This week’s edition!
Enough is Enough: Vietnam Veterans Remebrance Day – think about it
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
Today, March 30, is designated Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Day in the State of Maine. The day is set aside each year, by order of the Maine State Legislature, to remember the sacrifices of those who fought, served and died in the Republic of South Vietnam.
It was a war that polarized our country, similar to what America is experiencing today. Many of the returning men and women who came back had no “safe space” to decompress in, so they took their own lives. But unlike today, few people cared.
Now, after villainizing Vietnam veterans for the past several decades, suddenly their status has been elevated to “hero.” No longer will they be forced to wear a scarlet letter, alerting the general public that they are in the presence of so-called psychotic baby killers. Finally, we are being welcomed back into everyday society.
CMCC Mustangs celebrate National Championship
The 2017 USCAA Women’s Division II national championship team: l. to r., from front, are Spencer True, team manager Kate Kelley, Hayley Peterson, Nicole Hamblin, Tianna Harriman, Ellie Harrington, Seve Derry-Deraps, Mikayla Yanez, Holly Decourcey, Allie Ablondi, Kristina Blais, head coach Andrew Morong, Eraleena Gethers-Hairston, Rylee Moore, Samantha Burke, Jenny Schlim, Taylor Esty, Brooke Reynolds, and assistant coaches Laura Soohey and Maggie Sabine.
Fans of the Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team gathered on campus March 23 for a celebration of the team winning the USCAA Women’s Division II national championship. The Mustangs won the title after a 74-57 win over Penn State-Lehigh Valley on March 4 in Uniontown, PA, to become the first Maine women’s college basketball team to win a national title.
St. Dominic Academy student wins Amirault Scholarship
Antoinette “Annie” Carman
The Catholic Foundation of Maine has announced that Antoinette “Annie” Carman, a senior at Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn, is one of two students to receive the 2017 Lila Grace Sullivan Amirault Scholarship. The awards were presented recently by Bishop Robert P. Deeley. The other recipient was Katelyn Gendron, a senior at Cheverus High School in Portland.
Registration open for BDF’s summer Youth Arts Program
Youth Arts Program participants perform “Moving in the Moment” during the 2016 Bates Dance Festival. (Photo by Blake Caple/Bates Dance Festival)
The Bates Dance Festival will offer its annual three-week Youth Arts Program on the campus of Bates College in Lewiston from July 17 through August 5. The program provides high-quality arts experiences by bringing kids together with master artists in residence at the festival. Students at all levels of experience are invited to participate. The only prerequisites are enthusiasm for the arts and a willingness to try new things.
Lisbon Falls native on duty in East China Sea
Cryptologic Technician (Collections) 2nd Class Cody Donovan, from Lisbon Falls, practices a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program holding technique on Cryptologic Technician (Collections) 3rd Class Kyle Erland aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay, currently on a routine patrol in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. The Green Bay is part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, charged with enhancing partnerships as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Williamson/Released)
Governor’s Address: Market must drive energy costs, not handouts
Protecting our natural resources is a priority. It is also a priority for me to make sure Mainers can afford to live in this great state we call home.
Dear Maine Taxpayer,
Maine’s electricity rates are among the highest in the nation. In fact, we rank number 11 in highest costs. When you see your electricity bill, you should know these rates are artificially high. The reason is what liberals like to call “subsidies” or “stranded costs.”
These subsidies are taxpayer dollars funneled to the solar and wind industry to make sure they do not go bankrupt. Alternative forms of energy are worthwhile, but they are expensive—and you pay the price.
Only Steps Forward: Regional trails, parks could link historic downtowns, other regions
By Jonathan P. LaBonte
Mayor of Auburn
With the arrival of spring, it’s good to point our minds to something that’s not white snow out our windows. As a follow-up to my update last week on the Androscoggin and Little Androscoggin Rivers more broadly, I wanted to provide an update on two projects that were first envisioned 20 years ago that could be prime to move forward.
In the late 1990s, the Cities of Auburn and Lewiston, along with the Androscoggin Land Trust, created a grand vision for an Androscoggin Greenway; an interconnected network of trails and parks that would link our historic downtown neighborhoods with regions to our north and south.
Enough is Enough: Activists prevail in the Legislature, voters are left in the dark
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
They’re back!
The Maine State Legislature is now in full session. If you’re one of the many average people who religiously gets up each morning, braves the elements and trudges to work to support yourself and your family, then it’s time again to put a Herculean grip on your wallet or purse.
Yes, it’s that time again when social workers, educators, lawyers, career politicians, theater directors, counselors and some unemployable souls come together, don the hat of State Legislator and attempt to tackle complex issues that are usually well above their paygrade. This stands to cost you, the taxpayer, some money.
Yet, as a possible victim of their decisions do you have any idea what’s going on under the copper dome in Augusta? Probably not.
Franco Center presents Adult Prom Night April 7 and 8
With the coronation of a Prom King and Queen, a photo booth, the prom punch you always dreamed of, and many other surprises, the event promises to be “just like high school… only better!”
The Gendron Franco Center will present its Adult Prom Night on Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, at 7 p.m. Billed as “just like high school… only better,” the event will be hosted by Franco Center director Mitch Thomas in the guise of the principal of fictitious L-A High School.
Safe Voices marks 40th anniversary in 2017
Safe Voices, previously known as the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project, marks its 40th anniversary this year. The agency, which works to empower those affected by domestic violence in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin Counties, was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1977, prompted by a critical need in the area for emergency shelter for abused women and their children.
At that time, with no low-income housing or federal or state monies earmarked to address the effects of domestic violence, local communities struggled to meet the needs of battered women and children who were not safe. When four women from Androscoggin County went to Massachusetts to learn about that state’s efforts to help battered women, Safe Voices was born from their efforts as two local families began accepting women into their homes.
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