Latest news with #JanetMills
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Maine education chief told state's schools to ignore Trump's executive orders, emails show
EXCLUSIVE: Emails provided to Fox News Digital show Maine Department of Education Commissioner Pender Makin writing memos for all the state's school districts after President Donald Trump began to make executive orders addressing public education. The opening months of Trump's second term saw a highly publicized feud with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue of trans athletes in girls' sports. "Dear Champions of Education, as executive orders continue to flow out of DC, there is increasing misinformation, disinformation, and confusion impacting our schools," read Makin's draft of a memo for all the state's superintendents, in a Jan. 28 email, which was provided to Fox News Digital by the group Defending Education. "Last week, we advised schools to adhere to the Maine Human Rights Act and your local school board policies related to nondiscrimination. We encourage you to continue to keep all people safe and we reiterate the fact that, at present, neither our state law nor your local policies are diminished by the executive orders directing action at the federal level." It continued, "Most of the executive orders pertain to federal agencies and federal laws over which Maine DOE has no authority." Two days later, Makin corresponded with Maine Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster, with a draft of a memo to schools. The memo included orders to avoid complying with Trump's "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling," executive order. "… this EO changes nothing for Maine schools," part of an email discussing the memo wrote. The memo draft said "Maine schools should continue to follow the laws of our state and the provisions within their local policies." In Makin's email, she suggested cutting paragraphs from the memo that summarized the actual goals of the executive order out of the memo. Then, in a Jan. 31 email, Makin drafted another memo to superintendents and school leaders addressing the executive order. "The Executive Order does not alter the obligations of schools under state law, including the Maine Human Rights Act, and does not require any immediate changes to locally adopted school board policies," the memo read. By defying Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order after it was signed on Feb. 5, the state allowed its winter girls' track and field season to conclude with an infamous podium finish. A transgender athlete from Greely High school won first place in the girls' pole vault state championship on Feb. 17. "I watched this male pole vaulter stand on the podium and we were all just like looking we were like 'We're pretty sure that's not a girl. There's no way that's a girl,'" Presque Isle High School girls' track athlete Hailey Himes previously told Fox News Digital. "It was really discouraging, especially for the girls on the podium not in first place. So that motivated me to fight for them." The incident quickly thrust the state into the national spotlight over the issue. A Feb. 19 email, which was sent between two members of the Maine Principal's Association (MPA), whose names were redacted upon request of public records, made mention of another order that was sent from Makin's department to all Maine schools. "The MPA is following the Maine Department of Education's priority notice that was sent out on Jan. 21st, 2025, instructing all schools in Maine to follow the Maine Human Rights Act," the email, which had the subject line "TITLE IX," read. The same message was circulated in another email between state education officials, whose identities were redacted upon a public records request, in early March. Trump made it a point on Feb. 20 to call out Maine for allowing "men in women's sports" during a White House Meeting of GOP Governors, vowing to cut funding to the state if it didn't comply with his executive order. The very next day, on Feb. 21, during a bipartisan meeting of governors, Trump threatened to cut federal funding right to Mills' face when she said she wouldn't comply. Earlier that morning, Makin sent a mass email to her Maine Department of Education colleagues, outlining impending defiance of Trump's executive order, disregarding his threats of federal funding cuts. "Last night, the President directly referenced the State of Maine, declaring his plan to withhold Federal funding from Maine because of reports that a transgender athlete is allowed to compete in high school sports," the email read, giving more instructions to follow the Maine Human Rights Act. "There are many congressional barriers and checks and balances of government that should prevent the president from acting on his statement." That same day, the superintendent of the school district that Greely High School is a part of, MSAD #51's Jeff Porter, reached directly out to Makin, asking if the state would be changing its policies to follow Trump's executive order. Makin's response was redacted upon a public records request. In the waning hours of that afternoon on the 21st of February, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would be launching a Title IX investigation against the state. In the first week of March, Makin was involved in an email chain with the Maine Education director of communications, and director of special projects, after an employee at Freeport High School sent a request for Makin. Freeport High School's girls' track team came in second place to Greely High School at the girls' track and field championships that the trans athlete competed in. The trans athlete's pole vault victory was pivotal in deciding the team finishes. However, the Freeport employee didn't appear to directly reference that incident in the email. "Many educators are shaken and feeling vulnerable," the employee wrote. "Hearing from you that we will stand together as a community would be a gift to Maine educators. I would like to hear in particular that the Maine DOE will offer support to any school or district targeted for investigation as a result of reports of 'divisive ideologies and indoctrination' or 'illegal discriminatory practices at institutions of learning.'" The email also referenced an apparent video Makin delivered at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which the employee claims helped boost morale. The Education director of Special Projects wrote, in correspondence with Makin while discussing whether to honor the request, that they had received another request from Freeport. "My vote is that the field needs to hear from you… they need reassurance from their leader and the silence is not helpful… we got another one over weekend from Freeport," the director of special projects wrote. However, the director of communication argued that more responsibility should land directly with Mills to communicate with the schools. "My opinion is that a bigger conversation with the Governor's Office regarding communication to the field could be beneficial to us all," the director of communication wrote. Makin responded, writing "None of that could be done without the [governor's office] first giving approval… I hope they will allow her to do something before she gets to the TOY Gala on Saturday." It is unclear if Makin or Mills ever ended up fulfilling the Freeport employee's request. The past controversy involving the Greely High School athlete had a wide-ranging ripple effect on the state's congress. Maine GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby was censured by the Democrat majority for a social media post that publicized the Greely student who won the girls' pole vault title in February. Libby later filed a lawsuit that went all the way up to the Supreme Court over the censure. The Supreme Court ordered the state legislature to restore Libby's voting rights in May. However, her speaking rights were still withheld until Maine House Assistant Majority Leader Lori Gramlich, a Democrat, proposed Libby's speaking rights be restored on June 25. The resolution passed by a whopping vote of 115-16, despite previously voting 75-70 to censure Libby months earlier. Emails obtained by Fox News Digital from Gramlich's inbox show multiple self-described Democrat Libby constituents lambasting her and the party's handling of Libby's censure before Gramlich. "I am a lifelong Democrat who first worked for Eugen McCarthy's Presidential bid," one email wrote to Gramlich, Fecteau, later adding, "Depriving Libby of her voice and her vote does not punish her. She and the GOP love it… "Depriving her of her voice and vote is unethical, as it punishes her constituents. You have removed MY representative in the house. Depriving Libby of her voice and vote is the best thing that can happen to her in a long time. She is advancing her public profile dramatically, not just locally but statewide and nationally by playing the victim and claiming the role of protector of girls and women." Another email from another of Libby's constituents wrote, "I believe that supporting women in government must include supporting women with differing opinions. Silencing an elected official for expressing a viewpoint — even a controversial one — sets a concerning precedent for both free speech and fair representation." Fox News Digital has reached out to Gramlich's and Fecteau's offices to ask why they voted to restore Libby's speaking rights. On June 8, Libby and the Maine AG's office agreed to drop the censure lawsuit. Libby provided a statement to Fox News Digital one day earlier on June 7, addressing her decision not to contest the AG ruling her lawsuit moot after her rights were restored. "While the Attorney General now claims this case is moot, make no mistake—this is only because House Democrats backed down in the face of legal defeat. They rescinded the unconstitutional restrictions on my voting and speaking rights, and more importantly, they've put in writing that those restrictions cannot be reimposed for the same reasons in the future," Libby said. "I will not contest the AG's mootness argument—but only because the constitutional rights of my constituents have now been restored and the leadership has formally abandoned the punishment they once insisted was justified." The state is now in a lawsuit against the DOJ after refusing to make an agreement to comply with Trump's demands on protecting girls' sports. Residents organized multiple protests and marches on the state's capitol building in Augusta over the issue, wielding signs that echoed the messages of a national movement to "save girls' sports." Many of the protesters were girls' high school sports athletes like Himes, who marched on the capital to lobby for a state-level bill to keep girls' sports exclusively female in early May. Trump's administration made multiple funding pauses to the state over the issue of trans athletes, which were later rescinded. The first was to the state's university system, UMS, on March 11. That pause ended after a Title IX compliance review. The second pause came on April 2, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut funding to all Maine public schools. That pause ended on May 2. Amid the chaos, some school districts in the state even went out of their way to defy Mills and Makin, to comply with Trump on the issue. MSAD #70, in mid-April, and RSU #24, in early May, each passed localized resolutions that ensured only females were allowed in girls' sports. Still, the state's high school sports season in 2025 saw another transgender athlete for North Yarmouth Academy compete against girls in Nordic skiing and track and field. The state's tornado of national attention came to a lull in early June when the school year and high school sports season ended. The trans athlete for Greely High School that thrust the state into chaos months earlier did not show up to compete in the girls' state finals on June 10. Now, the state has a fall sports season to worry about in the coming months and a trial date with the DOJ in January as the state's Democratic leaders remain defiant of Trump. All the while, data suggests the state's residents don't support current policies. A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict women's sports to biological women." The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women's and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with children under age 18. "The Maine Department of Education is captured by activists who want to project their troubling ideology onto children, regardless of the unfairness or even danger this poses to young girls. If Maine's officials truly cared about their athletes, they would have already reversed course years ago. Unfortunately, this is about pushing a dangerous ideology above all else," Defending Education's Casey Ryan told Fox News Digital of his opinion on Makin's handling of the situation. Defending Education Outreach Director Erika Sanzi told Fox News Digital, "It's bad enough when an individual school is teeming with gender ideologues but when the state's department of education is also overrun with these activists, the well-being of students is at much greater risk." Now, more than five months after Makin's initial guidance to Maine schools to defy Trump, the state's conflict with the White House may only just be beginning. And that defiance may not have even represented the desires of most Mainers to begin with. Additionally, because of that defiance that Makin helped stoke initially, Libby's rise could foreshadow a wide-ranging impact on the state's political balance of power in the 2026 midterms and Maine's gubernatorial election.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
New state law adds ‘insult to injury' for Maine solar, clean energy
It would be hard to argue that Maine's solar incentive program hasn't been successful in spurring the development of small-scale solar projects. Since it was established in 2019, the program, formally called Net Energy Billing, has helped bring hundreds of arrays and more than 1 gigawatt of solar power onto the grid — far exceeding the program's 750 megawatt goal. Where community support for the program wanes is on the issue of costs, with critics arguing that NEB has become a raw deal for Maine ratepayers who have subsidized solar development to the tune of more than $200 million annually. Enter L.D. 1777, a bill that the Maine Legislature passed with bipartisan support last month and that Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed into law on June 27. The administration and other proponents of the measure, including lead sponsor Rep. Sophia Warren (D-Scarborough), say overhauling the NEB program is necessary to better protect ratepayers amid rising energy prices. 'We can't afford to let soaring electricity bills undermine public support for renewable energy,' Maine Public Advocate Heather Sanborn said in a statement applauding Mills for signing the bill. 'This new law is a responsible, forward-looking reform that ensures we can continue growing clean energy while protecting Mainers from rising electricity bills.' But solar energy advocates and developers warn that the law, which retroactively impacts projects that have already been built or are already under construction, threatens to put Maine's growing renewable energy sector on ice. Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, a local trade association, called the law 'penny wise and pound foolish' and 'incredibly bad news' for Maine's solar industry. 'The cost of electricity, the numbers on folks' utility bills, we need to take those incredibly seriously and look for the many ways that those costs can be lowered,' she told The Maine Monitor. 'But one of the primary ways that can happen is by having more renewable energy on the grid in Maine and I'm very concerned that by creating an atmosphere in Maine where the Maine legislature has conveyed that renewable energy investment is not welcome here, or can not be relied on here, we have set ourselves up to not enjoy the incredible stabilizing effect that renewable energy has on energy costs. That's incredibly disappointing.' Among other things, the law tasks the Public Utility Commission with establishing a new credit payment structure for non-residential customers in NEB's tariff rate program. Instead of the current structure, where rates are tied to standard utility electricity rates, they would be capped and increase at 2.25 percent annually. When Warren introduced her bill in May, she said having the tariff rate tied to volatile natural gas and fossil fuel markets ultimately led to 'unexpectedly high returns' for renewable energy developers. 'In many cases, these rates now exceed what is required for project viability and are placing an unnecessary burden on nonparticipating ratepayers,' she wrote in written testimony to her colleagues in the House. The law also makes changes to the NEB credit program, imposing new monthly per-kilowatt fees on community solar projects ranging in size from 1 to 5 megawatts beginning next year, with larger arrays paying more to local utilities. A 1 megawatt array would pay $2,800 per month, while a 5 megawatt project would pay $30,000. The new fees do not impact projects smaller than 1 megawatt, such as household rooftop arrays. The changes are expected to slash overall payments to existing community solar farms by approximately 20 percent and save Maine ratepayers approximately $61 million annually over the next 16 years, according to the state's Office of the Public Advocate. Across the board, members of MREA in the solar development space have voiced to Donoghue that L.D. 1777 will significantly impact their current projects in Maine and their future relationship with the state. 'They are likely or have already directly communicated to me that they are no longer going to look to build projects in Maine because they perceive it as too risky from a regulatory perspective,' she said. Nexamp, a member of MREA that has dozens of community solar projects across Maine, called the law's retroactive policy changes 'a breach of economic trust' that will 'permanently damage Maine's reputation as a climate leader.' The adoption of L.D. 1777 came as Republicans in Congress were putting the final touches on President Donald Trump's so-called 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill, which includes numerous provisions meant to stymie the nation's buildout of renewable energy. The federal act, which Trump signed into law days after L.D. 1777 received Mills' signature, rapidly phases out Biden administration-era tax credits for wind and solar projects and terminates tax credits for home energy efficiency upgrades, including rooftop solar, electric heat pumps and insulation, at the end of 2025. Together, the federal act and the new state law leave Maine's clean energy sector in a precarious place, according to Donoghue and Kate Daniel, Northeast regional director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access, a national trade group. 'I do find that it's been a little frustrating to hear state policymakers in Maine criticizing these federal actions when they really don't need the help of DC to kill solar programs in the state of Maine,' Daniel said, stressing that uncertainty in the Maine market will drive clean energy investors to do business elsewhere. As for Maine's new, more aggressive target of achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, Donoghue worries that the state now finds itself with limited options to get there. 'We're going to be exceptionally challenged to meet those goals,' she said, adding that the combination of L.D. 1777 and Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' Act adds 'insult to injury.' ___ This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
30 per cent drop in travellers arriving from N.B. at Maine border in June: U.S. agency
Data shows fewer Maritimers are crossing the international border in New Brunswick. The number of travellers arriving at Maine border crossings from New Brunswick dropped 30 per last month compared to June 2024, according to new numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protections agency. The data shows 178,704 travellers (counted as passenger vehicles, pedestrians, and trucks) crossed into Maine from New Brunswick last month, compared to 254,603 travellers the same month last year – amounting to 75,899 fewer travellers. A breakdown of the data at Maine's three busiest land border crossings shows: Calais June 2025: 65,719 June 2024: 97,251 Houlton June 2025: 28,693 June 2024: 42,673 Madawaska June 2025: 28,759 June 2024: 40,093 The new numbers continue a downward trend in cross-border traffic, which began in January when U.S. President Donald Trump's 51st state rhetoric grew more frequent. Early calls for Canadians to avoid U.S. travel haven't waned. On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Trump felt Canada was 'nasty' to deal with because of the boycotts on stateside travel, as well as American alcohol. Last month, Maine Governor Janet Mills visited New Brunswick to convey a message that Canadians were welcome in the state. Mills ordered new 'Welcome/Bienvenue Canadians/Canadiens' signs to be posted at border crossings and tourist destinations. According to Maine's department of tourism, about 800,000 Canadians visited the state last year, putting $500 million U.S. into the economy. Madawaska Bridge The Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge, connecting Maine and New Brunswick over the Saint John River, is pictured. (Source: Nick Moore/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Maine's Dem governor laughs off questions when confronted about alleged past cocaine use
FIRST ON FOX: Maine Democrat Gov. Janet Mills laughed off and ignored questions about her alleged past cocaine use when confronted in a video obtained by Fox News Digital. "Janet Mills, did cocaine give you the courage to stand up to President Trump at the governor's breakfast?" Mills was asked earlier this month when confronted during a tour of Brodis Blueberries in Maine. The questioner was referring to a National Governors Association (NGA) meeting at the White House in February where Mills and Trump publicly sparred over biological men playing in women's sports. Last month, Fox News Digital exclusive reporting revealed the Department of Justice contradicted Mills' decades-old claim that the investigation over her alleged cocaine use was politically motivated. After Mills seemingly laughed at the question and kept walking, she was asked a follow-up question. "Have you ever been under the influence while making critical decisions for the state of Maine?" Mills continued walking and declined to answer that question as well. Fox News Digital reached out to Mills' office for comment but did not immediately receive a response. In early 1990, the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) in Maine, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Maine's Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement (BIDE) investigated Mills, then a sitting district attorney in Maine, after a drug suspect accused her of using cocaine. The investigation was eventually dropped without charges being filed. Mills has maintained that the investigation never had any merit and that she was politically targeted for her Democratic affiliation and criticism of BIDE. In 1990, she and two other district attorneys in Maine criticized BIDE for inflating arrest numbers through excessive enforcement of low-level drug offenders. "It's scary," Mills told the Portland Press Herald in November 1991. "Maine apparently has a secret police force at work that can ruin the reputation of any who opposes it." A March 1995 memorandum from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility (DOJ/OPR), addressed to the deputy attorney general – Merrick Garland was serving as the principal associate deputy attorney general – and unearthed by Fox News Digital, refutes Mills' claim. It revealed that there was no misconduct by federal or state authorities investigating her case. According to the DOJ memo, WCSH-TV reported in December 1990 that Mills was being investigated by a federal grand jury for drug use, citing law enforcement sources. Mills later sued that reporter for libel and slander. The report also prompted Mills' attorney to demand a grand jury investigation, arguing that "the press received leaks from BIDE law enforcement officials." The results of the libel and slander suit are no longer available. The docket for the case showed that the records were disposed of in 2015 in accordance with policy. However, a 1991 Lewiston Sun-Journal article appears to state that the effort to "end drug probe rumors" was thrown out by a judge. Earlier this month, Mills was confronted in Washington, D.C., about her alleged cocaine use, Fox News Digital exclusively reported, in an exchange where she said, "What the f---?" when asked if "sniffing cocaine at work" is a "human right." Longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election in 2026, and with Mills' governorship term limited next year, she would be a competitive Democratic candidate to challenge Collins. Mills indicated in April that she did not "plan to run for another office," but admitted that "things change week to week, month to month," leaving the door open to a potential Senate bid.
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Halifax Wanderers to play international ‘friendly' match against Maine soccer team
The Halifax Wanderers will head south of the border next month to participate in an international 'friendly' match against a United Soccer League team. Maine's governor, Janet Mills, announced Tuesday the state will welcome the Canadian Premier League team for a game against the Portland Hearts of Pine. 'I am thrilled to welcome the Halifax Wanderers to Maine for this historic match with the Hearts of Pine, which shows the strength of the historic friendship between the people of Maine and Atlantic Canada,' said Mills in a news release from the Office of the Governor. Maine Governor Janet Mills Maine Governor Janet Mills is pictured with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. (Source: Office of Governor Janet Mills) The idea for the match was discussed between the governor and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston during their June meeting in Halifax, according to the release. 'I wish to thank Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston for his gracious hospitality during my visit last month, which we look forward to extending to the Wanderers in August. I also thank the leadership of the Hearts of Pine for their extraordinary efforts to bring this match to Maine in support of stronger international ties,' said Mills. The teams will play at Portland's Fitzpatrick Stadium on Aug. 6, marking the first international match for the Hearts of Pine. 'Maine and Nova Scotia are neighbors with generations of shared history, which is why we felt they were a perfect fit for our first-ever international friendly,' said Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, founder and chief community officer of Portland Hearts of Pine. 'We can't wait to welcome the Halifax Wanderers and their supporters, create an electric atmosphere at Fitzpatrick Stadium, and hopefully start a tradition that brings our clubs together for years to come.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
