Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been covering Portland City Hall for the Press Herald since 2012. His beat touches on a wide range of topics, including immigration, homelessness, education, tourism, real estate development and the economy in Maine’s largest city. He has been a Portland-based journalist since 2005. A life-long Mainer who loves the outdoors, Randy is also a bassist who brews his own beer at his North Yarmouth home, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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PublishedFebruary 7, 2022
Gov. Mills unveils $8 million plan to improve child protection in Maine
The plan would strengthen the office of the Child Welfare Ombudsman and add child protection caseworkers to cover weekends, nights and holidays, among other initiatives.
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PublishedFebruary 4, 2022
Bipartisan group of lawmakers asks Mills to raise pensions for retired state workers
People receiving benefits under the Maine Public Employees Retirement System got the maximum 3% cost-of-living adjustment last summer, but it wasn’t enough to cover the 5.4% rate of inflation.
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PublishedFebruary 3, 2022
Committee advances bill to let Maine towns collect fees on short-term rentals
The bill would let communities impose impact fees on short-term rentals that aren’t inhabited by permanent residents and use that money to support affordable housing.
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PublishedFebruary 3, 2022
Maine National Guard members to deploy to Eastern Europe this spring
The deployment comes amid increase tensions between Russia and the United States, but a National Guard spokesperson says the exercise is not related to President Biden’s plan to send reinforcements to NATO allies.
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PublishedFebruary 2, 2022
Maine CDC director opposes bill to legalize hallucinogenic mushrooms, says more research needed
Dr. Nirav Shah expressed concerns, including limits the on DHHS to regulate use of psilocybin and what he said was too little input from behavioral and public health experts.
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PublishedFebruary 1, 2022
Bill could give Maine an advantage in new space race
Proponents say establishing the Maine Space Port Corp. as a quasi-state agency would maximize investments into aerospace technology from federal sources and private venture capitalists.
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PublishedJanuary 31, 2022
Maine teachers urge lawmakers to address COVID sick leave loophole
A bill passed last year required local school districts to provide school staff with 15 additional days off for pandemic-related absences, but some districts have not done so since October, citing what opponents call a loophole in the original bill.
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PublishedJanuary 30, 2022
Maine could legalize ‘magic mushroom’ drug to treat depression
Early studies have shown that psilocybin-assisted therapy can dramatically reduce severe depression, but some warn that it’s not safe for everyone.
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PublishedJanuary 28, 2022
Longtime legislator John Tuttle Jr. of Sanford dies at 70
The Democrat served in the state Legislature for nearly 30 years and also served as a Sanford city councilor.
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PublishedJanuary 26, 2022
Maine Legislature fails to muster enough support to allow farmworkers to unionize
Lawmakers don’t override Gov. Mills’ veto of a bill to allow workers at farms with 5 or more employees to negotiate wages and working conditions.
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