Check Out Our Digital Editon!
First “Ice Fest Lewiston-Auburn” is Feb. 22-24
For the first-ever Ice Fest Lewiston-Auburn, L/A Arts has partnered with DaVinci’s Eatery, Roopers and J Dostie Jewelers to present a three-day extravaganza of frosty beverages, larger-than-life ice sculptures, delicious hors d’oeuvres and live music, all of which will be capped off on Sunday with a free family day.
Ice Fest will boast three ice bars serving beer from Gritty’s and Baxter Brewing, Pinnacle Vodka Maritinis, and a new brand of “Sequin Wines” that Central Distributors will launch nationally at the event. Other attractions will include over a dozen ice sculptures, live ice sculpture demos, foods from 26 partnering eateries, fire dancers, live jazz and a bumpin’ DJ, all for just a $10 admission ticket.
Ice Fest will run from Friday, February 22 through Sunday, February 24. A special attraction on Friday and Saturday will be Flow on Fire, a group of artists who entertain audiences with high-energy fire dancing and live ice sculpture demonstrations. The evenings of Feb. 22 and 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. will be 21-and-over events; ID will be required at the door.
L-A joins“One Billion Rising” to stop violence against women
On February 14, several different groups in Lewiston-Auburn will join with activists around the world for “One Billion Rising,” the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.
A collaboration of local agencies will host events at noon at USM-LA College; at 3 p.m. in the Lewiston Public Library; at 5 p.m. at Bates College; and at 5:45 p.m. at Shaw’s in Auburn.
That collaboration includes the YWCA, Safe Voices, The Center for Wisdom’s Women, V-Day aUbUrn, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, United Somali Women of Maine and Girl Power Fitness. Community members are invited to actively participate or attend and observe as they collectively rise together to end violence against women and girls.
Anyone interested in participating in this exciting event can contact Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services at 784-5272 for more details. To learn more about V-Day activities in Androscoggin County, visit onebillionrising.org and search for local events.
Enough is Enough: There are solutions that can curb gun violence
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
Are guns good or evil? Were they created in Heaven or Hell?
Our military personnel carry guns to protect our nation from enemies outside our borders whose stated goals are to destroy our way of life. This makes firearms good.
Our law enforcement officers carry guns attempting to maintain peace and tranquility in our cities and neighborhoods. This also makes guns good.
Then we have the criminals that use guns to terrorize our cities through robbery, rape, drug trafficking and killing. They prefer the rewards obtained through the use of a firearm to the pittance earned by getting up in the morning and finding their way to a job in order to make an honest living.
Republicans support Governor’s plan for education, energy, fiscal reforms
House Republican leaders Rep. Ken Fredette (R-Newport) and Alexander Willette (R-Mapleton) applauded Governor LePage’s message in his State of the State address Tuesday night. The speech was delivered in the House Chamber before a joint session of the Legislature.
“I think the Governor struck the right tone of passionate advocacy for Maine children and families,” said Rep. Fredette. “Our policies must, above all else, ensure that Mainers have bigger paychecks, lower bills, and our children have a brighter future right here in the state that we love.”
In his speech, Governor LePage emphasized the need for education reform, for more affordable energy and to pass his plan to retire Maine’s hospital debt.
House Republicans fully support the Governor’s goal of bringing an end to the educational status quo and implementing reforms that give Maine parents more choice, better prepare students for the workplace, and deliver more accountability and transparency to Maine’s schools.
“God of Carnage” opens Friday at CLT
Alan and Annette Raleigh, left, (Mark Hazard and Cheryl Reynolds) and Veronica and Michael Novak (Michelle Vasquez-Jacobus and Roger Philippon) in “God of Carnage.” (Photo by Rachel Morin)
Community Little Theatre’s “God of Carnage,” directed by Richard Rosenberg and assistant director Celeste Philippon, opens tomorrow night at Great Falls Performing Arts Center, 30 Academy St., Auburn.
The play by Yasmina Reza with translation by Christopher Hampton opened on Broadway to rave reviews and won three Tony Awards, one being for best play. Veronica and Michael Novak, played by Michelle Vasquez-Jacoubus and Roger Philippon, have invited Annette and Alan Raleigh, portrayed by Cheryl Reynolds and Mark Hazard, to their home to decide what should be done about their two 11-year-old sons fighting. The Novaks and Raleighs are in for an evening they won’t forget.
Chamber honored businesses large and small at 125th Annual Meeting
Community Service Leadership Award, presented by Stephanie Gelinas (l.) from Sandcastle Clinical and Educational Services, to Julia Sleeper and Kim Sullivan of Tree Street Youth.
Chamber members and guests gathered at the Ramada Conference Center on Thursday, January 24 for the 125th Annual Meeting and Awards program —The Chamber’s largest event of the year.
The Annual Meeting featured The Chamber Awards program, emceed by Chamber Board Chair Mary LaFontaine of the Lewiston Career Center. Those being recognized include: The Chamber’s new members in 2012; past and present Chamber leaders; and the distinguished community members who will receive The Chamber’s highest awards.
New this year, The Young Professionals of the Lewiston Auburn area presented their annual awards at The Chamber annual meeting. The first will be presented to Travis Dow, who is most notably recognized as the head of sales for Uncle Andy’s Digest. In the past two years Travis has launched two new businesses “The Maine Home Show” and “MenusinLA.com.” Both of these ventures were enormous undertakings that were launched for the principal purpose of helping promote local small businesses.
DEP shuts off fuel surcharge to save Mainers millions
Improved fiscal management at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will save Mainers millions of dollars this year when they fill up on fuel to heat their homes and power their cars.
For the first time in seven years, DEP has turned off the 20-cent-per-barrel surcharge on gasoline imported into the state and the 10-cent-per-barrel surcharge on all other petroleum products—including home heating oil.
That move will prevent an estimated $5.5 million in surcharges in 2013 and is supported by the Fund Insurance Review Board (FIRB), the independent board that oversees the State’s Groundwater Oil Clean-Up Fund, administered by DEP to pay for cleaning up discharges of oil from storage tanks.
The fund is supported by a 38-cent-per-barrel base fee on gasoline and a 19-cent base fee on all other petroleum products. When its balance drops below $5 million for more than a month, by state law the additional surcharges kick on.
Enough is Enough: Women in combat, common sense and Casella waste
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
In the spring of 1966 many of us dumb, adventurous, carefree neighborhood guys were weeks away from graduation. Our conquest of the world lay before us. We pondered our next move. What road should we follow? Every Irish kid’s dream: a civil service job? College? The military?
A combination of foolishness and testosterone overcame common sense. There was a war going on in a country few had heard of and fewer could find on a map. The Marines needed a few good boys to turn into fighting men. The Marines had a solid combat reputation and great-looking uniforms which, combined with a few medals, made an exceptional “chick magnet.”
The physical training applied in the infantry pushes recruits beyond what would be characterized as their physical limits. Once this is accomplished, the next phase necessitates stripping them of emotions that would cause them to view their enemy as human. Once this was complete, additional training followed and you were ready for combat.
OP/ED: Common-sense gun laws are needed to combat the NRA’s war
By Laurent F. Gilbert
The NRA’s war against America. That’s right, the new National Rifle Association is not the old NRA that published an outstanding magazine called “Field and Stream.” It enjoyed the support of hunters and sports enthusiasts all over the country.
As time wore on, the leadership got into bed with the gun-making industry and through its minions went to war on any and all gun legislation under the guise of protecting the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Even strict constructionist and right-leaning Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has said that the right to bear arms isn’t absolute and could be changed in the future. As far as I’m concerned, the future is now.
When will we, as law-abiding citizens, demand that our legislators develop enough intestinal fortitude and political will to enact legislation to hopefully reduce the needless deaths that occur daily in our country? That’s right, 34 people are killed every day with the use of guns. That’s well over 12,000 people killed with the use of guns every year. Add to that another 18,000 suicides for a total of 30,000 deaths. That comes close to the entire population of Lewiston wiped out in one year. The NRA fights everything and anything that could reduce these needless deaths. To me, that is their war on America!
“Area Artists 2013” on view at Atrium Gallery
“Sunflowers” (acrylic on canvas) by Robert Gibson
The Atrium Art Gallery at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College is displaying the work of 78 artists from Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties in its biennial exhibition, “Area Artists 2013.”
The exhibition, which began January 18 and continues through March 21, includes paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and works in clay, wood, fiber, metal, and mixed media. It presents works in a variety of styles, from representational to abstract, with landscapes, figure studies and portraits, still lifes, and sculptural work. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus, the Atrium Art Gallery will be offering works in the exhibition for sale, with proceeds going to the artists and the Lewiston-Auburn College Scholarship Fund.
Spiller’s president Ray Martel remarked that his company is proud of its ongoing support for the biennial exhibition series and for the advancement of the arts and artists in the tri-county area. The series, which began in 1994, has highlighted the work of hundreds of artists from Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |