Archives for Penobscot River

Around Town 11/17/22: Democracy Forum Election Reflections: What Just Happened Here?

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: Democracy Forum host Ann Luther of the League of Women Voters of Maine, joins us to invite listeners to tune in to Friday’s show (4pm). Friday’s show “will be less about how the parties and the candidates performed; more about how democracy performed. How did the election machinery hold up? How have our citizens embraced or rejected the legitimacy of the outcomes? Did women voters play a pivotal role in Maine or in other states? What about young voters? What does it all mean in the context of a bigger conversation about the future of western democracy?”

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.

Around Town 11/10/22: “Maine: The Way Life Could Be” Wants to Hear from YOU!

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: The year-long WERU series “Maine: The Way Life Could Be” is winding down. For the final show, cohosts Jim Campbell and Amy Browne are inviting the community to join them for a discussion of the topics the series has explored. The conversation will take place via Zoom on Monday, 11/14 at 6:30pm, and will be recorded for possible broadcast on the final show in the series, which will air in December. We discuss the details on today’s Around Town.

FMI or to sign up, email [email protected], Zoom links will be send out Monday afternoon.

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.

Around Town 11/3/22: PICA’s Annual Auction – This Weekend in Bangor

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: If you’re making plans for the weekend, the folks at PICA (Power in Community Alliances) would like to invite you to their annual auction, which will be held at the UU Church in Bangor this coming Saturday from 3-6pm. PICA’s Ed Rudnicki has all the details

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.

Around Town 10/27/22: Building Local Anti-Racist Community

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: The groups Resources for Organizing and Social Change and Community Change, Inc. have partnered for an online series of workshops, with the goal of building an anti-racist organizing community in New England. We got the details from one of the organizers, Sass Linneken, Executive Director of ROSC – Resources for Organizing and Social Change

FMI: [email protected]

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.

Around Town 10/20/22: 3 Day Artivism Conference Coming to Belfast

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: We’re in Belfast, checking in with Larraine Brown, one of the organizers of a 3-day Arts in Action Conference, coming up on November 4th, 5th and 6th.

The event is intended to be “A hope filled, solution focused, three day conference addressing substance use and mental health disorders, along with the effects of the COVID pandemic”.

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.

Around Town 10/13/22: Big Step Forward for Penobscot River Mercury Clean Up

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This week: After decades of work on the issue, the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA)and the Natural Resources Defense Council have a big announcement this week. Jesse Graham, Co-Director of MPA fills us in..

Read more here and 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.

RadioActive 4/25/19: Updates on Water Extraction and Solid Waste Reform Bills

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

a) Today we hear updates on the status of proposed waste reform and water extraction bills in the Maine State Legislature.

b) Yesterday, the Environmental and Natural Resources Committee made decisions on five bills that could impact industrial water extraction in Maine, specifically by Poland Spring, owned by Nestle Waters North America. The ENR Committee voted unanimously “ought to pass” on LD 112 ” An Act to Acknowledge Potable Water as a Necessity.” They voted unanimously “ought not to pass” on
LD 1358, “An Act to Further the Public Interest In All Maine Waters”, LD 413 ” An Act to Ensure the Rights
of Citizens to Groundwater in the State” and LD 197 “An Act to Convene a Working Group to Authorize a Public Trust for Maine’s Groundwater”. The Committee voted to move LD 1474 “An Act to Ensure Water Equity and Accountability for the People of the State”, sponsored by Rep. Hickman legislature.maine.gov/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1076&item=1&snum=129, to the Legislative Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. The work session is not yet scheduled.

c) Tomorrow, April 26th, at 10 am the Environment and Natural Resources Committee will hold a work session on LD 401, An Act To Preserve State Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling,” would request the accurate tracking and record keeping of waste from its generation to final disposal point, including as landfill leachate discharged into Maine waterways, including Juniper Ridge Landfill leachate deposited into the Penobscot River. It would walk back a 2011 state statute that allows out of state waste to be re-classified as in-state waste. It would also walk back the ability for the state to meet recycling goals by counting construction and demolition debris used as landfill covering and waste biosolids used as agricultural fertilizer. It would strengthen protections for the health of those living in close proximity to waste disposal facilities, including the Penobscot Nation.

To listen to the work session: legislature.maine.gov/Audio/#216

Guests:
Nickie Sekera, Community Water Justice www.facebook.com/communitywaterjustice/ www.communitywaterjustice.com

Hillary Lister, solid waste and environmental justice activist, Contact info: [email protected] or 207-314-4692

Today’s program was produced with the Sunlight Media Collective.

RadioActive 8/2/18

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Penobscot Elder Butch Phillips Speaks on the Penobscot River

Today, Penobscot Elder Butch Phillips speaks about his experiences on the Penobscot River, the Penobscot River Restoration Trust’s impacts on sea run fish and tribal culture, the spiritual Katahdin 100 and the Penobscot Nation’s current legal struggle to have their relationship with the Penobscot River continue to be recognized by the State of Maine.

Butch Phillips served as the Penobscot Nation’s Lieutenant Governor from 1983-84, was a negotiator for the Penobscot Nation during the creation of the Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act, chaired the Tribes’ Fish and Game Committee for 15 years and was a tribal cultural ambassador for the Penobscot River Restoration Trust.

The Sunlight Media Collective sat down with Butch Phillips in his home for the Collective’s film project, The River Is Our Relative. He is interviewed by Dawn Neptune Adams, Joanna Weaver and Meredith DeFrancesco.

Joanna Weaver recorded audio. This program is a joint production with the Sunlight Media Collective.

Guest: Reuben “Butch” Phillips, Penobscot Nation Elder