Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • A1

pressherald.com WEATHER: Light snow, mostly early High 35 Details, B6 Your winter ENTERTAINMENT planner and we bring the wintertime fun to your fingertips MaineToday inside TIME TO CHILL Thursday, January 3, 2019 $1.80 INDEX Business Classified Comics Commentary Deaths B4-5 Dispatches Editorials A6 Lottery Public Notices Sports D1 Copyright 2019 MaineToday Media Volume 157 Number 169 PPH DAILY By KEVIN MILLER and SCOTT THISTLE Staff Writers A UGUSTA Democrat Janet Mills became 75th governor and the first woman to hold the office in the 199-year history on Wednesday, pledging to invite diverse voices to policy debates and to erect a sign at the southern border. Mills took the oath of office before a fired-up crowd of sev- eral thousand at the Augusta Civic Center after an inaugural ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance, as well as a mul- ticultural array of speakers and performers. The Farmington res- ident and former attorney gen- eral pledged to into major policy challenges, foster collab- oration and propose concrete, workable are all in this Mills said. all want Maine to have a beautiful environment, happy people and prosperous Mills defeated six Democratic primary contenders in June and then two opponents in the general election. Her victory was part of a Democratic wave that saw the party regain control of the Maine Senate, strengthen its majority in the Maine House and flip the 2nd Congressional District seat.

During her speech, Mills spoke of the are the firefighters and teachers, the techies and hotel workers, the farmers and fish- ermen, the waiters and loggers, and the barbers and millworkers of our Mills said. are our friends, our neighbors. They are immigrants. Laborers. Veterans.

People with disabilities. People from away. People we rely on every day. And many who rely on Mills is the first woman to oc- cupy the office in a state with a long history of elect- are all in this As sworn in, Gov. Janet Mills delivers a message of inclusion and hope, saying the time has come to protect and improve the state we all call home.

Staff photos by Brianna Soukup Janet Mills is sworn in as 75th and first female governor by Senate President Troy Jackson during her inauguration Wednesday evening at the Augusta Civic Center. In her address, she told the crowd: you have elected a governor from Franklin MILLS FAMILY REUNION is like a meeting of the United Nations everyone has an opinion and wants the microphone. But these differences are what make my family strong. They make every family strong. They make Maine 80 YEARS OF STUDIES warning that carbon emissions are destroying our environment, the danger is now at our doorstep.

Tonight I say: Enough. Enough with studies, talk, and debate. It is time to WELCOME THE VOICES of newcomers to the public conversation the young, immigrants, people of different cultures, people of color, people of different orientations. All are important members of the Maine Newly sworn in to office, Gov. Janet Mills hugs Natalia Mbadu, 10, and Shy Paca, 11, after they sang a rendition of Alicia on during inauguration ceremony Wednesday at the Augusta Civic Center.

By J. CRAIG ANDERSON Staff Writer One state tax incentive for investing in startup companies is considered so rare and valuable that some investors are willing to camp out overnight to get first crack at applying for it. The Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit program offers a state income tax cred- it of up to 50 percent on any qualifying investment in a Maine startup. Invest $100,000, get a tax credit of $50,000. Invest $1 million, get a tax credit of $500,000.

The tax credit can be claimed over a period of four years. No other tax incentive offered in the state does as much to reduce the risk of investing in a startup but a catch. Applications are accepted on a strictly first-come, first-served basis, Early-bird investors jump at limited tax credit funds The Finance Authority of program is first-come, first-served, and this $5 million cap may have been reached on Day 1. Staff photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette Investors line up Wednesday outside the Finance Authority of offices in Augusta to apply for the Maine Seed Capital Tax Credit program. It offers an income tax credit of up to on a qualifying investment in a Maine startup.

By RANDY BILLINGS Staff Writer Faced with two vacancies one impending and one cur- rent among the top three jobs at City Hall, Portland City Manager Jon Jennings says he is once again reor- ganizing the executive branch. Jennings said he will fill one of the two assistant city manager positions and elim- inate the other. However, creating a new execu- tive-level position to oversee innovation, which will pay about $50,000 less than the $140,000 salary of Assistant City Manager Michael Sau- schuck. do think and believe that having two assistants would have been Jen- nings said. my priority, instead of having two assis- tant city managers, is really to take a deep dive on the in- At City Hall, vacancies loom The loss of two executive-level assistants has prompted City Manager Jon Jennings to reorganize, creating a role for someone to lead innovation efforts.

By DAMIAN PALETTA and ERICA WERNER The Washington Post WASHINGTON President Trump rejected a plan from Democrats on Wednesday to reopen key parts of the federal government, and the meeting of the top political leaders disbanded with no sign of progress toward ending the partial shutdown. The president is demanding more than $5 billion to build a new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. As one of their first acts after they take control of the chamber Thursday, House Dem- ocrats plan to advance legislation that would reopen key parts of the government but deny Trump additional money for a wall. Talks to end partial shutdown stall as parties show no give Both sides have all the power they need to block the other. Meanwhile, the effects spread.

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