This week’s edition!
CDL training returns to Oxford Hills-Nezinscot Adult Ed.
Here (l. to r.) are Adult Education Director Tina Christophersen, course instructor Jerry Verrill, and Big Rig Shops owner Floyd Thayer.
Oxford Hills-Nezinscot Adult Education has announced that it will offer Commercial Driver’s License Class A Truck Driver Training this fall. Potential students need to have a CDL permit and pass a Department of Transportation drug screening and physical.
Optimist Club inducts new officers
Outgoing Optimist Club President Sabrina Best welcomes new club President Mamie Ney, Vice President Angela Snow, and Secretary Sheryl Mathews. The Lewiston-Auburn Optimist Club is a service club that participates in projects supporting kids in the community. For more information, call 783-5269 or visit www.optimist.org.
Congressman Bruce Poliquin Has Strong Family Ties to Lewiston
Congressman Bruce Poliquin
Many may not know that Congressman Bruce Poliquin has strong family ties to Lewiston. In fact, Poliquin’s family comes from Androscoggin County. His great-grandfather lived and raised his family in a home on land that sits near today’s Lewiston High School. Official 1920 Census records confirm that his grandfather Poliquin grew up in that house.
Bruce Poliquin as baby (r.) with brother.
“I’m proud to have a strong connection to the Lewiston-Auburn area,” said Poliquin. “It’s a privilege to represent Androscoggin County in the United States Congress. It’s even more special knowing my family is from the area.”
Bruce Poliquin as a child (r.) with his brother and father
A census record dated January 20, 1920 notes that a census taker stopped by the Poliquin household in Lewiston and recorded Lionel Poliquin as living in the family household. Bruce’s grandfather Lionel was 16 years old at the time.
Bruce Poliquin’s mother, Nurse Louise Poliquin
“It’s amazing to see the census document with my grandfather’s name listed,” said Poliquin. “It’s also fun to see his brothers and sisters, my great aunts and uncles, listed along with my great grandfather.”
1920 Census record of Congressman Bruce Poliquin’s grandfather Lionel Poliquin from Lewiston, Maine.
The document states that the family spoke French.
“I’m proud to part of the Franco-American community,” said Poliquin. “It wasn’t always easy for our Franco-American family members. Many historians have noted that the Ku Klux Klan was active in Maine back in the 1920s, targeting French-speaking Americans. However, we persevered, and the Franco American community became known for its hard work and determination.”
As Maine’s Congressman, Poliquin stands out as a Franco-American leader for the state.
He has pushed hard for welfare reform in Congress. This past year, he helped write part of a major bill that included Maine-based welfare reforms, specifically work requirements for work-capable adults who choose to take welfare benefits.
The legislation, commonly called the Farm Bill, deals with policies regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. Poliquin’s additions to the bill require 20 hours per week of work, job training, or community service for adults applying for taxpayer-funded food assistance who are able to work.
“We Mainers – of all stripes and backgrounds – have a tradition of working hard and caring for one another,” said Poliquin. “We don’t want a handout, we just want a fair shot. I think that’s an important part of who we are.”
“I’m all in for compassionately helping our fellow Americans build brighter futures by furthering their education, training for employment, and finding a job,” said Poliquin. “Common sense work requirements will make sure limited taxpayer-funded welfare benefits are directed to those with disabilities, the elderly sick, children, and others who cannot care for themselves.”
Poliquin also successfully fought against illegal and unfair trade from China to help save jobs at Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. The Lewiston-Auburn area company produces a heat-resistant industrial material, and Chinese producers were selling unfairly subsidized material at illegally cheaper prices, putting Auburn Manufacturing at a competitive disadvantage.
Poliquin testified before the International Trade Commission, winning a huge victory by successfully arguing on behalf of the jobs at Auburn Manufacturing.
“Mainers can compete and win against anyone – the rules just have to be fair,” said Poliquin. “Fair trade is so important, and I’m proud to fight for a level playing field and for our jobs.”
Poliquin, who serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the House, also led the effort to fix staffing shortages at the Lewiston Vet Center that had persisted for two years. Counseling personnel at the Vet Center had been understaffed for several months, limiting service to veterans and their families in the area. Poliquin pushed the VA to fill the vacancies, working across the aisle with local Republican and Democratic lawmakers and officials.
“Every day I work on issues which impact the Lewiston-Auburn area and the region,” he added. “From fighting unfair trade which harmed Auburn Manufacturing, to fighting VA staff shortages in the area, to being a voice on ideas to lower healthcare costs, I get to speak up and fight for Maine. It’s exciting and gratifying.”
Congressman Bruce Poliquin is a third-generation Mainer who represents Maine’s 2nd District, which includes Androscoggin County, in Congress.
Governor’s Address: Question 1 on November’s Ballot is Bad Policy
There are so many bad policies rolled into Question 1 on November’s ballot that it’s hard to know where to begin. I’m going to highlight what I consider to be the most dangerous.
Question 1 attempts to create a “Universal Home Care Program” that purports to provide home-based assistance to people with disabilities and senior citizens.
In reality, it creates a new 3.8 percent tax on individuals and families. It will create a new, massive bureaucracy with no state oversight, and it will put people on wait lists. It will also violate patient confidentiality, and will it hurt our economy.
This new tax will drive high-income earners out of the state. But don’t be fooled. It won’t just affect the wealthy. Hard-working couples will be hit too.
Inaugural “Penny” Woodard Golf Tournament raises over $30,000 for local children
Jim Whitmore of title sponsor JCW congratulates Pennell Woodard, who was inducted into the YMCA Hall of Fame during the Y’s annual charity golf tournament in 2016.
Thirty-one teams recently turned out for the Inaugural Pennell “Penny” Woodard Memorial Golf Tournament, netting $31,239 to benefit the YMCA’s financial assistance program. The event took place at Martindale Country Club in Auburn and featured 47 sponsors from the local business community.
Formally known as the YMCA-NAPA Charity Golf Tournament, this year’s event took on a special significance as it was renamed for one of the tournament’s founding committee members.
Celebration Barn wraps season with Gawler Family Band
The group performs an eclectic assortment of old and new songs from various folk traditions.
For the final show of its 2018 performance season, Celebration Barn Theater will present the Gawler Family Band in concert on Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. John and Ellen Gawler and their daughters Molly, Edith, and Elsie, joined by Bennett Konesni, will offer an eclectic assortment of old and new songs from various folk traditions.
“Quest for the Antidote” inventor at Food for Thought
Find out what it takes to bring a successful new board game to market when Portland’s Tom Deschenes describes his seven-year journey to launch “Quest for the Antidote” at the next L-A Senior College Food for Thought luncheon on Friday, October 12 at noon. Free and open to the public, the event will take place in Room 170 on USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus. Lunch may be purchased at the campus café.
Norway Savings donates $20,000 to launch Rainbow Fund at Community Concepts
Pictured here (l. to r.) are Mary-Rita Reinhard, Chief Operating Officer, Community Concepts; Ian Pullen, VP Commercial Loan Officer, Norway Savings; Janice DeLima, VP CLA Officer, Norway Savings; Shawn Yardley, CEO, Community Concepts; and Jennifer Corbett, VP Mortgage Sales Manager, Norway Savings.
Norway Savings Bank has committed a $20,000 donation that will establish the Rainbow Fund at Community Concepts. The fund will be used to help clients of Community Concepts with emergency situations that would otherwise derail their progress toward climbing out of poverty.
Governor’s Address: The Numbers Tell the Real Story on Education Funding
It’s the political season and a lot of misinformation is flying around. I want to make sure you have the facts. In Maine, teachers are underpaid and over-worked, while school administrators are under-worked and overpaid.
I’ve worked for eight years to put Maine’s fiscal house in order, and we’ve been successful, for the most part. The State’s finances are in the best shape they’ve been in decades.
Getting here, however, required discipline and living within our means. But despite good management, referendum questions, coupled with the Legislature’s love of spending and failure to address needed reforms, will leave the next governor with a big hole to fill, although I wish it were otherwise.
Woman Rescued from Fire After Smoking on Oxygen
By Cassandra Allen
A Lewiston resident has been rescued from a fire after smoking while using oxygen treatment. This follows electrical fires which caused $50,000 worth of damage and displaced 25 people. Local government and fire services, including new fire chief Brian Stockdale, are increasing efforts to educate residents about fire safety in order to prevent accidents in future.
“No Information Released”
The victim has been identified as Rosalie Coulombe, a 74-year-old resident of 61 Shawmut Street. Firefighters arrived at her first floor apartment at around 8 p.m. on September 20. They found Coulombe unresponsive in the bathroom. A spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office confirmed that the fire originated on the sofa, where Coulombe is reported to have been smoking.
Beyond these facts, the family of the victim have requested that no information on Coulombe’s current condition be released. However, it has been revealed that the woman was alone and being treated with oxygen at the time. This has led to an outcry from activists encouraging those on oxygen not to smoke.
Advice from Doctors and Firefighters
Oxygen is not a flammable substance, so it isn’t immediately obvious not to smoke while oxygen is in use. However, it creates an environment in which a fire can quickly ignite and rapidly spread through the home. It is important to note that most fires in the home are safe. Fireplaces create pleasant interiors and have improved the homes of many Lewiston residents. As long as the flame is not naked, but protected behind a fireguard, then oxygen can be used at a safe distance.
Smoking, conversely, creates a naked spark which can quickly ignite if oxygen is in use. The same is true for open flame cookers. Doctors will generally advise their patients not to smoke while using oxygen, but this advice is sadly often ignored. This seems to be the situation in the case of Ms. Coulombe, but could affect anyone.
If you have been placed on oxygen therapy, then don’t cause a potentially dangerous situation by lighting up a cigarette. The use of fireplaces as we move into winter are generally fine, but stay away from exposed flames. Smoking less will keep your Lewiston property safe from damage, not to mention the improvement you will experience in lung health. While we value our local fire department, don’t give them extra work by ignoring the instructions of your doctor.
