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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: Consumer

The Atlantic herring is one of the most important fishery resources in Maine, supplying the primary bait used in its iconic lobster industry. It is also an important forage species for seabirds, marine mammals and a variety of larger fish species, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Anglers seek trawler buffer zone as Atlantic herring stock declines

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

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Medicare Savings Programs help people with limited income and resources pay for some or all of their Medicare costs. Enrollment in these MSPs puts more than $2,000 back into the wallets of seniors and adults with disabilities each year, according to AARP Maine. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Supplemental budget puts Maine’s Medicare Savings Programs at risk

Some 30,000 Mainers could lose access to critical healthcare benefits under Gov. Janet Mills' proposed supplemental budget. The state legislature …

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New survey data from Maine's Consumers for Affordable Health Care found two of three Mainers said they would have difficulty paying a $500 medical expense.(Adobe Stock)
ME survey shows support for transparent hospital prices, facility fee limits

A new survey reveals most Mainers support policies requiring medical providers to disclose their facility fees before they receive treatment…

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Local and federal resources for Mainers who have been affected by the damaging storms that hit Maine on December 18, 2023, and January 10, 2024, are available through the Maine Emergency Management Agency by calling 1-800-452-8735. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Climate change, development threaten Maine’s working waterfronts

Reintroduced federal legislation aims to preserve Maine's iconic, working waterfronts still recovering from recent powerful storms. Strong winds and …

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Consumer advocates say the growth of health care facility fees stems from an increasingly consolidated health care provider market, highly complex billing systems, and frequently inadequate health insurance coverage. (Adobe Stock)
Facility fees add to Mainers' growing concerns over medical debt

Maine lawmakers are calling for greater transparency in how hospitals and other health care centers charge so-called facility fees. A legislative …

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It is estimated that Mainers facing hunger would need a total of $97,584,000 more income per year to adequately meet their food needs, according to Feeding America. (Adobe Stock)
Maine food banks meet growing demand as Farm Bill lags

Food banks in Maine are struggling to keep up with demand as the Farm Bill remains stalled in Congress. The bill is renegotiated every five years …

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More than 95% of Mainers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 84% of the state's population is considered fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)
Health misinformation online builds distrust in science, vaccines

Public health experts say the rapid spread of health misinformation online is contributing to a dangerous decline in vaccination rates. Surveys show …

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Roughly half of U.S. adults report experiencing feelings of loneliness, making them more susceptible to fraud. Crime experts note that interventions to reduce social isolation among senior citizens in particular could reduce their chances of being scammed. (Adobe Stock)
Holidays, loneliness leave ME seniors vulnerable to online scams

It may be the season of goodwill, but advocates for the elderly say online financial scams only increase around the holidays. Conversations with a …

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Twenty-seven states had a higher percentage of people with health insurance coverage in 2022 than in 2021. But Maine was the only state where the uninsured rate increased, up to 6.6% in 2022 from 5.7%, according to the Census Bureau. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Mainers get another chance at open enrollment for health coverage

Healthcare advocates in Maine say people who missed the most recent open enrollment deadline for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act h…

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The Maine Legislature has enacted laws to reduce the state's greenhouse-gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, and transitioning Maine's electricity use to 80% renewable energy by 2030. (Adobe Stock)
New heat-pump technology helps Maine reduce oil use, reach climate goals

A new report shows Maine is exceeding the home-heating goals set forth in its ambitious four-year climate plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions…

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Maine voters soundly rejected a proposal to transfer the ownership of Maine's two largest privately-owned utilities to the public by a 2-1 margin as many voters expressed concern with the price to purchase the utilities' assets. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Post-election confusion remains regarding ME utility rates

The proposal to create a public owned electric power utility in Maine was defeated but the confusion surrounding electricity rates remains. A series …

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According to a poll by the Climate and Community Project, 55% of Mainers believe utilities should be nonprofits, and 60% said they've experienced a power outage in the past few months. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Maine voters consider costs, climate in public utility amendment

An amendment on Tuesday's ballot in Maine to transfer ownership of the state's two private utilities to the public is considered a dead heat…

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