One election down, two more to go
To the editor:
One election down and two more to go. This is by far the most important. The reason — we need some civic-minded citizens emboldened with common sense and open minds to fill the positions that are open to individuals to be on the upcoming City Charter Commission. Three have already been selected by the City Council of which one is a city council member. All others will be voted in at the November election. Just who they will be will be up to the voting public of this city. Remember, I said civic-minded people with common sense and I might add compassion for the true needs of the citizens of this community.
The current charter is heavily weighted to the wants and needs of a local few in the inner circle of privilege and the city employees, without mercy for the people in the private sector that they work for.
This is our chance to put Caribou on the map by showing other communities that the citizens of Caribou will be in complete control of their own destiny if this charter, reconstituted with a vision on the future of our fair city, is implemented in such a way that transparency and the will of the people is paramount in its conclusion.
I have no beef with Caribou being a city, but I look at it as somewhat of a joke due to the sparseness of our population but we have to live under charter rule and it should be heavily weighted to the benefit of all citizens and not to a choice few, and those in city government. The present city charter reflects the latter.
I also want to point out that two of the citizens chosen by the city council have already shown their disdain for the implementation of the new charter commission. This speaks volumes on just how the majority of the present city council feels toward the citizens of this community. This should tell you where their loyalties lie and it surely isn’t to all the citizens of Caribou. How’s that for stacking the deck?
Wilfred Martin
Caribou
Friends of Aroostook: An update
To the editor:
Typically one does not address rumors, but from time to time it is necessary to get correct and factual information out to others. With this thought in mind I will present Aroostook County residents a brief overview and current status of Friends of Aroostook, an outreach program created to assist the elderly, working hungry, and others who live among us.
In 2008 Empowering Life, located in Houlton, identified a need and created Friends of Aroostook to assist northern Maine’s less fortunate in their quest to provide fresh nutritional vegetables and winter firewood for themselves and their families. A local produce grower in Benedicta donated a large amount of sweet corn to Empowering Life and with the help of volunteers and area distribution centers the fresh produce was harvested and distributed throughout Aroostook and beyond.
In 2009 this program purchased produce from Mac’s Best Produce, raised three acres of vegetables, and gleaned fields in Benedicta. Those in need were identified by County food pantries, Meals on Wheels, and Friends of Aroostook. All distributions were made possible by these three agencies. Although some local growers were not receptive to this new outreach program, most were and still are very supportive of this effort.
During the winter of 2009 plans were put in place to raise five-plus acres to help others by providing field fresh vegetable throughout the summer and falls months. The original plan was to raise five acres of naturally raised vegetables: peas, green beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, zucchini, carrots, and butter cup squash. Also we intended to raise one acre of the same types of organic produce. D.A. Winship and Family agreed to prepare, row and fertilize five acres for the naturally raised and Nature’s Circle Farm was to prepare one acre for the organic. But as God would have it D.A. Winship and Family prepared eight acres and Nature’s Circle prepared two. Friends of Aroostook has planted a total of 10 acres.
Foundations, area businesses, and private individuals, have committed funds to make this year’s program possible. All designated funds are being used to fulfill our commitment to northern Maine. We will provide five-plus acres of vegetables for the county’s most needed, and Meals on Wheels are distributing the field fresh produce to the elderly, food pantries, and soup kitchens. We rely on distributing agencies to identify needs and insure the vegetables reach those in need.
Because of the large expansion Friends of Aroostook has experienced this year, we now employ a senior citizen, a young man, and one college student. Also we have received funding to assist in employing Native American high school students. To help offset unexpected costs we are locally marketing a portion of the excess vegetables for market value prices. But please keep in mind all revenue from sales are applied directly to the costs incurred while raising vegetables for others in need. Our intent is not to burden supporting agencies and consumers with the financial responsibility of sustaining this program.
During the summer and fall months we rely on volunteers to help with the hand harvesting process. All vegetables picked by volunteers and some paid staff will be taken directly to Meals on Wheels. Any vegetables sold will be harvested by paid personal only. We continue to be respectful and careful not to take advantage of donors, volunteers, and others who donate their recourses for the benefit of others.
If you have questions about Friends of Aroostook please contact us at 649-8131 or via e-mail at foa@empoweringlife.org. Most of our harvesting will be done on weekends. If you or your organization wishes to help, please come and help harvest, bless others less fortunate, and experience the joy of giving without receiving.
Dale Flewelling,
program director Friends of Aroostook
Pet Rescue making a difference
To the editor:
Halfway Home Pet Rescue has been blessed in so many ways. Our darling cats come from Caribou and all surroundings towns on a regular basis. We are happy we are able to help them. We always point the caller to their town’s own currently contracted shelter and in, addition, ask them to check with their town office or police station as to their other appropriate options if they are unable to find help. Only after people have tried their appropriate options and found no help available, do we step in to help. With owned animals, we require that the person use the same two options and in addition show us proof that they have advertised their owned pet in the paper or local swap, buy, sell, guide before we step in to fill their request. With injured and ill stray animals, we grab them and go to the vet. No questions asked, just an appreciative thank-you to the person for bringing the suffering pet to our arms.
Many of you have read about our new venture “Toby’s Treasures.” We are pleased with the progress we are making in attempting to create a regular weekly revenue for our little pets who require even more than the usual medical services. We did not expect miracles, but hoped for slow steady progress and that appears to be what is happening. Toby is a young brain-damaged male cat that has the sweet, innocent disposition of a very young kitten. His mind has never lost the wonder of being held and cared for and his eyes have the constant look of that very young kitten looking up at you with total devotion and trust.
Toby’s store is located at 246 Sweden St., next door to Burger Boy in the yellow building that was formerly was the old Beaulieu’s Garage. The store is staffed strictly by volunteers and our hours are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. On Saturday, we are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weather permitting on Saturday, we will have a cat visiting for possible adoption.
Please stop into Toby’s Treasures and look over our merchandise. We have a huge variety of items and it changes every week. Shopping at Toby’s is another way you can choose to help the abandoned, abused and neglected cats within Caribou and the surrounding communities. Remember, please, that we do wheel and deal for the welfare of our cats’ medical expenses. Our prices are low, but we want to keep our items constantly revolving to keep you interested in coming back. So, come on down, we have a great deal waiting just for you.
Halfway Home Pet Rescue is an all-volunteer, 501c3 non-profit shelter. When leaving a message on my answering machine, speak slowly and repeat the telephone number twice. I am hard of hearing. We greatly appreciate your returnable bottles and cans at 88 Bennett Drive Redemption and your faithful contributions to our collection boxes. Please e-mail me at Milton@mfx.net if you wish to be on our newsletter mailing. Check us out on petfinder.com our ID is ME110. Our website is www.halfwayhomepetrescue.org Our legal corporate name is Halfway Home Pet Rescue, Inc. Our mailing address is PO Box 488, Caribou, ME 04736.
Thank you for being our friend.
Norma Milton
Caribou
Changes to Regulation E: It will change the way you bank
By Cheri Doak
Late last year, the Federal Reserve Board announced new rules that modify the way banks charge overdraft fees. These new rules — changes to Regulation E — apply only to ATM and every day debit card transactions, typical transactions most people make in daily shopping. Regulation E, also known as the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, is a federal regulation that governs the electronic transfer of money.
Today, if a client has insufficient funds for an ATM or everyday debit card transaction, the bank may choose to pay the item into overdraft — even if there is not enough money in the account to cover the transaction — and charge the client a fee for the service.
But under Regulation E, consumer bank clients have to make a choice. ATM and everyday debit card transactions will be declined if there is not enough money in the client’s account, unless the client agrees or consents to have the bank authorize and pay these transactions if the account does not contain sufficient funds.
Changes to Regulation E require banks to give their clients detailed information concerning overdraft services so they can make educated decisions about their money. However, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. And when it comes to Regulation E, the details will mean different things to different people.
Understanding changes to Regulation E
As of July 1, 2010, new consumer banking clients must decide how they would like their bank to handle overdraft situations related to ATM and everyday debit card transactions. Existing clients must decide by August 15. If a client prefers that the bank authorize and pay (at its discretion) ATM and everyday debit card transactions into overdraft, which most likely will result in an overdraft fee, they must provide the bank with their consent to do so. This is also referred to as “opting in.”
To the extent a client declines to opt in, that client will not be assessed overdrafts fees related to ATM and everyday debit card transactions. This means that consumers will no longer incur what many consider to be excessive overdraft fees related to these types of transactions. But it also means that unless they agree to the bank’s overdraft services, or have been approved for an overdraft protection account, they will no longer be able to have ATM or everyday debit card transactions authorized and paid into overdraft. In other words, if there is not enough money in the account, the transaction cannot be made.
The Regulation E changes for overdraft services do not apply to checks and other transactions, such as automatic bill payments, ACH, or recurring debit card transactions.
Here’s a way to look at how these changes could apply to your daily routine:
• You want to use your debit card to buy gas, but your checking account is overdrawn;
• You are at lunch with a friend or co-worker, but the bill is higher than you thought and more than the balance in your account.
In the past, the bank could decide whether or not to pay the transaction. If the transaction was paid, you were assessed an overdraft fee for that service. But in accordance with these changes, if you did not consent to the bank’s overdraft services, you could not purchase the gas or lunch using your debit card.
So, some sort of overdraft service could be valuable. While few people want to pay a high fee for an order of coffee and pastry, many people don’t want to be stranded at a gas station or embarrassed by a declined transaction in front of a colleague or friend.
How to weigh your options
By law, your bank must provide you a notice about overdrafts and overdraft fees in order to authorize and pay ATM and everyday debit card transactions into overdraft and charge you a fee. This notice explains what overdrafts are and what standard overdraft services are connected with your account. It also explains how to opt in to overdraft services for ATM and everyday debit card transactions.
This notice also should explain the various overdraft protection plans offered by your bank. If you do nothing, your bank will no longer provide you with overdraft services on your ATM and everyday debit card transactions. If you want to be protected from having these transactions declined, you will need to authorize your bank to do so.
Your financial needs and spending habits are unique. Do you overdraw your accounts often? Have you incurred many overdraft fees? Do you rarely, if ever, overdraw your account? It’s important to ask yourself: “Are overdraft services worth the fees because they give me a valuable safety net?
Take the time to fully understand the scope of the changes to Regulation E. Doing so should enable you to gauge if your bank is doing what it should be doing — helping you reach your financial goals. Understanding who you are and how you bank will help you decide what to do about your Regulation E choices.
Cheri Doak of Caribou is senior vice president and retail banking leader at Key Bank in Maine. She can be reached at (207) 764-9425 or cheri_doak@keybank.com.
Making a case for education as ‘Job One’
By Tom Brown
Maine’s future and its economy depend on how well we prepare our citizens for the 21st century. In the next decade, 90 percent of high-growth jobs will require post secondary education. As we have witnessed, the history of promise from a high school diploma and the vaunted County work ethic cannot compete for even middle class standards in our current and future economy. Preparing for these challenges means providing all Mainers with a quality education, from early childhood through lifelong learning.
That is why the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education (MCEE) and a broad coalition of partners have launched the Prepare Maine Initiative. As concerned citizens and leaders in business, education and law enforcement, we want Maine to focus on three clear long-term goals for educating our people:
• All young children have access to quality programs that advance their development;
• Students graduate from high school prepared with the knowledge and skills they need for college, career, and citizenship; and
• Many more Mainers complete a college degree or occupational certificate.
If we want to accomplish these goals, we need to adopt an all hands on deck attitude, with everyone from parents and teachers to politicians and businesses working together for the benefit of students and, as such, a thriving economy.
Let us be sure to make note of the fact that businesses look at the education level of a region-before even such major considerations as taxes and utility rates-as the primary incentive for location and incorporation. An educated workforce reliably demonstrates commitment to home ownership, family and community. That equals productivity for business. Education equals jobs creation.
Every indicator levels a keen eye on how fundamental education works for the common good. As a member of the Board of Correction and as an attorney of 44 years experience, I can attest that the majority of incarcerated individuals have not attained a higher level of education. Costs of incarceration are an enormous burden on the tax base. The investment we seek in the new economy is far more practical and cost-effective than the status-quo.
I am hopeful because there some communities around Maine and around the country that are already showing us how we can remodel our educational system to meet new challenges. They have shown us how we can prepare all of our people by focusing on seven core priorities: quality early learning experiences; high standards and personalized learning opportunities; effective, knowledgeable, well-trained teachers; engaged parents, families and communities; expanded access to and support for college and workforce training; collection and analysis of reliable data; and efficient and equitable investment of educational resources.
At May’s Prepare Maine campaign launch in Bangor, Skowhegan and Portland, MCEE highlighted practices that, if replicated, would make enormous strides in preparing Maine people for the future economy.
Among many feats, MCEE described how the western Maine towns of Jackman and Moose River raised college-going rates to 98 percent for their high school graduates in just five years, and how Searsport District High School went from near the bottom of the state’s rankings to most improved in a mere three years. Now that’s encouraging!
As encouraging as this is, Maine has much more to do. While K-12 test scores are relatively high, we have been trending toward the middle of the pack. Maine trails the rest of New England in college degree attainment, the chief reason we rank last in average incomes. I implore all of us to do more to give our children a solid developmental foundation.
With clear goals and focused priorities, we can build deeper and more sustained public understanding of, and support for, educational reform. If we want to prepare all of our people for success, we must make this long-term commitment. This work will not be easy or fast, but we must start now to achieve the necessary results for a sustainable Maine economy.
I visit the County dozens of times a year, sometimes for business and often for pleasure. We have been hemorrhaging talent and population for far too long. Born and raised in Houlton, I am well apprised of our talent and virtues and I believe in the once and future juggernaut that is Aroostook.
Education is “Job One.”
I encourage everyone to visit www.preparemaine.org to explore the possibilities.
Tom Brown of Bangor has been with Eaton Peabody of Bangor since 1966. The law firm employs several attorneys and support staff with County roots.
