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Events
Patti Gagne of Allstate Insurance tries to sell raffle tickets to Dan D’Auteuil of Isaacson & Raymond at The Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards dinner, held Feb. 9 at the Ramada Conference Center in Lewiston. See photos in Digital Edition on pages 1, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 16. (TCT photo by Laurie A. Steele)
Ron Paul wins GOP vote in Androscoggin County
Romney declared winner of Maine GOP Caucuses
Maine Republican Chairman Charles M. Webster and Vice Chair Ruth Summers issued statements on Saturday announcing Mitt Romney as the winner of this year’s Republican caucus process. They declared that Romney won Maine caucuses with 39.2 percent of the vote.
“We would like to congratulate Governor Romney on his win in the Maine caucuses, and thank Ron Paul and Mitt Romney for making stops in Maine over the past several weeks,” said Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster. “Maine People were excited to cast their first vote against the Obama agenda and we look forward to working with our Republican presidential nominee to defeat Barack Obama in Maine
“We owe many thanks and congratulations to our volunteers across the state who worked so diligently organizing these caucuses,’ said Maine GOP Vice Chair Ruth Summers. “These caucuses would not have been possible without our State Committee, who promoted this concept. It was wonderful to see so many Maine people turn out to vote in the presidential straw poll and participate in the caucus business. We are truly a grassroots party and the work they started is critical to moving our party forward and winning in November.”
Spending Spree: Gift cards, catering and travel top list of hundreds of thousands in questionable Maine Housing expenses
By The Maine Wire
http://www.themainewire.com/
Documents obtained by The Maine Wire show the Maine State Housing Authority has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on extraneous expenses – including gift cards, catering, travel, education, and consultants.
Data show MSHA made several high-dollar expenditures to Hannaford between 2008 and 2010, totaling $59,000. According to a source at Maine Housing, these payments were for gift cards that were handed out to employees, and many of the gift cards remain unaccounted for.
While an estimated 6,500 Maine families sit on a waiting list for affordable housing, and while federal cutbacks in low-income heating assistance mean needy families face a cold winter, Maine Housing, the agency in charge of mitigating both of these issues, has diverted a considerable amount of public money elsewhere.
Expenditure data released Tuesday gives a more detailed view of the massive amount of money spent by the quasi-state agency. It also raises serious questions about the financial management of the organization.
“Bands on the Run” races to benefit Museum L-A
Museum L-A invites the Twin Cities to a challenging way to have fun with a new event being planned for Sunday, June 24. Combining music with athletic competition, “Bands on the Run Half Marathon & 5K” will encourage participants and spectators to join in on the activities to benefit the museum’s work in the community.
Popular local bands of various genres will be stationed along a running course designed to offer spectacular views and varying terrain.
A military-style Kids’ Obstacle Course, immensely popular at last year’s L-A DU, will spur youngsters to test their fitness. The event will also showcase Museum L-A’s future location at 1 Beech Street, adjacent to Simard-Payne Park, where a festival-like atmosphere will prevail with live music, food and a variety of vendors. Competition gets under way with the Half Marathon starting at 8:30 a.m., followed by the 5K at 9 a.m. and the Kids’ Obstacle Course at 10 a.m.
“Cool Happenings on Lisbon Street”
The 2011-12 Lewiston Youth Advisory Council will debut its 24-minute video, entitled “Cool Happenings on Lisbon Street,” on Saturday, February 11 at 2:30 p.m. at The Downstage at LA Arts, 5 Canal Street Alley, Lewiston. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the free event.
Why film what’s happening on Lisbon Street? LYAC members have heard about Lisbon Street bustling with activity years ago. They wanted to remind residents and visitors alike that today’s Lisbon Street is being rejuvenated one storefront at a time and wanted to capture that activity as an image booster for Lewiston. The video was both filmed and edited by youth council members in partnership with Great Falls TV.
Art Walk Lewiston Auburn honored with Chamber Award
The planning committee of Art Walk Lewiston Auburn will receive the Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Leadership Award tonight, February 9, at the Chamber’s 2012 Annual Meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Ramada Conference Center in Lewiston.
Each year the Chamber of Commerce hosts an Annual Meeting, where members are invited to attend a social hour, a dinner and awards ceremony. Art Walk Lewiston Auburn will be honored at tonight’s event for their creativity, resourcefulness and ability to engage the community in creating a downtown art event each month during the summer.
During the summer of 2011, Art Walk Lewiston Auburn—a grassroots endeavor run completely by volunteers—transformed Lisbon Street into an impressive arts district, making over local businesses and storefronts into galleries featuring exclusively local artists. By the end of the summer, the Art Walk had attracted over 1,500 people, sold over $6,000 of local art and captured the attention of art organizations around the entire State of Maine.
Snowshoe Series at Androscoggin Riverlands begins Saturday
The Androscoggin Land Trust will host three snowshoe outings at the Androscoggin Riverlands to highlight the cultural and natural aspects of Maine’s fifth largest state park, just 20 minutes from Downtown Lewiston-Auburn. Take part in one or all of a three-part series exploring the Riverlands and learning about its natural and cultural history.
Each event will begin at the park entrance off Center Bridge Road in Turner and be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., highlighting a different aspect of the conservation land. These events are free and open to the public.
February 11: Legends of the Riverlands. Learn about what life used to be like at the Riverlands in the 1800s, when a small village, saw mill and schools existed along the river’s banks. In the 1920s, the village was destroyed to make way for the rising water behind the new Gulf Island Dam. Join the search for the homestead foundations that still remain in the park.
Explore a bog in the heart of Lewiston
Join the Androscoggin Land Trust and Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary as they team up for a morning of tracking wildlife in the Garcelon Bog.
On Saturday, February 11, Susan Hayward, Thorncrag environmental educator, and Mike Auger, ALT’s stewardship director, will lead a snowshoe along the boardwalk in Garcelon Bog to look for signs and tracks of the animals that call the bog their home.
Fresh snow will give up its secrets as the tracks and signs from the previous night are identified. Meet at 9 a.m. at the cul-de-sac at the end of Russell Street. This event is free and open to the public. Please dress for the weather and bring snowshoes (may not be necessary), as well as snacks and water. The program that will end around 10:30 a.m.
Open House at Benoit’s Bakery & Wine Cellar
Benoit’s Bakery & Wine Cellar at 72 Lisbon Road in Lisbon hosted an Open House on January 25, where attendees were treated to wine, freshly baked goods and gourmet food. After transforming the former greenhouse behind Benoit’s Farm Stand into the bakery and wine cellar, owner Nick Benoit has created a one-stop shop featuring the freshest produce, amazing pastries, artisan breads, mouth-watering fudge, cheese and a huge wine selection that boasts 500 labels. Benoit’s Bakery & Wine Cellar has something for everyone: wines range from $3 to $300, and pastries are offered in two affordably priced sizes. Pictured are owner Nick Benoit (right) and manager Greg Hird. (TCT photo by Jen Pike)
LA Trails to host day and night snowshoe adventures
Walk the historic Oak Hill Cemetery by morning and Simard-Payne (Railroad) Park under the full moon
LA Trails, the urban trails program of the Androscoggin Land Trust, will host two snowshoe excursions on Saturday, February 4, as part of continued efforts to raise awareness about the Androscoggin Greenway project in Lewiston-Auburn.
The first snowshoe hike will begin at the Walton School parking lot in New Auburn at 10 a.m. The trip will loop through the rolling hills and river views of the Oak Hill Cemetery, final resting place of some of Lewiston-Auburn’s most significant leaders, including Edward Little, and onto the adjacent Huston Farm Conservation Area.
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