This week’s edition!
Archive for January 2012
LETTER: Proud Americans need to clean up political mess
To The Editor:
I read with great interest John Turner’s Letter to the Editor in your January 5, 2012 edition (“Democrats have their heads in the sand about Maine’s financial mess”).
Mr. Turner asks us how Maine became the poorest, highest-taxed and a state that is going through a population decline. He then spends many paragraphs explaining to us what is wrong, why it happened and who is to blame (Democrats).
What we have suffered as a state, in terms of economic decline and economic instability, is not unique to Maine. Many industrial-based states have suffered the same circumstances.
LETTER: Mayor delivers “disturbing words”
To the Editor:
What have they done with our mayor? Someone else pretending to be Robert Macdonald delivered a politically correct inaugural address. It wasn’t the Robert Macdonald I voted for.
During the election campaign, my candidate boldly and perhaps courageously said what he was thinking. And, whether I agreed or disagreed, I was comforted in knowing who he was. Long ago, I tired of politicians who carefully offended no one, who deftly worded their responses to questions to ensure the answers contained no substance.
It’s impossible to get a straight and honest answer out of them—even if you hold them down and twist their arms. Unfortunately, since they don’t offend most voters, these politicians are elected, reelected and able to remain effective agents for their lobbyists while they continue to create more societal problems than they solve. Read the rest of this entry »
LETTER: Concerned about “smart meters”
To the Editor:
Smart meters—really?
CMP is winding down the installation of their so-called “smart meters” in the Lewiston-Auburn area while many consumers are unaware of the many reported health hazards.
The meters emit a high frequency RF/microwave radiation and in May 2011 the World Health Organization classified wireless radiation to include cell phones and smart meters as a Class 2B possible carcinogen, the same category as lead, engine exhaust and the pesticide DDT.
People are reporting symptoms of headaches, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, nausea and heart palpitations. Interference with electronic devices such as printers, fax machines, computers and TVs have also been reported after the installation of the meters.
Pistol Packin’ Mamas
TCT Publisher Laurie A. Steele (right) and Jen Pike, TCT advertising consultant (left), took part in the NRA Basic Handgun Course on Saturday at J.T. Reid’s Gun Shop in Auburn. The course was conducted by instructor Rob Coy and gun shop owner John Reid (center). Participants who complete the course are able to apply for a permit to carry concealed firearms.
Consultants propose three scenarios for Bates Mill No. 5
Workshop on Riverfront Island Workshop is January 18
The second public workshop on the master plan for Riverfront Island will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18 at Bates Mill Atrium, 36 Chestnut St., Lewiston. Snow date is January 25 at 6 p.m. at the same location.
Consultants Goody Clancy have prepared three alternative scenarios for the development of Riverfront Island: preserve Bates Mill No. 5 and use it as a conference center or office space; demolish Mill No. 5 and replace it with a park; or demolish it and replace it with a retail center.
These are the scenarios proposed by Goody Clancy:
Scenario No. 1: Bates Mill No. 5 Preserved and Reused for High Intensity Use. We believe that the only plausible reuse options for the structure involves high?intensity options such as public offices, convention facilities, or a major recreational use. Many creative lower intensity uses have been discussed, however, we believe that the very high cost of preservation of the structure means that only more intense use types thatgenerate major economic activity could realistically be considered.
Cayer: “It’s time for Lewiston to take center stage”
These are the remarks delivered on January 3 by Lewiston City Council President Mark Cayer at the inauguration of the mayor, city council and school committee.
By Mark Cayer
City Council President
Congratulations, Mayor Macdonald and members of the 2012-13 Lewiston City Council and School Committee. You have stepped forward to give of your time and abilities to enhance your community, and I’m confident that the next two years will be both personally and professionally rewarding. I look forward to serving with you, and I am particularly enthusiastic about the diversity we each bring and what that diversity will enable us to accomplish together.
Although excited about this new chapter in Lewiston’s history, I would be remiss if I did not note that I will miss working with Mayor Gilbert and those members of the prior council who will not be returning. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together and have enjoyed the spirit of teamwork that existed among us.
Thank you to Mayor Gilbert for serving the residents of Lewiston for five years; Councilors Renee Bernier and Ron Jean, who both served 10 years; and Councilors Larry Poulin and Tina O’Connell, who served four years.
Op/Ed: New Year’s resolutions and Auburn schools
By Tracey Levesque
Auburn School Committee Member
With the New Year ahead of us, it’s time to make our annual list of resolutions. And in case your list was a little short, I have a few ideas for you to consider with the hope that as a citizen of Auburn you will become engaged in the educational process of Auburn’s children.
I have been very outspoken with my criticism of the previous school committee’s decisions and actions, and I am in no way wearing rose-colored glasses as I write this. My own personal resolution as a new school board member is to seek out citizens and listen to what they have to say about their wants, frustrations and desires for the schools that we educate our future in.
We as citizens must realize that the past is the past and with a new school committee, city council and mayor, we must move forward in unison and remember that we were elected to represent the desires of the citizens of Auburn. The citizens of Auburn have a wonderful opportunity to energize our city’s business climate, quality of life and educational opportunities for years to come.
Lewiston Winter Farmers Market is Jan. 19
Did your new year’s resolutions include eating healthier? You are not alone!
Most polls show that eating healthier regularly ranks in the top five most popular New Year’s resolutions. Residents of the Lewiston-Auburn area have a ready-made support system in place, The Lewiston Winter Farmers Market, to help them keep that resolution.
The farmers market connects residents to local farmers and growers and provides helpful information and recipes for anyone interested in making healthier choices this year. This month’s Winter Market will be held Thursday, January 19 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, 208 Bates Street, just in time to help us all continue to keep those New Year’s resolutions.
Bates dedicates King Day to environmental justice
Julian Agyeman, a pioneering environmental justice and sustainability advocate, offers the keynote address during Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances at Bates College at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 in the College Chapel, 275 College St., Lewiston.
Professor and chair of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University, Agyeman is known as the co-originator with Robert D. Bullard and Bob Evans of “just sustainabilities,” a concept espousing the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.
His keynote address at Bates is titled “The Dream Lives on: Towards a ‘Just’ Sustainability.”
MLK Day events at Bates
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a debate featuring students from Morehouse and Bates colleges takes place at 1 p.m. in the Benjamin Mays Center, 95 Russell St. (The center is named for a member of the college’s class of 1920 who was a mentor to King and president of Morehouse College.) The debaters will address the resolution, “Environmental sustainability and social equality are incompatible.”
The day closes with “A Journey of Our Own,” a 7:30 p.m. performance by Sankofa, a Bates student group exploring cross-cultural blackness within African diasporic experiences through performative arts like dance, music, theater and spoken work. The performance takes place in Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St.
Three related events take place during the weekend prior to King Day:
