News Briefs

Gray will vote on budget increase
Total proposal up 7.5%
By Elizabeth Prata

Residents of Gray will gather for Town Meeting on Saturday, June 11 at 8 a.m. at Newbegin Center to vote on the Town Budget. The Meeting was scheduled for an earlier hour than customary in order to accommodate voters who will be attending GNG graduation ceremonies later that morning.
The Town Office has posted the official Town Meeting Warrant, copies of which can be obtained at the Town Office or online at www.graymaine.org. (Go to Public Notices).

The main article for consideration is #4 "To see if the Town will vote to raise $4,998,716 and appropriate $4,998,716 for the 2005/2006 Municipal Budget as approved by the Town Council."

The Town Budget request is $348,153 more than last year's approved budget of $4,650,563, an increase of 7.5%. Voters can approve the proposal or make motions to decrease the amount. Last year voters modified the budget, limiting it to a 5% increase over the previous year.

In addition to the main budget question, voters will decide 9 separate warrant articles asking for authorization to transfer $520,500 from the Undesignated Fund Balance and $328,000 out of Reserve Accounts to the budget revenues. Out of that transferred $848,500, $651,800 would be spent on capital projects, and $196,700 would be placed in Reserve accounts.

Mass Gathering Ordinance under scrutiny
Maine Civil Liberties Union Challenged City of Augusta in Court on Wednesday

Bangor, Maine - The Maine Civil Liberties Union appeared before Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. in US District Court, Wednesday, June 1 to challenge the City of Augusta's policy of imposing costly fees on organizers who wish to march in the state capital. The MCLU is representing Timothy Sullivan, one of the organizers of a March 21, 2004 "March for Truth," which promoted peace, end to war, universal health care, and benefits for military families. Mr. Sullivan was charged almost $2000 for the permit to hold the march. The MCLU is seeking the removal of onerous fees for parades and protests in the state's capital.

MCLU Cooperating Attorney David Webbert of Johnson & Webbert, LLP argued the case, along with MCLU staff attorney Zachary Heiden.
They posed an argument for the elimination of fees charged to protestors in Sullivan et al. v. City of Augusta.

The fees are described in an Augusta ordinance similar to Gray's Mass Gathering ordinance. The Augusta ordinance requires activists to apply 30 days before a march and outline their route in a meeting with police. U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock will soon issue a decision, which could affect other Maine municipalities with similar ordinances.

First Amendment advocates are pursuing similar cases in Pennsylvania and Georgia. The permitting process prohibits issues-oriented marches and protests from occurring in a manner that would allow a timely response to topics that arise suddenly. Those who oppose the ordinance say that the prohibits freedom of speech and assembly. They also say that freedom of speech should not be reserved for those who can afford it. Supporters say that gathering on sidewalks is always allowed.

Gray Town Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz has advised the Gray Town Council of this proceeding and said he will keep the Council informed.

National Hunger Awareness Day is June 7th

Sarah Olstein, a 7th grader at Auburn Middle School, has recently taken on a community service project to broaden awareness of hunger throughout the State of Maine. Inviting fellow classmates, schools, and community members in her journey to help feed Maine's hungry, Sarah is to be commended with the idea of selling Hunger Awareness Bracelets to benefit Good Shepherd Food-Bank.

Sarah says she was surprised to learn that Good Shepherd Food-Bank does more than feed Maine's hungry. Good Shepherd Food-Bank solicits surplus food from the grocery industry and distibutes it to over 500 non-profit agencies throughout the entire state. In doing so, they are able to touch every social issue including improved services available to neglected and abused children, abused women, single mothers, pregnant teens, the elderly, victims of AIDS and other diseases, mentally and physically handicapped, and others in crisis.

The money that these agencies save on their food budgets free up funds for improving the services they provide.

Did you know that....Children who are hungry are more likely to have behavioral problems, more likely to struggle academically, and more likely to be anxious, agressive, or irritable. One in ten people in Maine are hungry or at-risk of hunger, four in ten Maine children under the age of twelve are hungry or at-risk of hunger, and eight in ten households surveyed report that adults routinely sacrifice for their children by eating less. Since one third of the children in Maine are eligible for free or reduced lunch programs, summertime is an especially critical time.

While summer is regarded by most people as a time of vacationing and relaxation, is not necessarily so for those in need or for the Good Shepherd Food-Bank.

Every bracelet sold can provide $25.00 in food, feeding a family of four for a week. The bracelets are $3.00 each and GSFB will authorize any youth or church group, school, athletic team, class, scouts, etc to add$1.00 to each bracelet and keep the additional $1.00 or your own fundraiser.
For more information on how to help, contact contact JoAn Chartier at 782-3554 or email jchartier@gsfb.org

L/A Arts Summer Theatre Receives National Recognition and Funding

The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced L/A Arts Youth Summer Theatre as one of twenty-five recipients of its Summer Schools in the Arts program, an initiative designed to enhance the quantity and quality of arts education opportunities for youth while creating a variety of model programs. Twenty-five grants totaling $756,236 were awarded to organizations in communities ranging from Lewiston, Maine to Sitka, Alaska to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Each of the 25 selected sites will use national or state standards in the arts to assess the degree of learning among participating students.

Criteria include the knowledge gained in one or more disciplines and development of effective skills in the arts. In addition, each summer program will end its session with performances, exhibitions, or other demonstrations of students' work. In the case of L/A Arts Summer Theatre, the end performances will be the musical "Dear Edwina" performed by eight to eleven year olds, and Shakespeare's "The Tempest" performed by eleven to eighteen year olds.

There are still several openings and a limited amount of financial assistance available for each session of Summer Theatre, which both begin on July 11. The program will be held at the Bates Mill Complex in Lewiston and will run through August 5. Program hours are 9 am to 3:30 p.m. with the final performances occurring in the evening of August 4 and 5.

At the end of this summer, the NEA will distribute information regarding the learning outcomes from these 25 programs to public policy makers and leaders in the arts education field. Information will also be posted on the NEA Web site.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education.

Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, visit the agency's Web site at www.arts.gov. For more information about L/A Arts Summer Theatre visit www.laarts.org or phone L/A Arts at (207) 782-7228.