Center founders John Christie and Naomi Schalit are giving a series of talks across the state about the role of investigative journalism in our democracy. The next talk, entitled “”Is journalism failing its role in democracy?” is at the Camden Public Library on May 21st at 7 PM. For more details on the talk, check out the listing on [...]
AUGUSTA – Over the past 50 years, Maine legislatures and governors have added millions of dollars in tax breaks for businesses without ever doing the detailed analysis to find out which are effective and which are wasteful.
But now that may be changing.
In recent weeks, a growing list of legislators have called for a review of programs that leading economists have critiqued for not delivering on promises to create jobs.
“We put a lot of stock in these programs, but we never go back to see if they work,” Sen.
Four years ago, when the University of Maine System was cutting programs to save money, officials were criticized for not, instead, making up the shortfall by taking money from System reserves.
At the time, officials said they needed all of the $88 million in the reserve account as a contingency for the unexpected and other expenses.
Now, the System says it is again under financial pressure – Gov. Paul LePage’s budget proposal for the two years starting July 1 calls for no funding increase for the university system.
Our friends at the New York World have just published a great story about how a lack of funding threatens the ability of medical students to become doctors. It’s focused on New York, but there’s plenty of reporting in the story to show how this is a national problem: “Medical schools have increased enrollment in [...]
State legislators and top appointed officials won’t be able to take jobs as lobbyists right after they leave the statehouse, under a bill passed unanimously by a key legislative committee on Friday.
Nearly a dozen of the state’s top environmental groups turned out at a legislative hearing Thursday to urge the state to revive its plan to help Maine adapt to a changing climate.
An honors student from the University of Maine stood before lawmakers Wednesday and, in a clear and confident voice, walked them through an ethics reform proposal that would require more extensive disclosure of the financial affairs of public officials and legislators.
Robert Williams had seen enough. The chief of the state police and a 30-year veteran had seen enough mangled bodies in car wrecks. Enough distraught and hysterical mothers and fathers.
Enough lives that could have been easily saved with the click of seatbelt.
“As a trooper, I have knocked on more than one door to tell them ‘Your child is dead,’” said Col. Williams.
So starting in January, he took a fresh, hard line towards seat belt enforcement in hopes it might mean fewer Mainers – especially teenagers and young adults – are killed in car accidents because they hadn’t buckled up.
SANTA FE — On February 20, New Mexico’s House Energy and Natural Resources Committee gathered for one of its regular meetings in a drab room here at the capitol, a circular building known as the Roundhouse. On the agenda: a bill that would hike fees and penalties for energy companies drilling wells in the state.
A lot has happened since the State Integrity Investigation, a first-ever analysis of transparency and accountability in all 50 states, was published a year ago. (The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting provided the research that went into Maine’s grade.) Here’s a report from the Center for Public Integrity, which spearheaded the investigation: “The project — [...]
