October 24, 2019

Anti-Trump protesters rally in New Hampshire

CONCORD — Campaign staffers for Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer organized a Trump impeachment rally in front of the State House Wednesday.

State Director Michael Morrill said one goal of the event was to try to put pressure on Gov. Chris Sununu to support a Trump impeachment inquiry on Capitol Hill.

The other two Republican governors in New England — Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Phil Scott in Vermont — have signed on to the inquiry.

“Charlie and Phil. They are leaders. You may not agree with them but they stand for something and that’s important,” Morrill said.

Read more: https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/anti-trump-protesters-rally-in-nh/article_7c60154a-24d5-5a4f-aa04-917e5a66c88d.html

October 24, 2019

Beto O'Rourke unveils plan to stem opioid abuse

Beto O'Rourke is calling for the creation of a $100 billion fund to support Americans struggling with substance abuse. It's part of a plan released Thursday aimed at ending the opioid epidemic and addressing substance abuse disorders.

His plan, according to the O'Rourke campaign, focuses on investments in raising public awareness and providing support for access to treatment leading to long-term recovery. These efforts would especially be geared to at-risk populations.

Drug overdoses cause an alarming number of deaths in America — over 70,000 deaths in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control. O'Rourke intends to highlight his plan Thursday at an event at the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition Clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"We're going to make sure that anyone with a substance use disorder gets the help that they need (and) are not treated as a problem for the criminal justice system, but an opportunity for the public health system." O'Rourke told CBS News Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beto-orourke-unveils-plan-to-stem-opioid-abuse-2019-10-24/

October 24, 2019

Beto O'Rourke unveils plan to stem opioid abuse

Beto O'Rourke is calling for the creation of a $100 billion fund to support Americans struggling with substance abuse. It's part of a plan released Thursday aimed at ending the opioid epidemic and addressing substance abuse disorders.

His plan, according to the O'Rourke campaign, focuses on investments in raising public awareness and providing support for access to treatment leading to long-term recovery. These efforts would especially be geared to at-risk populations.

Drug overdoses cause an alarming number of deaths in America — over 70,000 deaths in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control. O'Rourke intends to highlight his plan Thursday at an event at the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition Clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"We're going to make sure that anyone with a substance use disorder gets the help that they need (and) are not treated as a problem for the criminal justice system, but an opportunity for the public health system." O'Rourke told CBS News Wednesday.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beto-orourke-unveils-plan-to-stem-opioid-abuse-2019-10-24/

October 24, 2019

ACLU requests freeze of controversial voter law amid confusion

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to put a controversial New Hampshire voting law on hold ahead of the 2020 presidential primary, arguing more time is needed for an effective court challenge to that law.

In a filing Monday, the New Hampshire ACLU asked the U.S. District Court in Concord pause the new law, HB 1264, in order to hear from state officials about how it would be carried out.

At the heart of the problem, the ACLU argues, is confusion. Representatives for the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Secretary of State’s office have given vague explanations of what the new law means for voters and how it will be enforced.

“These conflicting positions sow confusion among voters, election officials, and presidential campaigns, all of whom are in desperate need of clarity as the 2020 presidential primary approaches,” the ACLU said in its filing.

Read more: https://www.concordmonitor.com/New-Hampshire-ACLU-requests-freeze-of-controversial-voter-law-amid-confusion-29562479

October 24, 2019

Susan Rice to talk about her new book and Maine roots at event in Portland

AUGUSTA — Former ambassador and national security adviser Susan Rice will be in Portland on Thursday to discuss her role in the Obama administration’s diplomatic successes or failures, current world events and her family’s deep roots to Maine.

And while Rice won’t be on the ballot in Maine next year, she is keeping the door open to a future run one year after exciting some Democrats with a “spontaneous” tweet about challenging Sen. Susan Collins.

“I would not rule it out, absolutely,” Rice said Tuesday in an interview with the Portland Press Herald.

Rice is appearing at Port City Music Hall as part of a national tour to promote her new book, “Tough Love,” a memoir recounting her family history, upbringing and experiences as a black woman and mother who rose to senior posts in the federal government. Tickets are required for the 7 p.m. event.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/23/susan-rice-to-talk-about-new-book-maine-roots-during-portland-event/
(Portland Press Herald)

October 24, 2019

The Portland Phoenix will resume publication in November

Phoenix newspaper will relaunch under new ownership


The Portland Phoenix, the alternative weekly that ceased publishing in February, will resume publication in early November.

The relaunch was announced Oct. 22 by Marian McCue and Karen Wood, principals of New Portland Publishing Co., which is relaunching the free-distribution newspaper.

The new owners cited the need for alternative journalism in a region dominated by a monopoly that controls almost all the major dailies in Maine, and most of the weeklies in southern Maine.

“While we always admired the energy of the Phoenix, and the strong entertainment coverage, our focus will be more on news and analysis, and in-depth investigative stories that explore the challenges facing this area,” said McCue, who will serve as editor of the new Portland Phoenix. Mo Mehlsak, most recently executive editor of The Forecaster, American Journal and Lakes Region Weekly newspapers, will be managing editor of the Portland Phoenix.

Read more: http://www.portlandphoenix.me/press-release/

October 24, 2019

Bowdoin College to increase its minimum wage to $17 an hour by 2022

BRUNSWICK — In the face of an increasingly competitive labor market, Bowdoin College’s hourly employees will see their wage increase to $17 per hour by 2022, starting with a boost to $14 per hour next summer, a $1.35 increase from the college’s current minimum wage.

The plan to scale up from the college’s current $12.65 minimum wage, “reflects Bowdoin’s commitment to remaining a leader in wages and benefits in a new reality of record-low unemployment and increasing competition for excellent employees,” according to Bowdoin President Clayton Rose.

The already tight labor market is made increasingly tighter by Bath Iron Works’ plans to hire 1,000 workers next year, Rose said in his statement.

“This is the right thing to do for our employees, whose hard work is essential to making Bowdoin special,” Rose added.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/21/bowdoin-college-to-increase-minimum-wage-to-17-an-hour-by-2022/
(Portland Press Herald)

October 24, 2019

Bath Iron Works union hopes to sink subcontracting plan that company says it needs

Bath Iron Works intends to hire subcontractors to help finish a backlog of military work, a move the shipyard’s largest union has pledged to fight.

The shipyard is in the midst of a massive, years-long push to hire thousands of new permanent employees to replace retiring workers.

In the meantime, BIW needs to temporarily subcontract workers to complete existing tasks and increase the chance of getting new ship contracts, according to the company, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.

“Subcontracting will not negatively impact our employees, nor will it take the place of hiring,” the company said in a statement. The company has the flexibility to hire temporary workers in its collective bargaining agreement with international machinists’ union Local S6, it said.

Read more: https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/10/23/biw-union-pushes-back-against-subcontracting-plan/
(Lewiston Sun Journal)

October 24, 2019

LePage met with student protesters at Colby College event

WATERVILLE — An appearance by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage at Colby College was met with a mixed response from those in attendance Wednesday night.

LePage, who was Waterville’s mayor from 2004-2011, was invited to campus by the Colby College Republicans to give a talk bearing the name of his old campaign slogan, “People Before Politics.” About 50 students protested the event by silently holding signs — mostly with controversial quotes that have been attributed to LePage — in the atrium of the Diamond Building, where the event was held, as well as around the perimeter of Ostrove Auditorium while he spoke.

During an approximately 20-minute speech and wide-ranging 40-minute question-and-answer period, the politician teased a run for governor in 2022.

“The deal I made with my wife is very simple,” he said. “If I buy her a pickup truck and I learn to like country western, she won’t stand in my way. I have bought her the pickup truck and I’m starting to listen to country western.”

The comment drew some applause and an audible, “Oh, boy.”

Read more: https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/10/23/lepage-met-with-student-protesters-at-colby-college-event/
(Lewiston Sun Journal)

October 24, 2019

Ethics commission staff recommends against investigating Sara Gideon for finance violation

AUGUSTA, Maine — The staff of Maine’s election ethics commission is recommending against investigating Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon for her past use of a partially corporate-funded committee to reimburse herself for political contributions, saying the Democrat running to replace Sen. Susan Collins did not violate state law because she did not intend to conceal the true source of the contributions.

Gideon’s use of her state political committee, which has since dissolved, to reimburse herself for political contributions came to light over the summer and became the subject of a state campaign finance complaint from a former Republican state senator in late August.

In a memo to members of the Maine Ethics Commission released late Wednesday, the commission’s executive director wrote, “If the preliminary facts suggest little likelihood of a campaign finance violation, the Commission staff typically recommends against an investigation.”

The five-member commission will meet Wednesday, Oct. 30, to decide whether to launch an investigation into the complaint against the House speaker who has national Democratic backing in her bid to challenge Collins.

Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2019/10/23/politics/ethics-commission-staff-recommends-against-investigating-sara-gideon-for-finance-violation/