Working together to get things done for Maine
By U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud
(D-Maine)
When it comes to the big issues of the day, little can get done without some level of give and take and cooperation. That is true in Congress as well as right here in Maine.
On Oct. 19th, the governor’s office announced that the state had reached an agreement with the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway to preserve access to freight rail service in northern Maine. But what many might not know is how much work was put into this positive outcome behind the scenes by so many people.
Back in October of 2009, I worked to get the ball rolling on a solution by setting up a meeting with House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), representatives from the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and a group of Maine businesses and organizations that rely on the rail line. We discussed the effects that a rail abandonment would have on the region and recognized that it would take everyone working together to keep rail service operational in northern Maine.
As we moved forward, the cooperation and determination that resulted was impressive. Local economic development leaders, state representatives and senators, the governor’s office, MDOT and Senators Snowe and Collins all worked together to arrive at a solution.
Since the initial meeting in 2009, I worked closely with the STB and FRA to ensure that there was a fair, transparent process in place so that all parties would have an opportunity to be heard. As a result, I was able to convince STB officials to hold a hearing in Presque Isle. While it is not common for the STB to hold these hearing outside of Washington, I knew how important it was that they see and hear firsthand how this abandonment would affect the region’s economy.
And when needed, I pushed this issue at the highest levels of our government. When the President and his family vacationed in Bar Harbor this summer, I met him at the airport to press our case and ask for his support. I also got on the phone with U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood to support the funding application that was submitted by the state to help improve the conditions of the existing track.
And as a result of the good work done by many in Maine, the Administration recently responded to our request to provide a $10.5 million federal investment to rehabilitate the track. This investment will complement the deal that was reached by the State of Maine by helping to improve the long-term viability and reliability of freight rail service in northern Maine.
Throughout the process, local, state and federal stakeholders worked hand in hand toward a common goal. While it took almost a year, we are now closer than ever to crossing the finish line. And although there remains work to be done, such as finding an operator for the line, we are in a much better position today to make sure our businesses retain freight rail service than we’ve been in the last year.
Combined with the federal investment to improve the track, the agreement announced by the governor will help ensure that our businesses have the infrastructure in place to grow and sustain jobs. It will also make northern Maine an even more attractive place to do business, which will help create more jobs in the region moving forward.
Ultimately, the hard work that went into saving the rail line paid off due to an “all hands on deck” approach. In Congress, people tend to get caught up in claiming credit, grabbing headlines and making the other side look bad. That’s just not the case in our state and that’s not what Mainers expect.
The work done to preserve freight rail in Maine was truly collaborative. I think duplicating this cooperation could help us move other important initiatives forward that will help our state. Congress could certainly use a dose of teamwork too.
To the editor:
Please support the establishment of a children’s discovery museum for the County.
What is a children’s museum? Children’s museums emphasize interactive learning. Specially-designed exhibits allow visitors to explore educational subjects in a fun environment where touch and manipulation are encouraged.
Unlike more traditional museums, children’s museums are lively, family-friendly places where kids learn through play.
Currently, there are 243 children’s museums in the United States, according to the Association of Children’s Museums. Children’s museums are the fastest growing segment of the museum industry. Help us create a children’s museum for our children and their families in Aroostook County.
The Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum’s exhibit philosophy is founded on the belief that learning is child’s play. Our goal is to cultivate learning by inspiring children’s natural creativity and imagination, arousing their curiosity and encouraging exploration in a safe, fun, and interactive environment.
Each of the CCDM exhibits will be guided by the following principles:
• Exhibits will be rich in education.
• Exhibits will complement school curriculum and enhance early childhood development while fostering a passion and learning through hands-on and interactive exploration and discovery.
• Each exhibit will support a variety of learning styles and ability levels.
• Bright, colorful exhibits will be designed to stimulate the senses, without being overwhelming.
• Exhibits will promote children’s natural curiosity and assist them in discovering answers to questions about themselves and the world around them.
Besides exhibits, the center will include a museum store and party room.
Having the Caribou Children’s Children’s Museum will not only benefit children and parents, but will also promote the economic growth and vitality of the entire county. The museum will attract visitors to Aroostook, which will be good for local businesses, and will serve as a fun and educational destination for families, who are already visiting our area.
Your support makes a difference. With your help we will provide a rich play environment to inspire, motivate and excite children. Learning is fun when kids role play in realistic settings that capture the imagination. You can help create this opportunity for children and families with your donation. Please help us make it a reality — we need to raise $1.5 million.
We need your help! Send donations to: Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum, P.O. Box 487, Caribou ME 04736. Our next fundraiser is on Nov. 14th. We will be sponsoring the Kounty Kids Got Talent Show at 2 p.m. at the Caribou Performing Arts Center. Tickets are only $7 for adults and $5 for students. All student 16 and under qualify to audition for the show. Auditions are on Nov. 6th at 9 a.m. at CPAC.
Nancy Chandler,
Museum organizer
Thoughts on the future of reading
To the editor;
The technology of today’s world has become so advanced, with no end in sight in its possibilities. Computers are a marvel that my beloved mother never lived long enough to be amazed by. With just the click of the mouse, one can readily check medical sites, for example, to research the health concerns they are dealing with. This can give them some information with which to take to their doctor visit. The Internet has given us the capabilities to send e-mails to friends, many of whom live on the other coast. How enthralled mom would have been to sit at such a marvelous machine, looking at e-mails, and be able to see one suddenly arrive from a grandchild living in California, another from a grandchild off in Boston, and several others from grandchildren who live locally.
However, as great as this all is, I’ve seen some down sides to it all. For instance, as nice as it can be to receive “instant mail” — I still look forward to going out on the porch to find out what the mailman brought today. There is nothing like being surprised by a card bearing the message that “I’m thinking of you” in familiar handwriting, while talking briefly with the mailman about what is going on in your life. Modern technology is steadily robbing us of needed human contact.
The main reason behind my writing this letter is a commercial, which aired while I was watching either “Glee” or “The Event.” In the commercial, a young child is reading a book … on one of those (what are they called ) IPads? The words appear on the screen. In order to get to the next installment of the story, the child moves her hand across the screen.
Then, as I straightened up pillows on the couch and knickknacks on the stand in front of it, I listened to people who were being interviewed on a news program. They were being asked about how they felt in regard to having to use this new method of reading a newspaper, magazine or book. One man, in particular, remarked that when he reads his newspaper, he like to be able to spread it across the table and hear the rustle of the pages when he turns them. One woman made the comment that after a long day, she likes to recline in her bed with a good book — and cannot see herself doing this with anything other than a real book. Everyone else who was gathered around, on camera, voiced similar concerns.
Well, I would like to share my feelings and say that even though a quick e-mail is great — especially if you need to get serious instant messages to relatives who live away from home (and IPads are pretty cool, I guess) … I prefer to have a mailman deliver letters to my house. I prefer to peruse the local newspapers, rustling the pages as I turn to a new section. The same applies to magazines and books.
Speaking of books … what affect does this place on to publishing companies, and writers, like myself, who have ambitions of seeing our work published in book form? I have just recently finished the second of two manuscripts (two very compelling stories) and also have a plethora of very intense poetry written during the inner struggles of my short-lived time in high school. I have a real dream to see them all published — but not on an IPad! I want to see them bound, gracing bookshelves, their spines bearing both the title and my name. I want the pages to rustle as a reader of my works turns the pages. I want to see the works, that bare what is on my heart, to be read and enjoyed one day … the old fashioned way.
Perhaps, I’m just an “old fashioned girl” at heart.
Debbie Jean Jordan
Caribou
Time for some serious decisions
To the editor:
Time is near and we’re down to the wire and we have to make some serious decisions about who we want to lead us out of this quagmire we’re in. Do we want to elect no nonsense candidates who have common and business sense or do we opt for the status quo with self serving and self interest incumbents, devoid of any knowledge of any questions that come before them at the council meetings and vote with the majority just for the drama of being part of the group of big spenders? Can anyone name me one time when the incumbents came up with an original idea or even question the bureaucracy on essentials that have a great impact on bringing on higher taxes?
We have two candidates who are challenging the incumbents for the available council seats that will bring some semblance of sanity to the table. They have the ability to change the dynamics of the city council with their experience in the business and industrial world and bring common sense back to the equation. Their names are Doug Morrell (a past city councilor) and James Cerrato — two upstanding citizens who will bring their vast experience into play.
Before you vote you should get to know your candidates and what they stand for. They should welcome your call and inform you where they stand on issues that affect you personally and if it coincides with your train of thought then you can make your decision with the assumption that it may be the right one. I’m sure all candidates would welcome giving you information where they stand and also would welcome some input on your part but sometime input falls on deaf ears. Doug Morrell and Jim Cerrato are two candidates that will listen and do what’s best for all the citizens in Caribou and represent them well. You can take that to the bank.
Just a little background on these two candidates.
Doug Morrell: Has a proven industrial and business background and is part owner in one of the only manufacturing facilities in the city of Caribou that has created jobs in his hometown and has dedicated himself to keep the facility within this community.
James Cerrato: Hospital administration at Newport Beach, Calif. Program administrator for a social detox unit in Omaha, Neb. Contract councilor for a federal prison program in the state of Nevada. Also involved in adult and children’s programs in New Mexico. Moved to northern Maine to be closer to both the families of his and his spouse and would like the privilege to represent the citizen of Caribou on the city council and be involved in the decision-making process.
As you can see these two individuals have stellar qualifications to do the jobs as councilors very well and bring some dignity back to the everyday operation of the city of Caribou. Also both have a great amount of experience in the budgeting process.
I want to add that I’m all for the citizen’s right to vote and I’d fight to the death to preserve that but voting with no comprehension or insight on what you’re voting for and just voting a party line is unconscionable and a detriment to society as a whole.
Your vote on who sits on the charter commission is important and you should do your research on who should be elected in that arena. Get to know your candidates so you can make an informed decision. Good luck voting and have a nice day.
Wilfred Martin
Caribou
Libby Mitchell has paid her dues
To the editor:
Since the early 1970s, Ross and I had been traveling to Augusta to work on a number of issues confronting the people of our area and beyond. Later he and I put in a combined 20 years in elected legislative service. During all that time, the only 2010 gubernatorial candidate that we ever met engaged in solving problems was Libby Mitchell. We’ve yet to meet the other four. I can’t blame people for not choosing state public service because in Maine there is little financial remuneration and one can’t blame anyone for wanting to make a buck. However, these Johnnies come lately are spending oodles to slime with prevarications and exaggerations against those of us who made different choices than they did in looking for solutions to keep improving the quality of life for the people of Maine.
When my parents were growing up, this region was virtually a Third World country. Missionary men and women came to the area and founded schools, hospitals, and orphanages. They worked on community development so that the next generation would have a chance.
Some candidates are behaving as if we’ve achieved nirvana and have to turn the clock back to the bad old days instead of confronting the challenges day by day with the realities existing in Maine. Elected office is difficult and frustrating work. Libby Mitchell served patiently and energetically. She has amassed a voluminous amount of knowledge that will enable her to continue to serve from day one. Vote Libby!
Judy Ayotte Paradis
Frenchville
Vaccinations for older adults; sorting fact from fiction
By Deb Jacques
The only thing worse than being sick is being sick and knowing it might have been prevented. Regardless of one’s opinion on immunizations, the fact remains that vaccines have vastly reduced the toll of infectious diseases. The developed world’s success in extending individual life expectancies – from 47 years in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century to 78 years at the beginning of the 21st century – has allowed people to grow old enough – believe it or not – to need a second round of vaccines.
As flu season arrives, and everyone sits on edge wondering what new surprises this year’s strains have in store, Eastern Maine HomeCare (EMHC) is raising awareness about vaccinations for older adults and helping to dispel some common myths often associated with immunizations.
According to Cecile Voisine, clinical manager for EMHC/Visiting Nurses of Aroostook in Caribou and Fort Kent, older bodies’ natural defense systems tend to decrease and vaccines can ward off, or at least weaken the severity of, a few diseases capable of inflicting extreme discomfort or worse among otherwise healthy seniors.
In particular, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend three vaccines for older Americans: seasonal influenza, pneumonia and shingles. The pathogens that cause these diseases can be deadly when manifested in older people, and the vaccines are clearly beneficial.
Pneumococcus, a bacterium that colonizes in the upper respiratory tract, can cause not only pneumonia, but also deadly blood infections, meningitis and earaches. It kills more people in the United States than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. Seniors are most at risk for these conditions. Death rates among elderly patients with pneumococcal bacteremia run between 30 and 40 percent. The CDC strongly encourages anyone over 65 to get a one-time shot, which should be good for the rest of their life.
Shingles, a rash cause by the varicella zoster virus, is a cruel cousin of the chicken pox. About one-third of all adults will get shingles at some point, and 10 to 18 percent of those who get shingles will develop a severe pain syndrome caused by nerve inflammation. It can last for weeks or months after the rash has cleared up, and no effective treatment exists for the syndrome. Though there is a vaccine for shingles, less than 2 percent of those who should get immunized do so.
For flu, authorities recommend annual vaccinations for everyone over 50 years old. The CDC estimates that of the 36,000 Americans who die annually from infection by the seasonal flu virus, 90 percent are age 65 and older. In addition, most of the estimated 225,000 people hospitalized because of the seasonal flu are also over the age of 65. Some studies show the vaccine being as much as 70 to 90 percent effective for healthy seniors.
In regard to the H1N1 flu, the CDCP advisory committee has noted that people age 65 and older are in fact not a high priority for the vaccine being developed to ward off the virus, however they are not dissuading this age group from receiving the vaccine. Evidence has shown that people age 65 or older are at less risk of catching the H1N1 flu, than are younger people. However, those that do choose to receive the H1N1 vaccine should also plan to receive the seasonal flu vaccine.
There are many common misconceptions about flu vaccinations, oftentimes deterring people from obtaining a vaccine that could protect them. Whether in a community housing environment or one’s own home, it remains equally important for those over age 50 to receive vaccinations to help prevent illness.
It is not possible to get influenza from the flu shot. The vaccine is made from a killed virus which is not capable of causing the disease. If considering the nasal spray vaccine, understand that it is a live but weakened virus and is not recommended for adults over 50.
Oftentimes people don’t get vaccinated because they don’t believe the flu shot works. It is true that the flu vaccine is not 100 percent effective in preventing flu and it is possible for some people to still get influenza after taking the flu shot. However, these people usually get a milder case of the flu than they otherwise would get. The risk of hospitalization and death from complications of influenza is also greatly reduced. People also oftentimes use the term “flu” when in fact they are suffering from a cold, respiratory infection, or similar condition. The flu vaccine only protects against influenza, not any other illness.
For more information, please visit www.easternmainehomecare.org and click on Vaccinations.
Deb Jacques is the community relations manager for Eastern Maine HomeCare. She can be reached at 532.9261 or via e-mail her at djacques@emh.org.
