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BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY BRIDGET BROWNTodd Palin (center) chats with WVII ABC-7/Fox 22 anchor Cindy Michaels (left) after signing a side-by-side photograph of Michaels and Palin's wife, Sarah, on Saturday at Moosehead Trail Trading Post in Palmyra. Upon meeting Michaels, Palin turned to his friend and four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser (right) who was traveling with him from Alaska, and said, "That's pretty close, huh, Martin?" PALMYRA, Maine — Alaska’s “First Dude” Todd Palin received an enthusiastic welcome to Maine Saturday afternoon while attending a barbecue and pressing the flesh at the Moosehead Trading Post. Palin, husband of...

Maine — Alaska’s “First Dude” Todd Palin received an enthusiastic welcome to Maine Saturday afternoon while attending a barbecue and pressing the flesh at the Moosehead Trading Post. Palin, husband of Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, apparently prefers the “First Dude” moniker, as many of the women in the estimated crowd of 500 that filled the trading post’s parking lot in anticipation of pallin’ around with Palin, were wearing pink sweat shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Maine’s 2nd District welcomes Alaska’s 1st Dude.”

On Nov. 4, Maine voters will be asked to repeal a package of tax levies passed earlier this year by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. John Baldacci. Without hesitation, voters should blacken the “yes” box on their ballots next to Question 1, The People's Veto, which reads:

LYNN - A devastated national economy has sent Maine lobster prices spiraling downward as cash-strapped consumers cut back on seafood delicacies and fishermen wrestle with rising costs for bait and fuel. With off-the-boat prices as low as $2.60 a pound this week, some lobstermen say they’re ready to pursue different careers. Some dealers bracing for the loss reportedly are suggesting the lobstermen set fewer traps, which would create artificial scarcity and likely push prices upward.

PORTLAND, Maine - Todd Palin, husband of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is coming to Maine to campaign for John McCain. Palin will appear on Saturday will appear at a barbecue at the Moosehead Trail Trading Post in Palmyra on Saturday afternoon, according to the McCain campaign. Doors open at 2 p.m. Palin will appear at another barbecue at noon on Sunday at Harry’s Motor Sports in Presque Isle.

This era finds our citizenry sometimes feeling like a butterfly in a hurricane in the midst of this crashing economy, seesaw gas prices, a punchdrunk housing market, and so on. Then comes a group of Mainers launching what amounts to a 21st century version of the Boston Tea Party.

Seeking to ramp up support in battleground states, a team of veterans - including a former POW captured with Sen. John McCain in Vietnam - will head to Maine tomorrow as part of a nationwide effort to revive the Arizona Republican’s sagging campaign. Retired Air Force Col. Leo Thorsness, a Medal of Honor recipient who was a prisoner of war with McCain, will lead a contingent of vets backing the GOP presidential candidate tomorrow in Portland, Maine. Joining Thorsness will be several retired Maine soldiers as well as former CIA operative and author Gary Bernstein. The group is slated to...

ORONO Maine's new beverage taxes, at the heart of Question 1 on this November ballot, will cost Maine businesses and households as much as $40.7 million annually in higher taxes on beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages, according to new research by University of Maine economist Todd Gabe. These taxes, imposed by Public Law 629, also would result in the reduction of $17.5 million in beer, wine and soft drink net sales revenue. Including multiplier effects, the total economic impacts are an estimated reduction in sales revenue of $26.3 million statewide, with a loss of 395 full- and part-time jobs that...

The pending tax on soda, beer and wine that is the subject of Question 1 on the November ballot won’t cause businesses to fail or taxpayers to go bankrupt. For all the worries and claims about its potential impact, a few extra pennies on a can of soda or a bottle of beer is likely to amount to little more than an annoyance.

I noted with interest stories today discussing McCain and Obama opening up campaign offices in some far-flung places: McCain in Bangor, Maine and Obama in Omaha, Nebraska. Maine and Nebraska do not have reputations as swing states, so what the heck are these guys up to? Part of it is to head off the possibility of something like this occuring:

Election 2008: Maine Presidential Election Little Change in Maine, Obama by Five Saturday, October 04, 2008 Email a Friend Email to a Friend While Barack Obama has lengthened his lead over John McCain in many states over the past few weeks, little has changed in Maine. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters—conducted October 2--finds Obama with 51% of the vote and McCain with 46%. That’s virtually identical to the results from mid-September when Obama up by four. Both men are viewed favorably by 55% of voters. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news,...

While Barack Obama has lengthened his lead over John McCain in many states over the past few weeks, little has changed in Maine. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters—conducted October 2--finds Obama with 51% of the vote and McCain with 46%. That’s virtually identical to the results from mid-September when Obama up by four. Both men are viewed favorably by 55% of voters.

Not a big vanity guy, but I find this fascinating. Yesterday we were told that McCain's campaign planned to redirect some of it's Michigan resources to various other states where they feel they have a better chance. One of those is the state of Maine. As most of us know, Maine is one of two states that splits electoral votes, Nebraska being the other. McCain has a decent chance at picking up 1 electoral vote from the nothern Republican leaning part of the state. Olympia Snowe is on the ballot for reelection and running quite strong. On it's face, it...

Maine voters in November will consider a ballot question seeking to overturn a newly-minted state law that changes the funding method for the Dirigo Health Program.

Politico on the electoral map after McCain's dramatic decision to abandon Michigan: The count is so tight that Maine could be the new Ohio. To explain: McCain is moving staff into Maine because it’s not a winner-take-all state (the only other one that splits its electoral vote is Nebraska).  The McCain aides, perhaps optimistically, are suggesting he can win one electoral vote by picking up one of the Pine Tree State’s two congressional districts.  The Maine congressional district McCain is eying is the northern one, District 2, the larger of the two districts, which covers most of the state...

A senior adviser to Sen. John McCain confirms to CNN that the campaign is "shifting resources" from Michigan to Ohio and Pennsylvania, and "opening up an offensive front" in Maine.

HURRICANE KYLE DISCUSSION NUMBER 10 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112008 1100 PM EDT SAT SEP 27 2008 KYLE CONTINUES TO EXHIBIT A VERY ASYMMETRIC CLOUD PATTERN FOR A HURRICANE. THE CENTER OF THE CYCLONE IS LOCATED NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE DEEP CONVECTION...DUE TO SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR. THE LATEST DVORAK DATA T-NUMBERS FROM BOTH AGENCIES DECREASED A LITTLE...HOWEVER...THE CONVECTION HAS EXPANDED AND THE CLOUD TOPS HAVE COOLED DURING THE PAST COUPLE HOURS...AND KYLE REMAINS A 65-KT HURRICANE. ANOTHER RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WILL BE SAMPLING THE STORM AROUND 0600 UTC. SATELLITE DERIVED WINDS INDICATE VERY STRONG...BUT DIVERGENT FLOW OVER...

Women Given Obama The Edge in Maine: In an election for President of the United States in Maine today, 09/24/08, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 49% to 44%, according to this SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WCSH-TV Portland and WLBZ-TV Bangor. Obama's lead comes entirely from women. The candidates are effectively tied among men. McCain runs strong among gun owners, Pro-Life voters, those who say the United States is still a Super Power, and those who attend religious services regularly. Obama runs strong among college graduates, among lower-income voters, among Pro-Choice voters, and among voters who almost never...

BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM KYLE ADVISORY NUMBER 1 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112008 500 PM AST THU SEP 25 2008 ...LOW PRESSURE AREA FINALLY DEVELOPS INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE... INTERESTS IN BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF KYLE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT AND SATELLITE IMAGES INDICATE THAT THE LOW PRESSURE AREA THAT MOVED NORTHWARD FROM HISPANIOLA HAS DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL STORM. AT 500 PM AST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KYLE WAS LOCATED NEAR...

While we scrambled to meet income tax deadlines last April 15, Maine politicians passed $70 million in tax increases on health care and beverages to pump more tax dollars into Dirigo Health. In response, the state Chamber of Commerce, the beverage industry and other businesses united as the Fed Up With Taxes coalition to put a people's veto question on the November ballot, hoping voters will reject the new taxes.

A news anchor at a FOX affiliate in Maine has received “hate mail and nasty phone calls” from viewers who think she bears a striking resemblance to the Republican vice presidential nominee. Cindy Michaels, a newscaster from FOX affiliate WVII-TV in Bangor, Maine, wears her hair up in a similar style to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and sometimes wears glasses. “Since the day that McCain announced that Sarah Palin was his running mate, I had friends and family tell me that I look like her,” she said. “I don’t think I look like her, I think I look like me.”...

A group of 10 states, including Maryland and Delaware, are taking steps to monitor global warming. The coalition is called the "Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative." They'll conduct the nation's first carbon auction. The auction would put limits on carbon dioxide emissions from utility plants and make them pay for each ton of pollutants. The auction is set for September 25.

BANGOR, Maine—A Maine TV news anchor who bears a resemblance to the Republican vice presidential nominee says she's been getting "hate mail and nasty phone calls" from viewers who think she's trying to copy Sarah Palin's signature style. Cindy Michaels from WVII-TV has long brown hair that she sometimes wears up in a style similar to Palin's, and she also wears glasses on occasion. Michaels says viewers recently began accusing her of trying to copy Palin's style or, even worse, somehow trying to subliminally sway votes. She says one viewer criticized her as "the Kmart version of Sarah Palin" because...

John McCain has pulled within four points of Barack Obama in Maine. That’s the closest he has been in any of the six monthly polls Rasmussen Reports has conducted in the state since April. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters finds Obama with 50% of the vote and McCain with 46%

John McCain has pulled within four points of Barack Obama in Maine. That’s the closest he has been in any of the six monthly polls Rasmussen Reports has conducted in the state since April. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Maine voters finds Obama with 50% of the vote and McCain with 46% (demographic crosstabs available for Premium Members). Last month, and in July, Obama was up by double digits.

SOUTHWEST HARBOR — The manager of Dysart’s Great Harbor Marina blames a downturn in business on the Maine Revenue Services’ efforts to enforce the use tax on boats. Letters sent to marina customers by Maine Revenue Services (MRS) stating that boat owners might owe a use tax were not well received, according to Micah Peabody, manager. As a result, some of those customers cancelled their plans for tying up at the marina this summer. “We lost some serious revenue,” Peabody said. Maine law requires any boat less than one year old docked in Maine waters for 30 consecutive days or...

The first time I can remember feeling personally insulted by a political commentator was back in 1988. It was the Republican Convention and they named George H.W. Bush their nominee for president. He chose the little-known Dan Quayle as his running mate and some wonk commentator said that Bush could then count on the women’s vote because he had selected such a handsome man to run for vice president. Ouch! What a condescending and ignorant comment! I couldn’t believe that this guy thought women were so stupid, superficial and shallow. He dismissed women as critical thinkers and implied that women...

AUGUSTA, Maine — In one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, six-term Rep. Tom Allen is challenging two-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in an election that will help determine whether the Democrats can hold on to their thin Senate majority.

As summer dissolves into memory, it is time to think about taxes. Lest you think I have lost my calendar, let me assure you I am not referring to income taxes, but to tax and rent refunds from the Maine Revenue Service.

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Report: Maine growth modest Conditions are likely to deteriorate in 2008 AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Center for Economic Policy released its annual Labor Day report outlining the status of working Mainers and the state economy. Using 2007 U.S. government data (the most current available), "The State of Working Maine" reveals a picture of modest overall growth in Maine, coupled with limited income gains for typical Maine households. Median household income in Maine saw an increase of some $1,200, rising by 2.7 percent in real terms to $45,888. Though a welcome advance for working Mainers, it is also clear that...

BANGOR, Maine — Folk singers Larry and Leslie Latour, along with Judd Esty-Kendall, will open a “Join Hands to End the War. Build the Peace. Rebuild the Economy” rally at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at Paul Bunyan Park on Main Street. [snip] Among the featured speakers will be Mary Trotochaud who with her husband, Rick McDowell, moved to Baghdad in 2003 to work with emerging Iraqi civil society organizations and coordinate relief and development projects for the American Friends Service Committee. Other speakers include labor activist Katrina Bisheimer; Iranian-American history student Hosain Aghamoosa; social worker Doug Crate; Veterans for...

Former State GOP Chairman Forms Group To Support Democrat PORTLAND, Maine -- Maine's Sen. Barack Obama campaign has announced the formation of a group calling itself "Maine Republicans for Obama." The group is headed by former Maine Republican Party Chairman Robert Monks and former Republican state Rep. Sherry Huber. At a press conference Wednesday in Portland, Monks and Huber spoke in support of Obama in his campaign against Republican John McCain. Maine GOP Chairman fired back at Monks. He said Monks has a long history of attacking Republicans including Margaret Chase Smith. He said that if the Obama campaign wants...

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine motorists are paying more to register their vehicles with the state. As of Monday, fees increased by $10 for vehicle registrations, vanity license plates and titles. Don Cookson of the Secretary of State’s Office said the added fees would generate revenue to support bridge and road maintenance.

(CNN) – If Sen. Joe Biden was hurt that Republican operative Karl Rove called him a “big blowhard doofus” at an event in Minneapolis Monday, he didn’t show it. On hearing the news, Biden grinned and said “he’s a great American.” The blog Politicker ME reports that at a Maine delegate breakfast at the Republican National Convention, Rove, the so-called “architect” of the Bush administration, called Biden a “big blowhard doofus.” Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, is notorious in Washington for being talkative at Senate hearings. Later, in response to a different question, Rove is reported to have asked...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Maine's Republican delegation got a surprise visit from former White House political operative Karl Rove at its convention breakfast this morning. During his speech, he talked up John McCain's Republican presidential bid and criticized Democratic nominee Barack Obama for his inexperience. When the topic of running mates came up, he referred to U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) as a "big, blowhard doofus." Later, a questioner asked about the economy in the context that the Democrats paint the country as being in a great depression. Before Rove answered, he asked: "Is there press in the room?"

AUGUSTA, Maine — On Monday, Maine joins other U.S. states and Canadian provinces that have made it illegal to smoke in a car while children are present. But for the first year the law's in effect, violators will only get warnings. A law passed by the state legislature earlier this year outlaws smoking in cars while youths under 16 are present. It's modelled after a tougher ordinance in the city of Bangor, Maine. California, Arkansas and Louisiana have passed similar laws, as have Puerto Rico and some Canadian provinces. Other states have also looked at the proposal. When he signed...

BERWICK, Maine — Andrea Burns' Route 9 neighbor watched a woman pull up to Burns' home Thursday, pick up the family's 14-year-old cat, Pumpkin, from the front yard, put the cat in her back seat and drive away. The whole incident was fairly quick, said the neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, but it has left the Burns family with a lasting sadness in wake of their cat's theft.

BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Humanities Council will present a two-part series, “Fear, Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law” this fall at the Bangor Public Library.

Brian Williams says "there are real concerns the Portland Press Herald might not be around much longer ... another victim of the web and our changing times." Watch Janet Shamlian's report. || Earlier: Press Herald publisher says closing of paper not likely.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ The Navy has changed course and decided to push for construction of a third DDG-1000 destroyer that would be built at Bath Iron Works, Sen. Susan Collins said Monday. The Maine Republican said Navy Secretary Donald Winter informed her of the decision that comes one month after the Navy said it was scrapping the Zumwalt destroyer program once the first two are built. The Navy said at the time that it was opting instead to build more of the current-generation DDG-51, or Arleigh Burke, destroyers. Collins quoted Winter as saying that in addition to seeking...

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Fed Up With Taxes/YES on 1 coalition aired its first television ad last night during the Democratic National Convention. The 30 second ad features Gary Emmons, a small businessman and owner of Exit 26 Quik Stop in Richmond.

New York and 11 other states are suing federal environmental regulators over greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries, the New York attorney general's office said on Monday. The suit, led by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, charges that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the federal Clean Air Act by refusing to issue standards, known as new source performance standards, for controlling global warming pollution emissions from oil refineries. Note: Other states in the suit are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New York City and Washington D.C. also joined in...

If any evil forces were lurking Friday night along the Bangor waterfront, Hassan Hakmoun drove them away and called down healing spirits that blanketed the American Folk Festival crowd at the Railroad Stage. “Feel the spirit,” he told the crowd, “and pray for the world to become one.”

[A] new political commercial from a pro-business group being shown in Maine suggests that the Democratic Senate candidate in a competitive race is trying to infringe on the privacy of workers. The advertisement, disputed by the candidate, is part of a large-scale effort by two independent advocacy groups to turn a relatively low-profile pro-labor vote in Congress into a major impediment for Democrats as they seek to expand their Senate majority. “We have a very simple strategy,” said Mike Murphy, media adviser to the group behind the advertisement in Maine and one in Minnesota about the vote on a measure...

UPDATE 5:10 p.m. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, in a brief order Wednesday afternoon, turned down a request that would have given an independent candidate in Maine for the U.S. Senate a place on the Nov. 4 ballot for that office. Souter acted without referring the stay application to his colleagues. There was no written opinion, just a simple denial order. The Justice’s action appears to assure the state’s two major party candidates, incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, and her Democratic challenger, Rep. Tom Allen, that they will not have to worry about an independent drawing votes away...

New taxes on beverages and health care claims to be on November 4 ballot. AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine people will have the last word on $75 million of new taxes on beverages and health care claims, now that the Secretary of State today certified that the Fed Up With Taxes/YES on 1 coalition submitted more than enough signatures to put the issue to a statewide vote on November 4.

On Friday, August 15, the Bob Barr campaign attempted to have the Secretary of State authorize local clerks accept late filings of signatures. Don Cookson of the Secretary of State’s office indicated that there is no provision to authorize such a late filing. The signatures filed by the August 8 deadline amounted to 3,200, short of the 4,000 valid signatures required. The Libertarian Party is expected to go to court to force the state to accept the late signatures.

AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci said Monday he would propose lowering Maine's personal income taxes in the January session of the Maine Legislature, but how much depends on the state budget now being developed. "We are going to be doing more budget cutting, more budget restructuring, more efficiencies," he said Monday in an interview. "We have only just begun that process with jails and school administrative districts. More needs to be done, and we are going to do more of that and reduce the income tax on earned income."

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram announced Wednesday that several employees have been laid off and that there will be changes to the layout of the paper in an effort to cut costs. Out of about 400 employees, two union employees lost their jobs, as did an undisclosed number of managers, company officials said. The number of layoffs was far less than initially expected because of employees who volunteered to take time off without pay. "We were able to save a number of positions," said Charles Cochrane, president of Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc., which publishes the Press Herald/Telegram and two...