Maine Things Considered

Gov. Paul LePage and Democratic state Rep. Drew Gattine of Westbrook are facing off over the ongoing dispute involving construction of a new mental health facility. At a news conference earlier this week, the governor was asked the status of the so-called step-down unit he had said would be built in Bangor on state-owned land adjacent to the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center. LePage said he was still waiting for the Legislature to get him the money to move forward on the project. “Back in December

Federal prosecutors say two Westbrook men face multiple charges for conspiring to turn food stamp and other welfare benefits into cash, in a scheme based at a Portland halal market. Agents from three federal agencies — the FBI, IRS and the Department of Agriculture, which administers food stamps — were tipped to the alleged criminal enterprise by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services last year, according to an affidavit for a warrant to raid the Ahram Halal Market on Portland’s Forest

A Portland-based research institute is dropping its yearly forecast of when lobster landings in Maine will begin their annual surge.

The author of the popular philosophy book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” died Monday at his home in South Berwick. Robert Pirsig was 88. Before Robert Pirsig got the idea for a book, he got the idea for a title. In a BBC interview from 2012, Pirsig said inspiration came to him while he was riding a motorcycle with a friend. “He was recalling a book called ‘Zen and the Art of Archery.’ At the time he was talking about it, his engine was running and black smoke was coming out. And I

The Maine Legislature could force shadowy groups bankrolling Maine political campaigns to reveal their top donors. Lawmakers are reviewing a bill from the Maine Ethics Commission that would require organizations contributing more than $100,000 to Maine-based political action committees, party committees and ballot campaigns to report their top five funders. The proposal would have affected 13 organizations that donated a combined $14 million to Maine-based PACs in the last election. Among those

Traditional Maine dairies continue to be churned by low milk prices, rising costs and shifting global markets. Some have given up on the industry and sold the farm. But others are taking a new approach that has its own new set of risks and rewards.

A serious tick-borne disease — other than Lyme — has established itself in southern Maine. Researchers from the Maine Medical Research Institute in Scarborough have found the Powassan virus in deer ticks across southern areas of the state. The research was conducted after a midcoast woman died from the disease in 2013. In November of that year, 73-year-old Marilyn Ruth Snow was bitten by a deer tick infected with the Powassan virus. She fell ill almost immediately and died about a month later.

This month we’re catching up with the first graduates of STRIVE U , a first-of-its-kind college education and training program for young adults with developmental disabilities, based in South Portland.

Maine’s birdwatching community is aflutter over the sighting this week of two species never before seen in Maine — one that usually hangs out in Mexico and the other in Europe.

The former state prosecutor who won a murder conviction against Anthony Sanborn 25 years ago is denying allegations that she mishandled the trial. Sanborn was granted bail last week after a key witness for the state recanted her testimony. Attorney Pamela Ames says she’s disturbed that the judge granted bail after only hearing witnesses for the defense. The crime occurred 28 years ago on a Portland Pier. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Briggs was stabbed to death and dumped in Casco Bay. Sanborn, her

A new report finds that students in Maine are restrained and secluded within their schools approximately 13,000 times per year. Educational advocates want to see reforms at the state level to bring those numbers down. The report, from the advocacy group Disability Rights Maine, comes five years after the state rewrote its regulations for the use of restraint and seclusion. Currently, the state requires that schools provide a written report whenever a staff member restrains a student, meaning

There are more than 100 people in Maine on a waitlist to receive Meals on Wheels. The actual need is likely much greater, according to advocates, and the program is at the mercy of fluctuating funding sources. On Friday, Maine lawmakers will consider a bill that would allocate half a million dollars to the program. Supporters say it would eliminate the waitlist for a program that provides more than just meals. Every Wednesday, 88-year-old Marcelle Breton of Sabattus can count on a knock on the

BANGOR, Maine - The University of Maine System says going forward it will consider so-called ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance - principles in its investment decisions. ESG assesses the sustainability and ethical impacts of an investment. Friday's announcement stops short of the complete divestment from petroleum stocks in the system's portfolio that some students had been pushing for. A spokesperson for Maine Students for Climate Justice says that the move is a positive one, but her

Colby College has received a $25 million gift that it says it will use to fund overseas experiences for all of its students, regardless of their ability to pay.

U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine is leading an effort to reform a temporary work visa program many Maine inns and restaurants depend on for seasonal help . Congress has curtailed the number of the so-called H2-B visas to be issued this year compared to last, and businesses in states with a relatively late tourist season, such as Maine, are scrambling to find staffing alternatives. King, an independent, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and several others