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LePage Predicts Maine Government Will Shut Down Friday

Gov. Paul LePage says he expects that state government will shut down come midnight on Friday. On Bangor radio station WVOM, the governor said he is already making decisions on what services are essential and who must work during the anticipated shutdown.

Susan Collins Says She’ll Oppose the Senate Health Bill

Trump, Pence Lobby For Senate Health Care Bill As Prospects Appear Dim

Trooper Injured When Cruiser Collides With Wrong-Way Driver

By AP • 27 seconds ago

SABATTUS, Maine - State police in Maine say a state trooper was slightly injured when his cruiser collided with a car headed in the wrong direction on the Maine Turnpike.

Police sat Trooper Lee Vanadestine encountered the wrong-way car at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday night as it was driving along a construction area in Sabbatus. Vanadestine pulled his cruiser alongside the car and forced it into the median guardrail.

Maine Has First Confirmed Case of Measles in 20 Years

By AP • 29 minutes ago

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a confirmed case of measles in Franklin County that it says is related to travel.

The state says the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory confirmed the case. The last reported case of measles in the state was in 1997.

State epidemiologist Siiri Bennett says the Maine CDC is working with clinicians to identify potentially exposed individuals. The public may have been exposed if they visited several locations in Farmington and Kingfield between June 15 and 19.

Maine Senate Endorses Repeal of Voter-Approved Election Overhaul Measure

By Steve Mistler • 1 hour ago

The Maine Senate Tuesday took the first step in scuttling a voter-approved state election overhaul before it's implemented.

The Senate voted 21-13 to repeal the ranked choice voting law that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

The repeal movement follows a Maine Supreme Judicial Court opinion that a key part of the law is likely unconstitutional. While lawmakers are also considering a constitutional amendment, it has yet to achieve the two-thirds support necessary to go to voters for final ratification.

GOP Senate Bill Would Cut Health Care Coverage By 22 Million

By Scott Horsley • 1 hour ago

Updated at 8:10 pm ET

Congressional forecasters say a Senate bill that aims to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026.

That's only slightly fewer uninsured than a version passed by the House in May.

'Petya' Cyberattack Cripples Ukraine, And Experts Say It's Spreading Globally

By Bill Chappell • 1 hour ago

A large and coordinated malware attack hit key parts of Ukraine's infrastructure Tuesday, taking a toll on government agencies, electric grids, stores, and banks. The ransomware called Petya is also being reported in other countries — and security experts warn that it could spread globally, raising fears of another global attack like the WannaCry outbreak that struck in May.

There are also concerns that this version of Petya may include new elements that make it even harder to stop.

From Drug Overdose To Fires, Council Says Preventable Deaths At An All-Time High

By David Schaper • 1 hour ago

States are not doing enough to improve safety on the roads, in the workplace and in the home, according to a new report from the National Safety Council.

The group, which graded all 50 states on safety, awarded no state an "A" grade for overall safety, but 11 states received an "F."

Feds: Personal Incomes Grew in Maine in Fourth Quater

By Irwin Gratz • 1 hour ago

Mainers' incomes rose 1.1 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to new figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The increase marked a reversal from the fourth quarter of last year, when personal incomes in Maine fell overall.

This time, the state registered the 20th best performance in the country, growing slightly faster than the nation as a whole, which saw an increase of 1 percent.

Man Jailed, Fined For Shooting Federally Protected Seal

By AP • 2 hours ago

BANGOR, Maine - A Maine man has been fined and sentenced to three days in jail for shooting a federally protected seal.

Joseph Martin of Warren pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge in federal court. In addition to jail time, he was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

A prosecutor says Martin fired at a group of seals as they approached his fishing boat off the coast of Acadia National Park last year.

The prosecutor says the shooting was captured by a camera on Martin's boat.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Deportation Of 1,400 Iraqis Nationwide

By Bill Chappell • 3 hours ago

A federal judge in Michigan has temporarily barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting a group of more than 1,400 Iraqi nationals for at least two weeks, expanding an order that initially applied only to those in the Detroit area.

Pacing, Crying, Frustration: Cosby Juror On The 52 Hours That Ended In Mistrial

By Bobby Allyn • 3 hours ago

Note: This story contains a description of the alleged sexual assault at the center of the case.

A juror in the criminal trial of Bill Cosby says testimony from a second woman who said she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Cosby did not weigh heavily on the panel's 52 hours of deliberations. That statement comes in spite of prosecutors' hope that hearing from an additional accuser would have shown jurors that Cosby had a pattern of behavior.

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