Press Herald - Maine lawmakers will decide whether
to allow optometrists to perform minor eye surgeries, an
expansion of their scope of practice that is being opposed by ophthalmologists.
Maine has a high demand for eye care and if optometrists could do more
procedures, that would reduce wait times and improve access to care, said
Jessilin Quint, an optometrist in Augusta. Ophthalmologists warn the move could
endanger patients because optometrists lack the advanced medical training
Tristan Singh, an eighth grader from Rose M. Gaffney
Elementary School in Machias, beat out 13 other spellers from all over the
state on Saturday with the final prize word: "stratosphere." In May,
he'll head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
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ICE surge cost Maine’s economy millions, report says |
Maine Morning Star - Lawmakers advanced a bill that would allow Maine jails to refuse to hold immigration detainees, laying the groundwork to settle the legal question at the heart of the dispute over a federal contract with Maine’s largest jail. “I think everybody wins,” Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday about the legislation.
With late votes tallied Friday, the committee backed the measure 8-5, sending it to the full Maine Senate and House of Representatives for consideration.
Since President Donald Trump began ramping up immigration detentions, Cumberland County Jail has faced mounting pressure from community members to end its longstanding contract under which the federal government pays the facility to house its detainees. But the board of commissioners pushed off its decision, citing ambiguity as to whether they could refuse to hold federal detainees, regardless of the contract, because of a decades-old state law.
Maine Morning Star - Gov. Janet Mills said that Maine will not change its policies regarding reproductive care, despite receiving notification that the state is being investigated for potential violations of federal law regarding insurance coverage of abortions.
“Donald Trump, empowered by Republicans in Washington, is pulling every lever of the Federal government to hurt women and undermine our fundamental rights, but let me be clear: Maine will not be intimidated nor will we back down from defending reproductive freedoms,” Mills said in a statement Friday.
“This so-called ‘compliance review’ is nothing more than a facade aimed at restricting abortion access,” Mills added. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced an investigation into 13 states.
Transgender Mainers and advocates voice concerns at Portland community forum (newscentermaine.com)Gov. Janet Mills wants to take about $219 million ... to pay for $300 "affordability checks" for roughly 725,000 Mainers. She also wants to pull another $100 million for affordable housing, improving school bus safety and shoring up the state's public defender system. But Democratic lawmakers aren't so sure about her proposals.
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