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NEWS BRIEFS
CASCO
BAY JAMIE HOGAN AWARDED LUPINE HONOR - Peaks Island illustrator Jamie Hogan was awarded the 2007 Lupine Honor, along with Massachusetts author Mitali Perkins for their children¹s book, RICKSHAW GIRL, at the 19th Reading Round-up Conference on April 17, 2008, in Augusta, Maine. RICKSHAW GIRL is set in modern-day Bangladesh and is about Naima, a girl trying to help her family when financial misfortune hits. The Illustrator was surprised and delighted to be chosen. To illustrate the book, Hogan immersed herself in research, studying photos of daily life in Bangladesh and source books on the Bengali artworks called alpanas that feature in the story. , She also credits her island home environment, which calls “a raw and beautiful place.” Hogan’s daughter, Daisy and her Nepali-born friend, Nirmala posed for sketches. Hogan has been mentored by island talents such as children¹s book illustrators and authors Kevin Hawkes, Anne Sibley O'Brien, and Scott Nash. Photos of Hogan as well as illustrations from RICKSHAW GIRL are available at: http://www.hoganbraun.com/jamiehogan/
TRAP NEUTER
RETURN (TNR) PROJECT (Peaks Island)– The Animal Refuge League (ARL)
of Greater Portland with support from the City of Portland will
conduct a TNR program to reduce the feral cat population on Peaks.
It will result in fewer, healthier and less troublesome cats in our
neighborhood. A community-wide meeting was held on Wednesday, April
16th at the Community Center to explain and discuss the project. A
grant of $5000 from PetSmart Charities has been secured to fund the
project. Friends of Feral Felines (FFF) will provide some logistical
support and extra traps. Several veterinarians will do the
neutering, rabies shots and FIV testing. “We probably have between
20 and 80 feral cats on the island,” says project coordinator Howard
Pedlikin, “and are hopeful that some [of these cats] can perhaps be
adopted locally.” The Project SCHEDULE is as follows: PORTLAND SCHOOL BUDGET HEARING (Portland) - The Portland City Council will hold a public hearing on the Portland Public Schools budget for fiscal year 2009 on Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Portland City Hall. The council’s Finance Committee has unanimously approved the $89.5 million budget proposed by the Portland School Committee. The full City Council is scheduled to vote on the school budget on May 5. A first-ever referendum on Portland’s school budget will take place on May 13. Maine’s new School Administrative Reorganization Law requires all districts to hold budget votes. All Portland polling places will be open for the May 13th election. A majority of those who cast ballots must approve the budget in order for it to take effect. Detailed information about the school budget is available on the Portland Public Schools Web site: www.portlandschools.org.
PORTLAND
CITY BUDGET CHANGES (Portland) - To address significant revenue
shortfalls, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes a
number of changes or reductions to valued services provided by the
City. In order to maintain or preserve some of these services, the
City is seeking opportunities for public-private partnerships with
members of the community. Community groups, residents and businesses
are encouraged to consider a financial donation earmarked for any of
the following targeted budget items. Items available for
public-private partnerships include: STATE & NATIONAL DOWNEASTER TRAIN SERVICE BEGINS(Augusta) - Downeaster passenger train service to Brunswick got a go ahead from the Legislature Friday evening, as the State Senate enacted an Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Passenger Rail Funding. The bill, sponsored by Representative Boyd Marley, D-Portland, sets up the funding mechanism for the State Transit, Aviation and Rail (STAR) Transportation Fund and outlines disbursements from it. Under this measure, about $3 million annually would be raised for the "STAR" account from short term auto rentals and distributed to support transit, aeronautics and rail transportation including the Downeaster train service. Interest on a Federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing or RRIF loan covering the expense of upgrading passenger rail route from Portland to Brunswick would be covered by the fund. The bill now goes to Governor Baldacci for his signature. MAINE MEDICARE/MEDICAID GRANT (Washington D.C.) – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded a $305,915 grant to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Elder and Adult Services for its State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). “In a time when the rising cost of healthcare has overwhelmed seniors across the nation, Maine’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program has consistently provided helpful and informative healthcare support to the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” Senators Snowe and Collins. “Continued federal funding for this vital program is essential to ensure a healthy and vibrant future for Maine’s senior citizens.” SNOWE INTRODUCES COST REDUCTION BILL FOR FISHING INDUSTRY (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), introduced legislation in April to reduce the economic impact imposed on Maine’s fishing industries by conservation requirements “If the Federal government does not provide any financial assistance to the lobster industry, it is no exaggeration to say that these new regulations could put many of our hard-working lobstermen out of business. The overall effect on Maine’s coastal communities could be devastating,” Senator Snowe said. “This bill would provide some much needed relief for our industry and our state.” The Fisheries Capital Construction Fund Enhancement Act of 2008 would take a step toward alleviating the economic and safety impacts of these rules by opening fishermen’s individually held Capital Construction Funds, or CCF’s, to purchases of fishing gear required to meet conservation measures required within a fishery or for purchase of equipment to increase the safety of life at sea. Currently, fishermen can deposit a portion of their pre-tax income into a CCF, and that money can then be withdrawn for purchase or reconstruction of fishing boats. By expanding the qualified withdrawals from these accounts, Senator Snowe’s bill would reduce the safety and economic impacts of these and other fishing regulations.
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