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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

ME: Civil Rights

About one-quarter of Maine farmworkers live in poverty, and they are roughly 4.5 times as likely to live below the poverty line as other workers in the state, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Effort continues to ensure state minimum wage for ME farmworkers

Legislation proposed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills would ensure thousands of farmworkers are eligible to receive the state minimum wage. Current law …

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Voters can also track the status of their absentee ballot to ensure it's been received and counted by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Bellows notes the use of absentee ballots also helps shorten voting lines on Election Day and reduce the workload for election workers. (Adobe Stock)
No-excuse absentee voting helps build voter turnout in ME

With less than a month to go before Maine's November 7 Referendum Election, more than 30,000 voters have already requested a no-excuse absentee …

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In Maine, protests against the Texas abortion ban occurred in Portland, Waterville, Belgrade and more. (vivalapenler/Adobe Stock)
Protesters Support Roe v. Wade in Portland, Central Maine

PORTLAND, Maine -- Reproductive-rights advocates took to the streets across Maine and the U.S. over the weekend to protest the Texas ban on abortions …

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A new Gallup survey shows more than 60% of Americans say they know
Juneteenth Declared National Holiday, Amidst Progress, Upheaval

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Juneteenth National Independence Day is now an official holiday, after President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday, approved by both …

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Portland residents held a vigil Tuesday to honor the victims of recent hate crimes. (Reza Jalali/Adobe Stock)
White House Lays Out Plan To Combat Anti-Asian Hate

PORTLAND, Maine -- With the rise in anti-Asian violence and hate since the pandemic began, Mainers say elected officials have a key role to play in …

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Young congregants of the Maine Episcopal Church. (Bishop Thomas Brown/Instagram)
Maine's Episcopal Bishop Decries Trump D.C. Church Appearance

PORTLAND, Maine -- New England's Episcopal bishops unanimously are calling out President Donald Trump's appearance in front of St. John's Episcopal …

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Critics charge that Long Creek, Maine's prison for juveniles, is not organized or staffed to deal with the real needs of those young people. (Richard Ross/AECF)
Task Force Finding Maine Juvenile Justice System Dysfunctional

AUGUSTA, Maine - The task force looking at Maine juvenile justice is finding signs the whole system is upside down. Jill Ward, project manager of …

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Immigrants in Maine and throughout New England can no longer be detained during their immigration proceedings without the government justifying the reason for the detention in court. (Paul-W/Creative Commons)
Maine Immigrants to Benefit from New Changes to Bond Hearings

AUGUSTA, Maine – Starting now, immigration courts in New England, including Maine, can no longer detain undocumented immigrants in bond …

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CBP training materials state that the Fourth Amendment does not require officers to advise bus passengers of their right to refuse consent to a search. (Josh Denmark/Flickr)
CBP Increasing Warrantless Bus Raids in Northern New England

BANGOR, Maine — A year after the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine sued U.S. Customs and Border Protection for records on its bus …

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U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Houlton Station operated an immigration checkpoint on Interstate 95 last week. (Customs and Border Protection)
Checkpoints by Customs Border Patrol Rile Some Mainers

BANGOR, Maine – Some drivers and passengers were annoyed, others angry and afraid when they were stopped last week by U.S. Customs and Border …

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Civil rights advocates are concerned that businesses such as florists will now claim a religious right to discriminate against same-sex couples. (Pixabay)
LGBT Advocates Fear More Discrimination Following Supreme Court Ruling

AUGUSTA, Maine – Civil rights advocates fear the Supreme Court's ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case will encourage more attempted …

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Previous attempts to defund Planned Parenthood have sparked protests nationwide. (Fibonacci Blue (CC by 2.0)/Flickr)
Health Care Providers Gear Up (Again) As Trump's New Gag Rule Targets Planned Parenthood

WICASSET, Maine – If President Donald Trump's new effort succeeds to impose a so-called gag rule on family planning centers, access to women's …

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