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Downeast & Central Maine
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News & Public Affairs Archive
Join WERU blues DJ Cap’n Barney (Maine Coast Blues, Mondays 10pm on WERU) and the North Atlantic Blues Festival founder and director, Paul Benjamin, for an engaging and information-filled conversation about the Festival, taking place in Rockland on July 12 and 13, 2025.
Learn more at www.northatlanticbluesfestival.com/.
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Host/Producer: Amy Browne
About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Host/Producer: Amy Browne
This coming Saturday will be busy day in Belfast — including the Belfast Pride celebration and a Climate Resilience Fair happening in close proximity. Brenda Harrington and Ellie Daniels of the Waldo County Climate Coalition join us with the details of that event. UPDATE 6/4/25: ORGANIZERS HAVE POSTPONED THIS EVENT DUE TO WEATHER. THEY PLAN TO HOLD THE EVENT THIS FALL
The Climate Resilience Fair is sponsored by the Belfast Free Library and Waldo County Climate Action Coalition. Saturday, June 7th, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. at Steamboat Landing (adjacent to the Belfast Boathouse)
Belfast Pride, Saturday, June 7th, is hosted by the Belfast Area High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance and Our Town Belfast. Those who are planning to march in the parade should line up at 10:30 at the high school. The parade starts at 11 and ends at Heritage Park for a party from noon-2pm
About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Let’s head to Bucksport this morning to check in with Tracey Hair about a very special art show there this month. The official opening is tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at The Crumpet on Main Street in Bucksport.
About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Producer/Host: Rosy Landrum
Interviewer: Thomas Bowden
Project Leader: Phelan Gallagher
Technical Assistance: Pepin Mittelhauser
Music: Foreside Date by David Renda (copyright/royalty free)
The Blue Hill Mountain Stories feature interviews from local residents, conducted by the George Steven’s Academy audio production class. Each interviewee reflects upon their time on the Blue Hill peninsula, particularly surrounding the mountain itself. This series was produced for WERU by Rosy Landrum.
About the Host: Rosy Landrum is a George Stevens Academy student, WERU DJ, and Blue Hill peninsula resident. You can find her on Midnight Train from 10-12 pm Wednesdays.
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Host/Producer: Amy Browne
An update on what’s happening with the seemingly never-ending efforts to protect Sears Island, a 940-acre island in Penobscot Bay, with Chris Buchanan, David Italiander, Donna Gold and Jill Howell, residents of Searsport and neighboring towns, working on efforts to protect Sears Island permanently
FMI:
Friends of Sears Island
Campaign to Protect Sears Island / Wahsumkik
Sears Island Stories
About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Chris Buchanan, David Italiander, Donna Gold and Jill Howell, residents of Searsport and neighboring towns, have been working on efforts to protect Sears Island permanently. They’re here today with an update
FMI:
Campaign to Protect Sears Island / Wahsumkik
Sears Island Stories
Friends of Sears Island
About the Host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.
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Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco
A grassroots environmental and social justice news journal, collaboration of WERU and Sunlight Media Collective. Learn more at sunlightmediacollective.org.
As stops, arrests and detentions of immigrant residents within Maine have escalated, including those with work permits, green cards or in legal process of seeking asylum, the Maine legislature is currently considering two bills that would curtail the state’s complicity.
LD 1259 would prohibit state and local law enforcement from doing the work of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through so called 287g contracts.
A second bill, LD 1971, would prohibit state and local law enforcement from stopping, arresting or detaining a person solely for immigration enforcement reasons.
The Trump administration’s national strategy of unfettered mass deportations and campai gn of fear, includes enlisting the cooperation of state and local police forces and use of county jails throughout the country.
Both proposed bills had a public hearing on May 19, with massive public attendance opposing ICE operations. The work session on the bills is Wednesday, May 28th at 1pm.
The Judiciary Committee is still accepting written public comments.
Guests:
Representative Ambureen Rana from Bangor.
Crystal Cron, Presente Maine founding director.
Anahita Sotoohi, Maine ACLU staff attorney.
Lisa Parisio, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP).
Attendees of demonstration at Augusta Statehouse.
Members of the public at Cumberland County Commision meeting in Portland.
FMI:
www.presentemaine.org/
ilapmaine.org/
www.aclumaine.org/
www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0834&item=1&snum=132
legislature.maine.gov/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1315&item=1&snum=132
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