Small towns are taking large steps to spark the “go green” movement in the state of Maine. Now the central Maine area is seeing the results of their efforts. On February 12, 2010 Waterville and Winslow, and the group Sustain Mid-Maine were awarded a $170,000 grant from the State of Maine Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant program. The grant is issued with the intention of towns implementing a two year energy savings plan that will help lower home energy use and promote the use of renewable energy resources.
The announcement comes about one year after the towns took action to make green energy a possibility in central Maine. On a snowy weekend in January of 2009, more than 60 central Maine citizens gathered at the Waterville Opera House in order to discuss how the region should handle the issues of global climate change and rising oil prices.
The Energy Conservation and Sustainability catalyst took to Main Street, Waterville, and involved input from a diverse group of people. Contributors included teachers, college students, state legislators, engineers, retiree, and many other members of the community. Every person had the opportunity to speak their mind about how the area should tackle the issue of sustainability. Not only will the grant aid in sustainability, but it will also help in the creating of new jobs, claimed John Joseph, Energy Committee Chair of Sustain Mid-Maine.
“The plan we devised is in line with local and national efforts and aspirations to accelerate energy conservation, the use of renewable resources, and the creation of productive jobs for the future,” Joseph explained.
These new job opportunities will provide a much needed uplift in the struggling economy, seen both nationally and locally. It is estimated that the plans for the grant will create more than a dozen local jobs and could save over $115,000 in energy costs for Waterville and Winslow homes each year. As of December 2009, the unemployment rate in Waterville was 8.5%, a bit higher than the Maine average (maine.gov). The creation of jobs, on top of the energy conservation benefit, makes the grant a win-win situation.
Central Mainers have been given the opportunity to set a “green” example for the rest of the state, and the country to some extent. Now it is up to them to put this opportunity into the spot light.
Citation:
Carnrick, Doug (2009). Community Catalyst Creates Vision 2020. http://www.waterville- me.gov/content/1245679528sustainability---community-catalyst-creates-vision-2020,- ch.pdf. Accessed February 23, 2010.
Erario, Steve (2010). City Awarded $170,000 for Energy Saving Projects. http://www.waterville- me.gov/news/article.php?id=128. Accessed February 23, 2010.
Maine Department of Labor (2010). Local Area Unemployment Statistics. http://www.maine.gov/labor/lmis/laus.html Accessed: February 25, 2010.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Hockey and Haiti
Hockey and Haiti
For Immediate Release
ORONO- A Haitian earthquake relief group is looking to the ice for assistance. The University of Maine is combining with a local healthcare partnership group in order to raise money for the struggling country after its devastating earthquake. The university is sponsoring a “white out”, in which all students are encouraged to wear white for school support, at the men’s ice hockey game this Saturday. Students will have the opportunity to make lots of noise, support their team, and raise money for the earthquake response efforts in Haiti.
During the game, raffle tickets will be sold for a drawing which will include numerous prizes. The major draw of the raffle is a UMaine hockey jersey, autographed by all the players. Raffle participants will also have the chance to win gift cards to local restaurants and bars. Tickets for the drawing will be sold for $5 for the first ticket, and $1 for each following ticket. All proceeds from the raffle will go directly to Konbit Sante, a Maine based volunteer partnership with the goal of helping to care for the Haitian community.
Konbit Sante, based out of Portland, ME, works with the Haitian Ministry of Health in order to better the health care system in Haiti. The group has been involved with teaching nursing, pediatrics, internal medicine, urology, as well as many other health areas. With the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, Konbit Sante is working extra in order to clean up and reestablish normalcy in the troubled country.
The Black Bears look to get their season back on track, after suffering two tough losses against conference rival Boston University. They will be taking on the Minutemen of UMass-Lowell Saturday, in the second of a two game series kicking off Friday night. The Black Bears are led by Gustav Nyquist who has 14 goals and 28 assists, for a total of 42 points on the season. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. for both games.
To learn more about Konbit Sante, please visit their website at http://www.konbitsante.org/.
For Immediate Release
ORONO- A Haitian earthquake relief group is looking to the ice for assistance. The University of Maine is combining with a local healthcare partnership group in order to raise money for the struggling country after its devastating earthquake. The university is sponsoring a “white out”, in which all students are encouraged to wear white for school support, at the men’s ice hockey game this Saturday. Students will have the opportunity to make lots of noise, support their team, and raise money for the earthquake response efforts in Haiti.
During the game, raffle tickets will be sold for a drawing which will include numerous prizes. The major draw of the raffle is a UMaine hockey jersey, autographed by all the players. Raffle participants will also have the chance to win gift cards to local restaurants and bars. Tickets for the drawing will be sold for $5 for the first ticket, and $1 for each following ticket. All proceeds from the raffle will go directly to Konbit Sante, a Maine based volunteer partnership with the goal of helping to care for the Haitian community.
Konbit Sante, based out of Portland, ME, works with the Haitian Ministry of Health in order to better the health care system in Haiti. The group has been involved with teaching nursing, pediatrics, internal medicine, urology, as well as many other health areas. With the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, Konbit Sante is working extra in order to clean up and reestablish normalcy in the troubled country.
The Black Bears look to get their season back on track, after suffering two tough losses against conference rival Boston University. They will be taking on the Minutemen of UMass-Lowell Saturday, in the second of a two game series kicking off Friday night. The Black Bears are led by Gustav Nyquist who has 14 goals and 28 assists, for a total of 42 points on the season. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m. for both games.
To learn more about Konbit Sante, please visit their website at http://www.konbitsante.org/.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The One Who Smiles
An infectious smile, a contagious laugh, and a kind and giving heart come together in perfect unison to form the character of Kate Dutil. While those who know her well lover her for her kind heart, those who meet her cannot help but appreciate her positive attitude. What many people do not know, however, is the extreme amount of hard work and perseverance that it took to get her to this point in her life.
On the outside, Kate seems as though she has it all, and to some extent she does. It is not, however, the result of simple good fortune. It is instead the result of hard work and determination. From early on, she understood the value of hard work. Academically, Kate was an honor student, making high marks in honors classes all through high school. The transition from high school to college proved to be a challenge, but Kate handled it with ease. Originally majoring in the field of molecular and cellular biology, Kate thrived in the lab environment. She made a name for herself in the predominantly male major. Even with that success, however, Kate realized after some time that her true passion was in teaching. In the spring of 2010, Kate began a new journey in the world of secondary education.
“Kate will make a great teacher. She is a hard worker and very smart. Students will be lucky to have her as a teacher,” friend Melissa Leach said with pride.
Shifting from one major to another was a difficult experience, but not an impossible one. Kate has managed to do it with ease, maintaining excellent marks and sustaining her friendships. What made it easier for her?
“I used my experiences switching from land sports to swimming to help me when I switched majors too,” Kate explained.
After being diagnosed with a tendon problem in her knee, Kate was forced to give up here interest in land athletics and refocus her attention on swimming.
“Hurting my knee definitely was an obstacle, but I decided to look on the bright side,” she claimed. “Not being able to run was difficult, but I wanted to try swimming and give it my all.”
That she did. After much training, nobody remembered the injury. Kate took to the water immediately. She earned the school records in the 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, and the 400 freestyle relay. Not only did she break school records in those races, but her relay team also qualified for the New England tournament four years in a row, an unprecedented achievement for her team.
Wherever she ends up in her career and whatever obstacles may come up, Kate will without a doubt find success, and she will do so with a smile on her face.
On the outside, Kate seems as though she has it all, and to some extent she does. It is not, however, the result of simple good fortune. It is instead the result of hard work and determination. From early on, she understood the value of hard work. Academically, Kate was an honor student, making high marks in honors classes all through high school. The transition from high school to college proved to be a challenge, but Kate handled it with ease. Originally majoring in the field of molecular and cellular biology, Kate thrived in the lab environment. She made a name for herself in the predominantly male major. Even with that success, however, Kate realized after some time that her true passion was in teaching. In the spring of 2010, Kate began a new journey in the world of secondary education.
“Kate will make a great teacher. She is a hard worker and very smart. Students will be lucky to have her as a teacher,” friend Melissa Leach said with pride.
Shifting from one major to another was a difficult experience, but not an impossible one. Kate has managed to do it with ease, maintaining excellent marks and sustaining her friendships. What made it easier for her?
“I used my experiences switching from land sports to swimming to help me when I switched majors too,” Kate explained.
After being diagnosed with a tendon problem in her knee, Kate was forced to give up here interest in land athletics and refocus her attention on swimming.
“Hurting my knee definitely was an obstacle, but I decided to look on the bright side,” she claimed. “Not being able to run was difficult, but I wanted to try swimming and give it my all.”
That she did. After much training, nobody remembered the injury. Kate took to the water immediately. She earned the school records in the 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, and the 400 freestyle relay. Not only did she break school records in those races, but her relay team also qualified for the New England tournament four years in a row, an unprecedented achievement for her team.
Wherever she ends up in her career and whatever obstacles may come up, Kate will without a doubt find success, and she will do so with a smile on her face.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Writing for Broadcast Media
Writing for broadcast newscasts proves to be incredibly difficult. With only a half hour show, broadcast journalists must convey all the major headlines in a very short amount of time. This includes the weather report, news stories, sports recaps, and some editorial stories. Stories, then, must be quick and to the point. While the headlines need to grab the attention of the audience, they also need to be direct in order to get the most information across in the shortest amount of time.
WGME has received multiple awards for broadcast excellence. Their stories are usually well put together and very concise. That is not to say, though, that every lead comes without error. Journalism is subjective. While the copy editors of WGME seemed to think that their piece on blasting a quarry in Westbrook on February 1, there are some parts of the story that I feel could be changed. For example, the lead of the story does nothing to grab the attention of the audience. This story is more of a human interest piece rather than a breaking news story, so it needs that much more help in coming across as important to the viewer. By delaying the lead, the writer lost my interest. It was difficult for me to figure out what exactly the story was talking about and what the major points of the story were. If I was in charge of editing copy before the airing of this story, I would have rearranged the lead to include the important details, such as the who, when, what, and where of the story. This would not only grab the attention of the viewers, but it would clarify the thesis of the story.
On top of the formatting changes, I would also make some grammatical changes to the story. There is a sentence in the middle of the story that is awkward, seeming a bit fragmented. The story reads “Pike industries owns a quarry on Spring Street” (WGME 2010). The sentence does not really fit in with the flow of the story, and seems a bit out of place. I would have included this information within another sentence, condensing the story. One of the biggest rules of journalism is to say as much as possible in as few words as possible. This was not achieved in the WGME story. Overall the story is a good one, however even good reports have room for improvement.
“To Blast or Not to Blast.” News 13 at Six.WGME, Portland. 1 February 2010.
http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wgme_vid_2282.shtml
WGME has received multiple awards for broadcast excellence. Their stories are usually well put together and very concise. That is not to say, though, that every lead comes without error. Journalism is subjective. While the copy editors of WGME seemed to think that their piece on blasting a quarry in Westbrook on February 1, there are some parts of the story that I feel could be changed. For example, the lead of the story does nothing to grab the attention of the audience. This story is more of a human interest piece rather than a breaking news story, so it needs that much more help in coming across as important to the viewer. By delaying the lead, the writer lost my interest. It was difficult for me to figure out what exactly the story was talking about and what the major points of the story were. If I was in charge of editing copy before the airing of this story, I would have rearranged the lead to include the important details, such as the who, when, what, and where of the story. This would not only grab the attention of the viewers, but it would clarify the thesis of the story.
On top of the formatting changes, I would also make some grammatical changes to the story. There is a sentence in the middle of the story that is awkward, seeming a bit fragmented. The story reads “Pike industries owns a quarry on Spring Street” (WGME 2010). The sentence does not really fit in with the flow of the story, and seems a bit out of place. I would have included this information within another sentence, condensing the story. One of the biggest rules of journalism is to say as much as possible in as few words as possible. This was not achieved in the WGME story. Overall the story is a good one, however even good reports have room for improvement.
“To Blast or Not to Blast.” News 13 at Six.WGME, Portland. 1 February 2010.
http://www.wgme.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wgme_vid_2282.shtml
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