March 8, 2022 By Ramona du Houx On March 8, 2022 President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) to ban the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal to the United States. This represents a significant action with widespread bipartisan support that will further deprive President Putin of the economic resources he uses to continue his horrific war of choice. The United States does not rely on Russian energy sources. The US is a net exporter. While Europe, on average imports 40 percent from Russian. Germany alone depends on Russia for 60 percent of their fossil fuel needs. In announcing the restrictions from the White House, Biden said the action was designed to target “the main artery of […]

March 4, 2022 By Ramona du Houx AUGUSTA – In a tripartisan vote, the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee advanced a bill on March 1, 2022 from Rep. Maggie O’Neil, D-Saco, aimed at protecting the right to privacy by regulating corporate collection and use of biometric identifiers. “It is no secret that our personal information is collected, used and monetized at an alarming rate,” said Rep O’Neil. “In Maine, there are essentially no restrictions on the ways that Big Tech and other corporations can collect our biometric data, and what they can do with our data. I sponsored this bill to protect our personal data and to empower Mainers with a choice about what companies do with it.” LD 1945 would require companies to […]

March 4, 2022 By Ramona du Houx Washington – The US president, Joe Biden , signed a law on Thursday that will make it difficult to silence cases of sexual harassment in companies and that gives victims more tools to be able to report them in court. Some 60 million American workers have included in their contracts the obligation to resolve disputes about sexual harassment through arbitration processes, “and many do not even know it,” said President Biden said during the State of the Union. The fine print in many contracts refers to the arbitration processes which the majority of people tend to overlook. Journalist Gretchen Carlson, whose sexual abuse lawsuit against Roger Ailes led to the resignation of that powerful former president […]

February 24, 2022 DOE Releases First-Ever Comprehensive Strategy to Secure America’s Clean Energy Supply Chain DOE Report Includes Over 60 Actions to Enhance Supply Chain Resiliency, Spur Domestic Manufacturing Capacity, and Create Millions of Good Paying Jobs for American Workers WASHINGTON, D.C. — On February 24, 2022 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released America’s first comprehensive plan to ensure security and increase our energy independence. The sweeping report, “America’s Strategy to Secure the Supply Chain for a Robust Clean Energy Transition,” lays out dozens of critical strategies to build a secure, resilient, and diverse domestic energy sector industrial base that will establish America’s role as a global leader in clean energy manufacturing and innovation. In addition to spurring job creation and […]

02/24/2022 01:13 PM EST Additional support comes as Maine launches state’s first comprehensive crisis center The Mills Administration announced today that, starting next week, it will begin distributing $9.3 million in monthly MaineCare payments to 442 mental health and substance use disorder service providers to support immediate workforce needs as the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) advances its long-term plan to ensure Maine people have access to high-value behavioral health care in their communities. DHHS is prioritizing the payments to bolster community-based services for mental health and substance use disorders that have been strained by the pandemic and its ongoing effects. The $9.3 million in supplemental payments, which come from the biennial budget passed by the Legislature and signed by […]

02/23/2022 Nutrition program adds phone app to expand access to local produce AUGUSTA – The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) today announced that Maine is the first state in the nation where participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program can use a phone app to get fruit and vegetables from farm stands and farmers markets throughout the state. Participants can download the mobile-to-mobile app, called Bnft, to redeem benefits for produce from farmers certified for electronic WIC (eWIC) transactions. Maine CDC launched eWIC in 2020, transitioning from paper food vouchers to an electronic benefit transfer card that could no longer be redeemed with Maine farmers year-round. This new transaction capability and barcode scanning process returns […]

February 22,2022 Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, was selected from over 120 nominees as one of 20 Outstanding Women of 2022. Coast 93.1 and Hannaford offer this recognition to women in Maine who go above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in their communities. As a small business owner, chair of the Westbrook school committee and state representative, Salisbury is an active member of her community in a multitude of ways.  “I am so happy to receive this recognition and for the opportunity to connect with other amazing Maine women working hard for their communities and our state,” said Salisbury. In the Legislature, Salisbury chairs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Caucus and the Food Insecurity Caucus. The […]

February 17, 2022 “This initiative provides immediate relief for Maine people from increased electricity rates caused by escalating costs of natural gas,” said Dan Burgess, Director of the Governor’s Energy Office.  The Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) unanimous approval of a one-time utility bill credit of $90 for low-income Maine households will help 90,000 low income Mainers. “We recognize the importance of this assistance during a time when energy costs are increasing globally,” said Commission Chairman Philip L. Bartlett II. “We also have an open proceeding looking at revising our Low-income Assistance Program to provide longer term relief for utility customers most in need. For those still in need of assistance, we urge you to speak with your utility or visit the […]