Maine

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Maine's Other Senator Could Swing Health Reform

Eyes turn to Susan Collins as Dems ramp up courtship

(Newser) - Last week Sen. Olympia Snowe was the center of attention of Capitol Hill as she bucked the GOP line to support health care reform, but now Maine's other Republican senator, Susan Collins, is the one to watch. Both women voted for President Obama's stimulus package in February, and Democrats and...

Prop. 8 Redux: Maine Gay Marriage Battle Heats Up

Supporters, opponents of repealing law seek to mobilize voters

(Newser) - As Maine gets ready to decide whether to repeal its law recognizing gay marriage next month, activists on both sides of the argument are ramping up their efforts. Activists and funds are pouring into the state from across the country in what many see as a repeat of California's battle...

Snowe, Not Palin, Is GOP's Real Maverick
 Snowe, Not Palin, Is 
 GOP's Real Maverick 
ANALYSIS

Snowe, Not Palin, Is GOP's Real Maverick

Maine senator's yes on health reform isn't first time breaking with the party

(Newser) - Today’s committee vote for a key health-reform measure isn’t the first time Sen. Olympia Snowe has broken with fellow Republicans—and leads Laurie Kellman to call her, and not former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP’s real maverick. Snowe also voted for President Obama’s stimulus package,...

Snowe to Vote for Health Bill
 Snowe to Vote for Health Bill 

Snowe to Vote for Health Bill

She provides crucial Republican support for Obama's overhaul

(Newser) - Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe says she will vote for a Democratic health care bill, breaking with her party on President Obama's top legislative priority. The Maine senator kept virtually all of Washington guessing how she would vote until she announced it late in the Senate Finance Committee debate today. "...

Independents Threaten Dems in 2010
Independents Threaten Dems in 2010

Independents Threaten Dems in 2010

Gubernatorial races will be 3-way tangos in half-dozen states

(Newser) - Independent candidates figure to play a major role in at least six states next year, threatening Democrats in an election where they already must defend 21 of their 28 governorships. In New Jersey, for example, independent Chris Daggett is trailing well behind Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Tom Kean,...

Snowe Could Be Lone GOP Health Care Vote

Democrats hope centrist senator can get them past 60

(Newser) - As health care talks grow more polarized, Democrats are looking to Olympia Snowe as their most likely—and quite possibly only—Republican vote, the New York Times reports. “I certainly hope not!” exclaims Snowe when asked about the possibility. But the centrist Maine senator has long been engaged...

Rogue Hurricane Bill Wave Kills Young Girl

(Newser) - The Coast Guard says a 7-year-old girl has died after a large wave stirred up by Hurricane Bill swept her and two others off a rocky ledge at Acadia National Park in Maine. A Maine official says the girl's name isn't being released but that she was from New York...

America's Best National Parks
 America's Best National Parks 
TRAVEL

America's Best National Parks

(Newser) - In the recession, international air travel is down and national park attendance is way up. Forbes runs down the crème de la crème of America’s national treasures, but be warned: “It's been incredibly hard to get camping space at most national parks,” one travel agent...

Swine Flu Leads to Unhappy Campers
Swine Flu Leads to Unhappy Campers

Swine Flu Leads to Unhappy Campers

As outbreaks spread like wildfire, counselors quarantine kids

(Newser) - H1N1 may not have ended civilization as we know it, but it’s ruined a lot of stays at summer camp, the New York Times reports. Camps are dry tinder for flu outbreaks, and many have canceled or postponed this year's sessions. Others have been split nearly in half to...

Business-World Divisions May Ease Path to Plan
Business-World Divisions May Ease Path to Plan
health care reform

Business-World Divisions May Ease Path to Plan

(Newser) - The US Chamber of Commerce launched an ad campaign this week opposing health-care reform, but businesses are hardly united against the administration's proposals, the Washington Post reports. Wal-Mart was a high-profile defector, as was temp firm Kelly Services; both back an employer mandate. And many small and medium-sized businesses are...

Frugal Mainers Easily Weather Economic Storm

(Newser) - A long history of sparse employment and hardships of all stripes has built a culture of frugality that leaves Maine perfectly suited to the current recession, the Boston Globe reports. “Everybody now is into shopping thrift shops, but in most of Maine, people never stopped,” a banker says....

Skydiving Bush Sr. Turns 85
 Skydiving Bush Sr. Turns 85 

Skydiving Bush Sr. Turns 85

(Newser) - George H.W. Bush celebrated his 85th birthday by skydiving over the coast of Maine today. The 41st president made a tandem jump with a member of the Army's Golden Knights parachute team onto a landing zone near a church in Kennebunkport, where the family has a summer home. "...

Bush Sr. Plans 85th-Birthday Skydive

Former president will jump near Maine home

(Newser) - Former President George H.W. Bush plans to celebrate his 85th birthday Friday by making a parachute jump in Maine, where he has his summer home. An aide said today that Bush will make a tandem jump with a member of the US Army Golden Knights parachute team. Their landing...

Arsonist Strikes Topless Maine Coffee Shop

(Newser) - The fire that destroyed a controversial topless coffee shop in Maine late last night was arson, the Kennebec Journal reports. The police are seeking witnesses “who might have seen vehicles parked in that general area around 1am Wednesday morning or anyone walking along the roadway.” Seven people escaped...

Maine Law Targets CFL Mercury
 Maine Law Targets CFL Mercury 

Maine Law Targets CFL Mercury

Bill will make manufacturers lower mercury content, pay for safe recycling

(Newser) - Maine has become the first state in the nation to tackle the problem of mercury in low-energy light bulbs, the Boston Globe reports. A new state law requires manufacturers to reduce the amount of the toxic metal in the bulbs and pay for the cost of safe recycling, a measure...

In Uncertain Economy, Maine Lobstermen Stew

(Newser) - Maine lobster prices are uncharacteristically low, leaving the industry unsettled on the eve of the all-important summer tourist season, the Portland Press Herald reports. Wholesale prices are as low as $3.25, and retail prices start at $5.50. But some aren’t worried by the mercurial interplay of supply,...

FAA Cans Navy Flight in Jittery NYC's Airspace

(Newser) - The Federal Aviation Administration scrapped a Navy flight today that would have brought an anti-sub patrol plane into New York’s airspace, Bloomberg reports. The announcement came 30 minutes after a city email said the aircraft would be flying up and down the Hudson River. “I don’t know...

Maine Gov Signs Gay Marriage Bill
 Maine Gov Signs 
 Gay Marriage Bill 
UPDATED

Maine Gov Signs Gay Marriage Bill

State the fifth to OK nuptials as Baldacci signs measure quickly

(Newser) - Just hours after the Maine Legislature gave final approval to gay marriage today, Gov. John Baldacci signed the bill into law, the Kennebec Journal reports. When it takes effect 90 days after the legislative session ends in June, Maine will become the fifth state to allow same-sex nuptials. “This...

Obama Needs Maine Senators
 Obama Needs Maine Senators 
analysis

Obama Needs Maine Senators

Snowe, Collins are backbone of administration's bipartisan coalition

(Newser) - Maine’s moderate Republican senators find themselves unexpectedly empowered in the Obama era. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, along with Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter, form the bipartisan wedge President Obama can use to get bills—like the stimulus package—past a Senate filibuster. After years of being taken for granted...

Mississippi Most Religious State, Vermont the Least

Bible belt has most religious states, New England some of least

(Newser) - If you’re looking for religion, head to Mississippi; if you want to avoid it, choose Vermont, a new Gallup survey suggests. Mississippi is ranked as America’s most religious state, with 85% saying religion is “an important part of daily life.” At the other end of the...

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