WERU News Report 2/18/15

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Engineer/Reporter: John Greenman

Segment 1: WERU board votes to divest from fossil fuels, moving to a “socially-responsible” investment fund. WERU General Manager Matt Murphy and Board President John Greenman join us with the details.

Segment 2: A new report from Naomi Schalit of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, that will give you a clear idea of what you’re up against when you try to have some influence over your state legislators. Can you compete with the luxury resort stay and steak dinners offered by Time Warner?
(Full report: http://pinetreewatchdog.org/time-warner-made-its-case-to-legislators-at-luxury-resort/)

Segment 3: Latest news on some of the threats to Penobscot Bay, as well as plans for developing a Bay Keeper position with guests Ron Huber, Executive Director of Friends of Penobscot Bay and Sheila Dassatt, Executive Director of the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association. We open the phone lines for listener calls. FMI: http://www.penbay.net/ & http://www.downeastlobstermen.org/

WERU News Report 1/28/15

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Engineer/Reporter: John Greenman

Interactive news report covering issues with a local connection and taking calls. Today: Many Searsport veterans of the successful fight against a massive LPG tank in that town had just started a process of coming together with other residents to look at what kinds of economic development they DO want in town, when suddenly they found themselves faced with another proposed development that is raising alarms. We’ll be getting all the latest on that with our guests in the studio (Peter Taber and Harlan McLaughlin) and taking your calls as well. Before we start on that topic though, we want to take you to the University of Maine Trustee’s meeting on Monday where they made history by becoming the first land grant university system to vote to divest from coal.