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

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

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications

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:

www.myRA.treasury.gov.

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.

Employment Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking

AUGUSTA-Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette has issued a reminder about the laws that protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in employment situations.

"October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "However, domestic abuse isn't an issue that we should pay attention to only one month during the year - it's a topic that targets victims every day. The Department of Labor offers protections to workers or their family members who are victims of domestic violence when they need to take time away from work to get help. Maine employers are compassionate towards victims of abuse, but everyone should be aware of these protections."

"State law offers protections for workers who need to take leave from work and also for workers who need to leave their job in order to start over in a safe place," stated Commissioner Paquette. "If you have to leave your job because of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, you may be able to file for unemployment benefits as you look for new employment. If you or a loved one is in any of these situations, you should contact the department to learn about your rights under the law."

Under Maine's employment laws, an employee who is a victim of domestic violence must be allowed time off from work with or without pay to prepare for and attend court proceedings, receive medical treatment or obtain necessary services to remedy a crisis caused by domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. The employee must request the time off. Leave must also be allowed if the employee's child, parent or spouse is the victim.

Under recent changes that went into effect in October 2015, the worker must report the suspected violation to the Department of Labor within six months of the denial of leave. If the department finds that the worker should have been granted leave, a fine of up to $1,000 for each violation may be assessed against the employer. In addition, the employer is liable for liquidated damages in an amount equal to three times the amount of total assessed fines. If the worker was found to have been terminated in violation of the law, the worker may elect either the liquidated damages or reemployment with the employer with back wages.

If a worker needs to quit their job due issues related to being a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, that person might be eligible for unemployment benefits, and the employer's experience rating will not be charged. If the worker has made all reasonable efforts to keep the job but voluntarily leaves work to avoid domestic abuse, the worker may be eligible to file for unemployment benefits. A worker may not be disqualified from receiving benefits because of misconduct if the worker's actions were based solely on the need to protect herself (himself) or an immediate family member from domestic violence, and she made all reasonable efforts to keep the job.

Maine CareerCenters are available to assist victims look for new employment. Visit http://www.mainecareercenter.com for locations.

Call the department at (207) 623-7900 for answers to questions about these laws or to obtain a copy of the laws. An optional labor law poster about these statutes is available at no charge for downloading or printing at http://www.maine.gov/labor/posters/index.html .

The Maine Department of Labor is an equal opportunity provider. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.