This week’s edition!
$484 Million owed to hospitals by MaineCare
Lewiston hospitals are owed $29 million
By Bruce Poliquin
Around 2002, Maine state government started practicing some odd bookkeeping: it began paying Maine hospitals less than they were owed for services provided to our rapidly growing low-income Medicaid population.
The state simply chose not to pay, for example, the full contracted amount for the ambulance, tests, medication and nurse/doctor care for a Medicaid patient treated at an emergency room. In many cases, the hospitals were not fully paid for several years so Augusta could plug recurring holes in its annual budgets.
Today, Maine’s 39 hospitals are owed $484 million for services they have already provided back to 2009. This ongoing hospital debt is the direct result of our huge and expensive Medicaid program, called MaineCare, which was originally created as a health care safety net for our most vulnerable residents.
Here are the top five hospital bills owed by the state:
Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor: $72 million
Maine Medical Center, Portland: $68 million
Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston: $51 million
MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta: $45 million
St. Mary’s Medical Center, Lewiston: $29 million
Follow us on Twitter to be notified of contests and community events
www.twitter.com/twincitytimes
Gov. Lepage concerned for safety of gun owners and non-gun owners
Gov. Paul LePage displays his concealed weapons permit
Governor Paul R. LePage released today the following statement regarding news that the Bangor Daily News is requesting the names and addresses of concealed weapons permit holders from law enforcement agencies across the state:
“If newspapers would like to know who has concealed weapons permits, then they should know the Governor has his. I have serious concerns that BDN’s request will incite fear among gun owners and non-gun owners alike regarding their safety. There is no reason why these records should be public and I encourage the Legislature to act quickly to make this personal information confidential.
As I have said, the rights of law-abiding citizens to own firearms will not be questioned while I am Governor. That is especially true for those who respect the law enough to go through the process of obtaining a permit to carry concealed.”
Flamenco Vivo brings fiery Spanish dance to L-A
The passion of traditional Spanish flamenco will be on display when the acclaimed dance company Flamenco Vivo performs on Feb. 28.
For the next installment of their MainStage performance series, L/A Arts will welcome one of the nation’s premier flamenco and Spanish dance companies to Lewiston-Auburn. On Thursday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lewiston Middle School Auditorium, Flamenco Vivo-Carlota Santana will showcase the passion and drama of traditional Spanish dance in their inspiring program, “La Pasión Flamenca.”
Driven by the fiery “cante jondo” (deep song), this eclectic program of Spanish dance and live Flamenco music will feature lamenting solos, sizzling duets, and festive company dances. The company’s master practitioners of this dynamic and beloved art form convey a range of fierce emotions – from love to sorrow, happiness to anger – that are timeless, universal and transcend all cultural boundaries.
Danielle McCusker of CMCC scores 1,000th point
In a recent game vs. the University of Maine at Machias, Danielle McCusker, a forward on Central Maine Community College’s women’s basketball team, became only the third woman in the school’s history to surpass the career 1,000 point mark. A South Portland High graduate, McCusker is averaging 14.7 points per game this season while shooting 49.4% from the floor. She joins former USCAA All-Americans Ashley Swett and Lynn Girouard in accomplishing the feat.
Enough is Enough: Veterans have a duty to help fellow veterans
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
A patriot was murdered last week. I grieve for him. He wasn’t a household name, like many people in the entertainment business.
No, he was part of a brotherhood of warriors, a brotherhood that protects this country from foreign enemies. A brotherhood that insures American citizens continue to enjoy the rights set down by ourfounding fathers in the Constitution and paid for, since the founding of our Republic, with the willing blood of American patriots.
In death, former Navy SEAL Christopher Kyle has beenreferred to as a hero. He was not a hero. “Heroes” win football, baseball and hockey games. Let us not cheapen his reputation by referring to him as a hero. He was a patriot—a patriot that sacrificed time with his family and friends in order to protect his brothers, country and family. This sacrifice also extended to those faceless and cowardly Americans that nastily celebrate this patriot’s demise.
Kyle earned two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars during his four tours of duty in Iraq. His effectiveness was such that the Iraqi insurgents placed an $80,000 bounty on him. Kyle believed that “taking out bad guys, terrorists and insurgents who meant to harm America and destabilize regions, is a compassionate thing to do. It was my duty to shoot, and I don’t regret it.”
Free Family Day to cap off Ice Fest
Physical comedian Michael Trautman will perform on Ice Fest L/A’s Family Day on Sunday, February 24.
L/A Arts will wrap up its inaugural three-day extravaganza, Ice Fest L/A, with a free day of family fun on Sunday, February 24. Taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the day’s events will include marveling at the festival’s beautiful ice sculptures, taking in ice sculpture demonstrations, delighting in delicious treats provided by area eateries, and enjoying the physical comedy theatre of Michael Trautman.
Trautman started out in life as a fairly normal person. After growing up in Springfield, Illinois, he attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, where he studied Political Science with the intention of becoming a lawyer. But in 1976 he took his first mime class, and in 1977 he was invited to become a founding member of Mimeos, a Kansas City-based school and performing company. Since then, he has been having fun performing at venues around the world.
“What Shall I Wear to Work Today?” at Museum L-A
In this photograph from “The Way We Worked,” Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dorothy Ryan checks a patient’s medical chart aboard the hospital ship USS Repose, off South Vietnam in April, 1966.
In conjunction with its new exhibit, “The Way We Worked,” Museum L-A will present a special children’s vacation program on Wednesday, February 20 from 10:30 a.m. to noon called “What Shall I Wear to Work Today?”
Open to children ages 7 to 11, the program will provide participants with an opportunity to tour the exhibit, investigate uniforms and work clothes from occupations in the Lewiston-Auburn region, and consider the question: “Why do people wear special clothes to work?” They will also design a uniform for a job they might envision for themselves in the future. The cost is $8 per child; pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, contact Joan Beal at 333-3881 or jbeal@museumla.org.
First “Ice Fest Lewiston-Auburn” is Feb. 22-24
For the first-ever Ice Fest Lewiston-Auburn, L/A Arts has partnered with DaVinci’s Eatery, Roopers and J Dostie Jewelers to present a three-day extravaganza of frosty beverages, larger-than-life ice sculptures, delicious hors d’oeuvres and live music, all of which will be capped off on Sunday with a free family day.
Ice Fest will boast three ice bars serving beer from Gritty’s and Baxter Brewing, Pinnacle Vodka Maritinis, and a new brand of “Sequin Wines” that Central Distributors will launch nationally at the event. Other attractions will include over a dozen ice sculptures, live ice sculpture demos, foods from 26 partnering eateries, fire dancers, live jazz and a bumpin’ DJ, all for just a $10 admission ticket.
Ice Fest will run from Friday, February 22 through Sunday, February 24. A special attraction on Friday and Saturday will be Flow on Fire, a group of artists who entertain audiences with high-energy fire dancing and live ice sculpture demonstrations. The evenings of Feb. 22 and 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. will be 21-and-over events; ID will be required at the door.
L-A joins“One Billion Rising” to stop violence against women
On February 14, several different groups in Lewiston-Auburn will join with activists around the world for “One Billion Rising,” the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.
A collaboration of local agencies will host events at noon at USM-LA College; at 3 p.m. in the Lewiston Public Library; at 5 p.m. at Bates College; and at 5:45 p.m. at Shaw’s in Auburn.
That collaboration includes the YWCA, Safe Voices, The Center for Wisdom’s Women, V-Day aUbUrn, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, United Somali Women of Maine and Girl Power Fitness. Community members are invited to actively participate or attend and observe as they collectively rise together to end violence against women and girls.
Anyone interested in participating in this exciting event can contact Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services at 784-5272 for more details. To learn more about V-Day activities in Androscoggin County, visit onebillionrising.org and search for local events.
Connect with Us on...
