© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA group of 51 lawmakers from both parties is urging the state to relax its distancing rules for kids in school and get more children back into classrooms.The state has adopted federal CDC guidelines calling for three feet of separation between students in the classroom, but some Maine schools do not have the physical capacity to reconfigure their space to meet that goal.The lawmakers, led by Republican state Rep. Nathan Carlow of Buxton, have asked the state to reconsider the requirement, citing national studies finding that...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA group of 51 lawmakers from both parties is urging the state to relax its distancing rules for kids in school and get more children back into classrooms.The state has adopted federal CDC guidelines calling for three feet of separation between students in the classroom, but some Maine schools do not have the physical capacity to reconfigure their space to meet that goal.The lawmakers, led by Republican state Rep. Nathan Carlow of Buxton, have asked the state to reconsider the requirement, citing national studies finding that...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsU.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King of Maine say they support increasing direct payments to Americans to ease the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.Collins, a Republican, says she supports increasing the direct payments from $600 per person to $2,000. She says the money would help those who have lost jobs, but also those who have continued to work through the pandemic.“Hospital workers, firefighters, our police officers, our truck drivers,” she says. “I think this would be very welcome relief and assistance to...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsU.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King of Maine say they support increasing direct payments to Americans to ease the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.Collins, a Republican, says she supports increasing the direct payments from $600 per person to $2,000. She says the money would help those who have lost jobs, but also those who have continued to work through the pandemic.“Hospital workers, firefighters, our police officers, our truck drivers,” she says. “I think this would be very welcome relief and assistance to...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Legislature’s Appropriations Committee got some good news from economic and revenue forecasters on Thursday: Despite the recession, Maine’s economy is still growing.Last month state revenues were above estimates by $81 million, and for the budget year to date, revenues are above estimates by $227 million. The increase is being driven by better-than-expected sales and personal income tax collections.“The fact is the economy has done much better than we had anticipated back in August and again, a lot of that has to do with...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Legislature’s Appropriations Committee got some good news from economic and revenue forecasters on Thursday: Despite the recession, Maine’s economy is still growing.Last month state revenues were above estimates by $81 million, and for the budget year to date, revenues are above estimates by $227 million. The increase is being driven by better-than-expected sales and personal income tax collections.“The fact is the economy has done much better than we had anticipated back in August and again, a lot of that has to do with...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsRepublican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she wished President-elect Joe Biden the best when he called her last week to congratulate her on her reelection.Collins and Biden served together in the Senate for years and worked together on several issues when he was vice president. But Collins says she was still surprised to hear from Biden.“I was very pleased that the president-elect called me last week and congratulated me on my win,” she says.Collins says it appears that Biden will be the next occupant of the White House, but...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsRepublican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she wished President-elect Joe Biden the best when he called her last week to congratulate her on her reelection.Collins and Biden served together in the Senate for years and worked together on several issues when he was vice president. But Collins says she was still surprised to hear from Biden.“I was very pleased that the president-elect called me last week and congratulated me on my win,” she says.Collins says it appears that Biden will be the next occupant of the White House, but...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe two independent candidates in Maine’s U.S. Senate race have filed a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission for being excluded from this Wednesday’s debate hosted by Portland television station WMTW.The complaint by independents Max Linn and Lisa Savage argues that WMTW’s decision is not based on objective criteria and could constitute an illegal in-kind contribution to the campaigns of Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Sara Gideon.Savage says Maine people expect the station to invite all qualified...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe two independent candidates in Maine’s U.S. Senate race have filed a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission for being excluded from this Wednesday’s debate hosted by Portland television station WMTW.The complaint by independents Max Linn and Lisa Savage argues that WMTW’s decision is not based on objective criteria and could constitute an illegal in-kind contribution to the campaigns of Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Sara Gideon.Savage says Maine people expect the station to invite all qualified...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA new poll from Colby College indicates that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is improving his numbers in Maine, while the U.S. Senate race is as close as ever.The survey of 879 respondents shows that Biden leads statewide in Maine, 51% to Republican Donald Trump’s 38%. Biden also has a four-point edge in the 2nd Congressional District, 46% to 42%, where Trump is trying to garner a single electoral vote as he did four years ago.The poll shows that the Senate race continues to be very close, with Democrat Sara...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA new poll from Colby College indicates that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is improving his numbers in Maine, while the U.S. Senate race is as close as ever.The survey of 879 respondents shows that Biden leads statewide in Maine, 51% to Republican Donald Trump’s 38%. Biden also has a four-point edge in the 2nd Congressional District, 46% to 42%, where Trump is trying to garner a single electoral vote as he did four years ago.The poll shows that the Senate race continues to be very close, with Democrat Sara...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Supreme Judicial Court has rejected a request to suspend its earlier decision allowing ranked-choice voting to be used in the state’s fall presidential election.The legal issue raised by Republicans was whether Maine’s law on circulating petitions is constitutional, but the practical impact of any court-ordered stay would have been to block the use of ranked-choice voting in Maine this November.Assistant State Attorney General Phyllis Gardener’s argument before the law court Thursday, that thousands of votes have...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Supreme Judicial Court has rejected a request to suspend its earlier decision allowing ranked-choice voting to be used in the state’s fall presidential election.The legal issue raised by Republicans was whether Maine’s law on circulating petitions is constitutional, but the practical impact of any court-ordered stay would have been to block the use of ranked-choice voting in Maine this November.Assistant State Attorney General Phyllis Gardener’s argument before the law court Thursday, that thousands of votes have...WW…

© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Republican Party and opponents of the use of ranked-choice voting will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Maine's highest court must now decide whether a decision it issued earlier this week to allow the process to move forward proceeds during the appeal or not.The GOP has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the issue, but there is no guarantee the justices will agree to consider the matter.In the meantime, opponents are asking the Maine Supreme Court to put a hold on their own decision to allow ranked-choice...…© 2022 Maine PublicPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsThe Maine Republican Party and opponents of the use of ranked-choice voting will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Maine's highest court must now decide whether a decision it issued earlier this week to allow the process to move forward proceeds during the appeal or not.The GOP has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the issue, but there is no guarantee the justices will agree to consider the matter.In the meantime, opponents are asking the Maine Supreme Court to put a hold on their own decision to allow ranked-choice...WW…

Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: Listen Listening... 3:57 Maine Supreme Court Decision Clears Way For Ranked-Choice Voting In This Fall's Presidential Race The Maine Supreme Court has determined that a people’s veto effort led by the Maine Republican Party failed to get enough qualified signatures to put a referendum on ranked-choice voting on the November ballot. The decision clears the way for the nation’s first use of ranked-choice voting in a presidential election. The court found that state law requires petition circulators to be registered voters in their...…Maine Public RadioRelated Program: Related Program: Listen Listening... 3:57 Maine Supreme Court Decision Clears Way For Ranked-Choice Voting In This Fall's Presidential Race The Maine Supreme Court has determined that a people’s veto effort led by the Maine Republican Party failed to get enough qualified signatures to put a referendum on ranked-choice voting on the November ballot. The decision clears the way for the nation’s first use of ranked-choice voting in a presidential election. The court found that state law requires petition circulators to be registered voters in their...WW…