Maine news stories on Newser

Maine Churches Passing Plate for Gay-Marriage Fight

Rob Quinn — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:05:00 CDT

Up to 200 churches in Maine plan to pass a collection plate on Father's Day to raise funds to fight gay marriage. The state is holding a referendum on legalizing same-sex marriage in November, and the Protect Marriage Maine political action committee is stepping up efforts to raise funds and...

Woman's Claim of Implanted Device Diverts Plane

Matt Cantor — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:31:33 CDT

A US Airways flight from Paris to North Carolina was diverted to Maine after a woman claimed to have a device implanted in her body. Authorities have since determined that she posed "basically no threat," but the flight was halted "out of an abundance of caution," according to the TSA....

Most Peaceful State: Maine

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:57:14 CDT

Apparently the moose-on-moose violence is next to nil, because Maine has scored the title of most peaceful state in the union, according to a new survey by the Institute for Economics & Peace. It finds the nation as a whole at its most peaceful point in two decades. Louisiana, meanwhile,...

America's Weirdest State Taxes

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:00:05 CDT

Federal taxes may provoke the loudest partisan bickering, but some states impose taxes that could leave you at a loss for words. Fur? Nudity? Bagels? You bet—not to mention blueberries and playing cards. ABC News rounds up a few of the weirdest: Blueberries : Maine, which produces 99% of all...

Maine Batman Arrested After Facebook 'Threats'

Matt Cantor — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:28:38 CDT

Maryland's Batman is a superhero—but Maine's caped crusader is a little different. A Bar Harbor man who has created a Batman alter-ego was arrested for threats he made on Facebook Sunday (that's April 1) that he says were satirical jokes. "I demand payment of 1 million dollars or I...

When It Comes to Corruption, 8 States Get Fs

Matt Cantor — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:46:56 CDT

After a thorough investigation of corruption in state politics, the Center for Public Integrity has made up report cards for each state—and the results are depressing. Not one state managed anything in the A-range, while eight—Michigan, the Dakotas, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Georgia, and Wyoming—scored Fs. Coming...

Maine's Angus King: Next Senate Power-Broker?

John Johnson — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:42:30 CST

There's a decent chance his name won't ring a bell, but the Washington Post today declares Angus King to be the "most important Senate candidate in the country." As the Fix blog explains, King is running for Olympia Snowe's seat in Maine , and as a popular former governor, he makes...

GOP Senator Olympia Snowe to Retire

Matt Cantor — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:52:02 CST

Republican Olympia Snowe said today she will retire from the Senate rather than seek re-election, reports the Kennebec Journal . The Washington Post sees it as bad news for her party in the very blue state of Maine. Democrats will likely be favored to take the seat the moderate Snowe has...

Maine Reels in Record-Size Lobster

Mark Russell — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:47:05 CST

A big catch in Maine: a 40-inch, 27-pound lobster was trapped in a shrimp net two weeks ago, and it turns out that "Rocky" is the largest crustacean ever landed in the state. "All the weight is in the claws," said a Department of Marine Resources official. "It would break...