Inspired by Portland's topless parade, activist decides to bring event to Farmington.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
$9 million in funds for rail in western Maine, part of bonding bill going to voters in November
Here's a press release from the Governor's office on the bonding bill passed out of the Maine Legislature today. These are the bonds that will go to voters for approval in November.
It's an interesting breakdown of state spending including $16 million for rail, with $9 million of it for lines in southern and west-central parts of the state.
Governor Applauds Agreement on Job Creation Plan
AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today applauded the bipartisan agreement reached in the Legislature on a job creation investment package. The Governor held a public signing of the legislation today at the State House.
“Once again, we have managed to overcome partisan differences and do what is right for our State,” Governor Baldacci said. “Last week, it appeared as if we had reached an impasse, but through hard work and patience we have crafted a job creation package that is responsible and balanced.”
Governor Baldacci worked directly with Legislative Leaders over the weekend to reach a compromise that was approved by the Legislature today.
“Democratic and Republican Leaders, including members of the Appropriations Committee, worked together in good faith to develop a job creation package that will put people to work this year, make critical investments in highways, rails and ports, and strengthen Maine’s economy.”
The bond package includes:
· $24.8 million in highway construction and repair;
· $7 million to protect rail service in Aroostook County;
· $5 million to expand rail service in Lewiston-Auburn;
· $4 million to help restore rail service in Western Maine along the Mountain Division Line;
· $6.5 million for a new deep-water port in Portland;
· $500,000 for the Small Harbor Improvement Program;
· $5 million for the advanced equipment for the University of Maine to build a component manufacturing sector for wind power; and
· $5 million for a community-based teaching clinic operated by a college of dental medicine and for upgrades to community-based health and dental care clinics around the State.
In addition, the agreement includes up to $7 million in cash that was originally slated for the State’s Budget Stabilization Fund to provide the balance of the resources necessary for the purchase of the Aroostook Rail line. It also includes language that would immediately place $7 million into the BSF with any year-end surplus.
The Governor will also issue an Executive Order creating an oversight panel that to monitor and review elements of the take over of the Aroostook rail line. The panel will assure transparency and guide policy questions during the transition to a new operator, and will include representatives of the Executive and Legislative Branches as well as private sector and nonprofit economic development representatives.
The agreement also makes changes in the current questions scheduled for the June ballot, including:
· Part B is reduced by $1.25 million (The Small Enterprise Growth Fund is reduced from $5 million to $4 million; The Maine Historic Preservation Commission is reduced from $1.5 million to $1.25 million)
· Part D is reduced by $12 million, eliminating the proposal to bond for energy efficiency programs;
· Part E is reduced by $250,000 (Funding for working Maine waterfronts is reduced from $2 million to $1.75 million).
The investment package totals $57.8 million, with $13.5 million being eliminated from the current June ballot. Total new bonding in the proposal would be $44.3 million.
The bond package, which required a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, must now be approved by voters.
Civil War page created for Maine.
Neat story here about the new site created for Maine's Civil War history.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
What to tweet and what not to tweet
I've witnessed a lot of idle accusations of bias against journalists who tweet any opinion. If you have an opinion does that make you incapable of being an objective reporter? Or is it only if you share that opinion with others?
It's a fine line to skate along, but could demanding journalists to be totally opinionless hinder their ability to actually gather facts? Often the dismantling of opinion depends on fact.
There was a smattering of a shout down in twitter for those, like me, who have opinions -- often wrong-headed as they may be and then share them in a 140 characters.
"Aren't you suppose to be an objective reporter?" was the kind of smak that would come down the tweets.
The answer is, yes but the reporter/writer in question also took the chance to clarify he was only stating what he personally thought might hapen -- not predicting it would or that he wished it would. It was his opinion on a situation and not a statement of love for a person, in this case a political candidate and their campaign.
I was impressed how the reporter adroitly handled the insult, in a 140 characters or less, but it also left me wondering about the way our own bias informs our reporting. Do you fess up you have them and get on with life or pretend you don't? In some instances you actually won't.
The square root of 11 shouldn't get you too wound up.
The way we often learn fact from fiction is usually by sorting opinion with fact.
Sounds counter-intuitive but if you know your biases ahead of time and understand them you are more likely to avoid leaning on them and may even lean away from them.
Many journalists are so tuned to their bias they make-up for them by being extra-hard on sources or topical presumptions they may personally favor. They are then accused of being biased counter to their own beliefs and that can really steam a person.
I'm sure my opinion on this is flawed but that's also another great thing about being human.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_utLDfD3EeTV7PtGbfw2oVmNyZhbgXagXIiKDfo8vqHg2P4IqUGdAucf7U2L-KyhcAOLtcD2JhDXSTXlyWNC1JKFHuVCccqe6RCEo_1qy7vRX0clnP_ic-qExc77cW-7b2B0KCgAsS6x9mgUd7XZjdS=s0-d)
It's a fine line to skate along, but could demanding journalists to be totally opinionless hinder their ability to actually gather facts? Often the dismantling of opinion depends on fact.
There was a smattering of a shout down in twitter for those, like me, who have opinions -- often wrong-headed as they may be and then share them in a 140 characters.
"Aren't you suppose to be an objective reporter?" was the kind of smak that would come down the tweets.
The answer is, yes but the reporter/writer in question also took the chance to clarify he was only stating what he personally thought might hapen -- not predicting it would or that he wished it would. It was his opinion on a situation and not a statement of love for a person, in this case a political candidate and their campaign.
I was impressed how the reporter adroitly handled the insult, in a 140 characters or less, but it also left me wondering about the way our own bias informs our reporting. Do you fess up you have them and get on with life or pretend you don't? In some instances you actually won't.
The square root of 11 shouldn't get you too wound up.
The way we often learn fact from fiction is usually by sorting opinion with fact.
Sounds counter-intuitive but if you know your biases ahead of time and understand them you are more likely to avoid leaning on them and may even lean away from them.
Many journalists are so tuned to their bias they make-up for them by being extra-hard on sources or topical presumptions they may personally favor. They are then accused of being biased counter to their own beliefs and that can really steam a person.
I'm sure my opinion on this is flawed but that's also another great thing about being human.
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