Chris Wade

4 days ago | thecentersquare.com | Chris Wade

(The Center Square) — A controversial expansion of Maine’s ranked choice voting system awaits Gov. Janet Mills’s signature. Plenty of other elected officials hope that day never comes, either. The proposal, which passed the Democratic-controlled Legislature last week, would expand the voting method used in federal races, including for president, and legislative primaries to the governor's race and other state legislative contests.

4 days ago | thecentersquare.com | Chris Wade

(The Center Square) — Voters go to the polls Tuesday to whittle down a crowded field of Democratic challengers seeking to unseat incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is running as an independent. The crowded mayoral race features former New York Gov.

1 week ago | thecentersquare.com | Chris Wade

(The Center Square) — A watered-down consumer protection bill awaits the governor’s signature, even after business groups pushed back against the legislation they said would lead to a wave of “legal shakedowns” targeting small employers. The Fostering Affordability and Integrity through Reasonable Business Practices, or FAIR Act, is intended to strengthen consumer protections against deceptive practices like junk fees, deed theft and hard-to-cancel subscriptions.

1 week ago | thecentersquare.com | Chris Wade

(The Center Square) — Mainers will pay more for cigarettes, cannabis and streaming services under a supplemental state budget approved by the Democratic-led Legislature. The $320 million plan, sent to Gov. Janet Mills' desk on Wednesday, seeks to plug revenue gaps in a $11.3 billion state budget approved in April and address a shortfall in the state's Medicaid program while boosting funding for child welfare programs, housing, and other initiatives.

1 week ago | thecentersquare.com | Chris Wade

(The Center Square) — New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte criticized lawmakers for making last-minute changes to a plan to restore pension benefits for 1,500 first-responders who had them cut several years ago. A House and Senate Committee of Conference late Wednesday approved changes to the two-year $15.9 billion state budget that restored retirement benefits for 1,500 police and firefighters who had them cut in 2011.