Cumberland County Sheriff won’t seek reelection
Via Portland Press Herald (February 5, 2010): Dion says he won’t run again this year
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Entries Tagged as 'Local news'
Automatic license plate recognition drawing criticism
Via WCSH (January 18, 2010):
Some Maine privacy advocates are criticizing a new surveillance system used by South Portland police that automatically reads license plates.
The Portland Press Herald says South Portland is apparently Maine’s first community to use automated license plate recognition to target traffic scofflaws, people wanted on warrants and other offenders.
Cameras on a cruiser takes pictures of license plans and runs the numbers through the database of the National Crime Information Center.
South Portland police Lt. Frank Clark says the technology can be used to detect stolen vehicles and help find missing people.
Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union says the surveillance system undermines the fundamental right to be left alone.
Raymond Selectman abandons town email account
Via Kennebec Journal (January 09, 2010):
Hear ye, hear ye, good citizens of Raymond. Henceforth, Selectman Dana Desjardins is officially offline.
“I’d just as soon talk to people,” Desjardins said this week. “The people in my community, if they want to talk to me, they can call me up. They know where I live. I’m pretty easy to access.”
Desjardins, now in his ninth year as a selectman, recently let it be known via the Lakes Region Weekly that he has abandoned his town-provided e-mail address. He pulled the plug, he said, for two reasons.
The first is that Desjardins, who works by day as an electrical contractor, has far better things to do than come home each evening and spend two or three hours responding to e-mails from constituents. He’d much rather they give him a call or, better yet, pull over in front of his house to chat while he horses around with his kids.
Secondly, Desjardins is fed up with what he calls a “secret society” among elected officials — including, at times, his fellow selectmen — who prefer deliberating in cyberspace to getting down and dirty in a public meeting.
He’s not alone.
Vaccine Shortage May Delay Portland Flu Clinics
Via WMTW (10/14/2009):
The city of Portland may have to call off next week’s flu clinic due to a dosage delay.
The city offered up its third seasonal flu vaccination clinic Wednesday at city hall.
To date, more than 700 adults have received a flu shot.
Clinics for children will be offered at Portland Public Schools later this fall.
Behave or be zapped: Portland police plan Taser trial period
Portland Press Herald: June 23, 2009
A handful of city police officers will be equipped with Taser electric stun guns for a three-month trial and evaluation period starting later this summer.
Wind farm review tonight in Lincoln
LINCOLN, Maine — The planning board begins its review tonight of a proposed $130 million wind farm that, if approved, would deposit about 40 mammoth windmills on Rollins Mountain in four towns.
First Wind of Massachusetts hopes to build 40 1½-megawatt windmills, each more than 300 feet tall, in Burlington, Lincoln, Lee and Winn, creating as much as 60 megawatts of electricity through Evergreen Wind Power, a First Wind subsidiary.
The board will begin its review at Mattanawcook Junior High School at 7 p.m.
Under the plan, Lincoln would have 19 or 20 turbines; Winn, three; Lee, seven; and Burlington, 12. Two turbine sites are listed as alternates. The company would install a 115,000-volt transmission line from Rollins Mountain to a Mattawamkeag connection to the New England grid.
Two Men Help To Fight Hunger Problem In Maine
WLBZ:
About 20,000 children in Maine are hungry, according to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. As the price of fuel and production costs rise, the price of food is going up, leaving some believing that the number of hungry people will also rise.
Two young men in Thorndike decided that it was time for them to figure out a solution for their community. Tim Libby and his friend Rob began farming and donating everything they grew to the local food pantry.
Tim and Rob hope to have about nine to twelve thousand pounds of food grown by the end of the summer. In addition to the lettuce and broccoli they’re picking now, Rob and Tim are also growing food like potatoes and onions that will last into the cold months.
Tim and Rob also hope that this project can serve as an inspiration for other Mainers. It’s a big project that requires a lot of hard work, but they’re happy to do it, knowing they’ll help people in their community.
Rob and Tim are always looking for more volunteers to help in their farm on Sundays. Their project called Veggies4all relies on donations for everything from equipment to land.
Imagine that, a way to help the poor that doesn’t involve politicians, bureaucrats and taxes.
Local Farmers Flourishing Despite Economy
WCSH:
With high prices, salmonella scares and other worries, more and more people are looking for food grown close to home. For Maine’s small farmers, the growing interest in local food could mean real growth for their business.
This is a great example of what Lew talks about in his essay today.
What is the government doing about the “salmonella scare”? Still investigating.
Landlords Missing; Home-Heat Questions Arise
WMTW:
State officials are investigating who’s responsible for home-heating when a landlord abandons a building.
I’m guessing that taxpayers will wind up paying the bills for these deadbeat landlords.