23 Mar Midcoast News March 23, 2015

Hospitals Worried

The people who run hospitals in Maine are pushing back against the LePage administration’s budget proposal, saying that millions of dollars in proposed Mainecare reimbursement cuts combined with a proposed property tax on non-profits would result in medical services being reduced or eliminated.  Jeff Austin, vice-president of the Maine Hospitals Association, says the cuts in no way are realistic and can’t be absorbed by the hospitals. But the administration argues that the budget plan reflects new priorities such as eliminating the Mainecare waiting list for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Drone Questions

Bills aimed at controlling drone aircraft hit the legislature this week. One of the bills would ban law enforcement agencies from buying drones without local government approval and also ban the use of drones by police without search warrants. Governor LePage vetoed a similar bill two years ago.

Fire in Thomaston

Overheated clothing in a dryer is listed as the cause of a fire damaging the home of a former sea captain at 92 Gleason Street in Thomaston. There were no injuries. Three companies fought the fire.