Mal Leary
Maine Public Political CorrespondentJournalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.
A lifelong journalist and Maine native, Mal has worked as both a reporter and editor in broadcast and in print, in both Washington, D.C. and in Maine. He has won numerous awards for his reporting on state government issues and politics.
For several years he owned and operated Capitol News Service, which was located in the State House complex providing news coverage to radio stations as well as newspapers.
Mal is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters & Editors and has long been an advocate for open government. He is the SPJ Sunshine Chair in Maine and is currently the president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition based at the University of Missouri Journalism School and is a Vice President of the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition.
Mal is married with three grown children, several grandchildren and lives in Augusta, within sight of the Capitol dome.
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The House had given the measure more than a two thirds vote earlier in the process, but only 80 members voted to override Gov. Janet Mill’s veto of the legislation that would allow Maine tribes to build and operate gaming facilities.
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LePage launched a website and registered a campaign committee with the State Ethics Commission signaling he has at least decided to test his support by raising money and campaigning well ahead of the January filing deadline to be on the ballot next year. -
Both the Maine House and Senate have approved nearly a billion dollars in additional state spending over the next two years, including a boost in funding for local schools. -
Maine’s delegation has been pressing for the third ship on behalf of Bath Iron Works. -
Maine’s two U.S. senators have split over the controversial bill that would overhaul how elections are conducted and that has stalled in the Senate. -
King says the energy infrastructure is crucial to national security, citing New England’s growing reliance on natural gas for heating and electricity generation. He says the responsibility for the security of pipelines is divided between too many federal agencies. -
The Maine Senate has rejected a measure that would have abolished the Maine Information and Analysis Center, also called a “fusion center," that allows for quick sharing of information between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. -
One measure would require the retirement system to divest itself of interest in companies that own or manage fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas. The second measure would require the system to divest itself of any interest in companies that own or operate private prisons. -
Legislation that would close the Long Creek Youth Development Center in two years was approved Thursday evening by a vote of 81 to 57 in the House. But, the measure faces strong opposition, including from the Mills administration, and it will have to survive additional votes. -
Democratic Congressman Jared Golden of Maine says he and other members of the bipartisan “problem solvers caucus” have been working for months on a $1.25 trillion infrastructure proposal, with money for highways, ports, rail, broadband and veterans housing.
