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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

ME: Livable Wages/Working Families

About one-quarter of Maine farmworkers live in poverty, and they are roughly 4.5 times as likely to live below the poverty line as other workers in the state, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Effort continues to ensure state minimum wage for ME farmworkers

Legislation proposed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills would ensure thousands of farmworkers are eligible to receive the state minimum wage. Current law …

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The Atlantic herring is one of the most important fishery resources in Maine, supplying the primary bait used in its iconic lobster industry. It is also an important forage species for seabirds, marine mammals and a variety of larger fish species, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Anglers seek trawler buffer zone as Atlantic herring stock declines

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

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The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard generated $1.46 billion in regional economic activity last year, according to a study by the Seacoast Shipyard Association. Shipyard workers living in Maine amassed nearly $372 million in payroll. (Adobe Stock)<br />
ME naval workers seek state-backed loans in case of government shutdown

Federal workers in Maine are backing legislation to help ensure they can pay their bills in case of a government shutdown. Those who might be …

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New survey data from Maine's Consumers for Affordable Health Care found two of three Mainers said they would have difficulty paying a $500 medical expense.(Adobe Stock)
ME survey shows support for transparent hospital prices, facility fee limits

A new survey reveals most Mainers support policies requiring medical providers to disclose their facility fees before they receive treatment…

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Local and federal resources for Mainers who have been affected by the damaging storms that hit Maine on December 18, 2023, and January 10, 2024, are available through the Maine Emergency Management Agency by calling 1-800-452-8735. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Climate change, development threaten Maine’s working waterfronts

Reintroduced federal legislation aims to preserve Maine's iconic, working waterfronts still recovering from recent powerful storms. Strong winds and …

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Consumer advocates say the growth of health care facility fees stems from an increasingly consolidated health care provider market, highly complex billing systems, and frequently inadequate health insurance coverage. (Adobe Stock)
Facility fees add to Mainers' growing concerns over medical debt

Maine lawmakers are calling for greater transparency in how hospitals and other health care centers charge so-called facility fees. A legislative …

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Twenty-seven states had a higher percentage of people with health insurance coverage in 2022 than in 2021. But Maine was the only state where the uninsured rate increased, up to 6.6% in 2022 from 5.7%, according to the Census Bureau. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Mainers get another chance at open enrollment for health coverage

Healthcare advocates in Maine say people who missed the most recent open enrollment deadline for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act h…

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Maine voters soundly rejected a proposal to transfer the ownership of Maine's two largest privately-owned utilities to the public by a 2-1 margin as many voters expressed concern with the price to purchase the utilities' assets. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Post-election confusion remains regarding ME utility rates

The proposal to create a public owned electric power utility in Maine was defeated but the confusion surrounding electricity rates remains. A series …

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Named for Dr. Charles Scontras, a long-time Maine labor historian, author, and educator who died in March 2021, the Charles Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education will be located at the University of Southern Maine with a potential satellite office at Lewiston-Auburn College. (Adobe Stock)
New Labor Center in Maine to Focus on Union Organizing, Community Education

Union activity is thriving nationwide and a new labor center in Maine aims to keep it going. The University of Southern Maine will open the Charles …

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Mainers offered family insurance plans through their workplace that cost more than 9.12% of the total family income may qualify for more affordable healthcare coverage through the health insurance marketplace. (Adobe Stock)
MaineCare Recipients Urged to Update Forms to Ensure Coverage

Public health advocates are working to ensure Medicaid recipients in Maine continue to have health care coverage as pandemic-era policies have ended…

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Studies show the United States will need to train and employ more than a quarter-million electricians by 2030 in order to support and maintain the country's growing electrical infrastructure, including millions of electric vehicle charging stations and carbon-free building systems. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />
More STEM Workers Needed in ME to Fill Growing Green Energy Sector

Business leaders in Maine are working to raise awareness of the growing number of climate change-related job opportunities. The state's recent …

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As part of Maine's Offshore Wind Initiative, the state will develop a Floating Offshore Wind Research Array in the Gulf of Maine to foster research into floating offshore wind and how it interacts with the marine wildlife, fishing industry, shipping and navigation routes, and more. (Adobe Stock)<br />
ME Labor Groups Applaud New Offshore Wind Energy Industry Standards

Labor advocates are hailing Maine Governor Janet Mill's signing of a landmark bill creating a new offshore wind energy industry in the state…

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