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Archive for May 2011

The Auburn Exchange Club is proud to host a “Field of Honor: Tribute to Veterans” flag display to honor and salute service men and women of the past, present and future. This event features a display of 400 American flags at the Simard-Payne Memorial Park (Railroad Park) in Lewiston. The event is free and open to the public daily, May 28 through Memorial Day, May 30.

Carbonite to employ 250 in Lewiston

Carbonite, a leading provider of online backup, and Governor Paul LePage announced on Tuesday the opening of a new customer support center in Lewiston that is expected to employ 150 skilled workers by the end of this year. Carbonite ultimately expects to employ more than 250 people in Lewiston.

The company has operated a customer-service call center in India for the past five years. But with a firm commitment to providing excellent customer service, Carbonite decided to “repatriate” those jobs back to the U.S.

Based in Boston, the company chose Lewiston for its proximity to headquarters, affordable commercial space, high-tech infrastructure and a ready supply of computer savvy workers. With several colleges in the area churning out students in the technology field, Carbonite sees the potential for its future workforce.

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LaBonte: There’s no place you’d rather be

By Jonathan P. LaBonte

TCT Columnist

During Lewiston’s Bicentennial celebration in 1995, local writers and musicians created “Lewiston: A New Home”, a play that won a New England Theatre Conference award for “Best Play.” Its narrative celebrated the rich history of the city and, in part, reminisced about the glory days.

While I wasn’t able to attend the play during its first release, in 2006 the Franco-American Heritage Center rolled it out again on concert format. Attending one of those performances, all of which sold out, literally gave me goose bumps. You could feel the energy in the room as longtime residents recalled the days of working in the mills and the social life that emerged from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon Street.

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Op/Ed: New chairman seeks to rebuild Lewiston Republican base

By Tim Lajoie

Chairman, Lewiston Republican City Committee

Ask a room full of people in Lewiston if anyone is a Republican—go ahead, it’s okay. Ask. You’re likely to see a few heads to glance quickly from side to side to see if anyone is looking and then a sheepish nod with a half-hearted raised hand before putting it down quickly.

In a city that has gone to the Democrats by an average margin of victory of 35% in the last 10 years, it’s clear we’re a minority—and a silent one at that.

In fact, about the only thing Republicans can celebrate in this city is that we could probably accuse the Democrats of shamelessly running up the score. For a party that prides itself on having a big heart and strong feelings, this Republican is not feeling any love from the Democrats. I only feel their boot heel on the back of my neck, and deservedly so. To the victors go the spoils, I guess.

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Mayor’s Corner: Endless greed is never enough for those with the most!

By Laurent F. Gilbert Sr.

Mayor of Lewiston

That’s right: endless greed is never enough for those with the most. The bottom line of profit is what prevails in the minds of those who continually strive to increase their corporate and personal gain. It usually comes at a price for those who may still be remaining in the middle class (if there is such an animal any longer) and those who are elderly and on fixed incomes.

We need only look at the recent passage of the Republican-led U.S. House of Representative budget that would privatize Medicare by turning it into a voucher system. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in the first year of the voucher program, out-of-pocket expenses for seniors would double under the Republican plan to more than 12,500 annually. For seniors on a fixed income, a doubling of out-of-pocket expenses is simply unaffordable, particularly when the average Social Security benefit is only $14,000 per year.

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L-A Memorial Day parade is Saturday

The Lewiston and Auburn Memorial Day parade will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 28.

Starting from Kennedy Park in Lewiston, the parade will go to Chestnut Street, Lisbon Street and Main Street, over Longley Bridge, around Platz Plaza in Auburn, then return and end at Veterans Park in Lewiston.

Anyone interested in participating in the parade should contact Chairman Willie Danforth at 777-4759.

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Memorial Day: Let Us Never Forget

By Senator Susan Collins

(R-Maine)

In an 1884 Memorial Day address, Joshua Chamberlain observed that throughout history civilizations have honored their heroes with towering monuments of stone, all built for the ages but all doomed to crumble and fall.

The monuments that last, said the hero of Gettysburg, are those we build in our hearts, where the defenders of humanity’s highest ideals “shall live and rise and spread in blessing beyond our sight—and beyond the touch of time.”

This most hallowed day originated just where General Chamberlain said it should: in the heart. With the battles of the Civil War still raging and the outcome in doubt, grieving wives and mothers in the North and South began placing wildflowers on the modest graves of the fallen from both sides of the conflict.

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New Citylink buses arrive in Lewiston-Auburn

The LA community saw a lot more purple on Monday morning, as three 35-foot low-floor purple Citylink transit buses hit the streets for the first time.

The heavy-duty, 31-passenger Gillig buses were completely funded by American Reinvestment Recovery Act Funds (ARRA). American-made buses that were manufactured in Hayward, Calif., they include two wheelchair tie-down locations.

“These are real heavy-duty transit coaches that will serve the communities well for the next 12 years,” said Pat Christian, general manager of Western Maine Transportation Services, Inc.

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Field of Honor: 400-flag display will honor veterans

The Auburn Exchange Club is proud to host a “Field of Honor: Tribute to Veterans” flag display to honor and salute service men and women of the past, present and future. This event features a display of 400 American flags attached to eight-foot flagpoles and installed in a grid at the Simard-Payne Memorial Park (Railroad Park) in Lewiston.

The intent is to provide a moving tribute to the men and women who are now serving or have served in the military branches of the United States of America.

The Field of Honor event is free and open to the public daily, May 28 through Memorial Day, May 30. Come with your family and friends to walk among the flags, or bring a lawn chair and experience the Spirit of America as you never have before.

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Collins: Speculators are driving up cost of gas

By Senator Susan Collins

(R-Maine)

Soaring oil and gas prices are placing a heavy burden on Maine families, truck drivers, farmers, fishermen, schools, small businesses, mills and factories. In just the last six months, the price of regular gasoline here in Maine has increased by about one dollar to a statewide average of around $4 per gallon.

The average price of home heating oil is $3.60 per gallon, with plenty of chilly nights still to come.

Some regions have been hit especially hard: in Aroostook County, the price per gallon of regular gas has reached $4.20. And people throughout our state have seen the effect of rising transportation costs whenever they buy groceries or other goods.

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