Free Republic

Maine health care workers opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate are hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will take the same position a Texas federal court recently took on the Department of Defense’s obligation to approve religious exemptions for active duty veterans.In a brief filed on Jan. 11 on behalf of 2,000 health workers in the Pine Tree state, the national civil liberties organization Liberty Counsel argued that it is discriminatory for hospitals to grant medical exemptions, but not religious ones, to health care workers opposed to taking the COVID jab. “The folks that are getting medical exemptions comparably pose the...

Portland [Maine] City Council meets to discuss ending state of emergency Councilors are expected to weigh in on two major issues, an increase in wages for in-person workers to $19.50 per hour and a proposed indoor mask mandate. Author: newscentermaine.com Published: 5:32 PM EST January 3, 2022 Updated: 5:32 PM EST January 3, 2022

The gubernatorial election landscape in 2022 is shaping up to be competitive as Republicans look to flip a number of governors' mansions across the country. Republicans are feeling momentum after Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin's victory in November, when he became the first Republican to win a statewide race in the blue-leaning state since 2009. The party says the political environment is prime for Republicans to oust a number of vulnerable Democratic governors this year, including Gov. Laura Kelly in Kansas and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan. However, Democrats say they see opportunities in states with contentious GOP primaries, particularly in...

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said on Tuesday she is open to discussing proposals to overhaul an expanded child tax credit included in President Biden's American Rescue Plan that is set to expire in the next few days. “I am open to proposals that would support working families and reduce childhood poverty and look forward to working with colleagues of both parties on bipartisan solutions,” Collins said in a statement to the Bangor Daily News. If the expanded child tax credit is allowed to expire, monthly payments will end for the families of about 60 million children. The Daily News noted...

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said on Tuesday she is open to discussing proposals to overhaul an expanded child tax credit included in President Biden's American Rescue Plan that is set to expire in the next few days. “I am open to proposals that would support working families and reduce childhood poverty and look forward to working with colleagues of both parties on bipartisan solutions,” Collins said in a statement to the Bangor Daily News.

Have Coke, Sprite or Minute Maid in your refrigerator? You may want to check the labels after a pair of recalls from Coca-Cola. The products were the subject of a voluntary recall because they could contain foreign objects such as metal bolts or washers, according to Food Safety News. The Minute Maid drinks were available in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Maine and New Jersey, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The Minute Maid recall involves the following flavors: Berry Punch – Date codes: Jan0422 NP and Jan0522 NP, Batch 0010323455 and 0010259344 (recall F-0276-2022) Strawberry...

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court turned down emergency requests by New York healthcare workers for a religious exemption from state requirements to vaccinate against Covid-19. A federal appeals court in New York previously denied the workers’ requests. The court denied the requests in brief written orders. As is typical for such emergency actions, the majority didn’t explain its thinking. Three conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch—said they would have allowed the exemptions. In October, the court denied a similar application from Maine healthcare workers seeking exemption from their state’s vaccination requirements, which lower courts had rejected. The same three conservatives...

On Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a potential landmark case challenging a Maine law that prohibits parents from using a state student-aid program if they choose to send their children to faith-based schools.

Republicans are seeing improved prospects in eight states’ gubernatorial contests next year, according to the Cook Political Report. The nonpartisan outlet, which analyzes elections and is often used as a resource among campaigns, updated its ratings for 11 gubernatorial races this week and moved eight in a favorable direction for Republicans, while shifting three toward Democrats.

In response to the recent tragedy in Oakland County, Michigan, what did the anti-gunners do? Following their standard course of action, they are politicizing the deaths of four high school teens in an attempt to undermine your constitutionally-protected rights. In fact, bowing to the will of their far-Left overlords, anti-gun senators are bringing H.R. 8 to the Senate floor—which is a bill to institute Universal Background Registration Checks (UBCs). And to make matters worse, they are trying to do this by unanimous consent—without an actual vote. Please, contact your Senators and make sure they know you’re opposed to H.R. 8...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A ski mountain is set to remove a derogatory term for Native American women from its name — two decades after state law eliminated the slur from names of communities and public landmarks. The leader of a group of investors that’s buying Big Squaw Mountain Resort in Greenville vowed to retire the name upon completion of the purchase, the Portland Press Herald reported. “It’s going to change. There is no doubt about that,” said Perry Williams, managing partner at Big Lake Development Co. “It’s about time,” Penobscot National Tribe Ambassador Maulian Dana said of the prospective...

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), uttered a lot of words on Sunday when asked by Fox News' Trace Gallagher about Florida's low Covid-19 numbers despite a lack of lockdowns or mandates. However, unfortunately for him and fortunately for those of us who want to see more people see through these clowns, none of those words had anything to do with answering the actual question. Introducing the topic while filling in for Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," Gallagher brought up a chart showing vaccination rates and new case percentages in New York, Maine, Michigan,...

Portland Press Herald At Gov. Mills’ request, NECEC will suspend construction on power corridor project BY MEGAN GRAY, STAFF WRITER Friday, November 19,2021 The developer of a $1 billion power transmission line through western Maine said Friday that it will temporarily suspend construction on the project while a legal challenge plays out in court. . . . [The Pull Quote] “This was not an easy decision,” [Thorn Dickinson, CEO and president of NECEC Transmission] said in a statement. “Suspending construction will require the layoff of more than 400 Mainers just as the holiday season begins. It will also require the...

A total of 32 House and Senate Republicans helped push Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package over the finish line, most of whom have been showered with campaign cash from the leading lobbying group behind the bill — the US Chamber of Commerce. Lawmakers run for office, grabbing donations from interest groups, then, after their election, voting for legislation supported by those special interest groups despite their constituents’ opposition. The Chamber had been lobbying for Biden’s infrastructure bill, since the start of the year. By July, Open Secrets reported the Chamber had spent more than $12 million lobbying for the bill...

administration has produced a clownish energy policy. It is simultaneously suppressing petroleum production in the U.S. and begging Saudi Arabia and Russia to produce more. This is idiotic, but Jennifer Granholm apparently thinks it’s funny. You might think the administration’s energy policies couldn’t possibly get worse. But now the New York Times reports: “Biden Administration Plans Wind Farms Along Nearly the Entire U.S. Coastline.” The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a plan to develop large-scale wind farms along nearly the entire coastline of the United States, the first long-term strategy from the government to produce electricity from offshore turbines. Speaking...

A Portland school employee charged with two felony sex crimes appeared in federal court for the first time Tuesday, but he has not yet entered a plea to the charges against him. Benjamin Conroy, 32, will remain in custody for now. He participated in his hearing by Zoom from the Cumberland County Jail. Conroy is facing charges in both state and federal courts. He is accused of sexually exploiting a child in the classroom where he worked as an education technician for students on the autism spectrum at Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Mainers voiced their disapproval Tuesday for a 145-mile (233-kilometer) conduit for Canadian hydropower that was billed as either a bold step in battling climate change or unnecessary destruction of woodlands. Utilities have poured more than $90 million into the battle over the $1 billion project ahead of the referendum on Tuesday, making it the most expensive referendum in Maine history.... ...Three-quarters of trees already have been removed for the project, which calls for a transmission line that mostly follows existing utility corridors. But a new section needed to be cut through 53 miles (85 kilometers) of...

With the 2021 election in the home stretch, tens of millions of Americans will soon head to the ballot box or vote by mail for candidates on their November 2nd ballot. Depending on the state, voters can expect to elect a governor, state legislators, school board members, and other municipal officials, but there may be other items on the ballot they weren’t expecting: tax increases, and a lot of them. That’s right, voters across the country can expect to see many ballot measures that would impact their wallets. While these measures often get overshadowed, it would be a mistake to...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency request by health care workers seeking a religious exemption to the state of Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The court’s decision not to grant the immediate relief for the health care workers until it decides to review the case, means the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will take effect while litigation continues in lower courts. The Supreme Court did not explain its action—typical in emergency appeals. But three conservative-leaning justices provided a dissenting opinion saying they would have granted the emergency request. Maine is not offering a religious exemption to its COVID-19 mandate...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday turned away healthcare workers seeking a religious exemption to Maine's COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the latest battle over vaccination to reach the justices. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, rejected a request made by nine unnamed plaintiffs who identified themselves as healthcare workers who object to receiving the shots on religious grounds. The court previously rejected challenges to vaccine mandates in New York and Indiana, though those cases did not involve religious objections. The justices were divided, with three conservative members saying they would have granted the request. In...