The Maine Monitor Radio Hour 2/5/26

Host: Kate Cough, Editor at The Maine Monitor.

The Maine Monitor Radio Hour is a collaboration between WERU-FM and the Maine Monitor, the nonpartisan, independent publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.

This month: Sean Scott, who covers religion for The Monitor, Kristian Moravec, who covers education, Public Health Reporter Rose Lundy and Government Accountability Reporter Josh Keefe discuss their recent coverage of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge in Maine.

Guests:
Sean Scott, Kristian Moravec, Rose Lundy, Josh Keefe

FMI:
themainemonitor.org/ice-in-maine/

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Around Town 2/5/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Public hearings and work sessions today in the state legislature’s joint standing committees

February 7th is “Take Your Child to the Library” Day Ellsworth Public Library is participating with activities for kids in grades 2-4

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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Healthy Options 2/4/26: How We Can Stay Calm & Resilient Through Stressful Times

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall
Technical Assistance: Joel Mann

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:
What is trauma resiliency and how do our nervous systems respond to trauma & stress?
How the nervous system responds to accumulated trauma.
How generosity & gratitude can enhance resiliency.
What role tears and/or laughter may play when we experience distress or trauma.
The iChill App & how it can help calm us during periods of stress.

Guest(s):
Elaine Miller-Karas, co-founder- and former Executive Director- of the Trauma Resource Institute, a notable nonprofit dedicated to promoting resilience and trauma-informed care. Under her guidance, the Trauma Resource Institute has pioneered groundbreaking initiatives, such as the Community Resiliency Model and the Trauma Resiliency Model, both of which have become widely acknowledged interventions for addressing- and preventing- traumatic stress. She has led projects to help communities recover after earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, and mass shootings. Elaine Miller-Karas shares her experience & insights in her writings on trauma-related subjects, as a regular contributor to Psychology Today, and as the host of the weekly podcast, “Resiliency Within”, which is heard on VoiceAmerica. She is the author of “Building Resilience to Trauma: the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models”, a work commended by the United Nations for its alignment with the U.N.’s sustainable development goals. She has shared her expertise and has given presentations at numerous prestigious institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control, the United Nations, the Global Fund, Catalyst 2030, and the Skoll World Forum.

FMI:
Trauma Resiliency Institute: www.traumaresourceinstitute.com

iChill is a free app from the App store, or try it online HERE: www.traumaresourceinstitute.com/ichill

Psychology Today- Article by Elaine Miller-Karas: How to Cultivate Inner Harmony in Stressful Times: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/building-resiliency-to-trauma/202601/how-to-cultivate-inner-harmony-in-stressful-times

Elaine Miller Karas podcasts on VoiceAmerica: www.voiceamericamedia.com/show/resiliency-within/

April 2025 HEALTHY OPTIONS interview on the Trauma Resource Institute (with links to previous HEALTHY OPTIONS programs on the work of the Trauma Resource Institute):

Healthy Options 4/2/25: Building Resiliency to Trauma: archives.weru.org/healthy-options/2025/04/healthy-options-4-2-25-building-resiliency-to-trauma/

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

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World Ocean Radio 2/4/26: Sewersheds and Septic Systems

Host: Peter Neill
Producer: Trisha Badger

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Water is part of an integrated system worldwide. What happens downstream? Consider waste water–from home and from manufacturing–that is corrupted by use, disposed of, treated (or not), and returned to the water system. Where wastewater has historically been planned as an afterthought, we must now consider its downstream effects and the long term implications of the water supply for human health and survival.

WORLD OCEAN RADIO
5-minute weekly insights dive into ocean science, advocacy and education hosted by Peter Neill, lifelong ocean advocate and maritime expert. A catalog of more than 730 episodes offering perspectives on global ocean issues and solutions, and celebrating exemplary projects. Available for RSS feed and broadcast by college and community radio stations worldwide via Exchange.prx.org and Audioport.org. Visit WorldOceanObservatory.org for the full catalog, searchable by theme.

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Around Town 2/4/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

This weekend the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport is offering workshops on Sailor’s Valentines and Sardine Snacks. Space is limited and registration is required. FMI: Penobscot Marine Museum

Free tax support is once again available at the Ellsworth Public Library (EPL) from February 3 through April 14, 2026. AARP Tax-Aide will be offered in the library’s Riverview Room every Tuesday from 9 AM–5 PM. Registration is required and now open. An EPL library card is not required to use this service. Click here for more information and registration or call 207-667-6363

The Wilson Museum in Castine is offering an Arts & Adventure camp for kids in grades K to 4 during February vacation week. Georgia Zildjian and Haley Blake will lead the campers as they celebrate the wonders of nature through outdoor exploration and artistic expression from 9 til noon from Tuesday, February 17 to Friday, February 20. Kids are not required to attend all 4 days. There is a fee to cover materials and resources, and needs-based scholarships are available upon request.
Space is limited. For more information and to reserve a spot, email Georgia at [email protected] with the names and ages of your explorers.

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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Dawnland Signals Returns! 2/3/26

Hosts: Nolan Altvater and Nick Bear
Zoom Recording Technician: Scarlett Tudor
Producer: Esther Anne
Original music by Nick Bear

Join co-hosts Nolan Altvater and Nick Bear as they engage in conversations of truth, healing, and change in the Dawnland with special guests. Dawnland Signals highlights indigenous topics not immediately represented in mainstream media and is meant to share, inspire, and inform.

This month:
– Lynn Mitchell and Stephanie Bailey journeys into cultural teachings with youth.
– Youth access to cultural teachings, the land, and elders.
– Youth enriching community through cultural responsibilities.

Guests:
Lynn Mitchell.
Stephanie Bailey.

Links:
Wabanaki REACH: www.wabanakireach.org/
Dawnland Signals: www.wabanakireach.org/dawnland_signals

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Outside the Box 2/3/26: “Immigration”

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 2/3/26: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Updates on the situation with ICE in Maine from the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project and a summary of headlines on stories about the situation by news outlets across the state, aggregated by the Maine Monitor and available on their website along with their reporting. Be sure to catch The Maine Monitor Radio Hour here on WERU on the 1st Thursday of every month at 4pm

Reminder: Nick Bear and Nolan Altvater from Wabanaki REACH are the new hosts of Dawnland Signals, a monthly public affairs show that returns TODAY at 4pm and will continue on the 1st Tuesday of every month. Don’t miss it!
Dawnland Signals Archives

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download