I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not fake.

I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not fake.
This page is copyrighted by Deborah Dorey Wilson, The Lebanon Truth Seekers. All rights reserved.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Governor LePage and First Lady to Host 5th Annual Blaine House Food Drive

 
11/05/2015 04:17 PM EST
 
 


AUGUSTA - The First Family invites the public to visit the Blaine House once again this year in an effort to help fellow Mainers who are less fortunate. Since Governor Paul R. LePage and First Lady Ann M. LePage began the food drive in 2011, they have collected thousands of pounds of food for pantries and shelters across Maine.

"This provides us an opportunity to open the Blaine House to visitors and share the history of the house while collecting food for those who need a helping hand in our communities," said Governor LePage. "It's important the First Lady and I give back to the people of Maine and this is one of the ways we are able to do that."

This year's food drives will take place on two consecutive Saturdays: November 7 and 14. Mainers will have an opportunity to bring a food donation, get a tour of the Blaine House led by Governor LePage and enjoy light refreshments.

The Good Shepherd Food-Bank will accept all donations brought to the Blaine House. Good Shepherd Food-Bank will determine the communities that need the food most and distribute the donations. Doors will be open at the Blaine House between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Saturday.

Marriage Ceremonies at the Lebanon Maine Town Office


Did you know that marriage ceremonies may be performed at the Lebanon Maine Town Office?
They can be!!
A simple service provided to you by your Town Office personnel provides for an "at the counter" ceremony and signing of the Marriage Certificate and you'd be good to go!!
Here's what we found on the Town of Lebanon Website..........




Marriage ceremonies can be performed at the Town Clerks’ Office by appointment. The cost for the ceremony is $60.00. The couple is required to provide their two witnesses. Marriage ceremonies at the Clerks’ office are simple ceremonies performed at the counter. A set of vows will be handed to the couple to read aloud and sign. Couples may read their own vows of reasonable length where time is permitted and must indicate the desire to do so at the time the appointment is scheduled.

After the marriage ceremony has taken place, the person who performed the ceremony will complete the applicable section of the marriage license. This includes obtaining signatures of two (2) witnesses provided by the couple and the signature of the person performing the ceremony. The person performing the ceremony CANNOT be one of the two witnesses to the ceremony, nor can they be the clerk receiving the license. THE MARRIAGE LICENSE MUST BE COMPLETED IN BLACK INK ONLY. (*Note: If a Maine resident goes to another state to get married to avoid Maine requirements, or if a nonresident comes to Maine to avoid the requirements of his/her state of residence, the marriage is considered to be null and void.)

Copies of your marriage certificate are available from the municipal clerk where the license was issued. A certified copy is $15.00 for the first copy and $6.00 for additional copies purchased in the same transaction (as outline by state Statue). Copies may also be obtained from the Office of Vital Records in Augusta.


Selectmen's Meeting Agenda for Thursday, November 5, 2015

November 5, 2015

SELECTMEN’S MEETING

 
 
 


AGENDA: 4:00 PM Sue Collins – Paperwork/discussion

 

4:30 PM Shirley Mathews – Summer Camp budget

 

5:00 PM Roger Michaud – Lebanon Trail Riders

 

 
Other business

United States Treasury Department Offers New Retirement Savings Plan to Americans.

myRA, U.S. Treasury’s New Retirement Savings Option


The U.S. Treasury Department has introduced myRA, a retirement savings account for individuals looking for a simple, safe, and affordable way to save for their retirement. Over thirty percent of all American households have no retirement savings. myRA provides a way to start saving for retirement.

Designed for people who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan through their job, myRA offers a favorable choice for those who want to save for retirement. With myRA:
  • There’s no cost and no fees to open and maintain an account;
  • The investment will not lose money;
  • U.S. Treasury backs the investment;
  • Account owners choose how much to save ($2, $20, $200 – whatever fits their budget);
  • If account owners change jobs, the account stays with them; and
  • Account owners can withdraw the money they put in without tax and penalty.
There are several ways to fund a myRA account:
  • From a paycheck. Account owners can set up automatic direct deposits with their employer(s) to their myRA.
  • From a checking or savings account. Account owners can set up recurring or one-time contributions from their checking or savings accounts to their myRA.
  • From a federal tax refund. At tax time, account owners can direct all or part of their federal tax return to their myRA.
Employers do not manage employee myRA accounts, contribute to them, or match employee contributions. At no cost to them, employers simply facilitate an ongoing payroll deduction from the employee’s paycheck to the designated myRA account in the amount the employee chooses.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT myRA,
head to the U.S Treasury website by clicking HERE:

Maine Conservation Corps Announces Opening for Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Position Based in Hallowell, Maine.



Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Position

The Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) is accepting applications for a Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator.  This position is based in the MCC’s office in Hallowell, ME.  MCC is dedicated to environmental education, outdoor recreation and conservation projects, volunteer opportunities, and developing career and leadership skills. 
MCC’s Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator is responsible for promoting MCC throughout Maine, using several platforms, including career and volunteer fairs, Facebook, Vimeo, newspapers, and promotional posters. The position also involves coordinating, recruiting, and tracking large numbers of volunteers paired with MCC’s AmeriCorps members throughout the state. This position is not an AmeriCorps position.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2015 
Start/End Date: January 4- December 17, 2016
Attitude:
  • Ability to work and get along with others.
  • Non-judgmental attitude and sensitivity to others.
  • Positive approach to creative solutions.
  • Have the desire to learn, serve others, and make a difference.
  • Reliability and responsibility.
  • Motivation and initiative
 General Responsibilities:
  • Make connections with individuals and volunteers in the community for program outreach and program enhancement.
  • Assist AmeriCorps members and staff with general program events as needed.
  • Train and assist volunteers and AmeriCorps members. 
 Program-specific duties:
  • Produce press releases, newsletters, and other written communications.
  • Manage MCC Volunteer Calendar and VolunteerMaine postings.
  • Conduct outreach and promotional presentations for the MCC.
  • Assist with MCC recruitment efforts through career fairs and school presentations.
  • Serve as the media contact for the MCC.
  • Continue MCC branding efforts.
  • Create and Coordinate Volunteer Opportunities in collaboration with Community Partners and AmeriCorps members.
Training and responsibilities:
  • Participate in AmeriCorps training and events as required and requested by the Maine Commission for Community Service and the MCC.
  • Conduct volunteer management trainings for MCC members.
  • Participate in community service activities.
  • Work with Program Coordinator to create field visit schedule and planned promotional events.
  • Participate in orientation training.
Work schedule: 40 hour work week, typically Monday-Friday, with occasional weekends and overnights.
Skill requirements: Essential functions include:
  • Previous experience managing volunteers.
  • Excellent communication skills, including comfort with public speaking.
  • Strong organizational skills.
  • Experience conducting outreach and giving presentations.
  • Familiarity with social media.
  • Extensive written communication skills (e.g. press releases and newsletters).
  • Good computer skills, including video editing and Microsoft Office programs.
  • Passion for community service and the environment.
Benefits:

The Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator is a non-AmeriCorps MCC staff person who will receive a weekly living stipend of $450.00 for 50 weeks. Other benefits include health insurance, a wide range of training and networking opportunities, and a Maine State Park Pass.  

To Apply: By November 13, submit your cover letter and resume, and have two professional references send either letters of recommendation or a completed MCC reference form to the Maine Conservation Corps at: corps.conservation@maine.gov

Lebanon Fire EMS Members Attend Training Sessions with ATV 6 wheel Emergency Vehicle

Photo Courtesy of Lebanon Fire EMS
From left to right back row: Lieutenant Bill Stacewicz, Tim Gagnon, Matt O’Connor.
Middle Row Left to Right: Chief Dan Meehan, Lieutenant Stu Morrison, Captain Natasha Kinney, Scott McInnis and Andrew Jagger
Kneeling is CJ from Kenney Automotive.


Recently some members of the Lebanon Fire & Ems Department spent a rainy Sunday learning how to drive and maneuver their ATV 6 wheeler which is used for both rescue and woods fires.
The members went through a course that included uneven terrain, driving over obstacles, knowing what to do if the ATV gets stuck, using a spotter to make sure trails, bridges or ice is safe and the safe transport of patients or personnel. 
Prior to Sundays driving course the member’s attended a training session on safety, maintenance and tools used with the ATV.
The members would like to Thank CJ of Kenney Automotive for taking the time with teaching and helping with the driving course.

Lebanon Conservation Commission Hosts Informational Session on York County Invasive Aquatic Species, European Niad

 


 
 
On Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 PM at the Martha Sawyer Community Library, the Lebanon Conservation Commission will host an informational session on the European Naiad plant recently discovered in Northeast Pond. Laurie Callahan of the York County Invasive Aquatic Species Project and Melissa Brandt of York County Soil and Water will be there to answer questions about what the arrival of this plant means for our town, and how ordinary citizens can help prevent invasive aquatic species. All are welcome.

Please contact Ruth Gutman at (207) 370-4191 for more information, or lebanonconservationcommission@gmail.com
 
 

State Drug Agents Making Record Number of Drug Arrests

 

AUGUSTA – After an alarming increase of drug-related arrests during the past week, including a major bust in the Capitol City, Governor Paul R. LePage is praising the work of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) saying their work is critical to curbing the pandemic plaguing the State.
MDEA agents have made twenty heroin related arrests since Monday, October 26, and agents and the State Medical Examiner’s Office report nine suspected heroin overdose deaths in the same period.
“I commend MDEA and local law enforcement for getting these drugs off our streets,” said Governor LePage. “The work they are doing is critical to curbing a pandemic we have on our hands—a pandemic that lawmakers are ignoring. One of the biggest drug busts we have seen in years occurred just this week in Augusta at the Senator Inn where many legislators stay during session. Seven people were arrested after drug agents seized lethal amounts of crack and heroin, all of which would have gone out on our streets. But legislators still refuse to give our law enforcement agencies the manpower they need.”
For years, Governor LePage has championed legislation to provide the MDEA with adequate resources to deal with Maine’s exploding drug issue. In 2014, he proposed a bill to provide the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency with 14 agent positions; add 4 new special drug prosecutors; and add 4 new judges to sit in enhanced drug courts. In 2015, legislators watered down the bill adding just 4 drug agents, 2 new prosecutors and 2 new judges.
“Five of the seven people arrested this week are from Augusta and New York City,” said Governor LePage. “This further illustrates the infiltration of out-of-state drug dealers coming into Maine. Our agents are doing everything they can to stop the dealers, but they need more help.”
Maine’s top drug agent says the rise in drug trafficking is causing an increased threat to public safety and health. “The Maine Chiefs of Police and the Maine Sheriffs have made it clear that local law enforcement officials desperately need more resources to fight the drug problem in our State,” said Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Governor LePage has noted he will use executive authority to call upon assistance from the National Guard if the Legislature won’t make additional resources available to stop the flow of deadly drugs into Maine. The Governor has expressed interest in activating up to a dozen National Guard members who would support MDEA efforts.
“I am deeply concerned that we have people dying daily from suspected heroin overdoses and we continue to have out-of-state drug dealers entering our state. Repeatedly I have requested the Legislature to help, but they refuse to fully support the needs of the MDEA. If lawmakers won’t step up, then I will have no choice other than to ask the National Guard to help.”

National Weather Service "Winter Weather Awareness Week" Continues with Definititions of Winter Weather Terms


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
600 AM EST THU NOV 05 2015



THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES THAT SERVE NEW ENGLAND HAVE
DECLARED THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 2ND THROUGH 6TH, WINTER WEATHER
AWARENESS WEEK. IN CONJUNCTION WITH WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK,
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GRAY WILL BE ISSUING PUBLIC
INFORMATION STATEMENTS CONCERNING MANY ASPECTS OF WINTER WEATHER AND
WINTER WEATHER PREPAREDNESS. THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES OF FIVE
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS TO BE ISSUED THIS WEEK.

...HIGH WIND, COASTAL FLOODING AND EROSION, AND DENSE FOG THREATS...

IN ADDITION TO SNOW, SLEET, FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN, WINTER STORMS
BRING THE THREAT OF HIGH WINDS AND COASTAL FLOODING TO NORTHERN NEW
ENGLAND. DENSE FOG, CAUSED BY WARM AIR MOVING OVER COLD SNOW-COVERED
GROUND, IS ALSO A FREQUENT HAZARD IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE
WINTER AND EARLY SPRING.

...HIGH WINDS...

HIGH WINDS CAN OCCUR BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER MAJOR WINTER STORMS
AND CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DRIVE
A HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STARTS TO SWERVE DUE TO THE
WIND, SLOW DOWN. HIGH WINDS CAN CAUSE SNOW TO BLOW AND DRIFT,
REDUCING VISIBILITIES AND CAUSING SLIPPERY CONDITIONS ON THE
ROADWAYS. ALSO, HIGH WINDS BRING INCREASED DANGER FROM FALLING
TREES, WHICH CAN LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WIND EVENTS, THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES HIGH WIND WATCHES, HIGH WIND
WARNINGS, AND WIND ADVISORIES. THESE ALERTS ARE BASED ON THE
FOLLOWING CRITERIA.

HIGH WIND WATCH - SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER OR
FREQUENT GUSTS TO 58 MPH OR GREATER ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.

HIGH WIND WARNING -SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER OR
FREQUENT GUSTS TO 58 MPH OR GREATER ARE
LIKELY WITHIN THE NEXT 24.

WIND ADVISORY -SUSTAINED WINDS OF 31 TO 39 MPH OR FREQUENT
GUSTS TO BETWEEN 46 AND 57 MPH ARE LIKELY
WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

IN ADDITION, WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE ISSUED WHEN BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW REDUCES VISIBILITIES TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS CREATING A
SIGNIFICANT HAZARD ON THE ROADWAYS.

...COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH EROSION...

COASTAL FLOODING CAN PRECEDE OR ACCOMPANY MAJOR WINTER STORMS.
STRONG SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, EAST, AND NORTHEAST WINDS CAN CAUSE WATER
TO PILE UP ALONG THE MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE COASTLINES CAUSING TIDE
LEVELS TO RISE ABOVE NORMAL. IN ADDITION TO ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDES,
LARGE WAVES ASSOCIATED WITH A STORM CAN CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL BEACH
EROSION ALONG THE COASTLINE.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE POTENTIAL FOR COASTAL FLOODING, THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES COASTAL FLOOD WATCHES AND COASTAL
FLOOD WARNINGS. IN DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL THREAT FROM A
PARTICULAR STORM, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONSIDERS THE TIMING
AND HEIGHT OF THE NORMAL TIDES, THE TIMING OF THE STORM, AND THE
EXPECTED STORM SURGE THAT WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORM.

COASTAL FLOOD WATCH - COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE WITHIN THE
NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.

COASTAL FLOOD WARNING - COASTAL FLOODING LIKELY WITHIN THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

NOTE THAT BEACH EROSION CAN OCCUR FROM LARGE STORM-GENERATED WAVES
EVEN THOUGH THE TIDE LEVELS MAY NOT BE ABOVE FLOOD LEVELS. IN THESE
CASES, THE LIKELIHOOD AND SEVERITY OF ANY BEACH EROSION IS ADDRESSED
IN THE PUBLIC FORECAST PRODUCT.

...DENSE FOG...

DURING LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING, WARM AIR MOVING NORTHWARD FROM
AREAS TO OUR SOUTH, OFTEN ENCOUNTERS THE COLD SNOW-COVERED GROUND
IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THIS COMBINATION OF WARM AIR MOVING OVER
A COLD SURFACE OFTEN RESULTS IN THE FORMATION OF DENSE FOG.
PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO ENHANCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF DENSE FOG
FORMATION. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING IN
THESE CONDITIONS. VISIBILITIES MAY CHANGE FROM GOOD TO NEAR-ZERO
VISIBILITY IN A MATTER OF FEET. IN SOME CASES, THE FOG MAY BE SO
DENSE THAT IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO EVEN SEE THE EDGE OF THE ROAD. IN
ADDITION, DENSE FOG MAY HIDE OTHER HAZARDS SUCH AS DEER OR MOOSE IN
THE ROADWAY, STOPPED MOTORISTS, OR FLOODING. BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL
AT NIGHT.

TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES DENSE FOG ADVISORIES. DENSE FOG ADVISORIES
ARE ISSUED FOR CASES WHEN WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG CREATES NEAR-ZERO
VISIBILITY OVER A LARGE AREA.