Democracy Forum 4/17/26: Constitutional Crisis: They’re Watching

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine
Production Assistance: Linda Washburn, Joel Mann

Democracy Forum: Participatory Democracy, encouraging citizens to take an active role in government and politics.

This month:
Mass surveillance constitutes a threat to free speech. Commercial and government surveillance infrastructure has grown and continues to grow, encompassing license plate readers, location tracking, and facial recognition and other biometric data. How do these invasions of privacy threaten free speech? What protections should individuals and civil society adopt to protect civil liberties?

Guest/s:
Cindy Cohn, Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), author of the book, Privacy’s Defender.
Hannah Cyrus, Digital Media Librarian, Bangor Public Library.
Cooper Quintin, security researcher and senior public interest technologist with the EFF Threat Lab and board member of Open Archive.

To learn more about this topic:
Visit LWVME.org

About the host:
Ann Luther currently serves as Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine and leads the LWVME Advocacy Team. She served as President of LWVME from 2003 to 2007 and as co-president from 2007-2009.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Around Town 4/17/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Checking in with Rebecca Porter ahead of her show tomorrow/Saturday night (4/18) at Hey Sailor! in Searsport — an appearance inspired by Sara Trunzo and WERU listeners!

Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Creative Maine 4/16/26: Living the Writer’s Life in Coastal Maine

Producer/host: Adina Salmansohn
Other credits: Theme music written and performed by Ariel Chapman.

A monthly show exploring Maine‘s culture, art and crafts that enrich our lives and bring us joy.

Four Maine writers discuss their lives, publishing journey, and tips for other writers.

Guest/s:
Linda Buckmaster, Poet and Essayist – www.lindabuckmaster.com
Elizabeth W. Garber, Poet and Memoirist – www.elizabethgarber.com
Shanna Compton, Visual Artist and Poet – www.shannacompton.com
Catherine Schmitt, Journalist, Science Writer and Creative Author – www.catherineschmitt.com

About the Host:
Adina Salmansohn started learning to play the trombone at the age of 8.  Her undergraduate years were at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Robert F. Boyd of the Cleveland Orchestra.  After returning to her native New York, she played freelance in the NY Metro area, including multiple orchestras, big bands, and a 17 year stint with The Soundview Brass Quintet, which she founded in 1980. In addition, she had a busy career as an arts administrator, directing and teaching in Community Arts schools, light opera companies, and season programming for other non-profit organizations. Adina founded the Hudson School of Creative Arts in inner-city Yonkers, NY.

After her second child was born, she returned to school, and earned a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America. Her family then moved to the Chicagoland area, where she became Principal Trombone of the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, and also served as a board member and Personnel Manager for many years.  In that time, she also taught Culinary Arts in high school.  She earned a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University in 2018. Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to Orland, Maine; she came out of retirement to teach in the JMG program. She performs with the Bangor Band, where she has been a Board Member at Large for four years, and is a member of a trombone quartet based at The University of Maine, The Bear Bones.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Around Town 4/16/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Around Town 4/15/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Outside the Box 4/14/26: “Saying Yes and No”

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Around Town 4/14/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Around Town 4/13/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Equality Maine is looking for volunteers to help with Pride and other events across the state, and has launched a Pride 2026 Guide

The American Civil Liberties Union and Indivisible are offering a virtual Train-the-Trainer event on Immigrants’ Rights, next Monday, April 20th.

The Wabanaki Alliance and Penobscot Nation‘s 2026 US Senate Candidates forum will be held at the Indian Island School on Thursday. Doors will open at 5:30 and the event starts at 6pm

This will be the second of three candidate forums to be organized by the Wabanaki Alliance. A forum for gubernatorial candidates was held March 19 before a crowd of more than 150 people. Plans for a forum for US House candidates for the second Congressional district will be announced soon

From the City of Bangor and Maine Department of Transportation:
The Maine Department of Transportation is beginning preliminary work this month on two separate bridge replacement projects along Interstate 95 in Bangor.
The early work on the I-95 bridges over Stillwater Avenue and the Hogan Road bridge over I-95 coincide with other MaineDOT interstate bridge work in the City: the ongoing construction of the northbound and southbound bridges over Broadway, which is scheduled to conclude in spring 2027, and the replacement of the Kenduskeag Avenue bridge over I-95. The two, aging interstate bridges that extend over Stillwater will be replaced with a single span. A median cross-over utilizing the new northbound alignment will be put in place to maintain through-traffic during construction, according to MaineDOT. While some traffic delays will be necessary as the bridge supports are put in place, no extended detours are anticipated. There will be periodic closures of Stillwater Avenue and Exit 186 ramps requiring detours. Access to businesses and the pedestrian path will be maintained at all times. There will be nighttime I-95 lane closures the week of April 13 to accommodate the start of this work. Starting on Monday, April 13, the southbound passing lane will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The same lane will be closed on consecutive nights, with the closure scheduled to conclude at 7 a.m. Thursday, April 16. The construction is expected to last about two years.

Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Podcast: Play in new window | Download