DOWN EAST NOTES

Only 12 of Maine's 183 school districts are going to get more state aid in the next fiscal year. Overall there will be a $92 million drop in assistance.

Pine Tree Politics - The unbeatable Governor Angus King raised only an anemic $1305.00 in the entire year of 1997 in the lead up to his re-election campaign? In the January 2002 pre-election semiannual (i.e. just the second half of 2001), then Congressman John Baldacci raked in a staggering $329,258.97 for his budding race for Governor, which frightened potential primary challenger Chellie Pingree so much, she folded like a cheap suit.

Seacoast Online - The town of Vienna, Maine, facing the rising price of asphalt and the cost of road maintenance, [has] decided to convert several miles of their roads to gravel. And the selectmen in the town of Cranberry Isle (pop. 118) think they can save $500,000 a year that way.

Good Shepherd Food Bank, Maine's largest, serves 107.900 people a year.

Maine Public Broadcasting - Following a two-and-a-half hour debate, members of the Maine House voted overwhelmingly against a proposal to join a national compact created to elect the president by popular vote. Maine is one of two states that is allowed to split its four electoral votes, but the plan passed by five other states would require Maine to award all four of its votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Kennebec Journal - The Maine Green Independent Party candidate for governor says she's decided to forgo public funding for her campaign in light of tight state finances and will seek private funds instead. Lynne Williams . . . said that while she supports the concept of public funding for gubernatorial elections, she can't accept public money now that might be better used to help people in real need. With the state facing a $438 million budget shortfall, Williams believes the Legislature is poised to dilute the campaign fund and has made it harder for candidates to qualify.

THE SHAKER STORY

Many Mainers know about the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, but an article in this month's Down East tells about shaking as well as Shakers, including a time when ecstatic worship included "whirling, twirling, it was running, it was leaping, it was dancing, it was rolling on the floor."

Maine is home to one of the last communities of Shakers at Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester. Part of a religious movement that began in the eighteenth century and spread throughout the Northeast before falling into decline at the turn of the twentieth century, the Shakers became famous for their craftsmanship and unconventional religious beliefs and traditions. The Shakers’ practices of celibacy and “ecstatic worship” (from whence came the term Shaker) prompted suspicion, disdain, and mean-spirited rumors from their neighbors.

The article is based on a new book by journalist Jeannine Lauber shows Shaker life as being different from popular perception. In this exclusive excerpt she documents an eye-witness account of the last ecstatic dance to take place among the Shakers of Sabbathday Lake.

Chosen Faith, Chosen Land is a study of the contemporary Shaker faith. The new book takes readers on a journey, in words and images, through the lives of America’s 21st-Century Shakers. Over a 15-year period renowned journalist and author, Jeannine Lauber, was granted excusive, unprecedented access to the private lives of the last remaining Shakers allowing her to reveal what it means to be a Shaker at Maine’s own Chosen Land that surrounds Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Maine.

Jeannine Lauber pierces many of the misconceptions and myths about the religion - most notably that all Shakers are dead - and she offers a modern-day view of their faith and surrounding community.

WEDNESDAY'S MISSING WATER

Bangor Daily News - The Stonington Water Co. has a mystery on its hands.
Large amounts of water have been disappearing regularly from the system since October, and officials don't know how or why. It does not appear to be a leak, according to water company Superintendent Roger Stone, and the missing water is not running into the town sewer system. There's concern that someone may be drawing water from the system either deliberately or by accident.

Either way, the problem is getting worse.

"It's bizarre," Stone said Thursday.

Since October, approximately 1.2 million gallons of water has simply disappeared from the water company tanks. It always happens on Wednesday, Stone said. Water usage almost doubles on Wednesdays, based on Stone's regular inspections of the water tanks. Usage returns to normal the next day. . .

The problem appears to be getting worse. Stone calculates that about 200,000 gallons was missing in October; it increased to about 400,000 gallons in November; and to more than 600,000 gallons in December.

Stone has discounted a leak, although he continues to check the water lines regularly. A leak doesn't start and stop once a week, he said. There's no indication that the water is flowing into the municipal sewer plant either. . .

Stone has concluded that some individual or individuals are behind the water loss.

"Somebody's doing it," Stone said. "What we don't know [is] if it's malicious or not.". . .

DOWN EAST NOTES

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the lowest teenage pregnancy rates are in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota, while the highest are in such proudly Christian states like Texas and Mississipi, along with New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona

WGME - Investigators say they may never know what caused a fire that killed 72,000 chickens in a barn in Belfast. The fire early Thursday morning destroyed a three-story, 500-foot poultry barn in the mid-coast town. The owner of the farm says he probably won't rebuild because the cost would be much higher than his insurance coverage. He said he has two other chicken barns with a total of 142,000 birds.

Morning Sentinel - If Maine is vacationland, then Somerset and Kennebec counties are pit stops.. . . Of the eight regions of Maine, the Kennebec and Moose River Valleys region -- which includes the hubs of Augusta, Waterville, The Forks and Jackman -- ranks second-to-last in visitation numbers, behind only Aroostook County. . . Tourism supported the equivalent of about one in six Maine jobs in 2006 and one of every $5 in sales. . . The number of tourists visiting the state has been down by 2.4 percent to 5 percent over the past couple years, said Pat Eltman, director of the Maine Office of Tourism.

NO MORE PLANES AT THE BRUNSWICK NAVAL AIR STATION

FOLLOW THE MONEY: A STUDY OF WHO GETS WHAT IN MAINE POLITICS

FLOOD WATERS RECEDE

ICEBREAKING IN THE KENNEBEC RIVER

THE FIRST DECADE OF SOMALIS IN LEWISTON

Maine Public Broadcasting - Eight years ago, it was the former Lewiston mayor's open letter to the Somali community that made national headlines. In it he expressed concern about the effects of the in-migration on city and school services. "We have been overwhelmed and have responded valiantly," Mayor Laurier Raymond wrote. "Now we need breathing room. Our city is maxed out financially, physically and emotionally.". . .

At the time, there were several hundred Somalis living in Lewiston. Now there are about 5,000, and new mayor Larry Gilbert says the city is a different place. "I look at the apartment buildings that they're living in and I say, 'What if they weren't here? Those buildings would be empty and what would our tax revenue be?' So I really think they're adding to the economy. And I think that that's something that that's people just don't realize. They think that the system is being drained, when in fact, they're contributing to it."

Gilbert says welfare assistance for Somali immigrants makes up only about ten percent of the city's entire welfare budget. And when you look at Lisbon Street, the primary artery running through the downtown, about two blocks are now made up of Somali-owned businesses.


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WHAT'S HAPPENING TO WINTER IN THE NORTH

National Wildlife Federation - Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter weather in the northern United States. Winter is becoming milder and shorter on average; spring arrives 10 to 14 days earlier than it did just 20 years ago. But most snow belt areas are still experiencing extremely heavy snowstorms. Some places are even expected to have more heavy snowfall events as storm tracks shift northward and as reduced ice cover on the Great Lakes increases lake-effect snowfalls.

Even as global warming slowly changes the character of winter, we will still experience significant year-to-year variability in snowfall and temperature because many different factors are at play. Milder winters disrupt ecosystems in some surprising ways. Bitter cold temperatures naturally limit the spread of pests, diseases, and invasive species.

The absence of extreme winter cold across the mountainous West has enabled an explosion of mountain pine beetles and caused a massive die-off of pine forests. Some important plants-for example, walnuts, peaches, and cherries- require a certain exposure to cold in order to flourish. Plants and animals also can be caught unawares when milder conditions are punctuated by severe winter weather. Across the Great Plains and Southeast United States, a cold snap in early April 2007 caused more than $2 billion in crop losses after an unusually warm March led to premature crop growth.

Large economic uncertainty and potential losses are in store for many communities, especially in regions where winter recreation provides significant tourism revenue. Many ski resorts will see shorter, rainier seasons, which will negatively impact the $66 billion dollar industry and the tens of millions of Americans who ski each year. Lakes across the Midwest are freezing later and have thinner ice, often leading to ice conditions too dangerous for safe ice fishing. Roadway snow removal and wintertime flood management also will be complicated by more erratic winter weather; government agencies may have to account for much more year-to-year variability.

Sally Stockwell, Maine Audubon - Warmer winters mean we could see populations of moose, lynx, and pine marten all decline, as these species are adapted to cold temperatures and heavy snowfall. U Maine scientists also predict populations of our state bird, the black-capped chickadee, will become less common or even disappear from much of the state except western and northern Maine. . .

In northwestern Minnesota the moose population has dropped precipitously in the past two decades from 4,000 to 100 moose. After 7 years of study, biologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources suspect the ultimate cause of the decline is climate change.

Moose become stressed from the hot weather and die from diseases like brainworm or from heavy. Warmer winters increased deer populations, which carry a brain worm that is harmless to whitetails but fatal to moose. Warmer weather also increases winter ticks that bother moose so much they rub off both the ticks and their thick protective hair, leaving them vulnerable to death from exposure.

Warmer weather along with healthy populations of deer in southern Maine is already leading to a rapid spread of the deer tick and Lyme’s disease throughout Maine.

More southern species like the Carolina wren and opossum are moving into Maine and surviving our winters where they never could before. Other species that are more common south of the border will likely expand north into Maine.


Heavy rainfall on top of snow will lead to increased problems with ice jams and flooding, and washouts of culverts that can’t handle the increased flow, interfering with travel of fish and other aquatic animals up and downstream. This could be especially problematic for our prized wild native brook trout and salmon.

DOWN EAST NOTES

Maine Public Broadcasting - Sales of existing single family homes in Maine were more than 10 percent higher in 2009 than in 2008, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. . . The association says 10,486 homes were sold in Maine in 2009, compared with 9,502 in 2008. Meanwhile, the median price of those homes fell over the year by nearly 9 percent.

CMIO - Hospitals rated in the top 5 percent in the U.S. have a 29 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate and are improving their clinical quality at a faster pace than other hospitals, according to a study issued Jan. 26 by Health Grades, a healthcare ratings organization. . . Thr following states had no hospitals in the top 5 percent: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming.

Kennebec Journal - An ice jam more than a mile long flooded Augusta and Hallowell's downtowns and had authorities in other riverside communities on edge wondering if they could be next. . . Some vehicles in Hallowell and Gardiner were trapped and submerged in the floodwaters. . . Officials said water levels in Augusta and Hallowell reached more than 17 feet -- more than 5 feet above flood stage. In Hallowell, Front Street was completely underwater Wednesday, as were the basements of waterfront buildings. A camper and commercial truck were partially in the water. . . A sign on the door of Dancewear House, which was closed, read: "Flood level store hours: zero feet, open for business, 10-5; two feet, cash only; four feet, wading boots are not dance attire; six feet, Oh my God." Next to the 8-foot flood level, the sign had a simple drawing of what appeared to be bubbles.

Portland Press Herald - Maine's two U.S. senators say the state is going to get $35 million to extend the Amtrak Downeaster passenger train from Portland to Brunswick. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins say the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority will use the money to rehabilitate the 30 miles of tracks between the two cities.

SWEETHEART DEAL FOR TELECOMS PENDING IN AUGUSTA

This is a good example of the sort of corrupt legislation we can expect in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on campaign financing.

Maine Public Broadcasting - A bill crafted to protect private sector interests in the expansion of broadband service attracted an afternoon's worth of attention today at the State House, where supporters and opponents of the legislation squared off on what some critics were referring to as a FairPoint bill. FairPoint Communications supports the measure, which would prohibit state agencies from providing telecommunications services to other state agencies or their tenants.

State Rep. Stacey Fitts, a Pittsfield Republican, insists that his bill is simply an attempt to level the playfield for telecommunications in Maine. . .

In a hearing before the Legislature's Utilities and Energy Committee, Fitts made it clear he was uncomfortable with the University of Maine's telecommunications network that connects the university with the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Fitts says the proposed legislation would preserve that link, but would prohibit any further expansion by the university -- something that the lawmaker says would obstruct efforts of companies like FairPoint to expand high-speed Internet service to rural Maine. . .

"We believe that this legislation actually creates a clear directive to the state entities, and essentially what's being asked in this bill is that state funds not be used to inhibit private investment in broadband infrastructure," says Beth Ossler of the Telephone Association of Maine.

Ossler says telecommunications providers have to be assured that they won't have to compete with a large state entity like the University of Maine System.

BUCKS FOR BALDACCI FOLLOWED BY SALES TAX EXEMPTION

Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting - Dozens of organizations and businesses pleaded for exemptions from tax increases in the tax reform bill that was approved last June.

Thanks to Gov. John Baldacci, only two got what they asked for: Realtors and the ski industry.

Realtors persuaded the governor to reverse a tax increase on the sale of luxury homes.

And the ski industry was slated to collect a sales tax on lift tickets - until the governor intervened.

A two-month investigation of the governor's decision, including a review of campaign finance reports, shows that the realtors and the ski areas have supported Baldacci politically and financially and have easy access to him to make their case.

Other groups, such as auto repair shops, had no strong connections in the State House and were not rescued from a new sales tax on their services.

. . . The ski areas are represented by lobbyist Severin Beliveau, a longtime political and financial supporter of the Democratic governor. Their case was also helped by a plea from another longtime Baldacci friend and supporter, Saddleback Maine's general manager, Warren Cook.

Beliveau said the governor's decision "was not a function of our relationship," adding that Baldacci has been opposed to taxing outdoor recreation since he was in the state legislature 25 years ago.

Cook said he spoke to the governor about exempting ski lift tickets and that when the Berry family bought Saddleback in 2003, "Bill Berry went to the governor and the governor pledged to him at the time that he wasn't going to support a tax on ski tickets."

When the proposal to tax lift tickets came up again last year, Cook said, "I just went in and said to the governor, we need your help in this area.". . .

Beliveau gave $1000 to the last two Baldacci gubernatorial campaigns and a total of $4500 to Baldacci congressional campaigns.

In the 2006 governor's race, lawyers in Beliveau's firm, Preti Flaherty, gave $25,000 to Baldacci's campaign. Twenty attorneys in the firm, where he is listed as a founding partner who "directs the firm's Legislative and regulatory practices in Augusta and Washington, D.C. , gave the maximum of $1000 each.

Baldacci's total campaign contributions in 2006 were $1.3 million.

Baldacci's Republican opponent in 2006 was Chandler Woodcock, whose campaign was publicly financed and who received only small contributions as seed money. None of those came from Beliveau or his law firm, according to state records.

In 2002, the records show Baldacci's GOP opponent, Peter Cianchette, received a total of $1,100 from three Preti Flaherty attorneys. In contrast, the same records list more than 20 lawyers from the firm giving Baldacci's campaign $14,000.

In 2009, Beliveau is listed as the registered lobbyist for 23 business and organizations, from Anheuser-Busch to Catholic Charities of Maine to FairPoint, the troubled communications company that the state approved to take over Verizon's phone business.

More. . .

PHOTOS OF KENNEBEC RIVER FLOODING

REPORT TRACKS CASCO BAY CLIMATE CHANGE

Maine Public Broadcasting - Maine's Casco Bay watershed region has grown warmer and wetter over the past century, according to a new report released today by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.

The report, titled "Climate Change in the Casco Bay Watershed: Past, Present, and Future," concludes that the region's average annual temperature has increased by two degrees Fahrenheit in the past 100 years. That's resulted in earlier ice-outs on Sebago Lake, and 20 percent more rainfall each year in Portland.

The report also claims a host of other effects, including an increase in extreme weather events, a decrease in snow cover days, earlier spring run-off, longer growing seasons and rising sea levels.

The trends are expected to continue, the reports authors say. Temperatures are projected to increase by as much as three to eight degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, with summer temperatures rising as much as 10 degrees. Under that scenario, floods and droughts would be more likely, according to the report.

 

CLICK ON CHARTS FOR LARGE VERSIONS

From the Report - Overall, the region has been getting warmer and wetter over the last century, and these trends have increased over the last four decades. Detailed analysis of data collected at four meteorological stations in the region (Farmington, Lewiston, Portland, and Rumford) show that since 1965 the region has warmed 1.5 to 3.0 degrees F, with the greatest warming occurring in winter (1.6 - 4.9 degrees F). Overall annual precipitation and extreme precipitation events (both 1" in 24 hours and 2" in 48 hours) have increased in Portland.

The number of snow covered days is decreasing (especially on the coast), and winter snowfall is decreasing. Data collected from ships, buoys, and other observational platforms shows that sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Maine are warming. Tidal gauge data indicates relative sea level at Portland is continuing to rise.

Finally, analysis of phenological data indicates that ice-out dates on Sebago Lake are occurring earlier.

MAINE REALLY BACKS NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE

Nattonal Popular Vote - A 2008 survey of 800 Maine voters showed 77% overall support for a national popular vote for President.

By political affiliation, support for a national popular vote was 85% among Democrats, 70% among Republicans, and 73% among others.

By gender, support for a national popular vote was 82% among women and 71% among men.

By age, support for a national popular vote was 79% among 18-29 year olds, 67% among 30-45 year olds, 78% among 46-65 year olds, and 82% for those older than 65.

By congressional district, support for a national popular vote was 78% in the First congressional district and 76% in the Second district.

By race, support for a national popular vote was 79% among whites (representing 94% of respondents) and 56% among others (representing 6% of respondents).

DOWN EAST NOTES

Enrollment at the Northern Maine Community College is up 15 percent, the highest since the mid 1990s.

A Skowhegan man caught a record-setting rainbow trout on Lake George in Canaan, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Michael Thebarge of Skowhegan landed the trout that weighed 7 pounds on a certified scale. It wasn't until this week that Mr. Thebarge decided to contact IF&W and the Maine Sportsman, which maintains that state record book, to see if it was a record.

Morning Sentinel - A nationwide initiative to elect the president of the United States by popular vote has reached Maine, and will be considered by the House of Representatives this week. "I think that most Americans feel strongly that we ought to be electing a president by popular vote," said Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, sponsor of the legislation, L.D. 56. "We've had at least three instances where we elected a president (with a minority of the popular vote), and the popular vote was ignored because of the Electoral College method." The bill would require states that enact it to commit all of their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. If the bill had been in effect in 2000, Al Gore would have become president instead of George W. Bush.

Representative Michael Shaw is practicing the growing political mis-craft of pretending you're doing something useful by either banning it or fining it. Shaw wants to boost the penalties for writing bad checks. . . Maine Public Broadcasting - For example, he suggests that a bad check of $500 or more be made a felony and that those convicted pay triple damages as well as court costs and attorney fees. Jack Comart, an attorney for Maine Equal Justice, a low-income advocacy group, says requiring people to spend more time in jail for writing $500 worth of bouncing checks is the wrong solution. "The bill makes no distinction between those who, through no fault of their own, are not able to tender the amount of the check and fees within ten days," Comart said. "We often deal with people living on fixed incomes such as social security. . . nd many times they don't get their direct deposit check through no fault of their own but through a bureaucratic mixup.". . . And, says John Pelletier, executive director of the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services. . . when low-risk offenders are subjected to stiff sanctions for behavior that is an anomoly they can become high risk offenders. He says making bad check writers pay simple restitution to merchants is probably a more effective sentence. Others say uniform enforcement by district attorneys across the state could also help.

ANOTHER VICTIM OF SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION LAW

Morning Sentinel, Pittsfield - The local school system is already facing several budget "whammies" this year, Superintendent Michael Gallagher says, amounting to a projected $300,000 to $400,000 shortfall. And under state law, School Administrative District 53 is set to take another $185,000 hit. The district needed to hold a vote on merging with another school system by the end of this month to avoid that. But school officials are lobbying to be absolved of a state penalty, saying they've exhausted all options to comply with the state's school consolidation law.. . .

CO-HOUSING IN BRUNSWICK

Two Echo - Cohousing communities like Two Echo are by the people, for the people — which makes them unique among residential developments. Instead of being developed for profit by builders or real estate speculators, these communities are designed and managed by their own residents, whose privately-owned homes cluster around a common house and community-owned open 22 space.

Two Echo - The cohousing concept originated in Denmark over 20 years ago. Today, more than 150 cohousing communities are in various stages of development throughout the U. S. Formed in 1991, the Two Echo group wanted a parcel of land with woods and fields, away from busy roads, noise and air pollution, large enough to provide space for recreation and some possible agricultural uses such as gardening, farming, and raising animals. In 1996, after exploring more than 25 sites, we found a beautiful 92-acre parcel of land that met all our criteria. Off Hacker Road in Brunswick, it has about 15 acres of fields and more than 75 acres of woods. We're just 10 minutes from downtown Brunswick, the home of Bowdoin College. A thriving community, Brunswick offers good schools, a variety of cultural attractions, and proximity to the famed Maine coast.

BALDACCI PLANS TO JOIN THE TEST TYRANTS BIG TIME

Maine Public Broadcasting - Gov. John Baldacci plans to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would link teacher evaluations -- and possibly teacher pay -- to student performance. He outlined his proposal in his State of the State speech last night. . . State law currently bars school administrators from evaluating teachers based on how their students do on measurements such as test scores . . . The Baldacci administration wants to get rid of the prohibition to make it more competitive for federal grant money for education through the so-called Race to the Top program. . .

Says Mark Gray, executive director of the Maine Education Association, whose members are compensated by school districts based on their longevity and educational attainment. . . "If I'm a high school math teacher and I've got four, five sections of math, and I might have a couple of algebra 2 classes, I might also be teaching a calculus class. How does my effectiveness as a teacher get matched up to the fact that I'm teaching a large number of students and I'm teaching students at different levels? Is it an average of all of the test scores of all the students that I see during a semester or during a grading period?"

DOWN EAST NOTES

Green Independent Party gubernatorial candidate Lynne Williams called for to create an economic climate based on sustainability. Currently, Williams said, neither the state's budget process, its economic development efforts or its tax structure reflect a sustainable model. "Farmers understand this concept," Williams said, "and they budget based on multi-year averages of their yields. That way, they can often ride out bad years and use strong years to build up a surplus - a surplus they use only when yearly revenue falls below the average. Municipal governments often work the same way"

Maine Biz - Portland has moved up five places in an annual Portfolio ranking of the best places for small business. The annual small business vitality assessment in 2009 ranked Portland No. 10 in the country, but this year the city moved up to No. 5 in a field of 100 metro areas. The ranking is based on population, employment and small business growth, for businesses with fewer than 99 employees, according to the Conde Nast website. Portland took the No. 5 spot based on its number of small businesses in 2007 (17,747); change in private sector employment between 2004 and 2009 (-2%); 2008 population (514,065); small businesses per 1,000 people in 2007 (34.64); and change in population between 2003 and 2008 (1.61%).

DOWN EAST NOTES

Maine Public Broadcasting - Civil libertarians and religious groups are lining up in support of a bill that would limit the amount of time prisoners in Maine can be put in solitary confinement. LD 1611, sponsored by Rep. James Schatz, a Blue Hill Democrat, would also prevent authorities from placing prisoners with "serious mental illness" in solitary confinement. The measure has the support of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, as well as the Maine Council of Churches. The Maine Psychological Association and the Maine Association of Psychiatric Physicians are also supporting the measure. The groups are outlining their reasons at an Augusta news conference this morning.

WCSH - Employees of the Front Room restaurant in Portland and members of the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Maine have filed a federal lawsuit against the owner of the restaurant, Harding Smith, for violations of labor laws. In the lawsuit, workers claim they were forced to pay a portion of their tips to management, were not paid appropriate minimum wages or overtime, and alleges a culture of disrespect at the Front Room. The suit, which asks for $160,000, seeks back wages for misappropriated tips. Eight former employees are taking part in the legal action.

Maine Owl - I understand the desire of a reporter to cover a story like the earthquake in Haiti, and an editor's desire to send them there, but knowing the severity of the devastation, unless there is some truly compelling local angle, is it really necessary for a Maine based reporter to go? Multiply this hundreds of times - won't how much these "local" reporters get in the way far outweigh what they learn? It reminds me of when authorities ask folks to stay home during a blizzard - those that venture out often end up creating more work for the road crews.

Maine Public Broadcasting - Advocates in Augusta are backing legislation that would prohibit health insurance companies from placing caps on the amount of benefits their clients could receive over a lifetime. While the elimination of these caps is included in national health reform bills being considered in Congress, backers of the Maine bill say they don't want to wait. . . . According to a report issued by the Augusta-based organization Consumers for Affordable Heath Care, more than half of those people covered by employer-sponsored health plans are subject to some type of cap, such as an annual or lifetime limit on what insurance companies will pay out in claims.

Maine Public Broadcasting - Maine is one of the oldest states in the country, with more than a quarter million patients covered by the federal Medicare program for the elderly and disabled. So a plan to slash Medicare reimbursement to doctors by 21 percent in March is sounding alarms here. Opponents say this will affect doctors' ability to serve people on Medicare. . . . AARP Maine director Nancy Kelleher urges lawmakers to consider the difficulty that seniors already have trying to find a doctor that accepts Medicare, which reimburses at a lower rate than private insurers. . . Kelleher says she's heard of seniors waiting a month to six months to see a doctor -- a problem exaggerated in rural areas, where there is a shortage of primary care physicians. But even in the state's largest city, many seniors can't see a doctor when they want. Intermed, one of Maine's largest private practices, reports having a waiting list.

Maine Politics - Republican 2nd District congressional candidate Jason Levesque has announced a campaign tour with a name that seems to perfectly fit this kind of political theater. From a campaign email: "Jason Levesque will be kicking off his 2010 campaign with "The Blah Blah Blah Tour", beginning January 21st in his hometown of Auburn. The 6 week tour will take Jason through several parts of Maine's 2nd District." . . .

It was a draft sent out as a final release and Lavesque sent out a corrected version calling it the Kick Off Tour. But then a reporter got this message from a campaign aide: "We got such an awesome reaction to what was seen as Jason's portrayal of what's coming out of DC right now we changed it back and that is now the name. If you cover him today or on other parts of the tour, you just miight hear him say it."

ZERO TOLERANCE AND THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE

From the state legislative testimony of Alysia Melnick of the Maine Civil Liberties Union

Our concern stems from research which shows that zero tolerance policies and disproportionate or inappropriate use of suspensions and expulsions contribute to the trend known as "the school-to-prison pipeline." This pipeline refers to the growing practice of criminalizing, rather than educating, our nation's children, and is one of the most important civil rights challenges facing our nation today.

Zero-tolerance disciplinary policies are often the first step in a child's journey through the pipeline because they impose severe discipline on students without regard to individual circumstances or the long term consequences. Under these policies, children have been expelled for giving Midol to a classmate, bringing household goods (including a kitchen knife) to school to donate to Goodwill, and bringing scissors to class for an art project.

Further, there is no evidence that zero-tolerance policies or overuse of suspensions and expulsions make schools safer or improve student behavior. On the contrary, research suggests that these practices may actually increase the likelihood of later criminal misconduct. . . .

Students of color are disproportionately represented at every stage of the school-to-prison pipeline.

Students with special needs are particularly likely to be pushed out of mainstream schools and into the juvenile justice system, despite the heightened protections afforded to them under law. . .

Students who fit within both of these groups - minority students with disabilities - are most vulnerable.

CHARTER COMMISSION LEANING TOWARDS WEAK MAYOR

Tom Bell, Portland Press Herald - The Portland Charter Commission has drafted a job description for a popularly elected mayor. . . Under the commission's proposal, the mayor would be a voting member of the council and have no power to hire or fire anybody. The mayor would chair the council meetings and be assigned the job of managing the budget process for the city and the School Department in a "consensus-building" manner, Plumb said. Any additional power, she said, would come from the political authority of having won a citywide election. The mayor would serve a four-year term. . .

LOBSTER WARS ESCALATE

DOWN EAST NOTES

FWIX - According to the census bureau, the "Portland-South Portland-Biddeford Metro area" comprises three counties and about 60 towns.

Rep. Melissa Walsh Innes, Yarmouth - I spent 9 hours straight today working on my responsible recycling bill, mostly from my couch and computer. I think if they worked out a Maine State legislator's pay rate, over the year, it would be about five cents an hour, so it's a good thing I enjoy this so much.

Village Soup - On Saturday, while many Belfast residents were hauling the week's corrugated cardboard to the transfer station, a dozen local youth, mostly members of local scout troops, were putting their repurposed boxes to use as sleds. The Belfast Parks and Recreation Department sponsored the Cardboard Sled Challenge in part to celebrate the recent reopening of the city ski area, located off City Point Road. . . Volunteers timed the runs with stopwatches and lined the course, ready to give a helping heave-ho to sleds that stuck in the snow, but beyond the trappings of competition - awards were given for fastest time and the most creative design - keeping score took a back seat to having fun.

Maine Public Broadcasting - The owners of more than 240 miles of rail line in northern Maine are planning to abandon the tracks this spring, citing losses of as much as $5 million a year. According to some observers, the last hope for the only rail service in northern Maine rests with the state. The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, formerly known as the Bangor and Aroostook, operates nearly 750 miles of rail line in Maine, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick. The problem, however, involves the 230 or so miles that operate from Millinocket up into Madawaska and Houlton. Robert Grindrod, President and CEO of MMA Railway, says the biggest problem has been a marked decline in demand for forest products. . .

Laurie Schreiber, Village Soup, Mt Desert - The state's attorney general was unable to get convictions in two trap-molestation cases that went to court last year, despite eyewitness accounts by Maine Marine Patrol officers who said they saw buoys being cut. As a result, the state Department of Marine Resources' Lobster Advisory Council is looking at alternative models to deal with trap molesting. . . It is unlawful for anyone except the gear's licensed owner or a Marine Patrol officer to raise or molest a lobster trap, warp, buoy or lobster car. Conviction for a violation carries a mandatory three-year loss of license. Some ideas that have come up for a different model include setting up a licensing review board, establishing a jury of peers, or giving the DMR's commissioner the discretion to impose a milder penalty for a first offense.

Maine Politics - Al Diamon has made his predictions for this year's gubernatorial race: "I think it'll come down to Abbott and Rowe in November, with the Republican taking the Blaine House by a narrow margin, thanks to Cutler and Williams siphoning votes from the Democrat." Diamon was spot on in 2006, but that wasn't exactly a hard race to forecast.

MAINE DEMOCRATS' WAR AGAINST THE GREENS

PORTLAND CHARTER COMMISSION EYES INSTANT RUN-OFF

Portland Press Herald - The city's Charter Commission is considering significant changes to the way Portland voters elect their officials.

Instead of voting for one candidate, voters would be asked to rank their candidates in order of preference.

Rank choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting, would be used to elect Portland's next mayor.

Some commissioners who spoke at the group's meeting Thursday night said the system could be expanded to other elective positions, such as City Council.

Supporters say rank choice voting is gaining popularity, with cities such as Burlington, Vt., San Francisco and Minneapolis using it in some fashion.

"I'm a big supporter," said Benjamin Chipman, a charter commission member.

Commissioners said they plan to deliberate and then vote on the issue when they meet on Jan. 28. . .

On Thursday, the commission heard from election experts who are familiar with rank choice voting. Several residents also weighed in. Nearly everyone who spoke on the issue urged the Charter Commission to endorse rank choice voting.

REPORT SAYS COMPANY RENEGED ON PRESERVING DEER HABITAT

Ethan Wilensky-Lanford, Morning Sentinel - The company involved in the landmark 2006 Katahdin Lake land swap cut trees on nearly 40 percent of deer habitat it promised the state it would preserve, according to a report prepared for the governor by a top state land regulator. In response, Gov. John Baldacci said he plans to meet with the attorney general to discuss possible penalties, and with officials of the company involved in the alleged cutting.

The agreement between the state and Lincoln-based Gardner Land Co. was voluntary, yet crucial to sealing a heralded land swap involving more than 35,000 acres in property and easements. In the deal, the state gave a number of parcels previously managed by the Bureau of Public Lands to Gardner as part of a complex swap to join the Katahdin Lake area with adjacent Baxter State Park. On these tracts, 728 acres were designated as potential deer-wintering habitat.

DOWN EAST NOTES

Maine Public Broadcasting - The field of candidates vying to become Maine's next governor stretched to 22 today. Enter Steve Abbot, a former top aide to Sen. Susan Collins, and William Beardsley, the former president of Husson College in Bangor.

Morning Sentinel - Starting next week, [Madison] students are going to get more exercise, up to two miles of walking a day. School Administrative District 59 board members voted unanimously Monday night that students in grades 5 through 12, who live within a mile of Madison Junior High School, will walk to that school . . . School board members made the decision, which affects 25 students, after discussing the health benefits, the potential cost savings and the possibility that it could lead, in the future, to younger students walking to designated pick-up points.

PRINCIPAL BANS HIGH SCHOOL DANCES BECAUSE OF GRINDING

John Clark Russ, Bangor DaIly News - Norris Nickerson stands in one of the main hallways at Bangor High School where he has been the principal for more than 20 years. Nickerson says there will be no more dances affiliated with the school until students agree to stop simulating sex as they dance, also known as "grinding."

BHS Principal Norris Nickerson said students at the dances were refusing to comply with the school’s rules regarding the hip-hop dance style known as grinding and other forms of “dirty dancing.”

“We’ve tried to take care of the problem, but the inappropriate behavior has continued and, in my opinion, has become worse. The decision was made that dances would be stopped until this behavior is under control,” Nickerson said this week.

Grinding, a dance style that generally involves a boy grinding his crotch into a girl’s behind, is a national trend and schools across the country are dealing with the issue, Norris said.


A GUIDE TO APPROPRIATE GRINDING

DOWN EAST NOTES

Maine attorney general and gubernatorial Steven Rowe proposed a law to deny mentally ill prisoners psychiatric care until they had completed their sentences. - Solitary Watch

WCSH - The Portland International Jetport is preparing for a major face lift.Plans were presented to the Portland City Council Finance committee on Monday night. The renovation is ambitious. There will be a 137,000 square foot addition to the existing terminal, doubling its size. Three new gates will go in, which will allow another carrier to fly out of the Jetport. Highlighting the project will be four additional security screening lanes, bringing the total to eight, and new explosive detecting equipment will be provided through a 9 million dollar grant from the Transportation Safety Administration. . . The last major renovation of the Jetport took place in 1995, and there have been several smaller projects since. In those 15 years, Jetport usage has gone up by more then 60%. The numbers continue to climbing. While cities like Boston and Manchester have seen a 10% drop in air traffic over the past several years, Portland is up by the same amount. . . The price tag is high, about 75 million dollars -- but none of that money comes out of the city budget.

Maine Public Broadcasting - South Portland police became the first police department in the state to incorporate a controversial license plate surveillance system, which uses cameras mounted on top of a cruiser to search for stolen vehicles and traffic violators. The Automated License Plate Reader has sparked criticism from civil liberties groups and others, who say the system raises privacy concerns. . . "This system is yet one more piece in a growing trend toward a surveillance society," says Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. One thing that worries her about the Automated License Plate Reader, she says, is the fact that all the data collected by it is stored for 30 days. "In a free society we have a right to be left alone, a presumption of innocence, and this system is part of a greater trend toward greater surveillance of individual citizens' daily movements," Bellows says.

Art Daily - The Portland Museum of Art finished 2009 with the second-highest attendance in Museum history and the highest attendance in a decade. With 161,000 visitors, the Museum had an increase of 11,000 visitors over the previous year. The highest attendance record was set in 2000 with 188,000 visitors with the success of two exhibitions by legendary artists Ansel Adams and N. C. Wyeth. The Museum's 2009 success was due to the extremely popular exhibition Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography, which broke attendance records for the months of January and February. Records were also broken for this exhibition on Free Friday evenings with more than 3,000 people visiting the Museum between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. each Friday night.

THE TORTURE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

James Ridgeway, Solitary Watch - Most Americans' knowledge of the Maine prison system probably ends with the grim, gray penitentiary depicted in The Shawshank Redemption. But the prison of Stephen King's imagination is a benign place compared with the current reality of incarceration in Maine's state prisons–especially its 100-man solitary confinement unit. Conditions in the lockdown unit have become the subject of public debate in recent years, and of a bill now making its way through the state legislature that would restrict and closely monitor the use of solitary confinement. If the bill is passed, Maine would become the first state in the union to directly confront this form of domestic torture through the legislative process.

One hundred out of some 900 cells at the Maine State Prison at Warren comprise what is euphemistically known as the Special Management Unit where prisoners live in 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement (24 on weekends), allowed out only to take a shower, make a phone call, or exercise alone in what looks like the run in a dog kennel. About half of the inmates in the unit are there for disciplinary reasons, the other half because of special problems, mental or physical illness. . .

In 2005, Lance Tapley, a freelance journalist for the Portland Phoenix, began writing about what he called "Torture in Maine's Prisons." Tapley treated the good people of Maine to a series of articles documenting conditions in the SMU. In one article, accompanied by a video, Tapley describes guards dragging a prisoner out of his cell, naked and screaming, forcing him into restraint chair (an excerpt appears at the end of this post). In other articles, a mentally ill inmate is transferred from a state mental hospital, where he was undergoing treatment, to prison, where the treatment is stopped. An inmate who is found hanging in his cell is mocked by a guard who says "you can do better than that," and drags his feet in reporting the death to authorities. A sex offender with diabetes confined to a wheelchair is beaten to death in his cell. Supermax prisoners stage a hunger strike to protest conditions in the unit. One prisoner, Deane Brown, who speaks openly with Tapley and also reports on prisons for a community radio station, is harassed by corrections officials and then shipped off to a supermax in Maryland, in what his supporters call "punitive exile."

Tapley's reporting helped fuel a campaign by the Maine Prison Advocacy Coalition and other reformers for a bill restricting the use of solitary confinement. They have organized themselves into the Maine Coalition Against the Abuse of Solitary Confinement. Last fall, Representative Bill Shatz, who serves on the criminal justice and public safety committee of the state legislature, introduced a bill that would limit use of solitary, ban brutal forms of restraint, and provide due process for inmates sent there. "Since Guantanamo, we keep seeing that the use of segregation and solitary confinement is not so much a treatment as a punishment and a control aspect. That just doesn't make any sense to me," Schatz told the Bangor Daily News. . .