The Monument - Community News for Gray, New Gloucester, Cumberland, N. Yarmouth, Raymond and Windham Maine

News

Hero of "Hotel Rwanda" to Speak at USM

Paul Rusesabagina, the man whose story inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda," will speak at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 24, in USM's Hannaford Lecture Hall, Abromson Community Education Center, Bedford St., Portland. The event, which is free and open to the public, is designed to raise awareness about how global passivity allows atrocities of the magnitude of the Rwandan genocide to continue. He will sign copies of his recently released autobiography, "An Ordinary Man," which will be available for sale at the event. Parking is available in USM's parking garage.

Saint Joseph's College holds open house for high school juniors

Saint Joseph's College will hold an open house for high school juniors on Friday, April 21. Admission staff and current students will offer tours of the lakeside campus and share valuable information on how to prepare for a strong interview, how to write an effective college essay, four basic areas that can give balance to a college decision, and important admission and financial aid facts. A continental breakfast and lunch are included. Saint Joseph's is a Catholic liberal arts college located on Sebago Lake just 18 miles from Portland. Registration is required. Please call 1-800-338-7057 or register online at www.sjcme.edu/schedule_visit

Portland Expo to be Site of Second Annual Children's Health and Safety Fair

The Southern Maine EMS Council presents its second annual Children's Health and Safety Fair at the Portland Expo on Wednesday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

John Leighton, EMSC Coordinator for Southern Maine EMS, said last year's inaugural event had just over 400 students, pre-school through second grade, tour the exhibits and take home a bag of educational materials.

Display booths will include the Fire Marshall, local fire and EMS departments, Maine Warden Service, Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Southern Maine Medical Center and a variety of other health programs. Also making appearances throughout the day will be Mercy Bear, Vince and Larry (the seat belt guys), Smokey Bear, along with other of the areas favorite mascots.

Southern Maine EMS is a non-profit agency located in South Portland that serves EMS and public safety agencies in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc and parts of Oxford Counties. For more information check the website at www.smems.org or call 207-741-2790.

Public Town Hall Meeting On The Iraq War To Be Held April 21 At USM

A coalition of more than 40 Maine peace groups, church committees, town political committees and the like have announced a public town hall meeting on the Iraq War. The event will be held in the Hannaford Lecture Hall at USM in Portland on Friday, April 21 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Organizers have invited all four members of the Maine Congressional Delegation and the Governor to come and listen to how the public feels about the war.

According to John Eric Baugher, Asst. Prof., Dept. of Sociology at USM, "I see the purpose of the university in a democratic society to raise the toughest questions facing our nation and to create a public space for deep discussion of those issues. One of the most pressing political and moral issues U.S. citizens must confront today concerns what our government and military are doing in Iraq with our tax dollars and in our name. My hope is that the Town Hall Meeting on April 21st will involve a wide cross-section of folks from the region in a deeper dialogue about the nature and consequences of the U.S.-led war in Iraq and encourage all to take informed action consistent with our deepest political and moral convictions."

Polls now reveal that the war in Iraq is the top issue on the minds of the American people. The war is costing the U.S. taxpayer over $8 billion a month. Maine's share of the war cost is now over $910 million. That same amount of money could fully cover 123,000 people with health care in our state.

The public is invited to come to the April 21 Town Hall Meeting at USM. Anyone who wishes to speak, whether they are for or against the war, will be given 3-minutes. A table with five chairs will be set up at the front of the hall for Maine's two Senators, two Congressman, and Governor. The elected officials have been asked to sit and listen to the public. Near the end of the event the elected officials will be invited to offer a response.
Sponsoring groups for the April 21 Town Hall Meeting are:

NAACP Portland Branch
Maine Veterans for Peace
Peace Action Maine
Forest Ecology Network
Maine Women's International League for Peace & Freedom
Greater Brunswick PeaceWorks
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Midcoast Peace & Justice Group
People Organizing to Win Economic Rights - POWER
Witness for Peace
Portland Women in Black
Pax Christi Maine
Sociology Student Association-USM
Asian American Association-USM
Philosophy Symposium-USM
Maine Council of Churches
AFSC Maine Program on Youth & Militarism
Resources for Organizing & Social Change
Maine People's Alliance
USM College Democrats
Bridges for Peace
Citizens Offering New Alternatives
York County Progressives
Biddeford City Democratic Committee
Social Action Committee of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church
Maine Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace & Nonviolence
League of Pissed off Voters
Kennebunkport Democratic Committee
Kennebunk Democratic Committee
York County Green Independent Party Committee
Waldo County Peace & Justice Group
Maine Coalition for Peace & Justice
The Eleuthero Community
Clean Maine Coalition
Maine Progressive Caucus
Radio Free Maine
Let Cuba Live
Green Horizon Foundation
Southern Maine Labor Council
Social Justice Committee First Parish UUC of Kennebunk
Faith in Action Committee of the NE District Unitarian Universalist Association

Junior Grangers installed
Sabbathday Lake Grange

New Gloucester, Maine - Sabbathday Lake Grange has been meeting regularly over the month. At our last meeting Sherry Harriman, Lecturer of the Maine State Grange, installed the officers of our Junior Grange. She did a excellent job as always. During the month of March the juniors have been selling tickets for a large Easter Basket filled to the brim with assorted Easter goodies. The drawing was held last week, and Steven Haycock was the winner.

The members of the subordinate grange are working on putting together a bottle drive to assist the Junior Grangers raise money to go to Junior Grange Leadership for a week in August. April is "Grange Month" and we will be holding an open house on April 28 this is also our Community Service night. We will be presenting our Community Service award to the "Friends of the Gray Animal Farm" in recognition of all of the wonderful work they do at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend this special meeting.

Also present for that evening will be some of the officers and directors of the Maine State Grange, to inform the members of our communities about what the Grange is all about. In December our Grange purchased a dictionary for every 3rd grader at the Dunn school. We are still waiting for a date from the school to present these dictionaries to the 3rd graders. We are hoping it will happen before the end of the school year in two months.

In years past our first smorgasbord of the season is held in May. This year it was decided to have a Grange and Chicken Pie sale on May 13. More information will be coming out latter about this. We will be renting tables to anyone who may be interested. If you haven't tried one of our delightful Chicken pies, then this would be the perfect opportunity to see what everyone is talking about. If you would like to learn more about the Grange our have any questions please e-mail us at sdlgrange@yahoo.com. Please also check out the website of the Maine State Grange www.mainestategrange.org.