WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Production assistance: John Greenman

Issue: Grassroots environmental and social justice news

Program Topic:Author and climate change activist Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, was the keynote speaker at the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine’s HOPE Festival in April.

Key Discussion Points:
a) the impact of climate change on communities around the world
b) what activists are doing to address the issue
c) how listeners can get involved

Speech by Bill McKibben, recorded by John Greenman, edited by Amy Browne

Call In Program: no

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Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Studio Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco

Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: Maine House Approves bill removing unionizing rights for egg farm workers

Key Discussion Points:

a) On Tuesday, the Maine House passed LD 1207 “An Act to Amend the Labor Laws Relating to Certain Agricultural Employees”. This bill seeks to overturn legislation passed in 1997 to allow for egg workers in facilities with more than 100 workers and 500,000 laying hens the right to unionize. This, and a bill passed in 1975 to allow the same set of workers the right to a minimum wage standard and overtime, both aimed to temper the egregious working conditions at the Decoster egg farms in Turner.

b) Federally, the National Labor Relations Act excludes agricultural workers from the rights to a minimum wage standard, overtime or the right to collective bargaining . It is up to individual states to grant these rights. At least 9 states now allow some form of collective bargaining for agricultural workers.

c).Decoster is now leasing it’s Maine factories to Moark, LLC, a subsidiary of Land O’ Lakes. The Maine Senate is expected to vote on LD 1207 as soon as next week. There is a lack of support for the bill, however, from both Democrats and Republicans.

Guests:
A ) Ben Chin, Maine Peoples Alliance, www.mainepeoplesalliance.org
B) Representative Jeffrey Timberlake, Maine State of Representatives, www.maine.gov/ legis
C) Matt Schlobaum, maine AFL-CIO, www.maineaflcio.org

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Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Host: Meredith DeFrancesco and Lawrence Reichard
Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco
Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: United States Postal Service Cuts Proposed, and Bill in Maine Legislature Aims for Major Change to LURC, the Land Use Regulatory Commission

Key Discussion Points:

a) Though not required of any other government agency, in 2006, Congress mandated that the US Postal Service pre-fund their future retiree health benefits. Meeting this mandate accounts for 84% of the postal service’s current debt, which a bill co-sponsored by Senator Collins and others asserts must lead to the closure of hundreds of post offices and processing centers through out the country, including 30 Maine post offices and the Hampden processing center.

b) LD 1798, “An Act to Reform Land Use Planning in the Unorganized Territory”, proposes to restructure and reassign the current make up and tasks of the Land Use Regulatory Commission (LURC). This includes : assigning the permitting of large scale projects to the Department of Environmental Protection, eliminating the requirement that the developer of a project demonstrate that there is a “need” for it.

c. LD 1798 would also change LURC’s name to the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) and would be made up of nine members, six from the counties with the largest amount of Unorganized Territories. Count Commissioners could appoint themselves to the LUPC. The most impacting on the current mission of LURC, the bill would allow counties to opt out of the LUPC, as the Natural Resources Council of Maine says, could effectively dismantle the statewide land use system.

Guests:
A ) Jon Curtis, recently retired letter carrier
B) Cathy Johnson, Maine Woods Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine

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Issue: Environmental and Social Justice
Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: Maine Appropriations Committee Alternative Budget Cuts to Department of Health and Human Services programs, including MaineCare

Key Discussion Points:
a) The Appropriations Committee has approved decreasing eligibility for MaineCare coverage for adults with children down to 133% from 200% of the poverty level.
b) The new budget proposal would freeze MaineCare enrollment for childless adults. 16,000 Mainers on the waiting list will no longer be eligible.
c) Though the Appropriations Committee approved $120 million in cuts, instead of the $220 million in cuts LePage asked for, $80 million in proposed cuts ti the Department of Health and Human Services budget for 2013 are slated to be taken up later this month.

Guests:
A )Ana Hickes, Senior Policy Analyst at Maine Equal Justice Partners : www.mejp.org, www.reasonablesolutions.com
B) Cullen Ryan, executive director of Community Housing of Maine : www.chomhousing.org

Call In Program: No
Political Broadcast: No

Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco

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Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: Governor LePage’s Proposed Budget Cuts to Department of Health and Human Services programs, including MaineCare

Key Discussion Points:
a) We look at efforts to uncover the coordinated crackdown on Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country, through the US Conference of Mayors.
b) We look at restrictions to those on unemployment insurance, under the proposed bill LD 1725, “An Act to Strengthen the Unemployment Insurance Laws and Reduce Fraud”.
c) And, we check in on the status of the massive cuts to low income social service and healthcare programs, proposed by Governor LePage. 65,000 people could be cut from MaineCare The Appropriations Committee has already agreed to cut funding for “Wrap Around Maine”, which has helped struggling youth turn their lives around.

Guests by name and affiliation:
A) Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, director of The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund : www.justiceonline.org , www.justiceonline.org/owsfoia
B) Jack McKay, director of Food and Medicine : www.foodandmedicine.org
C )Ana Hickes, Senior Policy Analyst at Maine Equal Justice Partners : www.mejp.org, www.reasonablesolutions.com

Call In Program: No
Political Broadcast: No

Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco

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Issue: Environmental and Social Justice

Program Name: RadioActive

Broadcast Date: December15, 2011

Broadcast Time:4-4:30PM

Program Topic: Governor LePage’s Proposed Budget Cuts to Department of Health and Human Services programs, including MaineCare

Key Discussion Points:

a) What the impacts of losing MaineCare health insurance would mean for low income parents, and the other 65,000 Mainers who would lose their coverage.

b) What the impacts would be if Private Non Medical Institutions were closed and if the Medicare Savings Program is cut.

c) How the program “Wrap Around Maine” has helped struggling youth turn their lives around

Guests by name and affiliation:

A) Some who testified at the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs : Wrap Around Maine past participant, Steve Rogers, Crystal Bond, Paul Schraber, Semerilli Daniels, Brenda Dugan,Marie Williams, Tami Trask.

Call In Program: No

Political Broadcast: No

Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Engineer: Meredith DeFrancesco

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