How Workers’ Compensation Politics Shut Maine Government 20 Years Ago
The hallways of Maine’s State House were jammed with irate, screaming protesters, and scores of state workers pitched a tent “union city” in a park across the street. The already cool relations between...
View ArticleMaine Police Brutality Case Settled
A Maine man is going to get $725,000 as part of a police brutality settlement that was reached as the case was set to go to trial in federal court. Ronald Eaton of Deer Isle had sued several Hancock...
View ArticleSmall Earthquake Felt in Eastern Maine
A small earthquake across Maine’s Blue Hill peninsula prompted a handful of calls to law enforcement officials, but no damages were reported. According to the Weston Observatory at Boston College, the...
View ArticleMaine City Debates Home Fire Sprinkler Mandate
The debate over whether to mandate fire sprinklers in new homes is heating up in Maine. South Portland City Council is expected to take up the issue later this summer. If it passes, South Portland...
View ArticleMaine Jury Awards Nursing Student $300K
A jury has awarded a Maine student $300,000 in a lawsuit she filed against a nursing school that expelled her after she complained of sexual harassment by a male instructor. The InterCoast Career...
View ArticleHighway Deaths in Maine Down for 4th Straight Year
Highway deaths in Maine are down for the fourth year in a row. The Bureau of Public Safety said 61 people have died on Maine roads so far this year. That’s down from 88 deaths at this time last year. …
View ArticleMaine’s Northeast Bancorp Sells Its Insurance Group to 2 Local Agencies
Lewiston, Maine-based Northeast Bank Insurance Group has been acquired by local agencies in two separate transactions effective Sept. 1. The Varney Agency, of Bangor, Maine, will purchase the assets of...
View ArticleCioppa Nominated to Be Next Maine Insurance Commissioner
Maine Governor Paul LePage has chosen Eric Cioppa to be the next superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Cioppa has been serving as acting superintendent since June when former Superintendent...
View ArticleTD Insurance Appoints Nash in Maine Office
TD Insurance has appointed Karen Nash as assistant vice president and account administration manager in employee benefits in Portland, Maine. Nash will manage a staff of customer service agents who...
View ArticleMaine Ski Area Not Responsible for Man’s Injuries
A jury has ruled that a Maine ski resort was not responsible for injuries suffered by a Bethel man who fell off a chairlift on a windy day. The Oxford County Superior Court jury ruled on Monday, Oct....
View ArticleMaine Workers’ Comp Rates to Go Down Next Year
Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa said the Bureau of Insurance has approved the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s request to decrease workers’ comp loss costs in the state by an...
View ArticleMaine Drops Workers’ Comp Rate Again
Maine insurance regulators have approved another drop in the state’s workers’ compensation rates — the second in less than a month. A 3.2 percent decrease announced on Nov. 18 was expected to reduce...
View ArticleQuarter Century Since Epic Maine Flood
Sunday, April 1, marked the 25th anniversary of one of the worst floods in Maine history. On April 1, 1987, major rivers overflowed their banks, ripping out bridges and roads, destroying homes and...
View ArticleMaine House OKs Workers’ Compensation Overhaul
A workers’ compensation overhaul bill that Republicans say brings Maine’s law into line with other states has won initial House passage. Representatives voted 75-71 last Thursday along party lines,...
View ArticleMaine Workers’ Comp Reform Bill Signed Into Law
A new Maine bill that brings wide-ranging changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system was signed into law last week. The bill, signed into law by Maine Gov. Paul LePage, is called An Act to...
View ArticleMaine Gov. LePage Attacks Supreme Court’s Healthcare Ruling
Maine Gov. Paul LePage used his weekly radio address this past Saturday to attack the Supreme Court’s decision that upheld the president’s health care law. He also described the Internal Revenue...
View ArticleHomeowners’ Complaints About Bears Soaring Across Maine
Maine wildlife officials say the number of complaints about bears has more than doubled so far this year.Officials say between Jan. 1 and July 3, the Maine Warden Service had received 542 complaints...
View ArticleMaine Advises Residents to Assess Storm Risks, Review Flood Insurance
Maine’s top insurance regulator is advising state residents to assess the risks associated with severe weather, and take steps to protect themselves and their property. Maine Insurance Superintendent...
View ArticleMaine-Based Insurance Firm Buys Naming Rights to New Bangor Arena
The City of Bangor, Maine, announced last Friday that its new 8,000-seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue currently under construction will be named the Cross Insurance Center as a result...
View ArticleNumber of Highway Deaths in Maine Up 50% Over Last Year
Public safety officials say the number of highway deaths in Maine is up 50 percent over last year.The Bureau of Highway Safety says 97 people have died on Maine roads so far this year as of last...
View ArticleReport: OSHA Fines Maine Company in Worker’s Death
A news report says an Augusta, Maine, construction company has been cited for violations and fined in the death of an employee after a house collapsed. Morning Sentinel reports that the Occupational...
View Article3 Maine Agencies Included in State’s Annual ‘Best Places to Work’ List
Three independent insurance agencies in Maine have made the state’s seventh annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” list. The list is published by the Maine State Council of the Society for Human...
View ArticleMaine Regulator Highlights New App That Helps Motorists in Accidents
Maine’s top insurance regulator is highlighting a new mobile application that can help motorists take the guesswork out of auto accidents. Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa said this week that...
View ArticleMaine State Worker Guilty of Workers Comp Fraud
A state Transportation Department worker has been convicted of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of workers compensation benefits by doing strenuous activities at his home when he was supposedly too...
View ArticleEx-Maine Cheerleader Sues School for Injury Suffered During Practice
A former Poland Regional High School cheerleader has sued her coach and the school district for head injuries she says she received during practice. Olivia Doyer of Mechanic Falls and her parents,...
View ArticleMaine Motorcycle Death Total Up; 20 Fatalities So Far This Year
The Maine Public Safety Department says the number of motorcycle deaths on the state’s highways is outpacing last year’s figure. The state’s highway death toll so far this year as of Sept. 23 stands at...
View ArticleFrench Fries Spark Apartment Blaze in Maine
Fire investigators say a woman making a late night snack of french fries sparked a fire in a Pittsfield, Maine, apartment building that left 12 people homeless. The fire, which started last Saturday...
View ArticleEarthquake in Maine Rattles New England States
The earthquake that rattled southern Maine was felt in New England states as far away as Connecticut, but caused no apparent damage or injuries. Patrons of a pizza parlor near the epicenter of...
View ArticleMaine Approves Decrease in WC Loss Costs; $3.5M in Savings Expected
Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa announced last week that the state’s Bureau of Insurance has received, reviewed and approved the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s 2013 loss cost...
View ArticleAcadia Insurance Launches Small Business Product in Maine, New Hampshire
Acadia Insurance, a W. R. Berkley Co., has launched a new insurance policy for small businesses in Maine and New Hampshire called AcadiaAdvantage. The product is expected to be available in additional...
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