Maine revenue shortfall now projected at up to $400 million for two-year budget

Maine revenues keep falling short of projections

Irish Supreme Court rules Dublin golf club can keep barring women from membership

Irish Supreme Court upholds men-only golf club

Maine Insurance Bureau: Workers’ compensation rates to drop by average 7 percent

Maine workers’ comp rates to drop by about 7 pct

Morris Publishing says a majority of bond holders support debt swap

Morris Publishing says majority support debt swap

Maine economist says state’s decline slowing, but more job losses; modest recovery in mid-2010

Expert: Maine’s economic decline seen slowing

Maine gay marriage supporters lead opponents in campaign donations

AUGUSTA, Maine — Supporters of Maine’s same-sex marriage law continued Friday to collect far more campaign contributions than their opponents in a referendum that’s being watched nationally.

Maine’s top prosecutor says fatal police shooting of Sudanese immigrant was legally justified

PORTLAND, Maine — Two police officers were legally justified when they fatally shot a 26-year-old Sudanese immigrant in an incident that sparked anger and unrest in the Sudanese community in Maine’s largest city, the state’s top prosecutor ruled Friday.

Supporters of Maine gay marriage law collect $2.7M; opponents report $1.1M as vote draws near

AUGUSTA, Maine — Supporters of Maine’s gay marriage law said Tuesday they’ve collected $2.7 million for their campaign against a ballot proposal to repeal it, more than double the amount the measure’s supporters said they raised.

Maine foliage near peak colors near Moosehead, Katahdin

AUGUSTA, Maine — State foliage watchers say the lakes and mountains of western Maine and the Mount Katahdin region will be the best places to see brilliant fall colors this weekend.

Maine ethics commission approves probe of anti-gay marriage fundraising

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s campaign oversight board overruled a staff recommendation Thursday and authorized an investigation into fundraising by groups supporting the campaign to repeal the state’s gay marriage law in a Nov. 3 referendum.

Maine men, woman who reunite after discovering they were separated as youngsters find sister

AUGUSTA, Maine — Two men and a woman who reunited after discovering they were separated as youngsters and later found another long-lost sibling hope to celebrate Thanksgiving together this year, one of the brothers said Thursday.

Maine’s longtime GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe seen as key player in bipartisan health care reform

AUGUSTA, Maine — While working for a marketing firm, Michael Townsend coined the signature phrase that appears on highway signs, T-shirts and tourism promos in these parts: “Maine — the Way Life Should Be.”

Maine gay marriage law heads to November ballot after 100K voters sign petition for referendum

AUGUSTA, Maine — The governor of Maine has signed a formal proclamation putting the state’s gay marriage law up for a vote in November.

Spectators ignored warnings before huge wave pulled 3 into sea, Maine park rangers say

AUGUSTA, Maine — Rangers at Acadia National Park insisted Monday that they had done all they could to warn visitors before beauty suddenly turned brutal, launching a hurricane-generated wave over a group of gawkers, dragging several into the roiling Atlantic and killing a 7-year-old girl.

Police: Georgia teenager shoots sleeping stepsister 10 times after he wakes up from dream

AUGUSTA, Ga. —Authorities in Georgia say a 14-year-old boy awoke from a bad dream and shot his stepsister in the head 10 times while she napped on the couch.

Maine gay marriage opponents submit petitions to force referendum on state’s law-in-waiting

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gay marriage opponents hoping to derail Maine’s new law before it can take effect submitted petitions Friday that they said contain more than enough signatures to force a people’s veto referendum.

Maine Woods Discovery travel packages being offered

AUGUSTA, Maine — Many visitors to Maine associate the state with lobsters, coastal towns and Acadia National Park. But a new project called Maine Woods Discovery is hoping to promote tourism to the state’s lakes, woods, mountains and other inland areas.

O is for ownership, as in whether Maine’s Otten copied logo on Obama’s Web site

AUGUSTA, Maine — O, boy.

Georgia man wins big lottery prizes twice in a week, including $777,777 prize

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A 62-year-old man struck it big twice in the Georgia Lottery. Earl Fritz won the top prize of $777,777 in the instant game Super Lucky 7’s. That dwarfed the $1,000 he won a week earlier in a different game. The carpenter said he felt lucky a week ago and now feels a little bit luckier.

APNewsBreak: Inspections show some VA facilities couldn’t prove they followed guidelines

WASHINGTON — Fewer than half of Veterans Affairs centers given a surprise inspection last month had proper training and guidelines in place for common endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies — even after the agency learned that mistakes may have exposed thousands of veterans to HIV and other diseases.

VA to tell House panel about mistakes with equipment used for colonoscopies, other procedures

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A congressional panel is pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to disclose on Tuesday whether non-sterile equipment that may have exposed 10,000 veterans to HIV and other infections was isolated to three Southeast hospitals or is part of a wider problem.

Lad who saved lobsterman’s life lauded by Maine lawmakers

AUGUSTA, Maine — When a lobster trap rope pulled Lester Drisko Sr. into the chilly waters off the coast of Maine and then entangled him last month, his 8-year-old grandson didn’t panic.

New law will reach out to homeless youth, runaways in Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine — State services to help homeless youths and runaways in Maine will be bolstered under a bill that’s been signed into law.

Officials say fire at Maine coffee shop with topless staff was deliberately set

VASSALBORO, Maine — Fire investigators have concluded that a fast-moving blaze that destroyed a topless coffee shop in Maine was deliberately set.

Congressional panel to analyze VA hospital mishaps that put patients at risk of HIV, hepatitis

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A congressional panel will question Department of Veterans Affairs officials about mistakes that put patients at risk of possible exposure to HIV and other infectious body fluids at three VA hospitals.