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Host/Producer: Amy Browne
“We Rise: End the Tyranny” national day of action. There were protests in at least 28 cities and towns across Maine. This is the voice of one of the speakers in Bangor, Maine.
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
Around Town 4/21/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
“We Rise: End the Tyranny” national day of action. There were protests in at least 28 cities and towns across Maine.
Bangor turned out – which may not be surprising in a city that has leaders like the person you’ll hear today
We’ll have more voices from Saturday’s rallies (Bangor and Ellsworth) on Around Town this week.
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
Around Town 4/18/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Attorney General Aaron M. Frey’s Statement on Federal Lawsuit Against Maine DOE
Tomorrow/Saturday is another day of action and at least 23 protests are planned in Maine– with names like “No Kings”, “March Against Tyranny” , “Resist Trump’s Lawless Attack on the Constitution”, and “The Shout Heard Up the Coast” FMI: Activate Maine calendar
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are invite people who love Maine’s lakes and ponds to volunteer for a community science project this summer called the Zebra Mussel Settling Plate Project More information and the sign up form can be found here
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
Around Town 4/17/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Performance poet, teacher and author Barbara Maria joins us to talk about her upcoming show, CELESTIAL EARTH: We Are Here … but when?
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
Around Town 4/16/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Puck, Yeah Productions will present Bottom’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Woods Grow Queer — described as “a riotous, transformative, and celebratory theatrical production that reclaims the Shakespeare classic” at the Marsh River Theatre in Brooks, with 2 performances over the weekend of April 26th and 27th. Jae Echeverria and Buggz are here today with the details
A message from Puck, Yeah Productions:
“UPDATE: NOT ADA ACCESSIBLE. We failed to get interpreters in time for them to prepare for our show and therefore cannot provide ASL. The front row will be reserved for Deaf & Hard Of Hearing folks and their guests and we will provide printed scripts. The event is wheelchair accessible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For all Deaf & HOH community members and any additional disabled community members who were misled by our advertising, we’d like to show accountability by offering you a cash refund at the event and inviting you to watch the show free of charge.””
FMI:
events.humanitix.com/midsummernightsdream
@QueerlyMaine on Instagram and Facebook
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
Around Town 4/15/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
Joe Neimczura with an invitation to join the band playing at the “Stand Up for Democracy” rally next Saturday at Steamboat Landing Park in Belfast. Musicians with instruments should arrive at 10 and check in with Joe (he says you’ll hear them) to prep for the rally (noon – 2pm). This is part of a national day of action.
FMI: www.activatemaine.com/calendar *
*As of when this program was produced, the time and location of the rally in Belfast had not been updated on the website. INDIVISIBLE Waldo County’s poster reads: “THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 12-2:00 Meet at Steamboat Landing for a peaceful protest. Stand up for Democracy. There will be a brass band. Bring drums or pots and pans! We will walk to the Pedestrian Bridge Marshalls, peacekeepers and medics on hand. Please cooperate for everyone’s safety and to protect private property. See you there.”
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
Around Town 4/14/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
A look at some of the proposed legislation being presented at legislative committee public hearings in Augusta today – and how you can participate
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
Around Town 4/11/25: Local News, Culture and Events
Host/Producer: Amy Browne
The League of Women Voters of Maine has launched a weekly webinar called the Democracy Update. The league describes them as “quick updates for busy people” focusing on elections, voting rights, and democracy- at the federal level and in Maine. On March 27th the webinar featured a discussion of threats to LGBTQ+ rights. Here’s a snippet of that discussion. This is Gia Drew from Equality Maine
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
