Janet Mills vetoes temporary data center ban
Portland Press Herald - Earlier this week, the Maine Attorney General’s Office conceded that up to 3,014 signatures backing a referendum on trans participation in school sports might be invalid.
A judge gave the Secretary of State’s Office a month to gather new evidence and further investigate questions regarding the validity of signatures backing a referendum on transgender athletes in school sports.
The office must issue a new determination of validity within 30 days, Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman ruled Friday.
The ruling comes after a group of Maine residents argued that the controversial referendum did not gather enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. In a lawsuit last month, they argued that there were problems with at least 7,900 signatures that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows had verified.
The Office of the Maine Attorney General, which is representing Bellows, said many of the arguments put forward by the residents should be rejected, but conceded that up to 3,014 signatures that Bellows’ office initially found to be valid should be invalidated.
Maine Morning Star - Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles launched a mobile branch on Thursday that aims to expand access to rural parts of the state that lack services. The portable unit, branded BMV4ME, offers the BMV’s most common services, such as issuing driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, as well as handling name and address changes.
“This modernization improves our customer service,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement, “We can’t wait to take it on the road to service not only Maine’s most rural communities but also senior living facilities, veterans’ homes and other sites where Mainers would most benefit from the convenience of in-person BMV service.”
Portland Press Heald - Three Democrats running for Maine governor stood side by side Wednesday to accept an unusual joint endorsement along the Kennebec River — a scene made possible in large part by ranked-choice voting in the upcoming June 9 primaries. Experts say the system will be crucial in deciding this year’s Maine governor's primaries, as crowded fields in both parties make it unlikely any candidate will secure more than 50% of the vote in the first round.
Maine is delaying some Medicaid payments until July 1 to address its budget shortfall, according to state officials, though hospital leaders say patient services won't be disrupted. When lawmakers approved the $519 million supplemental budget this month, it included funds to make up the $62 million Medicaid shortfall. It’s the second year in a row that Maine has delayed some Medicaid payments to make up for budget shortfalls.
Southern Maine pastor detained by ICE, leaving a hole in his church community
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Former dean of pharmacy, who researched maple syrup, sues UNE for firing him
Mi’kmaq Nation and federal wildlife refuge agree to share land in Aroostook County
Tariff refunds won’t benefit many Maine businesses, consumers