“Egypt” will be on display in the Co-op’s Cafe Gallery for the month of September. Marsanskis’ desire to see the pyramids of Egypt began at age 8 on a trip to see the ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Boston Museum of Art. Last year, she spent two weeks in Egypt, fulfilling her lifelong dream and capturing scenes of both ancient and modern-day Egypt. She has been taking photographs since high school with a 35mm Nikon camera passed on to her by her mother, who received her first camera from her father. All photographs are taken with Ilford HP5+ 35mm film and printed in a darkroom on Ilford Pearl RC paper.

The Belfast Co-op, open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., is located downtown at 123 High St. For more information, call 338-2532 or visit belfast.coop.

Participants will learn how to make use of recyclable, organic school waste materials and plant school gardens. The workshop provides an opportunity to learn how to close the circle between food and waste in schools, according to UMaine Extension Professor Mark Hutchinson, who will lead the course.

The program will challenge participants to think critically about waste reduction, develop an integrated waste-recycling program and learn how it fits into the current school curriculum. The program integrates math, science, language arts and reading into a real life problem-solving, money-saving endeavor.

The workshop will provide ample opportunities for participants to network and learn from each other. They’ll learn how to turn recyclable organic material into compost and help create a sustainable environment and have fun with the Maine Compost team.

Pre-registration is required to attend the workshop. The cost is $200 per person and includes lunch both days, plus educational materials. The registration deadline is June 17.

For more information, directions, accommodations, tentative program schedule or to register online, please visit the Extension website (www.composting.org) or contact the Knox-Lincoln Cooperative Extension at 207-832-0343. Anyone with a disability who needs accommodations for this program should contact Mark Hutchinson to discuss their needs at least 10 days in advance.

Drop off times for goods: Thursday from 10-6, Friday from 10-6, Saturday from 8-3, Sunday from 8-3.

They need toiletry items, dry pet food, can-openers, non-perishables, charcoal, moving boxes and packing tape, and bottled water. Oakhurst Dairy and Hannaford are supporting this trip and we would welcome any donation you are able to afford! Please check back and call if you have any questions. I am leaving Tuesday night and need to be completely loaded by Monday night.

The “Maine Jobs Now Agenda” identifies the root causes of the recession, proposes three major principles for job creation, and highlights the policies that will either create or destroy jobs in Maine. The gutting of the Informed Growth Act, which mandates that big box stores par for comprehensive impact studies of their effects on local economies before permitting decisions are made, is featured as one of the largest threats to small businesses in Maine.

LD 322 as amended would make compliance with the Act optional. It is scheduled for a vote in the House Thursday morning.

During the winter season, electric and gas utilities may not disconnect utility service without express permission from the Commission’s Consumer Assistance Division. During the summer period, utilities are not required to receive permission from the Consumer Assistance Division prior to disconnecting customers. They must still, however, follow Commission rules which govern the timely issuance of disconnection notices and other procedures before a utility service may be terminated.

The Commission encourages consumers who have not paid their entire amounts-due over the winter and are unable to bring their accounts current (or, pay the full amount due) immediately, to contact their electric or gas utility to ensure that payment arrangements are either established or are up to date and fully understood by both parties. If there is a disagreement, consumers should contact the Commission’s Consumer Assistance Division at 1-800-452-4699.

The Consumer Assistance Division can assist consumers in their efforts to negotiate a payment plan with their utility. In addition, customers can also call 2-1-1, which can direct them to federal, state and local resources available to help them pay utility bills.

“Once again, we are honored that such a diverse and distinguished group of individuals has agreed to serve on this screening panel to assist us in finding the best candidate for this critically important vacancy,” said Michaud and Pingree. “We are also extremely pleased that Peter DeTroy, an attorney respected by both lawyers and judges in the Federal and State systems, agreed to chair this screening panel on our behalf.”

The deadline for candidates to submit application materials for consideration for nomination to the White House is Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 5:00 PM. All interested candidates should submit a cover letter highlighting qualifications, a resume and no more than 3 letters of reference. Candidates should call Peter Chandler in Rep. Michaud’s office at 202-225-6306 or Jackie Potter in Rep. Pingree’s office at 207-774-5019 to receive instructions on how to electronically submit application materials.

The full roster of the screening panel can be found below:

Peter J. DeTroy, Chair – Attorney, Norman Hanson DeTroy
Michael T. Bigos – Attorney, Berman & Simmons
Jack Comart – Litigation Director, Maine Equal Justice Partners
Toby Dilworth – Attorney, Drummond Woodsum
Katherine Greenleaf – Chief Operating Officer, University of Southern Maine
Christopher D. Nyhan – Attorney, Preti Flaherty Beliveau Pachios
Dawn M. Pelletier – Attorney, Pelletier & Faircloth
Leanne Robbin – Maine Assistant Attorney General, Chief, Financial and Civil Rights
Deirdre Smith – Director Cumberland County Legal Aid Clinic

Conference sessions include:

– Opportunities and Outlook for North American Wind and Ocean Energy
– Developing Composites in Offshore Wind
– Wind Turbine Supply Chain
– Opportunities and Issues for North East Offshore Development
– Offshore Wind Service Vessel Needs and Opportunities
– Maine Tidal Energy Project: The Largest Ocean Energy Device Deployed in the US

“Maine is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the offshore wind and ocean energy markets. We have the greatest potential for wind energy development of the entire northeast, and expertise in marine services and composites development,” said Paul Williamson, Director and Industry Coordinator, MWII. “This two-day conference will help Maine businesses understand the opportunity, meet industry players, and position their companies to capture new business.”

The event is a Composites World conference, produced by Gardner Publications in association with the Maine Composites Alliance and the Maine Wind Industry Initiative. For a complete brochure of the two-day conference, visit HERE.

Registered press can contact Paul Williamson for a pass to attend the two-day event by calling 207.242.3521, or emailing pw@mainewindindustry.com

About The Maine Wind Industry Initiative (MWII)

The Maine Wind Industry Initiative was created to develop opportunities for Maine industry in the growing wind industry in the Northeast United States, and to support Maine’s efforts to become a major energy supplier to the northeast corridor. MWII identifies and documents industry needs, pursues market opportunities on behalf of Maine industry, and assists the State in leveraging its considerable natural resources to the benefit of the State. For more information, visit http://mainewindindustry.com/