January 11, 2022 AUGUSTA – Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt, D-South Portland, introduced legislation January 11, 2022 to amend the Maine Constitution to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on the sex of an individual. The proposal, LD 344, is part of a 50-year effort Galgay Reckitt has been involved in to get states to ratify the federal Equal Rights Amendment. During the bill’s public hearing before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, over 100 individuals testified in support of the measure. “It’s no secret, I have been advocating for a federal Equal Rights Amendment every day since 1972. In 1973, as a private citizen, I lobbied the Maine Legislature to ratify that proposal – losing in the Senate by one vote. The next year, in 1974, I did the […]

FEMA also approves Mills Administration’s request for two Federal COVID-19 Surge Response Teams for MaineHealth and Central Maine Medical Center Augusta, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills announced today that she will activate up to an additional 169 members of the Maine National Guard to help alleviate short-term capacity constraints at hospitals and maintain access to inpatient health care for Maine people amid record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations. The Governor today directed the activation of these additional Guard members to serve in non-clinical support roles at health care facilities across the state. The Guard members will help hospitals maintain capacity by freeing up clinical staff to focus on patient care. Their assistance will also open additional beds at nursing facilities, in swing bed units, and at other “decompression […]

BY CAROLE KING, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/11/22  In The HILL The already-enacted bipartisan infrastructure bill allocated billions of dollars to facilitate logging in our national forests, with scant public awareness of those provisions. The House-passed Build Back Better bill contains similar sections.  Over 200 U.S. climate scientists and ecologists oppose those logging provisions. As negotiations resume, lawmakers could achieve compromise by excluding sections providing billions more for “restoration,” “fuel reduction,” “forest health,” and other euphemisms for commercial logging. Removing those provisions would free up money to extend the child tax credit, which families have been putting back into the economy through buying food, gas, toilet paper, medicines, and shoes for growing children, among other necessities.  But the cost of logging on public land is […]

01/10/2022  AUGUSTA, MAINE -The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is urging residents and visitors to use caution during extreme cold temperatures. The National Weather Service in Gray forecasts temperatures below zero this evening and Tuesday night with wind chills between 15-30 below zero tomorrow morning. Wind chill warnings and wind chill advisories have been issued for late this evening through tomorrow morning. Snow squalls are also predicted across southwest Maine that may impact this evening’s commute. “With extreme cold temperatures coming to Maine this week, I encourage Maine people to take every precaution to stay warm and to check on friends, family and neighbors to ensure they are safe,” said Governor Janet Mills. “For those who are concerned about their ability to […]

Along with an annual appropriation of $35 million, Maine will receive an additional $55.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan – more than double Maine’s typical annual funding January 7, 2022 WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced Maine has received a record $90.2 million for home energy assistance thanks to the American Rescue Plan. In addition to an annual appropriation of $35 million, Maine will receive $55.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan—more than double Maine’s typical annual funding—for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This marks the highest amount Maine has ever received in LIHEAP to help families struggling with home heating costs.  “During a time when so many in Maine and […]

On, January 5, 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that COVID-19 booster shots are now available for Mainers age 12 and older who have already received a COVID-19 vaccine. See the announcement by the Food and Drug Administration for more detail.  A booster dose or shot is another dose of a COVID-19 vaccine that is given after the initial two shot vaccine series for Pfizer or Moderna, or after the initial single vaccine for Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).  The booster should be given at least five months after getting the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine; at least five months after the second dose of the Moderna vaccine; or at least two months after getting the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.   Individuals who are 12 through 17 years old […]

Despite New Limitations Against In-Person Audiences, Spectators, Guests, and Visitors at the College, Bates Administrators “Strongly Encourage” Hourly Staff to Gather for In-Person Anti-Union Meetings With Expensive Boston Labor Consultant Katie Lev January 4, 2022 By Ramona du Houx LEWISTON, ME — On January 3, 2022, Bates College administrators sent an email to Bates hourly staff, strongly urging them to attend in-person anti-union meetings this week with out-of-state labor consultant Katie Lev of Lev Labor LLC, despite updated College restrictions on in-person gatherings and outside visitors, established by the College to protect public health during students’ return to campus amid the highly contagious omicron variant surge.  Ahead of employees’ mail-in union election, set to begin this Thursday, January 6th, the College scheduled […]

January 9, 2022 By Ramona du Houx As increasing home values burden Maine people on fixed incomes, an initiative of the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan will help pay property tax bills for Maine seniors and those who are permanently disabled Augusta, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Administration is launching the State Property Tax Deferral Program, a lifeline loan program through the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan that can cover the annual property tax bills of eligible Maine people who are ages 65 and older or are permanently disabled and who cannot afford to pay them on their own. The loan program will allow Maine’s most vulnerable community members to age in place and ensure that property taxes are still delivered to municipalities. The program requires repayment of […]

January 5, 2021 By Ramona du Houx AUGUSTA – The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld Maine’s first-in-nation law on January 4, 2022 to require pro rata cable bills. First sponsored in 2020 by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, the Pro Rata Law requires a cable system operator to grant a subscriber a pro rata credit or rebate if that subscriber requests service disconnection three or more working days before the end of a monthly billing period. “Too often, Maine families have only one choice for cable television. Cable companies should not be permitted to use their monopoly status to take advantage of consumers. I urge other states to follow Maine’s lead, and protect their residents from these unfair practices. […]

January 7,2021 Maine Department of Health and Human Services will distribute the tests to Walgreens pharmacies, schools, health care sites, and congregate care settings in January and February Augusta, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills announced today that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has purchased an additional 250,000 COVID-19 rapid antigen tests from Maine-based manufacturer Abbott Labs and will distribute them to Walgreens pharmacies, health care sites, schools, and congregate care settings across Maine in January and February. This purchase of rapid antigen tests is one of the largest ever by the State and represents nearly a quarter of all the rapid tests the State has made available since the beginning of the pandemic. “Widely available, accessible, and affordable COVID-19 testing […]

By Ramona du Houx January 6, 2022 One year ago, violent extremists attempted a coup against American Democracy, trying to falsify the results of the 2020 presidential election that President Joe Biden won with the most votes in U.S. history. “At this moment we must decide what kind of nation we are going to be,” said President Biden. “Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm? Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people? Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies? We cannot allow ourselves […]

 The Camden Public Library’s Jumpstart January program series continues during the second week of January with two free workshops designed to help you overcome barriers and nurture your creativity. On Tuesday, January 11, at 6:30 pm, the library will host an online class with Performance Mindset Coach and author Gilda Joffe. Joffe has been teaching and coaching for more than 25 years and has helped hundreds of women in the areas of confidence, performance anxiety, negative internal dialogues, imposter syndrome, and the development of executive presence. Her program with the library will discuss inspiring concepts from her new book, Dancing with Your Muse On Wednesday, January 12, at 6:00 pm, join local artist Robinsunne and fellow crafters for an online class where participants will […]

Attached to this notice is the meeting agenda. Login/call in information is below. If you haven’t joined a Teams Meeting before, here is some information on how to join.  If joining the Teams Meeting from your smartphone, download the free Microsoft Teams app in advance of the meeting.  You will be able to log into the app as a “guest,” and it will prompt you to enter your name.  Allow Microsoft Teams to use your audio and microphone when prompted so that you will be able to participate in the meeting.  If joining this meeting from your computer, you do not need to download the app – just click on the “Join Microsoft Teams Meeting” link below.  When a webpage […]

December 22, 2021 CAMDEN, ME – For the 14th consecutive year, the Camden Public Library (CPL) has earned the distinction of being a “Star Library” as determined by the Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service (Index). The library was judged on criteria such as circulation, library visits, program attendance, and public internet use on a per capita basis, and compared to peers libraries. CPL has also received the Index’s esteemed five-star rating, their highest possible star rating, for the 12th year in a row. The 2021 Index was derived from data released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for FY19. A total of 5,846 U.S. public libraries were scored in groupings based on total operating expenditures. Ratings of five, four, and three stars are awarded to […]