http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/me-news/ en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:10:09 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416431/posts Sunday, December 27, 2009 Rough sea for yachtsmen under Maine use-tax law 30 days in port triggers levy on boats ‘from away’ Tom Toye poses at a marina in Portland, Maine. Toye has sued the state over a $60,000 “use tax” bill for a 72-foot yacht he bought in Florida and brought to Maine. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) By Clarke Canfield THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 comments | Add a comment PORTLAND, Maine —  A retired Maine businessman thought he was helping the local economy in 2005 when he spent more than $100,000 in Portland on repairs to his 72-foot luxury yacht, newly... Telegram.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416431/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:10:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414803/posts LEWISTON — In the early evening on the first day of summer, a large group of Somali boys approached a woman on the corner of Ash and Pierce streets. According to police reports, they intimidated the woman and slapped her in the back of the head before scattering into the downtown. Five days later, shortly after midnight, a man was accosted by a group of Somali boys outside the Big Apple on Main Street. Police reports say several members of the group punched the man and took money from him. They then fled in a car. Later that night, a... Sun Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414803/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:17:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412847/posts Betrayal: Who deserves the most blame for the wrecking ball that Congress and the president will soon take to the greatest health system in the world? The Republican who gave them her vote. 'When history calls, history calls," Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe said in October when she joined Senate Finance Committee Democrats as the lone Republican supporting their health care revolution. Sometime between then and now "history" hung up on her. With the vote 14-to-9 on that key panel, Snowe wasn't the deciding factor. But she gave Democrats something to use to optimal effect in the next two months —... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412847/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:53:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts In this season given to tidings of comfort and joy, word has come that we New Yorkers are the sad sacks of the United States. This is something of a surprise. Sure, we complain a lot. Grumbling could qualify as the official state sport. But are we really the unhappiest of them all? It seems so, judging from a study by two economics professors, newly published in Science magazine. The academics — Andrew J. Oswald, of the University of Warwick in Britain, and Stephen Wu, of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. — examined piles of data, tossed them into a... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412787/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:48:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411910/posts December 20, 2009 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) released the following statement today on the status of the health reform legislation currently pending before the United States Senate: “Having been fully immersed in this issue for this entire year and as the only Republican to vote for health reform in the Finance Committee, I deeply regret that I cannot support the pending Senate legislation as it currently stands, given my continued concerns with the measure and an artificial and arbitrary deadline of completing the bill before Christmas that is shortchanging the process on this monumental and... Snowe adn Collins Website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411910/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:59:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411091/posts LEWISTON — In the early evening on the first day of summer, a large group of Somali boys approached a woman on the corner of Ash and Pierce streets. According to police reports, they intimidated the woman and slapped her in the back of the head before scattering into the downtown. Five days later, shortly after midnight, a man was accosted by a group of Somali boys outside the Big Apple on Main Street. Police reports say several members of the group punched the man and took money from him. They then fled in a car. Later that night, a... SunJournel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411091/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:43:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409929/posts BEAVER -- The Beaver County Sheriff's Office has arrested three men suspected in a series of burglaries. According to the Spectrum, deputies said Luis M. Lopez, Andy F. Lopez, and Oren T. Hounchell admitted to varying levels of involvement in a series of break-ins at homes, stores and the Beaver City Library. They were also found in possession of an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. All three face multiple burglary and drug charges. Deputies discovered a set of footprints left in the snow after one of the home burglaries. They followed those footprints to the Hounchell's home. The... ksl.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409929/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:44:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408708/posts Reporter Fired Over Gay Marriage E-Mail Published : Friday, 11 Dec 2009, 9:30 AM EST WATERVILLE - Larry Grard, a veteran newspaper reporter at The Morning Sentinel in Waterville, says he was fired for sending an angry e-mail to a pro-gay marriage group. Grard says he was offended by an e-mail he received from the DC-based Human Rights Campaign the day after the November 3rd vote overturning Maine's same-sex marriage law. He fired off a response, which read, in part, "You hateful people have been spreading nothing but vitriol since the campaign began. Good riddance!" Grard says he was immediately... http://www.myfoxmaine.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408708/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:59:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408646/posts A localized media frenzy has ensued after a Catholic reporter was let go from his 19-year position at a Maine newspaper for voicing his opinion against same-sex “marriage” and the campaign to legalize it in Maine. According to an article by the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Larry Grard, a former employee of the Morning Sentinel, was sent a mass email from the pro-gay rights organization, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), following the repeal of the same-sex “marriage” law in Maine during the mid-term elections on Nov. 4. In the email, Trevor Thomas, spokesman for the HRC, voiced his disappointment with the... CNA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408646/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:41:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406348/posts Pfc. De'Angello Robinson, 19, traveled seven hours by bus to place a single wreath on the tomb of a soldier whom he'd never met. For him, and the other Marines who took the trip from Camp Johnson in Jacksonville, N.C. to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate graves, the day was about paying tribute to men and women who once stood in their shoes. "In a few months, from where we are getting shipped out, this could be us," said Robinson of the fallen soldiers. "If it is us, I would want somebody to do the same for me so I'm... WP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406348/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:33:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405297/posts AUGUSTA, Maine — It may seem early for the 2010 congressional campaign to start, but not for Jason Levesque. The Auburn businessman has been hitting fairs and factories for six months as the Republican sets his sights on Maine’s 2nd District congressional seat held by four-term Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud. Bangor Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405297/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:05:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404340/posts Olympia Snowe delivered a very good speech on health care shortly before Thanksgiving, not that the press corps noticed. With Majority Leader Harry Reid's announcement this week of a double-secret bargain that Democrats hope will squeeze ObamaCare through the Senate—after nine whole days of debate so far in the world's greatest deliberative body—the Maine Republican's words seem more pertinent than ever. Mrs. Snowe began by noting that this year's health debate is "one of the most complex and intricate undertakings the Congress has ever confronted," and that she, too, has devoted much of her three-decade political career to promoting cheaper,... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404340/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:23:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403372/posts ...Producer Miodrag Kolaric said that three of the four Belgrades in the United States were known to have been settled about 200 years ago by railroad workers from Belgrade, Serbia.....Curiously, Belgrade is the only southeastern European city other than Athens to have engendered namesakes in the United States, Kolaric said. He could not find a Sofia (from Bulgaria), for example, or a Zagreb (Croatia)..... Boston.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403372/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:56:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402433/posts Per Fox. Title says it all. Gonna happen in time for Christmas. Gutless conservatives have been rightfully excluded from government. Fox news Channel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402433/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 00:11:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402394/posts Grard was fired by Bill Thompson, editor of the Sentinel and its sister paper the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, shortly after the Nov. 3 election in which Maine voters repealed a same-sex marriage law approved by the Legislature. Grard said he arrived at work the morning after the vote to find an e-mailed press release from the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., that blamed the outcome of the balloting on hatred of gays. Grard, who said he’d gotten no sleep the night before, used his own e-mail to send a response. “They said the Yes-on-1 people were haters. I’m... Downeast.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402394/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 23:03:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402060/posts Over the weekend, the Senate continued debate on its version of the government takeover of health care with Republican “unanimous consent” cooperation on floor procedure.   Democrats fell into a rhythm of voting down Republican amendments to jettison the half-trillion dollars worth of Medicare cuts while passing their own -- garnering Republican votes (at times 100-0) on their amendments for political cover. As early as today, they will begin consideration of an amendment to bar abortion funding by or through any government-run “public option” insurance plan. This issue still may be the one that kills the bill for the year. ... HumanEvents.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402060/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:15:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401194/posts Sen. Lindsey Graham may be under fire from conservatives back home in South Carolina. But the Republican got a personal assurance from President Obama yesterday that the White House is supporting his efforts to craft a sweeping Senate energy and global warming bill. “The president told me personally he was very open, that nuclear power would be part of the mix, that clean coal would be part of the mix, that he’s for offshore drilling in a responsible way,” Graham said today in describing his Oval Office meeting with Obama. “But we have to have a price on carbon,... theenergycollective.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401194/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 22:37:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398275/posts As a local pastor, I watched, listened and read with amusement the comments of people about the role of the “church” during the recent same-sex marriage scenario. Many shared verbally on talk shows and by the written word in papers, blogs and so forth that the church had no right to be involved in politics during the same-sex debate. Albeit the Catholic Church received most of the criticism, I am sure those complaining wanted their comments directed to all churches that were against same-sex marriage. I found one item somewhat amusing. Those who were appalled at the Catholic Church being... Bangor Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398275/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 09:54:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396185/posts End of an era: Aircraft depart Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing. The two last planes at Maine's Brunswick Naval Air Station lifted off Saturday in blustery winds, ending nearly 60 years of maritime patrol operations at New England's last active-duty military air base. The P-3 Orions of the VP-26 squadron lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway before heading off to a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The planes took off without any speeches or fanfare ... Brunswick, once home to 4,000 sailors... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396185/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:06:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393014/posts Senior citizens in Maine have greeted over 900,000 US troops at a tiny local airport. For the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting over 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine. Take an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Link to video PBS Video http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393014/posts#comment Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:04:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392220/posts Democrats Focus on G.O.P. Senators From Maine CARL HULSE November 22, 2009 WASHINGTON — Anxious about how little maneuvering room the weekend victory by Senate Democrats on health care provided, Obama administration officials and their Congressional allies are stepping up overtures to select Senate Republicans in hopes of winning their ultimate support. The two moderate Republican senators from Maine, Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both say Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, reached out to them after he unveiled the Senate measure, encouraging them to bring forward their ideas and concerns. Ms. Collins also received a personal visit... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392220/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:49:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392180/posts WASHINGTON — Anxious about how little maneuvering room the weekend victory by Senate Democrats on health care provided, Obama administration officials and their Congressional allies are stepping up overtures to select Senate Republicans in hopes of winning their ultimate support. The two moderate Republican senators from Maine, Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both say Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, reached out to them after he unveiled the Senate measure, encouraging them to bring forward their ideas and concerns. Ms. Collins also received a personal visit from a high-level Obama emissary, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former senator... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392180/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:22:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391437/posts The BDN’s recent series of stories on guns in Maine revealed, among other things, the chasm that lies between those who want to regulate gun ownership and use and those who believe gun ownership is as sacrosanct as the secret ballot and free speech. It’s unlikely the gap will be bridged in the near future, but both camps would do well to work at understanding that their extreme positions may undermine their goals. For the first 100 years of the nation’s history, the Constitution’s Second Amendment was generally understood as supporting the rights of states to keep militias. In 2008,... Bangor Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391437/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:35:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391428/posts A national Muslim civil rights organization has filed a formal request with the Lewiston School Department to allow a middle school student to pray on school property. The group also wants Lewiston to modify existing policy and provide "constitutionally protected religious accommodation," such as a designated prayer room. The group has also requested the school department institute diversity training for school staff, and to ensure the middle-schooler won't face retaliation because of her request to pray at the Lewiston Middle School. Lewiston Sun-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391428/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:19:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389362/posts <p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p> Email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389362/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:20:39 GMT