LEAP DAY!
Friday, February 29, 2008
West End Author – Back from the Arctic
West End author Patricia Reis has returned from the Arctic
and released a new DVD, Arctic Refuge Sutra: Teachings
from an Endangered Landscape. Produced and narrated by
Reis, the DVD captures the experience of her August 2006
journey down the Sheenjek River in Alaska’s Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge; one of the most remote areas in the United
States.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge spans nearly 20 million
acres and protects an undisturbed arctic ecosystem. It is the
only conservation system in North America that remains
largely untouched by human activity.
Reis is a writer and psychotherapist in the West End. She is
the author of numerous articles and three books which focus
on women’s psychology, myth, and dreams, including The
Dreaming Way, and Daughters of Saturn which is now in its
third printing. She is currently working in fiction.
Partial proceeds from sales of Arctic Refuge Sutra go to
Alaska Wilderness League. www.alaskawild.org. The 24-
minute DVD comes in eco-friendly wallet packaging and
costs $14.99 on-line at www.filmbaby.com/films/2657 .
For more about Reis, visit www.patriciareis.net.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER
Police to Demonstrate Crisis Response
On Saturday, March 1 at approximately 9:30 am, the Portland
Police Department will be conducting a live training exercise
for various police units dealing with a crisis situation.
Members of the Special Reaction Team, Hostage Negotiations
Unit,Haz-Mat, and Hazardous Devices Units, along with
patrol officers and command staff members will respond to
and deal with a staged crisis at the Adams School at 48
Moody Street on Munjoy Hill . The exercise is
expected to last several hours.
The Portland Police Department invited the news media to
take part in this exercise, to view the crisis response
capabilities of the Department and participate in the role of
media responding to an active scene.
For further details please contact Sergeant Dan Hayden at
831-2554.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
911 Call Stops Congress Street Mugging
On February 18th at 7PM, police responded to call from a
witness near 658 Congress Street, across the street from Joe’
s Smoke Shop, in reference to an assault. The witness stated
that a male was assaulting another male, who appeared to be
intoxicated and was on the ground.
Upon arrival, police found Raynold Labree, 23, a Portland
resident, attacking the victim, who had received a bruise to
the left eye and a bloody nose. Nickolaus Carrow, 21, of
Portland, the second male seen by the witness, was also there.
The 45-year-old victim told police that the two men were
initially trying to help him enter his apartment building, but
then he was attacked and his keys were stolen by the men.
The keys were recovered from Labree's possession, and he
was arrested and charged with assault and robbery. Carrow
was arrested and charged with robbery. -Marge Niblock
West Ender Sets UMaine Record in 400 Meter Dash
West End resident and University of Maine student-athlete
Skip Edwards set a new school record with a time of 48.43
in the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash at the 2008
America East Championships held on Saturday, February
23rd in Boston.
His time of 48.79 was good for third place in the event.
Edwards was also a member of the 4x400 meter relay team
that took fifth place in a time of 3:20:78. Maine as a team
placed eighth in the competition with 28 points.
Edwards was a track and football star at Portland High
School. He attends the University of Maine in Orono.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
O’Donnell Won’t Run for State
Legislature
Former Portland Mayor and City Councilor Peter O’Donnell
has changed his mind about his plan to move back to Munjoy
Hill to run for the District 120 seat in the Maine legislature. O’
Donnell was the second Democrat to announce a run for the
seat, joining local activist Ed Democracy as well as two
Green Party members and a Republican in the race. The
Greens will first face off in June primaries and the
Democrats may yet find another candidate to face
Democracy in a primary.
O’Donnell said that in his campaign he would promote a
neighborhood health center, as well as addressing issues
regarding the state’s tax structure and creating economic
development by promoting jobs and businesses in Portland.
However, he decided it would be impossible to renew his
political career and still focus on being a full-time student.
O’Donnell served as Portland’s mayor from 1992 to 1993.
He represented Munjoy Hill as a city councilor and also
served as an at-large councilor.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Council to Discuss Global Communities
Task Force
The Portland City Council at its February 25th meeting will
discuss the formation of a Mayor's Global Communities
Task Force. The purpose of the newly-formed committee
would be to improve the quality of life and increase economic
development opportunities by convening a summit on
Portland's Global Connections and Opportunities and
submitting recommendations to the City Council from the
summit to be held in the fall of 2008.
Representatives from the following sectors and a Chair and
Vice Chair shall be appointed by the Mayor.
-Arts & Cultural Section
(3 Representatives)
-Business Sector
(3 Representatives)
-Citizen Diplomacy Groups
(5 Representatives)
-Education Sector
(3 Representatives)
-Governor’s Committee on Citizen Diplomacy
(1 Representative)
-GPCOG
(3 Representatives)
-International Residents
(3 Representatives)
-ME International Trade Center
(1 Representative)
The Task Force will report its findings and recommendations
to the Council on or before March 1, 2009.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Four Candidates Announce Plans to Run
for State Legislature from Munjoy Hill
Two Greens, a Republican and a Democrat have announced
plans to run for the District 120 seat in the Maine Legislature
being vacated by Representative Anne Rand, who is running
for the State Senate.
Former school board member Ben Meiklejohn will face off in
a Green Party primary against newcomer Sandy Amborn.
Republican Peter Doyle has also joined the race, as has
Democrat Ed Democracy. Democracy is a local housing
advocate who is also active with the Munjoy Hill
Neighborhood Organization and is on the staff of the Munjoy
Hill Observer, the monthly neighborhood newspaper.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Benefit Show to be Held for Daniel Noel
"After the Flood"
February 25th, 7:30pm
Portland Stage Company
25a Forest Ave.
Tickets are Pay what you can; Suggested donation $10
A benefit show will be performed at the Portland Stage
Company on Monday, February 25th for well-known actor,
writer, and activist Daniel Noel , who lost nearly his entire
collection of art, books, record albums, and
manuscripts, as well as most of his personal belongings, in a
flood at his apartment on the weekend of January 12th. Noel
had been away from his apartment at 67 West Street for
several days when he was apprised of the situation by an
upstairs neighbor. The flood was apparently caused by a
faulty thermostat and several burst pipes.
Noel estimated that he had about 1,700 books, many of them
signed collectibles, first editions and antiques.He also had
over 700 albums, most of whose covers were irreparably
water-damaged. Some of the books were so water-logged
they were swollen into the bookshelves that housed them.
Also lost in the flood was a large collection of artwork by
local artists that Noel had collected over the years.
Noel is the author of Longfellow: A Life in Words, a play
marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the famous
local poet. The play recently completed its world premier run
at the Portland Stage Company, receiving strong reviews.
The research papers for the play, as well as personal letters,
photographs, and other theater memorabilia were also lost in
the flood.
The benefit will raise money to replace the furniture, clothing,
appliances and personal items that were lost.
Poets, actors, singers, readers, believers and friends of Daniel
Noel will be performing their gifts from the heart to help him
get back on his artistic, financial, and spiritual feet.
Friday, February 22, 2008
City Holds Public Forum on
Transportation and Public Transit
The City of Portland held a public forum on transportation
and public transit on Thursday, February 21, 2008 The
feedback received from about 100 people at the meeting will
help shape the City's Peninsula Transit Study.
The forum focused on transportation trade-offs, including
increasing bike lanes versus expansion of City parking,
offering employer benefits for public transportation users,
and car pool incentives.
Participants at the forum sat around tables where they were
able to mark on large street maps of the peninsula their ideas
for how the city could be made more walkable, possible
improvements in the city's public transit system, how the city
could be made more bicycle-friendly, and how driving and
parking in the city could be improved. They were also given
sheets to express any ideas they had for transportation
improvements in the city.
Former Portland Mayor Anne Pringle talked about her four
years of work on what she called the "much maligned"
Peninsula Traffic Study Committee. At one point she
inadvertently referred to traffic activists as "traffic accidents."
Munjoy Hill resident Katie Brown talked about the work of
the Franklin Reclamation Authority and its attempts to restore
the Franklin Arterial to a condition that is more pedestrian and
neighborhood friendly.
City Councilor Kevin Donoghue, Chair of the Peninsula
Transit Study Committee, and representatives from the
transportation firm Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates led
the discussion. They plan to hold another forum in May,
and plan to process the information gathered at the first
forum within the next two weeks.
The forum was held at the new Ocean Gateway Marine
Passenger Terminal on Commercial Street, next to the Maine
State Pier and Casco Bay Ferry Terminal.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
City Launches "Volunteer Portland"
An opportunity for citizens to give back to the City
On February 14th, Portland launched its Volunteer Portland
program, a web-based initiative designed to allow the people
that live, work and play in the City a chance to give back by
volunteering or donating their time, services or financial
resources. The initiative was first introduced by City
Councilor Jim Cohen during his tenure as Mayor.
The site's gift catalog includes more than fifty items including
bike hitches, park benches, scholarships, and trees, available
for donation to your neighborhood or the community at large.
Donations can be made online, in person or by mail.
Volunteer opportunities include ushering at Merrill
Auditorium, working with the City Clerk's office during an
election, or mentoring a student group.
Councilor Cohen also presented the first Volunteer Portland
donation of $3,000 to the Portland Education Partnership
Program. The website, www.portlandmaine.gov/donations,
went live on February 14th.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Protesters Target "Violent Radical and Homegrown
Terrorist" Legislation
Radical cheerleaders in Monument Square
About 50 protesters held a rally in Monument Square on
February 19th in response to legislation introduced last
August by Maine Senator Susan Collins: The Violent Radical
and Homegrown Terrorist Prevention Act of 2007.
Speakers from the MCLU, the Maine Chapter of the National
Lawyers Guild, Native Forest Network as well as artist and
author Rob Shetterly addressed what the coalition believes is
a bill that seeks to silence dissent and erode civil liberties and
constitutional protections.
Organizer Maureen Block said that the legislation contained
“language of fear and intimidation.”
Maine Civil Liberties head Shenna Bellows cited the bill’s
“dangerous rhetoric.”
The rally included street theater, "radical cheerleading"
(pictured above) and a March of the Silent. The group also
visited local congressional offices throughout the afternoon.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Hinck’s Anti-Idling Bill Approved By Committee
The Natural Resources Committee has unanimously approved
a bill from West End Representative Jon Hinck, that would
conserve energy and promote cleaner air by curbing idling of
commercial vehicles. The bill, as amended by the committee,
will now move to the full House for approval.
The bill, LD 2056, is modeled after New Hampshire law and
would prohibit commercial vehicle operators from leaving
their vehicles running idle for more than five minutes when
the temperature is above freezing. Vehicles could idle longer
in colder temperatures. The law would not apply to
emergency vehicles or vehicles stuck in traffic. The bill
includes some
exemptions to provide for the safety and comfort of truck
drivers.
Committee amendments to the bill included exemptions for
temperature sensitive electronic equipment and prescription
drugs, and state police on official business.
Needless truck idling nationwide consumes more than 1
billion gallons of diesel fuel and produces 11 million tons of
carbon dioxide a year, according to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Idling not only wastes fuel, but also contributes to global
warming and causes health problems, including asthma and
heart disease. Childhood asthma is a silent epidemic in Maine.
It is the most common chronic illness in children and a leading
cause of school absences.
The bill will now go to the entire House for a vote. Bills that
have unanimous committee approval are often approved by
the
House without debate.
Have Vehicle - Will Park!
Police issued numerous summonses to the West End driver
of a Ford Explorer who left his vehicle parked at the end of
Houlton Street, a one-lane dead end street in the West End,
while he stopped to visit a friend on Brackett Street.
The driver appeared after about 20 minutes to find a line of
agitated Houlton Street residents backed up on the street, and
a Portland police officer inspecting the vehicle. The vehicle
was also straddling the sidewalk, causing pedestrians to wade
into the ice and slush of the gutter to continue their journeys.
Monday, February 18, 2008
HAPPY PRESIDENTS' DAY
Pingree Bashes Bush Budget
Congressional candidate Chellie Pingree has called President
Bush’s budget “a stack of misplace priorities” that would
slash
critical programs, increase the Pentagon’s budget to an
unprecedented level and continue the Bush tax cuts for the
wealthy.
President Bush released his final budget—a $3.1 trillion
spending plan, on February 4th.
Pingree is a candidate for Congress in Maine 1st
Congressional District. Pingree, from North Haven, is a
former President of Common Cause and Majority Leader of
the Maine Senate.
“We face some big problems right now—fixing the economy
and the healthcare system, ending the war—and this budget
makes all of those problems worse, not better. We need bold
thinking and a new direction, not more of the failed fiscal
policies of this Administration.”
The proposed budget would cut Medicare spending by $170
billion and Medicaid by $14 billion over the next five years.
“The Medicare cuts would hit hospitals, nursing homes,
hospice and home health care agencies the hardest—putting
some of them out of business.” Pingree said. “Medicaid cuts
would be felt at the state and local levels—here in Maine
already over-stressed budgets would lose another $185
million in 2008 and 2009 because of Bush Administration
budget cuts.”
“Meanwhile, the President has proposed the biggest and most
expensive military budget since World War II, while
maintaining his tax cuts that have primarily benefited the
wealthy.” The proposed budget calls for over half a trillion
dollars for the Pentagon—the biggest military budget,
adjusted for inflation, since WWII.
“This is a bad budget for Maine and a bad budget for
America,” Pingree said.
METRO Discontinues Veranda St. Bus Service
Beginning Saturday, February 16th, METRO Service to
Veranda Street has been discontinued until further notice The
Veranda Street Bridge is limited to vehicles under 15 tons,
which has resulted in route changes for METRO Routes #6
and #7. Riders using METRO Route #6 should use bus
stops on Washington Avenue.
METRO Route #7, outbound from Portland, will service a
new bus stop on Bates Street, off Washington Avenue,
heading
toward Falmouth. Inbound from Falmouth, METRO Route
#7 will add a stop near Wordsworth Street and Bates Street.
METRO provided temporary van service for riders on
Veranda Street this week while working with the City of
Portland Department of Public Works on relocating bus stops
impacted by the bridge restrictions. Information about the
route changes was distributed to METRO passengers.
METRO, with annual bus ridership averaging 1.4 million, is
Maine’s largest public transportation carrier, providing bus
service to Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth and the Maine Mall
area of South Portland. For more information, call 774-0351.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Hinck presents bill to license contractors
Also presents bill to preserve neighborhood schools
West End Representative Jon Hinck, presented two bills to
legislative committees on February 12th, one that would
require the licensing of general contractors, and a second that
would help preserve successful neighborhood schools.
Hinck presented the first bill, LD 1038, to the Business,
Research and Economic Development Committee. It would
create the Maine Home Contractor Licensing Board, which
would oversee the licensing and collection of fees. Under the
legislation, any contractors and people who perform
residential framing, roofing, siding, insulating, window work
or
chimney work would require licenses. It would also require
the adoption of a model building code.
The bill would also help make sure that contractors who take
money in advance can be found and their customers
reimbursed when a job is not completed in a workmanlike
and reasonably skilled manner.
Hinck presented the second bill, LD 2082, to the Education
Committee. It would allow for the preservation and restoration
of successful, historic, neighborhood schools as long as the
buildings substantially comply with modern energy efficiency
standards.Hinck submitted the bill as a result of the ongoing
debate over the possible renovation and future use of the
Nathan Clifford School.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Woman Shot From Outside Home
At approximately 1:30AM on Friday morning, February 15th,
the Portland Police Department responded to a shooting that
occurred at 243 Taft Avenue. Unknown individuals were
outside the residence and fired multiple shots into the exterior
of the residence. One of the fired shots struck a 32 year-old
female inside the residence. The unknown assailants fled
prior to officers’ arrival.
This is the second shooting of this nature at 243 Taft
Avenue. The first incident occurred on January 1st. The
incident is
still under investigation by the Portland Police Department.
The female was treated and released from Maine Medical
Center for the gunshot wound to her leg.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is
requested to contact the Portland Police Department at 874-
8596.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Would-Be Burglar Waits for Police
Police responding to a call of an attempted burglary at 28
Hanover Street at 5:00 PM on February 2nd, saw Ismael
Andujar,35, of Portland, standing next to the owner of the
property.
The owner informed police that when he arrived at his home
a few minutes earlier, he saw a window ajar which had been
closed when he left, and Mr. Andujar was there holding the
owner’s ice spade.
Andujar remained at the site until police arrived, and was
arrested and charged with attempted burglary and violation of
bail conditions. Police stated that he appeared to be under the
influence of intoxicating beverages. -Marge Niblock
Thursday, February 14, 2008
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
Victoria Mansion to Celebrate 150th Anniversary
Victoria Mansion will celebrate its Sesquicentennial
Anniversary this year with a kick off celebration at the end of
May.Events will include a keynote address by Earle
Shettleworth, Director of the Maine Historic Preservation
Commission on May 30, and a festival day of 19th-century
games and activities at the Mansion on May 31.
In May of 1858 Ruggles Morse broke ground at the corner of
Park and Danforth Streets in preparation for his grand
summer Mansion. A native of Maine, Morse was a self-made
man who amassed a fortune as the proprietor of luxury hotels
in New Orleans during the 1850s.
Today, Victoria Mansion is considered the most important
historic house museum of its period in the nation. The
building, designed by Henry Austin, is one of the greatest
examples of American residential architecture from before the
Civil War. The interiors by Gustave Herter are unmatched
for their quality and completeness.
Man Breaks into Car, Calls Cops
Police responded to a call from Joe’s Smoke Shop at 12:45
AM on February 4, regarding an individual wishing to turn
himself in for breaking into a car and stealing a purse.
Warren Peavey, 30, of Portland, told arriving officers that he
used a brick to smash out the window of a vehicle parked on
Cumberland Avenue and stole a purse. After looking through
the purse and finding nothing of interest in it, he left it on the
side of a street.
Peavey brought police to Oak Street, where he had
abandoned the purse, and then pointed out the damaged
vehicle, which
was in front of 419 Cumberland Avenue. He was arrested
and charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, theft, criminal
mischief (for damage to the window), and carrying a
concealed weapon, since a knife was found in his possession.
It was discovered that Peavey also had two prior outstanding
warrants for burglary to a motor vehicle and theft.
-Marge Niblock