This week’s edition!
Archive for May 2013
Enough is Enough: Hospital debt, school grades and the history of L-A
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
It’s time for the readers of this column to step up to the plate. Our hospitals have to be paid!
The continued failure to pay this debt is denying L-A and surrounding communities the opportunity to fill between 150 to 200 shovel-ready jobs with benefits. It’s time to stop playing political games that have a direct effect on people’s lives.
The immediate payback to the hospitals is overwhelmingly supported by Democratic and Republican legislators. The problem? Senate President Justin Alfond and Speaker of the House Mark Eves refuse to bring the legislation to their respective chamber floors for a vote.
It’s time to mobilize and start flooding their offices with phone calls and emails telling them to pay the state’s debt to the hospitals.
150 New Jobs Coming to Lewiston
Argo Marketing Group founder and CEO Jason Levesque discusses plans to renovate the former McCrory’s department store building in downtown Lewiston. Behind him are (l. to r.) Career Center Manager Mary LaFontaine, Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald, Maine Dept. of Economic & Community Development Commissioner George Gervais, and Androscoggin Chamber President Chip Morrison.
A key building in downtown Lewiston will soon get new life, according to plans announced recently by the City of Lewiston. Argo Marketing Group’s projected hiring of 150 additional full-time employees over the next twelve months is prompting the company’s planned $2.4 million renovation of the former McCrory’s department store into a state-of-the-art customer contact facility and corporate headquarters.
Known for their cutting edge customer contact techniques and innovative technology initiatives, Argo Marketing Group helps provides their clients with customer support services through a variety of different mediums, data analytics, and customized software programs. Their new location in downtown Lewiston will incorporate a state-of-the-art contact center, including on-site training facilities, as well as potential retail and restaurant store fronts.
Letters: Mayors swept Lewiston’s problems under the rug
To the Editor:
These recent arsons downtown has made me one fired up inner-city preacher. First and foremost, I have always felt that my ministry was a ministry to the poor, the displaced and those who are frightened. Obviously, there is no lack of ministry opportunity in the inner city of Lewiston these days.
My faith stretches higher than a church steeple, and my vision extends far beyond a stained-glass window. It is my opinion and observation that the recent manifestation of complete chaos within the heart of our city lays in the hands of our city’s former mayoral leaders.
I believe that John Jenkins, Kaleigh Tara, Lionel Guay, and Larry Gilbert have all played a part in sweeping our city’s crime and dysfunction under the rug over the years in the name of commerce. None of them wanted to be considered negative, and all of them created a positive environment with a pro-business-like image such as “L/A it’s Happening Here.”
Bates Folk Fest rescheduled for this weekend
Alba’s Edge: (l. to r.) bassist Doug Berns, pianist Neil Pearlman, fiddler Lilly Pearlman, and percussionist Jacob Cole.
Postponed because of a February snowstorm, the third annual Bates College Folk Music Festival will takes place this weekend at campus locations to be announced. Featuring three days of contradancing, workshops and performances, the festival is open to the public.
Gov. LePage surprises retiring Auburn barber
A retirement party was held at Marco’s Restaurant in Lewiston on Saturday for Harold Smith, an Auburn barber retiring after 50 years. Governor Paul LePage surprised Smith by showing up to his retirement party. LePage and Smith are pictured here with Marco’s waitstaff: (l. to r.) Cali Blackman, Harold Smith, Janet Perrine, Andrea Beaulieu, Gov. LePage, Rebecca Borgess, Amber Marin, Kathleen Arsenault. (TCT photo by Laurie A. Steele)
Letters: Poverty doesn’t have to guarantee academic failure
To the Editor:
A student who doesn’t understand a lesson and the adult who doesn’t understand a joke may each pretend to understand. The adult’s naivety might be a lack of adult experience. A student’s deficient vocabulary might be their naivety, their lack of experience.
Deficient vocabularies find residence amidst poverty and so do difficulties in learning. This is affirmed by reviewing results from the 2012 NECAP standardized test. We expect test scores to correlate to community income, and where we find poor test scores we expect to find poverty and almost always do.
APD honors Republic Jewelry with “Challenge Coin”
Police Chief Phil Crowell presents Dan Cunliffe, II, owner of Republic Jewelry, with an official letter of thanks to go along with the “Challenge Coin” issued to the business by Detective Chad Syphers.
Detective Chad Syphers recently honored Republic Jewelry of Auburn by presenting the business with an Auburn Police Department “Challenge Coin” in recognition of Republic’s efforts to help reduce property crime in Auburn.
The Auburn Police Department (APD) has a community recognition program in which officers and staff are encouraged to present the Department’s commemorative coins to citizens they feel have gone “above and beyond” in service to the community. Citizens awarded such a coin also receive a letter of thanks from the Chief.
Enough is Enough: “Landfill Capacity” bill would cost Lewiston $215K
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
On Monday of last week I was pressed into service and sent to Augusta to testify in opposition to LD 1363 before the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resource.
LD 1363, “An Act to Ensure Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling,” was submitted by Rep. Benjamin Chipman, I—Portland. It would amend existing law to prohibit state-owned, solid-waste-disposal facilities from accepting waste from the Processing and Recycling Facilities if the waste coming to these facilities originated outside of the state.
Ella’s Chocolate, YWCA team up
Eat chocolate , send a kid to camp: during May the YWCA will be selling Ella’s Chocolates to raise funds to support their summer camp field trips.
Ella’s Chocolate is partnering with the YWCA for Mother’s Day. During May the YWCA will sell Ella’s Chocolates to raise funds to support their summer camp field trips. To learn more about the project, call the YWCA at 795-4050 or see www.ywcamaine.org.
