Weekend Voices 12/11/10

Executive Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributing Producers: Andree Bella, Meaghan LaSala

Segment 1: Amy Browne interviews John Christie and Naomi Schalit, Senior Reporters for the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, about their recent series of articles on Maine’s new Speaker of the House, Robert Nutting, and his history of overbilling MaineCare and then declaring his drug store bankrupt. What are the details of the Representative Nutting’s over-billing of MaineCare (ie Medicaid)? Was the money ever paid back? How do his fellow legislators feel that history reflects on him as a legislator? FMI: www.pinetreewatchdog.org

Segment 2: Andree Bella talks with Jennifer Hill of the “Belfast Area Transition Initiative”. What is the initiative? How can people get involved and/or start a similar project in their own community? FMI: rooted@fairpoint.net, 207-722-3383

Segment 3: Meaghan LaSala reports on the nurse’s strike at Eastern Maine Medical Center. Sounds from the November 22nd nurse’s strike at EMMC, and a follow up interview with Judy Brown, President of the Nurses Union. What are the main issues that caused the nurses to strike? What were the nurses hoping the strike will accomplish? What is EMMC’s position on the contract language? Are staffing ratios a broader, national problem?