Donate to WERU Today!Host/Producer: Amy Browne
May Day / Workers Over Billionaires National Day of Action (“No Work No School No Shopping.”) local events
Camden, noon, village square
Bangor, 3-5pm arts and tabling, 5-7pm rally and potluck, Broadway Park
Belfast, noon-1pm, Post Office Square
Maine Education Association members are holding rallies in Portland and Bangor. In Bangor the rally will be at the Bangor High School parking lot from 4-5pm
FMI:
May Day 2026: Together We Stand, Indivisible
The Workers Over Billionaires Movement, Organized Power in Numbers
Mobilize.us May Day Calendar of Events
Activate Maine calendar of events
Data Center bill with bipartisan support vetoed by Governor Mills. A majority voted to override her veto, but not the 2/3rds required. 13 legislators were absent from the vote. View the rollcall here
On Saturday, May 2, Jane’s Walk will bring a full day of free, volunteer led walking conversations to Ellsworth. Inspired by Jane Jacobs, the global festival encourages people to explore the places they live through local history, civic engagement, art, design, and shared observation. This year’s Ellsworth lineup invites participants to join one walk or make a day of it, with topics ranging from walkability and downtown history to art, public space, and a seaweed centered stroll through downtown More information at Heart of Ellsworth
Staged reading of Circus of finance, a comedy about private equity, featuring live circus, written and directed by local playwright Lisa Leaverton, followed by a panel discussion: “Whose Economy; Community Initiatives for Autonomy & Stability, free and open to the public, Sun May 3, 2026, 3:00-5:00 pm at the American Legion hall in Belfast with refreshments and socializing to follow
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Around Town 4/30/26: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Charles Rolsky, Ph.D, Executive Director & Senior Research Scientist, joins us with an update from the Shaw Institute, a Blue Hill based nonprofit scientific research organization founded in 1990, that “focuses on researching and better understanding the connection between environmental and human health” Their work was recently featured in this article (which links to the study)
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Around Town 4/29/26: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
May Day is coming up on Friday, and this year the groups behind the No Kings protests are calling for a day of action called “Workers Over Billionaires”
Activate Maine calendar
The Blue Hill Public Library is hosting a screening of the documentary, Building Hope a film from local filmmaker Richard Kane and Kane Lewis Productions, tonight at 7PM, followed by a panel discussion led by the film’s producer Melody Kane-Lewis, featuring members of local organizations involved in the housing crisis in Maine.
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Outside the Box 4/28/26: “Say Yes to New Education”
Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger
About the host:
Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.
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Around Town 4/28/26: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Senate Primary candidate Graham Platner’s opening remarks at a candidate forum organized by the Wabanaki Alliance, held on Indian Island on 4/16/26. We heard from candidate David Costello yesterday on Around Town. Janet Mills and Susan Collins were invited but did not attend
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Around Town 4/27/26: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Senate Primary candidate David Costello’s opening remarks at a candidate forum organized by the Wabanaki Alliance, held on Indian Island on 4/16/26. We’ll hear from candidate Graham Planter tomorrow. Janet Mills and Susan Collins were invited but did not attend
Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-
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Justice Radio 4/26/26: A Maine Criminal Justice Experience
Host/s: Rob Ruffner, Maine Indigent Defense Center
Editor: Sarah Johnson
Music: Samuel James
Justice Radio is a WMPG production.
Justice Radio: Tackling the hard questions about our criminal legal system in Maine.
This week: Rob talks with Ben about Ben’s experiences with Maine’s criminal justice system.
Guest: Ben Rebello
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Nature Notes: A Maine Naturalist Afield 4/26/26: A hike down the Hemlock Trail, Part 2
Host/Producer: Glen Mittelhauser
In this episode, Glen continues a discussion with Rich MacDonald of the Natural History Center during a winter walk in Acadia National Park, reflecting on the value of long-term observation in understanding ecological change. Drawing on decades of field experience, from bird banding studies to a 2002 kayak expedition around the Gulf of Maine, Rich discusses how shifting baselines, climate change, and evolving research questions shape our understanding of coastal ecosystems, from changing bird populations to the increasing presence of species like sea turtles.
More information about Maine Natural History can be found at mainenaturalhistory.org.
About the hosts:
Glen Mittelhauser founded Maine Natural History Observatory (MNHO) in 2003 to fill the need for an organization that specializes in collecting, interpreting, and maintaining datasets for understanding changes in Maine’s plant and wildlife populations. Glen received his Bachelor’s in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in 1989 with a focus in the biological sciences and received his Master of Science degree in Zoology (with a focus on ornithology and statistics) from the University of Maine in 2000. Glen was the Managing Editor for Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist for 18 years and has served as external graduate faculty for 3 graduate student committees at the University of Maine. Glen currently serves on the Baxter State Park Research Committee.
Logan Parker is an Ecologist residing in Waldo County, Maine. Logan started the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project in 2017 and brought the project (and his passion for bird conservation) to MNHO when he joined the team in 2018. Logan is heavily involved in the ongoing Maine Bird Atlas where he both coordinates and participates in the project’s special species surveys. When “off the clock”, Logan enjoys birding, writing, gardening, and working alongside his wife, Hallee, on their off-grid home in the Maine woods. Logan is also a wildlife photographer and shares photos and field notes through his project, Here In The Wild.
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