The nation’s deepening economic problems, having taken their toll on McCain’s candidacy, have recently led to his campaign increasingly focusing questions about Obama’s character and background. With a little more than a fortnight to the presidential election, McCain campaign has resorted to automated phone calls that link Barack Obama to the 1960s radical, William Ayers.

According to recent Obama vs McCain polls conducted in California, Delaware, Iowa, and Maine, Barack Obama is presently having hefty lead over John McCain in these states.

Surely, California, Delaware, Iowa, and Maine are strongholds of Democratic Party. Let’s check out the recent Obama vs McCain polls conducted in California, Delaware, Iowa, and Maine.

CALIFORNIA POLL —

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the tropical storm Kyle has ‘upgraded’ and strengthened into a hurricane, poised to strike New England and Canada’s Maritime provinces late Sunday. In a bulletin issued on Saturday, the Miami-based center reported that: “Maximum sustained winds are near 75 miles per hour  ... Kyle is a category one hurricane on the ‘five level’ Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale.

Obama undoubtedly holds lead over John McCain, but his lead over McCain, in the presidential race, in the Pine Tree State, is dropping — say the current Obama vs McCain Maine Polls.

According to the ME polls, Obama has been leading in the state since June, and he has well maintained his lead in the current opinion polls, conducted by Research 2000/Daily Kos, American Research Group, Rasmussen Reports, and Survey USA. Let’s check out the current McCain vs Obama Maine Opinion polls.

Compared to 2007, people from New England states except Vermont had fewer poor air quality days and as a result, they breathed easier this summer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says summer 2008 had 28-days as compared to 53-days when ozone monitors recorded concentrations above health standards.

Five of the region’s six states had fewer poor air quality days between April and September compared to the same period last year.

More than 4000 people participated in the 12th Annual Komen Maine Race for the Cure.  A sea of pink could be seen running, walking or cheering to honor or encourage their mothers, sisters or aunts, who are fighting a battle against breast cancer or have survived after it or else died due to it.

Under Maine's anti-smoking law, it is illegal to smoke in cars, if children under 16 years are present in the car. This law has been made to protect young children from adverse effects of secondhand smoke. Under the new law, offenders will be issued warnings until Sept. 1, 2009, but after that violators will have to pay fine of $50. This law was modeled over a Bangor ordinance.

Sen. Barack Obama is having respectable lead over Sen. John McCain in the presidential race, in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin — well, that’s what indicate, the Obama versus McCain pre-election opinion polls conducted in these states, in the month of August.

Augusta, Maine: The snowy weather on Sunday failed to chill the spirits of voters, who turned in heavy numbers to vote in favor of Sen. Barack Obama against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses. The Democrats in 420 Maine towns and cities voted to decide how the state's 24 delegates will be allotted at the party's national convention in August.