Politics

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Senate has given its initial approval to a bill to ban single-use plastic bags.
The Senate voted 24-11 Tuesday to ban single-use plastic bags statewide. The House voted 91-52 Thursday last week.

When Amy Bagley Lake and her two children were killed by her estranged husband when he was out on bail in 2011 in Dexter, friends, family, coworkers and people across Maine dedicated themselves to trying to prevent such a tragedy from happening to others.

Maine legislators are still working to come to an agreement on the state budget. The budget-writing appropriations committee worked through the weekend to try and resolve differences between Republicans and Democrats.

Portland's City Council is looking at new development restrictions to the city's commercial waterfront in response to fishermen's fears that they are being crowded out by the city's rapid development.

It's been more than a year since then-Republican Gov. Paul LePage dropped his opposition to signs on Interstate 95 and state roads directing motorists to the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument in northern Maine. Progress has been slow but the signs will be installed this summer.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she is dismayed by the early start and extreme negativity of the campaign against her, even though she has not decided whether to seek re-election.

Maine took another step toward joining a handful of states that ban single-use plastic bags following a 91-52 vote in the House of Representatives Thursday.