Democracy Forum 11/15/24: Election Reflections: What Just Happened Here?

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:
This month, as we do each election year, we will reflect on the recent election: what just happened here, and why? What does it mean for Maine?

Guest/s:
– Nicholas Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Government, Colby College www.colby.edu/people/people-directory/nicholas-jacobs/
– Anna Kellar, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Maine www.lwvme.org/lwvme-staff
– Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director, CIRCLE circle.tufts.edu/about-circle/our-team
– Steve Mistler, Chief Political Correspondent and State House Bureau Chief, Maine Public www.mainepublic.org/people/steve-mistler

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.

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Around Town 11/15/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Catherine Ring joins us to talk about the Queen City Improv Troupe event at Brown Hall (at Elm Street Congregational Church) in Bucksport, Saturday evening at 10. Tickets at the door. And a few other options for “comedy relief” in the area this weekend

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-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

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We Are Queer 11/14/24: Father Douglas: God Does Not Create Junk

Host/Producer: Olivia Paruk
Music by Juniper Ginger

In this episode of We Are Queer, host Olivia Paruk interviews Father Douglas Beck who is the Rector at Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church in Blue Hill. Their conversation focuses on Father Douglas’s story of faith, queerness, and inspiring hope. Please note this episode does have a few background noises however that does not take away from insightful conversation.
We Are Queer, highlights the touching experiences from Maine’s diverse LGBTQ+ community that builds empathy and understanding in our greater community. If you have feedback for the show or want to get in touch email [email protected] with WERQ in the subject line.

Guest: Father Douglas Beck, Rector at Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church in Blue Hill

About the host:
Olivia Paruk (she/her) is a local college student and gardener who is passionate about people and this journey called life we are all on together. She is not a “true” Mainer but moved to Southern Maine with her family when she was ten, but she has been living on Mount Desert Island for three years while attending College of the Atlantic. In addition to radio, Olivia loves analyzing movies with her sister, dancing in her kitchen, attempting to sew, and getting lost in her imagination.

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Around Town 11/14/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Cathy Rees, Executive Director of Native Gardens of Blue Hill joins us with information about their “Sustainable Landscaping and Garden Maintenance” certificate course. It starts in January, but spaces are limited and registration is open now. There are some scholarship funds available.

FMI:
www.nativemainegardens.org/
email: [email protected]
To register: kvcc.me.edu/workforce

Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, which serves people in need throughout Hancock County, is seeking new volunteers to help staff its market in Ellsworth. Prospective volunteers can learn more about available volunteer opportunities and apply on their website

FMI:
www.loavesandfishesellsworth.org/volunteer

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-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

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Talk of the Towns 11/13/24: Zero Energy Homes for Maine

Producer/Hosts: Ron Beard and Liz Graves
Theme music for Talk of the Towns Theme is a medley from Coronach, on a Balnain House Highland Music recording.

Talk of the Towns: Local Community concerns and opportunities

This month:
What is the housing situation here in Maine?
What are the key pillars for Zero Energy Homes: Zero energy, Affordability, Modular Construction, Cooperatively owned company.
What are the components of a zero energy home?
What is modular construction and how does it contribute to an affordable home?
What has been the start up journey so far for Zero Energy Homes. What roles have the philanthropic and venture capital sectors played?
What comes next? Hiring the a manager for the manufacturing process and locating a site for a manufacturing facility capable of constructing 30-50 homes per year.
What is the timeline for locating your first demonstration home in Searsport in 2025?

Guest/s:
Caroline Pryor, founder of Zero Energy Homes, Mount Desert, Maine.
Dick Arnold, advisory board, retired manufacturing ceo and engineer, Old Orchard Beach.
Parlin Meyer, Managing Principal and co-owner BrightBuilt Home. Designer of modular, sustainble homes, Portland.

FMI:
zeroenergyhomes.coop
www.brightbuilthome.com

About the hosts:

Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals.

Liz Graves joined Talk of the Towns as co-producer and co-host in July 2022, having long admired public affairs programming on WERU and dreamed of getting involved in community radio. She works as the Town Clerk for the Town of Bar Harbor, and is a former editor of the Mount Desert Islander weekly newspaper. Liz grew up in California and came to Maine as a schooner sailor.

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Around Town 11/13/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Jill Howell, Executive Director of the Belfast-based non-profit Upstream Watch, with updates on the Nordic Aquafarms controversy in Belfast and heavy equipment working on Sears Island — and an invitation to a public gathering later this week (pre-registration required)
FMI:
www.upstreamwatch.org/

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-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

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BoatTalk 11/12/24

Producers/Hosts: Alan Sprague & Jon Johansen
Engineers: Pepin Mittelhauser, Matt Murphy

BoatTalk is the call-in show for people contemplating all things naval.

About the hosts:
Alan Sprague is a retired boat carpenter and a volunteer at WERU for over thirty years. He and the late Mike Joyce started Boattalk in 2003 and Alan carries on.

Jon Johansen is the editor and roving reporter for the Maine Coastal News. He is Chairman of the Board of the Penobscot Marine Museum, President of Maine Built Boats, President of Maine Lobster Boat Racing, and Director of the International Maritime Library in his spare time.

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Outside the Box 11/12/24: “Zionism”

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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