Category: Maine Currents

Maine Currents 11/16/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman
Audio recorded by Charlie Pizzarello
Production assistance: Matt Murphy
Editing: Amy Browne

Topic: “The Gatherings: Fostering community through sharing, cooperation, learning and the arts” in Surry, Maine. A discussion of The Gatherings and clips from a recent local storytelling event held there with stories by Marjorie Longwood, Robert Stevens, Florence Reed and Margaret Baldwin.

Guests: Florence Reed- President, Norman Mrozicki- Vice President and Marjorie Longwood- steering committee member & active volunteer, of The Gatherings

FMI:
www.surrygatherings.org
www.facebook.com/groups/carryingplace/

Maine Currents 11/9/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

The Day After. Reaction to the outcome of the elections from our multi-partisan panel of local community members and listeners. The panel reflects on several months of civil discussions despite political differences in this last program of the series that start in March 2016.

Guests: Trump supporter Thomas White of the Maine Maritime Academy Republicans; Former Libertarian/Johnson supporter (now undecided) Renee Trust; Democrat/Clinton supporter Ken Gleason; Green/Stein supporter Betsy Garrold; and “3rd degree Berner” now planning to vote for Stein, Tim Wilson.

Maine Currents 11/2/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Our multi-partisan panel of local community members convenes for one last discussion of the elections prior to Election Day.

Guests: Trump supporter Thomas White of the Maine Maritime Academy Republicans; Former Libertarian/Johnson supporter (now undecided) Renee Trust; Democrat/Clinton supporter Ken Gleason; Green/Stein supporter Betsy Garrold; and “3rd degree Berner” now planning to vote for Stein, Tim Wilson.

Maine Currents 10/26/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Our multi-partisan panel tackle Question 3 on Maine’s ballot this November, with a supporter and an opponent of the measure joining us to answer questions from the panel and callers.

Question 3 is a citizen initiative that reads: “Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members, hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions, and shooting range activity?” (FMI: www.state.me.us/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html)

Panel: Trump supporter Thomas White; Libertarian/Johnson supporter Renee Trust; Democrat/Clinton supporter Ken Gleason; Green/Stein supporter Betsy Garrold; and “3rd degree Berner” now planning to vote for Stein, Tim Wilson.

Supporting Question 3: David Farmer, the campaign manager for “Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership” (responsiblemaine.org/)

Opposing Question 3: Bruce Ashmore of “Gun Owners of Maine” (www.gunownersofmaine.org/)

Maine Currents 10/19/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

“Rights At Risk” panel discussion featuring Andrea Irwin, JD, Executive Director of Mabel Wadsworth Center and Eliza Townsend, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, discussing the impacts of court decisions on women’s reproductive rights here in Maine and across the country. Judy Kahrl of Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights facilitated. Recorded at the Bangor Public Library on September 29th, 2016.

We also have a report on Friday’s announcement that a mining company’s lawsuit against the country of El Salvador was dismissed after 7 years of struggle.

FMI:
www.mabelwadsworth.org/
www.mainewomen.org/
www.grandmothersforreproductiverights.org/
www.stopesmining.org/
www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org/

Maine Currents 10/12/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Our multi-partisan panel joins us again to discuss the upcoming elections, and Emily Cain, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress for Maine’s 2nd District joins us for the first half hour to answers questions from the panel and callers. (Opponent Bruce Poliquin was invited but declined and did not respond to requests to send a campaign aide in his place). We also discuss referendum questions on Maine’s ballot and recent candidate scandals.

Guests:
Emily Cain, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress for Maine’s 2nd District Congressional. (Opponent Bruce Poliquin was invited but declined and did not respond to requests to send a campaign aide in his place).
Betsy Garrold, Green Party, Dr. Jill Stein supporter
Tim Wilson, former Bernie Sanders supporter now supporting Stein
Ken Gleason, Democrat, Hillary Clinton supporter
Renee Trust, Libertarian, Gary Johnson supporter
Republican Dave Gulya was absent this week.

Maine Currents 10/5/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

Today we welcome visitors from El Salvador and local residents who are working together through US-El Salvador Sister Cities. The right wing death squads in El Salvador’s civil war (1980-1992) were funded and trained by the US government, so alliances between citizens of these two countries may seem unlikely – but our guests explain how they are strong and mutually beneficial. We also look at some of the issues facing El Salvador today, and hear what Salvadorans are saying about the US presidential elections.

Guests:
Zulma Tobar, US-El Salvador Sister Cities staff, based in El Salvador
Carly Roach, Volunteer with US-El Salvador Sister Cities, based in El Salvador
Dennis Chinoy, PICA and City of Bangor Sister City Committee (with Carasque, El Salvador)
Karen Volckhausen, Maine farmer and member of the MOFGA committee that has a sistering relationship with CCR, a rural communities organization in El Salvador
Willie Marquart, WERU Finance Manager and former Sister Cities staff member- has worked with MOFGA committee and the sister stations WERU and Radio Sumpul in El Salvador

Maine Currents is a weekly show featuring independent local news, views and culture. Catch us on WERU-FM every Wednesday at 4pm. Send story ideas, suggestions and comments to news@weru.org

FMI:

Home

Welcome to PICA!


http://www.mofga.org/Programs/MOFGAElSalvadorSisteringProject/tabid/371/Default.aspx
https://weru.org/radio-sumpul

Past WERU reporting on El Salvador may be found here: http://weru.macrevival.com/?s=el+salvador

Maine Currents 9/28/16

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Studio Engineer: John Greenman

In November Mainers will have an opportunity to vote to legalize marijuana in the state– but the details of the ballot question are raising concerns for some folks who are otherwise pro-legalization. Today we continue the conversation about this topic from our Sept 7th show. We again hear from both sides and then take calls from listeners.

Guests:
Hillary Lister, advocate/activist, patient & caregiver
Don Christen, Founder of the Maine Vocals
Paul McCarrier, President of Legalize Maine

FMI:
www.state.me.us/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/index.html
http://www.noon1.me/
legalizemaine.net/
mevocals.weebly.com/