protect the well-being of students, and provide more transparency for voters and taxpayers. Sen. James Libby (R-Cumberland) said parental inclusion in conversations that impact children is one of the most pressing matters in…