Latest from Tony Payne at the Alliance for Maine's Future:

Idling fines up to $500; Queen of taxes; New state employees top list of end-of-session mischief

No Idle Threat:

Only in Maine would you expect drivers of non-passenger vehicles (read:business) to risk fines of $150 to $500 for allowing vehicles to idle for more than 5 minutes. (LD 2056)

Press release from House GOP:
House Republicans Blast Democrats' Plan to Abolish OPEGA
Say politics, not budget savings, is the real agenda

AUGUSTA - As the budget debate moves to center stage in the Legislature, House Republican leaders today urged the Democrats to strip out a provision that would abolish the independent agency that investigates and exposes government waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. The watchdog group - the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) - has been targeted for shutdown as part of the majority party's plan to reduce the state budget by $190 million.

"It seems clear that the Democrats trying to kill OPEGA don't like independent investigators exposing wasteful spending and shoddy management," said Rep. Bob Crosthwaite (R-Ellsworth), the assistant leader of House Republicans. "If I were a liberal Democrat, I'd like to get rid of OPEGA, too."

Maine Democrats celebrated 'Sunshine Week' in Maine by trying ax the one program in state government that actually saves taxpayers money. Here's a press release from GOP Senator Kevin Raye. Discussions on this at AsMaineGoes (link) and PolitickerME (link)

AUGUSTA – State Senator Kevin Raye (R-Perry), the ranking Republican Senator on the Government Oversight Committee, today assailed the attempt by legislative Democrats to kill the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA). The proposal was inserted in the majority budget shortly before midnight Thursday night.

This is Maine Senate President Beth Edmonds, (D-Lalaland), discussing why Maine people need to give more to the state government, on WLOB's Fox Morning News. She wants to raise taxes and stop the talk of cuts to the budget.

Governor Baldacci's efforts to accelerate a small-business diaspora continue. This time, Baldacci's economic stormtroopers are trying to stamp out the last vestiges of potential tourism revenue from airfield hangers across the state. Here's the AP report:

Looking for revenue, states go after out-of-state plane owners
When Steve Kahn got a $26,000 tax bill on his airplane, he thought Maine Revenue Services had made a mistake. Kahn lives and works in Massachusetts.

Scott Taylor at the Lewiston Sun Journal has an interesting story that illustrates a rather dramatic contrast in the transparency of Maine's Senators and Maine's Representatives:

"We don't provide lists of requests that are not ultimately approved, because that would put the people asking at a disadvantage," said Mark Sullivan, communications director for Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine.

Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Hastings has a great post over at his No Pecksniffery blog, titled 'Blame it on the dog':