Wake-Up Call: Wednesday, June 11, 2008

With the PolitickerME.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Maine's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

With the PolitickerME.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Maine's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

Pingree holds off Cote in convincing Democratic primary win

PORTLAND -- In spite of a late charge from Adam Cote, front runner Chellie Pingree captured a convincing win tonight in the Democratic primary for Maine's 1st Congressional District. (PolitickerME.com, Jeremy Jacobs)

Link: http://www.politickerme.com/jeremyjacobs/1799/pingree-holds-cote-convinc...

Summers, Pingree win in 1st District

Democrat Chellie Pingree and Republican Charles Summers held commanding leads late Tuesday night in the primaries for Maine’s 1st Congressional District seat and were headed toward winning their parties’ nomination. (Bangor Daily News, Walter Griffin)

Link: http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=165512&zoneid=500

Allen wins bid to face Collins

Tom Allen, long believed to be the likely Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate race, racked up an impressive win over his primary election opponent in unofficial returns Tuesday. (Bangor Daily News, Bill Trotter)

Link: http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=165513&zoneid=500

Eliot voters OK wind, solar energy systems

Voters in Eliot approved two new ordinances permitting wind and solar energy systems in town.

The solar ordinance passed 852 to 158 and the wind ordinance passed 831 to 183. (Maine Today, Staff)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028644.html

Stuckey wins District 114 House contest

Peter Stuckey won a tight race for the Democratic nomination for the House District 114 seat Tuesday night.

Stuckey received 564 votes (52 percent) and Justin Costa received 521 votes (48 percent). Both are political newcomers who share a background in community activism and support universal health care through a single-payer system, Maine’s gay rights law and reproductive rights. (Maine Today, Staff)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028642.html

Standish incumbents re-elected to council

Incumbents Philip Pomerleau and Louis Stack each won re-election to the Town Council on Tuesday.

In the at-large race, Pomerleau fended off a challenge from political newcomer Peter Hassapelis. Pomerleau had 832 votes to 365 votes for Hassapelis. (Maine Today, Staff)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028638.html

Voters approve infrastructure bond package

AUGUSTA — Maine voters on Tuesday gave their approval to a $29.7
million bond package to pay for improvements to roads, bridges, dams,
landfills and other public facilities. (Maine Today, AP)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028635.html

Windham school seats go to incumbents

The three incumbents in the Windham School Committee race beat back challenges from two other candidates to win re-election Tuesday. (Maine Today, Staff)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028604.html

Allen defeats Ledue in Maine Senate primary

AUGUSTA—Maine Democrats chose Rep. Tom Allen over political newcomer Tom Ledue in Tuesday's U.S. Senate primary, and Charlie Summers was Republican voters' favorite to fill Allen's House seat in the GOP primary.

In the six-way Democratic race to choose a nominee for Allen's seat, Chellie Pingree maintained a steady lead over Adam Cote, with 44 percent of the vote to Cote's 26 percent, according to unofficial tallies from 54 percent of the district's precincts. (Boston Globe, AP)

Link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2008/06/10/mainers_tap_c...

Maine senators split vote on tax bill

WASHINGTON — Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins were on opposite sides of a vote Tuesday over whether the Senate should take action on a $50 billion tax relief bill.

Snowe voted for a procedural motion to consider a tax bill to extend tax credits and deductions that have expired or will expire at the end of the year. (Maine Today, Jonathan Kaplan)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028585.html

After the polls, voters face more choices

AUGUSTA - More than half a dozen petition circulators greeted departing voters at City Hall on Tuesday as Election Day decisions immediately gave way to potential choices in November and beyond. (Maine Today, AP)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028569.html

State to launch health-records project

AUGUSTA - Maine is one of 12 sites that will participate in a Medicare demonstration project that offers physicians incentives for using electronic health records (EHR) to improve patient care.

Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy will be in Maine tomorrow to announce with Gov. John Baldacci that Maine has been chosen to participate in the project. (Maine Today, Staff)

Link: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/028545.html

SENATE DISTRICT 21 Benoit gets past Rines

Democrats gave former Rep. Sharon Benoit of Monmouth a victory Tuesday in the Democratic primary for state Senate District 21.

Benoit captured 55 percent of the vote, beating former Gardiner Mayor Brian Rines. (Kennebec Journal, Matthew Stone)

Link: http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/5140755.html

With the PolitickerME.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Maine's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.