Maine: U.s.

ROCKLAND, Maine — Is Rockland a cooler small town than Owego, N.Y.?

Maine’s governor thinks so. But he’ll need your help to make it official.

Gov. John Baldacci proclaimed April 1 “Make Rockland the Coolest Small Town in America Day.”

The unusual proclamation came about because Friday is the last day to vote in Budget Travel magazine’s online poll to determine this year’s coolest small town, much to the delight of boosters of this midcoast community — which, it must be said, is technically a city.

“I think it’s awesome,” Frank Isganitis, vice chairman of the Rockland Downtown Alliance, said Tuesday evening. “I was so excited when I found out that the governor was even considering doing it.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill opening the door to immigrants and other noncitizens to vote in municipal elections is getting a frosty reception in some quarters.

Blasting the proposal, Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster didn’t mince words in calling on Mainers to urge their lawmakers to toss the bill and move forward with more pressing needs: solving the state’s budget and health care problems.

“This lamebrained proposal is an affront not only to any person who has gone through the process of attaining American citizenship so that they could have the right to vote, but to anyone who voted for legislators that pledged to act with their constituents’ best interests at heart,” he declared after a newspaper reported on the bill.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s take from the federal stimulus package appears to be growing.

WCSH-TV reports that the state’s share of federal stimulus money is expected to be about $1.1 billion. Some of the money is being spent on transportation projects.

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud announced that $5.5 million will go for improvements at three Maine airports.

The Dexter Regional Airport will get $3.8 million to rehabilitate a runway. The Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport and Augusta State Airport will get $1.2 million and $500,000, respectively, to build aircraft rescue and firefighting buildings.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that would extend the rights of spouses to domestic partners in Maine instead of allowing same-sex couples to marry was printed Wednesday.

Its sponsor, Rep. Leslie Fossel, R-Alna, said Thursday that his measure would avoid a “culture war” over gay marriage but extend the same rights and responsibilities that married couples have to people enrolled in the state’s domestic partner registry.

A bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in Maine was printed last week.

Proponents of same-sex marriage said they would oppose Fossel’s bill because it would create a separate institution for gay and lesbian couples while supporters of traditional marriage said they would oppose both bills.