News Briefs

Senator Collins Surpasses Margaret Chase Smith's Record For Consecutive Votes

Collins maintains perfect voting record with 2,942 roll call votes to date
Washington, D.C.- Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recognized Senator Susan Collins on the Senate Floor this afternoon for her perfect voting record in the U.S. Senate and for surpassing a milestone set by the late Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith. Earlier today, Senator Collins cast her 2,942nd consecutive roll call vote.

Senator Collins has been present for every roll call vote that has occurred in the Senate since she was sworn into office in January 1997. "I take very seriously the charge that has been granted to me by the people of Maine, to represent their interests and be their voice in the U.S. Senate. It is my honor to do so," said Senator Collins. "Much of my dedication to public service was inspired by Margaret Chase Smith, who went for years without missing a vote and didn't miss one until she was forced to do so because of surgery. I continue to be inspired by her example and will make every effort to uphold that important legacy for Maine." Former Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith cast 2,941 consecutive votes over 13 years before missing her first vote on September 6, 1968.

Cumberland County Budget information
The next budget meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 29, from 5-8 p.m. in the Peter J. Feeney Conference Room at the County Courthouse Building in Portland. This meeting will include a workshop on the County's (CIP) Capital Improvement Program for FY06, as well as decisions by the BAC regarding the FY06 Draft Budget and the Budget Advisory Committee's (BAC) recommendations on the next phase of the County budget process, the FY06 Proposed Budget, with adoption of the budget by the Commissioners in late December. The BAC meetings are open to the public. FMI e-mail Cumberland County Manager Peter Crichton at crichton@cumberlandcounty.org To view previous County Budget Advisory Committee minutes, go to http://www.cumberlandcounty.org/minutes.html

Islandport Press hosts book fair
Islandport authors to sign their books at Portland Public Market Dec. 10

NEW GLOUCESTER-- Islandport Press will host a Holiday Book Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Portland Public Market. Authors from Islandport Press, which publishes books by Mainers and about Maine, will be available to discuss and sign copies of their popular books.

Maine authors scheduled to appear are: Elizabeth Elder and Leslie Mansmann, author and illustrator, respectively, of the children's picture book, When I'm With You, 10 a.m. to noon; Janet Galle, author of Two Farms: Essays on a Maine Country Life, from 11 a.m. to noon; Clarke Canfield, author of Those Damned Yankees: The Not-So-Great History of Baseball's Evil Empire, noon to 1 p.m.; John McDonald, author of the newly released down the road a piece: A Storyteller's Guide to Maine and A Moose and a Lobster Walk into a Bar, noon to 2 p.m.; and Trudy Chambers Price, author of The Cows Are Out! Two Decades on a Maine Dairy Farm, 2 to 4 p.m.

Other Islandport Press titles also will be sold at the Holiday Book Fair. Complimentary gift wrapping for books purchased will be available.

For more information on the event, contact the Portland Public Market at 228-2000 or Islandport Press via telephone at 207-688-6290, via email at info@islandportpress.com, or via U.S. Mail at P.O. Box 10, Yarmouth, Maine 04096. Or visit www.islandportpress.com. Electronic and print images of the authors and book jackets are available upon request.