Maine Senior FarmShare Program Information
The Maine Senior FarmShare Program entitles eligible seniors to
receive a FarmShare ($50 worth) of first quality, fresh, local produce
from a Maine farm for a core 8-week period during the growing season.
Seniors sign up directly with a participating farmer each year in April.
Different farms participating in the Senior FarmShare program offer
different types of fruits and vegetables. You should check with the
farmer before signing up to be sure the farm's offerings will meet your
needs. The fruits and vegetables will be available at different times
during the growing season.
To learn more about this program, please visit this website.
If you are uncertain about your eligibility to participate, you should
contact the Area Agency on Aging by calling the ELDERS-1 toll-free
number at 1-877-353-3771.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
State News Update
Make Your Voice Heard
There are many ways to participate in state government and to make your voice heard on issues that are important to you. You can attend public meetings of state agencies, participate in a public hearing at the Legislature, or, of course, write to your State Representative or Senator. Here are the ways to find out the schedules for public hearings, committee work sessions, and public meetings:
The Maine.gov Public Meeting Calendar provides information about state agency meetings and hearings that are open to the public HERE
Legislature’s public hearing and work session schedule HERE
Maine’s Federal Delegation Announces Service Academy Information Night in Bangor
Tuesday, April 9th; 5:30-8:30 PM
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree have announced that representatives from their offices, in cooperation with the Maine Maritime Academy, will host a “Military Academy Seminar,” on Tuesday, April 9th at the Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road, Bangor. Representatives from the offices will be available from 5:30-8:30 PM to speak with students, parents, and guidance counselors who are interested in the application and nomination process for the United States Military, Naval, Air Force, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard Academies, state maritime academies, as well as private military colleges and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs.
There will be a short presentation by representatives from the various organizations, as well as the Army and Air National Guard, followed by an opportunity to collect applications/brochures and speak with the individual representatives.
In order to register, please contact the Maine Maritime Academy at (800) 464-6565, however, preregistration is not required and walk-ins are welcome.
Deadline Approaching For Legislative Memorial Scholarship Application
The Maine Legislative Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by the Maine Legislature and staff to annually recognize one student from each county who is currently or is planning to pursue their education at a two-or four-year degree-granting Maine college or technical school. This scholarship is available for full or part-time students.
All application components must be submitted and postmarked, if applicable, by April 12, 2013. Awards will be made directly to the applicant after successful completion of the first semester of school. Application materials and more information can be found HERE.
First Time Campers Program Offers Free Weekend of Camping to Lucky Maine Families
The First Time Campers program will randomly select forty-four (44) lucky Maine entrants to win a free weekend of camping this summer at one of eleven (11) Maine state park campgrounds. This raffle is open only to Maine families and individuals who have never before gone camping. Each selected winner will get the free use of camping equipment, receive gifts from sponsors and be supported throughout the weekend by park staff.
This year, one of those fortunate winners also will be the grand-prize recipient of a $1,000 gift certificate from the program’s major sponsor, L.L.Bean.
Raffle applications are available on line and at Maine state parks. They will be accepted from April 1 to May 31. The recipients will be chosen in a random drawing held on Tuesday, June 4, with the winners notified the week of June 9. There will be four weekends of camping from which the lucky winners can choose, from the weekend of July 12-14 through the weekend of Aug. 2-4.
For more information about the First Time Campers program or to register to win, visit http://www.parksandlands.com or call Frank Appleby, Park Manager, Bradbury Mountain State Park, at: 207-688-4712
Maine History Corner
In the history of the United States Supreme Court, only one native Mainer has served as Chief Justice. Born in Augusta, Melville Weston Fuller graduated from Bowdoin College and began practicing law in Augusta in 1855, during which time he served as Augusta’s city solicitor and president of the Augusta Common Council. However, Fuller left Maine for Chicago, and was appointed to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1888. He served on the Supreme Court until his death on July 4, 1910.
There are many ways to participate in state government and to make your voice heard on issues that are important to you. You can attend public meetings of state agencies, participate in a public hearing at the Legislature, or, of course, write to your State Representative or Senator. Here are the ways to find out the schedules for public hearings, committee work sessions, and public meetings:
The Maine.gov Public Meeting Calendar provides information about state agency meetings and hearings that are open to the public HERE
Legislature’s public hearing and work session schedule HERE
Maine’s Federal Delegation Announces Service Academy Information Night in Bangor
Tuesday, April 9th; 5:30-8:30 PM
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree have announced that representatives from their offices, in cooperation with the Maine Maritime Academy, will host a “Military Academy Seminar,” on Tuesday, April 9th at the Hilton Garden Inn, 250 Haskell Road, Bangor. Representatives from the offices will be available from 5:30-8:30 PM to speak with students, parents, and guidance counselors who are interested in the application and nomination process for the United States Military, Naval, Air Force, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard Academies, state maritime academies, as well as private military colleges and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs.
There will be a short presentation by representatives from the various organizations, as well as the Army and Air National Guard, followed by an opportunity to collect applications/brochures and speak with the individual representatives.
In order to register, please contact the Maine Maritime Academy at (800) 464-6565, however, preregistration is not required and walk-ins are welcome.
Deadline Approaching For Legislative Memorial Scholarship Application
The Maine Legislative Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by the Maine Legislature and staff to annually recognize one student from each county who is currently or is planning to pursue their education at a two-or four-year degree-granting Maine college or technical school. This scholarship is available for full or part-time students.
All application components must be submitted and postmarked, if applicable, by April 12, 2013. Awards will be made directly to the applicant after successful completion of the first semester of school. Application materials and more information can be found HERE.
First Time Campers Program Offers Free Weekend of Camping to Lucky Maine Families
The First Time Campers program will randomly select forty-four (44) lucky Maine entrants to win a free weekend of camping this summer at one of eleven (11) Maine state park campgrounds. This raffle is open only to Maine families and individuals who have never before gone camping. Each selected winner will get the free use of camping equipment, receive gifts from sponsors and be supported throughout the weekend by park staff.
This year, one of those fortunate winners also will be the grand-prize recipient of a $1,000 gift certificate from the program’s major sponsor, L.L.Bean.
Raffle applications are available on line and at Maine state parks. They will be accepted from April 1 to May 31. The recipients will be chosen in a random drawing held on Tuesday, June 4, with the winners notified the week of June 9. There will be four weekends of camping from which the lucky winners can choose, from the weekend of July 12-14 through the weekend of Aug. 2-4.
For more information about the First Time Campers program or to register to win, visit http://www.parksandlands.com or call Frank Appleby, Park Manager, Bradbury Mountain State Park, at: 207-688-4712
Maine History Corner
In the history of the United States Supreme Court, only one native Mainer has served as Chief Justice. Born in Augusta, Melville Weston Fuller graduated from Bowdoin College and began practicing law in Augusta in 1855, during which time he served as Augusta’s city solicitor and president of the Augusta Common Council. However, Fuller left Maine for Chicago, and was appointed to serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1888. He served on the Supreme Court until his death on July 4, 1910.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Testimony: Food Sovereignty Act
Testimony
of Representative Craig Hickman, LD 475: An Act To Increase Food Sovereignty in
Local Communities Before the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture,
Conservation and Forestry, April 2, 2013
Senator Jackson, Representative Dill and other
distinguished members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture,
Conservation, and Forestry. My name is
Craig Hickman, representing Winthrop and Readfield. I stand before you today to
present LD 475, An Act to Increase Food Sovereignty in Local Communities. The
first bill I present before my own committee. I guess you can call it serendipity.
As former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, once
said, “Control oil and you control
nations; control food and you control the people.”
::
Her name was Mrs. Meeks. Well, that was the only
name I ever heard her called. I was in her kitchen only once. She, like us,
lived on the North Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, smack dab in the middle of
factories that made big things and paid good wages. I couldn’t tell you if Mrs.
Meeks worked in one of them or not, or even if she worked outside her home at
all. All I knew is that she hailed from rural Alabama and she made a mean coconut cake. So mean it was the only cake my parents ever
bought for a special occasion.
We didn’t have much. We were on food stamps, in
fact.
But when we splurged, for a special occasion, we
turned to our neighbor. And Mrs. Meeks made the best cakes you’d ever want to
buy. She made them all in her kitchen, a place that felt like the hearth in her
home that it was. Her reputation preceded her.
So much so that when I began teaching myself how to bake a good cake,
way back in the fourth grade, Mrs. Meeks was the cake maker I wanted to emulate.
Why?
Because in every single bite of Mrs. Meeks cakes,
you could taste the love.
Just as you could taste the love in Aunt Fannie’s
famous seafood gumbo. Originally from rural
Louisiana, Aunt Fannie migrated to Milwaukee after World War II, her expertise
in creole cuisine in tow. Nobody we knew
who wanted gumbo for Christmas ever made their own. They bought some of hers.
Or, if they were really lucky, she invited them over to her house, sat them
down right at her kitchen table, and served that spectacular ambrosia fresh out of
that giant pot. We were among the lucky ones. Still, if we took any of her
gumbo home with us, my father reached into his wallet and gave her a little
something. She needed it to help her
family make ends meet while caring for a son, challenged in so many ways.
Now what on earth do Mrs. Meeks and Aunt Fannie have
to do with food sovereignty?
Well, everything—pretty much.
And even though they both lived in cities by the
time I was able to partake of their culinary wizardry, their values were shaped
in the rural communities from which they hailed. So were my parents’ values.
Which is why my father shared some of his hunt with our neighbors whenever they
needed it. Why my mother fed and bathed countless throwaway girls who knocked
on our door, no questions asked.
Now, I live in a rural community. A community of
people who share my values. After all, they sent me here.
::
I believe locally produced food is national
security. I believe that access to wholesome food is a right for every citizen.
When one in four children among us goes to bed hungry every night, we can do
better. We must. We cannot allow a single one of us to go hungry for a single
day. Maine has all the natural resources and the hard-working,
independent-spirited people to grow, catch, trap, forage, process, prepare, and
distribute enough food to feed our people and strengthen our local economies.
Let us stop importing more food per capita than any other state in the
contiguous 48.
I believe the best way to achieve more food self-sufficiency
and security in Maine is to allow our neighbors—many of whom are small-scale
farmers and/or small-scale food producers, like Aunt Fannie and Mrs. Meeks—to advertise,
sell, and feed us the food we want to
eat.
If you control the food, you control the people. We
the people need real competition, not
corporatist state control.
“People,” said Woodrow Wilson, “may now be dominated
and governed only by their own consent. Self-determination
is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action. . . . "
Food sovereignty equals self-determination. Let us
act unanimously.
I humbly ask that you vote ought to pass to codify
the principles of food sovereignty into law, affirming the right of local
communities to govern their food systems as they see fit.
Thank you.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Maine State Treasurer Releases Unclaimed Property List
The Office of the State Treasurer of the State of Maine has released
its unclaimed property list. Unclaimed property consists of money and
other personal assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an
owner cannot be located after a specified period of time. It includes
checking accounts, certificates of deposit, over payments, gift
certificates, paid-up life insurance policies, unpaid wages,
commissions, uncashed checks, death benefits, dividends, insurance
payments, money orders, refunds, savings accounts, stocks and contents
of safe deposit boxes.
Millions of dollars are turned over annually to the State of Maine by entities who cannot locate the owners. There is no fee charged to process your unclaimed property claim.
To search for unclaimed property, please visit Unclaimed Property Search. If you find your name on the list, you may print a claim form, file it electronically or mail it to Office of the State Treasurer, Attn: Unclaimed Property, 39 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333-0039. Some claims can take up to 90 days to process. Claims involving stock or mutual funds may take considerably longer.
If you have questions, you may call the State Treasurer’s office at 624-7470 or send an e-mail to up.generalinquire@maine.gov.
Millions of dollars are turned over annually to the State of Maine by entities who cannot locate the owners. There is no fee charged to process your unclaimed property claim.
To search for unclaimed property, please visit Unclaimed Property Search. If you find your name on the list, you may print a claim form, file it electronically or mail it to Office of the State Treasurer, Attn: Unclaimed Property, 39 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333-0039. Some claims can take up to 90 days to process. Claims involving stock or mutual funds may take considerably longer.
If you have questions, you may call the State Treasurer’s office at 624-7470 or send an e-mail to up.generalinquire@maine.gov.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
State News Update
Maine Maple Sunday celebrates its 30-year anniversary this weekend
On Sunday, March 24th, Maine Maple Sunday will take place at over one hundred sugarhouses across Maine. This annual event, held every fourth Sunday in the month of March, will celebrate its 30-year anniversary this year. Participating sugarhouses will be open for visitors to enjoy freshly made maple syrup and candy, demonstrations of syrup production, sugarbush tours, and a variety of other family activities.
Governor Paul R. LePage recently highlighted the start of maple tapping season with Maine Maple producers on the Blaine House lawn by following an annual tradition: the tapping of a maple tree. The Governor used the event to highlight the economic contributions of Maine’s maple syrup industry and its potential to create even more jobs.
Maine had 1.47 million taps and produced 360,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2011, a 14% increase from 2010. The latest yearly figures show that Maine generated nearly $13 million in revenue from the maple industry. In 2011, Maine was third in the nation, producing 13 percent of maple syrup in the United States. Figures for 2012 are not yet available
.
Some sugarhouses will hold events on both Saturday and Sunday. For a list and map of participating sugarhouses, visit the Maine Maple Producers website: http://www.mainemapleproducers.com/
Enter the Maine Moose Permit Lottery Online
You can use this online service to enter into the Maine Moose Permit Lottery. From the list of lottery applicants, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will administer a chance drawing to select winners for a Maine Moose Hunting Permit. To hunt moose in Maine, hunters must have one of these special Moose Hunting Permits.
Applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (ET) on May 14, 2013.
The Moose Lottery drawing will held in June 2013.
You are eligible to apply if:
::
School Security Funding Opportunity for School Administrative Units
The Maine Emergency Management Agency is announcing a funding opportunity for School Administrative Units (SAUs) to participate in a targeted, school preparedness facility security grant program. Grant applications must be received by April 12, 2013, and projects must be completed by July 31, 2013.
Maine History Corner
A central figure in promoting Maine’s tourist industry at the turn of the 20th century was Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby of Phillips. An avid fly fisher, hunter, and all-around outdoor enthusiast, Crosby was well-known throughout Maine and the Eastern United States. In fact, she wrote a column titled “Fly Rod’s Note Book” that was syndicated up and down the East Coast. She also worked for the Maine Central Railroad promoting both the railroad and Maine’s outdoors at the same time, touting the railroad’s ability to get one to beautiful spots in nature throughout Maine. Crosby was also the first person to be issued a Maine Guide license. You can read more about her and find photos HERE.
::
On Sunday, March 24th, Maine Maple Sunday will take place at over one hundred sugarhouses across Maine. This annual event, held every fourth Sunday in the month of March, will celebrate its 30-year anniversary this year. Participating sugarhouses will be open for visitors to enjoy freshly made maple syrup and candy, demonstrations of syrup production, sugarbush tours, and a variety of other family activities.
Governor Paul R. LePage recently highlighted the start of maple tapping season with Maine Maple producers on the Blaine House lawn by following an annual tradition: the tapping of a maple tree. The Governor used the event to highlight the economic contributions of Maine’s maple syrup industry and its potential to create even more jobs.
Maine had 1.47 million taps and produced 360,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2011, a 14% increase from 2010. The latest yearly figures show that Maine generated nearly $13 million in revenue from the maple industry. In 2011, Maine was third in the nation, producing 13 percent of maple syrup in the United States. Figures for 2012 are not yet available
.
Some sugarhouses will hold events on both Saturday and Sunday. For a list and map of participating sugarhouses, visit the Maine Maple Producers website: http://www.mainemapleproducers.com/
Enter the Maine Moose Permit Lottery Online
You can use this online service to enter into the Maine Moose Permit Lottery. From the list of lottery applicants, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will administer a chance drawing to select winners for a Maine Moose Hunting Permit. To hunt moose in Maine, hunters must have one of these special Moose Hunting Permits.
Applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (ET) on May 14, 2013.
The Moose Lottery drawing will held in June 2013.
You are eligible to apply if:
- You are eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License or will be eligible to obtain a Maine Big Game Hunting License by the opening day of the Moose hunting season. NOTE: Although a junior hunting license can be pre-issued before the holder is 10 years old, be advised that the license and permit cannot be used until the youngster is 10 years old.
- Current Hunting License if you are applying with a Superpack license.
- Personal information (Name, Address, DOB, etc)
- Sub-permittee information (if applicable)
- Credit or debit card (Discover, Visa and Mastercard accepted)
Fees are based on residency and the number of chances purchased.
For a complete list of entry and permit fees. More information is
available on the website HERE.
::
The Maine Emergency Management Agency is announcing a funding opportunity for School Administrative Units (SAUs) to participate in a targeted, school preparedness facility security grant program. Grant applications must be received by April 12, 2013, and projects must be completed by July 31, 2013.
Specifically this grant will allow SAUs to seek grants to
purchase and install the following items (listed in order of priority,
statewide):
1. Remote Entry Control System: a remotely-controlled entry access system allows for school personnel to identify individuals attempting to gain access to the school, either through a window or via a closed-circuit television camera. After the person’s identity and purpose for being at the school has been established, school personnel can remotely unlock the doors to allow that person to enter the school. These systems are designed for installation solely at the primary entry point for visitors to the school facility; all other doors should remain secure from unauthorized entry at all times, using your school’s emergency plans and procedures as guidance.
2. Panic Button: A Panic Button that is hard-wired to the primary and secondary law enforcement agencies for your facility provides a faster option to alert law enforcement about a problem at the school when using 911or radios might be impractical. Note: the grant funds can be used for purchase and installation of the system; however, funds are not available for continuing costs or monitoring/telephone line fees, if any.
3. Knox Box: Knox Boxes provide access to keys to the facility in the absence of key-holders. During an emergency, key holders may be off-site or occupied performing other critical duties. Access to keys in a timely fashion from a Knox Box speeds up response by first responders.
4. Exterior Door Numbering: Having clearly visible and reflective door numbers affixed to the inside and outside of all exterior doors provides first responders with clear direction when responding to an on-site emergency. It aids in providing clearer situational awareness as to the location of the trouble, or where students/staff/visitors have sought safe haven.
Requirements and Due Dates:
1. Remote Entry Control System: a remotely-controlled entry access system allows for school personnel to identify individuals attempting to gain access to the school, either through a window or via a closed-circuit television camera. After the person’s identity and purpose for being at the school has been established, school personnel can remotely unlock the doors to allow that person to enter the school. These systems are designed for installation solely at the primary entry point for visitors to the school facility; all other doors should remain secure from unauthorized entry at all times, using your school’s emergency plans and procedures as guidance.
2. Panic Button: A Panic Button that is hard-wired to the primary and secondary law enforcement agencies for your facility provides a faster option to alert law enforcement about a problem at the school when using 911or radios might be impractical. Note: the grant funds can be used for purchase and installation of the system; however, funds are not available for continuing costs or monitoring/telephone line fees, if any.
3. Knox Box: Knox Boxes provide access to keys to the facility in the absence of key-holders. During an emergency, key holders may be off-site or occupied performing other critical duties. Access to keys in a timely fashion from a Knox Box speeds up response by first responders.
4. Exterior Door Numbering: Having clearly visible and reflective door numbers affixed to the inside and outside of all exterior doors provides first responders with clear direction when responding to an on-site emergency. It aids in providing clearer situational awareness as to the location of the trouble, or where students/staff/visitors have sought safe haven.
In order to be eligible for consideration for grant funding, all
applicants must meet National Incident Management System (NIMS)
training requirements for key school personnel. All applications must be
submitted to the Maine Emergency Management Agency no later than Close
of Business (5 p.m.) on Friday April 12, 2013. Applications should be
emailed to HSGrants.Maine@maine.gov.
If email is not an option, applications may be mailed to 45 Commerce
Drive, Suite 2, Augusta, ME 04333, Attn: FY2010 HSGP School Applications
c/o Deborah Sullivan-Alley.
The application forms and additional information can be found HERE.
The application forms and additional information can be found HERE.
::
Maine History Corner
A central figure in promoting Maine’s tourist industry at the turn of the 20th century was Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby of Phillips. An avid fly fisher, hunter, and all-around outdoor enthusiast, Crosby was well-known throughout Maine and the Eastern United States. In fact, she wrote a column titled “Fly Rod’s Note Book” that was syndicated up and down the East Coast. She also worked for the Maine Central Railroad promoting both the railroad and Maine’s outdoors at the same time, touting the railroad’s ability to get one to beautiful spots in nature throughout Maine. Crosby was also the first person to be issued a Maine Guide license. You can read more about her and find photos HERE.
::
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Public Hearings Rescheduled
A public hearing for my bill LD 475, "An Act To Increase Food Sovereignty in Local Communities" has been re-scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 1:00PM, Cross Building, Room 214. I look forward to a great turnout in support of the right of local communities to govern their own food systems as they see fit.
A public hearing for my bill LD 476, "Resolve, Directing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Develop a Policy To Reduce Food Waste in All State-Funded Institutions," has been re-scheduled for Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 1:00PM, Cross Building, Room 214.
A public hearing for my bill LD 476, "Resolve, Directing the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry To Develop a Policy To Reduce Food Waste in All State-Funded Institutions," has been re-scheduled for Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 1:00PM, Cross Building, Room 214.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Public Hearings Cancelled
Due to the snowstorm that is expected to begin late this evening and continue into tomorrow and for the safety of the traveling public, the presiding officers have directed that all legislative public hearings and work sessions scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, 2013 be CANCELLED. This includes LD 475 and LD 476.
They will be rescheduled to a later date.
They will be rescheduled to a later date.
