Thumbs up to all the visitors who braved the threatening skies to attend Open Farm Day in Maine. Despite the downpours later in the afternoon, people turned out early to see the local farms that opened their doors for the day to share offer people a chance to get a glimpse of what farming today takes, as well as sample some local produce and products. Anita and Richard Carle welcomed visitors to their vineyard in Lebanon, Prospect Hill Winery. They were serving up samples of some of their red and white varieties Sunday, July 27, which are made from their own grapes, largely French-American hybrid varieties developed for cold weather climates by Cornell University and the University of Minnesota. For more information and to find farms in Maine, visit www.getrealmaine.com.
Thumbs up to the quick action of Kennebunk Police Officer Matthew Harrington for helping to save the life of a man during a routine traffic stop last weekend. Harrington had pulled over Gavin “Scotty” Falconer, 84, of Kennebunk, and his wife, Janet, because their car was moving too fast, and while he was checking their documents, and then writing a warning ticket, he heard a woman scream. Once he realized it was coming from the car, he went back to the vehicle to find Falconer slumped over behind the wheel. Thanks to his training as an advanced emergency medical technician, Harrington knew he needed to get to work. Since the man didn’t have a pulse, Harrington began chest compressions. When Officer Michael Tucci arrived with a defibrillator, Harrington used the device, and then continued chest compressions, and Falconer’s pulse returned. Kennebunk Police Chief Robert MacKenzie and Janet Falconer both praised the officers’ work, and said their quick actions saved a life that day.
Thumbs down to the continuing and debate between Gov. Paul LePage and Maine Public Utilities Commissioner David Littell. Although LePage did finally appoint a substitute for Littell in a water case in which Littell recused himself due to a possible conflict of interest, the two men need to put their pens down and drop the issue. In a recent letter to Littell, LePage said if the commissioner is going to recuse himself on the case in question, the governor has a list of eight other cases he thinks Littell should remove himself from as well because of similar conflicts of interest, according to an article by the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting published in the Journal Tribune last week. Littell fired back in a letter of his own that LePage is improperly interfering with the PUC and “attempting to direct or influence whether a commissioner ”¦ sits on a particular case,” according to the article. Although Littell said he did not intend to continue the correspondence, it seemed clear each man is intent on getting the last word, when what the only concern for both should be is getting the cases before the commission handled in a timely and fair manner.
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