WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Audio Archives show

WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Audio Archives

Summary: Audio archives of spoken word broadcasts from Community Radio WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill & 102.9 FM Bangor, Maine

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  • Artist: Community Radio WERU FM 89.9 Blue Hill and 102.9 Bangor, Maine
  • Copyright: © 2003-2008, All rights reserved, Salt Pond Community Broadcasting (WERU FM)

Podcasts:

 Climate & Community 1/25/24: WindowDressers | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:20

Host: Brianna Cunliffe   Description: Climate & Community covers the work of WindowDressers, a volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to helping reduce heating costs and fossil fuel consumption for Maine homes through hosting community builds to produce low-cost insulating window inserts that function as custom, interior-mounted storm windows. We hear from local coordinator Mark Sullivan.  Learn more at windowdressers.org/.   Johannah, Brianna, Tanvi, Gus, Corey, and Beth are the team at A Climate to Thrive, a nonprofit working to build a model of community-driven, solutions-focused climate action. Since its origins around a potluck table as concerned neighbors gathered to take action on climate change, A Climate to Thrive, or ACTT, has been supporting solutions on Mount Desert Island and beyond since 2016. Learn more at www.aclimatetothrive.org.

 RadioActive 1/23/24: Juniper Ridge Landfill Contract Extension Sought | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 30:37

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco Co-producer: Dawn Neptune Adams A project of WERU and Sunlight Media Collective. Learn more at sunlightmediacollective.org. Casella Waste Systems, the private operator of the state owned Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, is seeking an extension of their state contract, despite threats to the local environment and communities, including the Penobscot Nation. The State of Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services Bureau of General Services will hold a public hearing regarding changes to its Operating Services Agreement (OSA) between the state and private company Casella Waste Systems, which operates the state owned Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town. A public hearing slated for January was postponed. The new date is Thursday, February 15th, from 6-8pm, in Brewer, at Jeff’s Catering. Written comments can be submitted to the Bureau of General Services by Monday, February 26th, at 5pm. In its public notice, the Bureau states that it expects to extend the Operating Services Agreement (OSA) an additional six years from February 5th, 2034, to February 5th, 2040, because of Casella’s proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge Landfill. Over the past two decades, area residents, including the Penobscot Nation, have continued to shine a light on harmful environmental impacts from the landfill and questioned the for-profit model that has increased the importation of out-of-state waste, straining landfill capacity, while minimizing recycling efforts. Leachate from the landfill is currently processed at the paper mill in Old Town, then dumped into the Penobscot River directly below the Penobscot Nation, who have expressed concern for fish and human health impacts from effluent chemicals, including PFAS. This past May, the landfill itself caught on fire and burned for a number of hours, sending plumes of smoke into the air. Local residents and others oppose the proposed expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill, the reason given for the state’s consideration of extending ‘s Juniper Ridge contract. They call for an evaluation of Casella’s performance before there is an extension of their contract, that an extension not be granted until an expansion license could be granted, and that an expansion application should consider disposal capacity for in-state waste and include the observation of Environmental Justice, which is now required in statute in the public benefit determination. A landmark measure was passed by the legislature in 2022 restricting the importation of out of state waste, but was postponed for two years this past May, after Casella Waste Systems claimed the restrictions on out of state waste affected their ability to stabilize the landfills liquid sludge. Written Public Comments can be submitted by Monday, February 26th at 5pm. Submission by email, send to: Lane.gould@maine.gov Submission by mail, send to: Lane Gould, Landfill Manager Bureau of General Services 111 Sewall St.  Cross Office Building 4th floor 77 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0077 Guests: Maria Girouard, is from Penobscot Nation. She’s a Penobscot Nation Tribal Council member (though is not formerly representing the Nation today) She’s a grassroots environmental organizer with Dawn Land Environmental Defense and founder of Sunlight Media Collective. She’s writer and director of the documentary, “The Penobscot : Ancestral River Contested Territory.” Ed Spencer is with the local grassroots watchdog network Don’t Waste Me, which has been involved for the past two decades in opposing Juniper Ridge landfill’s pollution, importation of out-of-state waste and business practices through grassroots organizing legislation and engaging as legal intervenor in a number of proceedings. Ed lives in close proximity to the Juniper Ridge Landfill. Nickie Sekera, founder and organizer of Community Water Justice and a contributing member of Sunlight Media Collective. She also has recently been appointed to the Commission To Stu...

 Wabanaki Windows 1/23/24: Hidden Elements within the Land Claims and our Colonial System | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 58:00

Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann of WERU, and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG. Music by Ralph Richter, a track called little eagles from his CD Dream Walk. Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. This month: In this episode, we look at the Land Claims through a very different Wabanaki Window. The hidden elements of a global historic and economic perspective. Guest/s: Professor Harald Prins is a Native of the Netherlands. He is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Emertus at Kansas State University. Professor Darren Ranco, Penobscot Nation Tribal Member, Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. Our Special Guest will give a view from the Federal Indian Law and Human Rights Perspectives on the Transcripts and Strategic Long Term State Plan to eliminate the Tribes. Special Guest Law Professor/ Attorney Rebecca Tsosie is a Regents Professor at the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona. Professor Tsosie, who is of Yaqui descent, is a faculty member for the Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona, and she is widely known for her work in the fields of Federal Indian law and indigenous peoples’ human rights. She has published widely on sovereignty, self-determination, cultural pluralism, environmental policy and cultural rights. She teaches in the areas of Federal Indian Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Critical Race Theory, and Cultural Resources Law. She is a member of the Arizona Bar Association and the California Bar Association. Professor Tsosie serves as a Supreme Court Justice for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and as an Associate Judge on the San Carlos Tribal Court of Appeals. About the host: Donna M Loring is a Penobscot Indian Nation Tribal Elder, and former Council Member. She represented the Penobscot Nation in the State Legislature for over a decade. She is a former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to Governor Mills. She is the author of “In The Shadow of The Eagle A Tribal Representative In Maine”. Donna has an Annual lecture series in her name at the University of New England that addresses Social Justice and Human Rights issues. In 2017 She received an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Humane Letters from the University of Maine Orono and was given the Alumni Service Award. It is the most prestigious recognition given by the University of Maine Alumni Association. It is presented Annually to a University of Maine graduate whose life’s work is marked by outstanding achievements in professional, business, civic and/or Public service areas. Donna received a second Honorary Doctorate from Thomas College in May of 2022

 Outside the Box 1/23/24: “No Military?” | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:59

Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger About the host: Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.

 A Word in Edgewise 1/22/24: A Wolf Moon & Katie Mulcahey’s Cigarette . . . | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 7:07

Producer/Host: R.W. Estela Hi, I’m RW Estela: Since 1991, I’ve been presenting A Word in Edgewise, WERU’s longest-running short feature, a veritable almanac of worldly and heavenly happenings, a confluence of 21st-century life in its myriad manifestations, international and domestic, cosmopolitan and rural, often revealing, as the French say, the more things change, the more they stay the same — though not always! Sometimes in addressing issues affecting our day-to-day lives, in this age of vagary and ambiguity, when chronological time is punctuated elliptically, things can quickly turn edgy and controversial, as we search for understanding amid our dialectic. Tune in Monday mornings at 7:30 a.m. for an exciting journey through space and time with a few notable birthdays thrown in for good measure during A Word in Edgewise . . . About the host: RW Estela was raised as a first-generation American in Colorado by a German mother and a Corsican-Basque father who would become a three-war veteran for the US Army, so RW was naturally a military brat and later engaged in various Vietnam-era civil-service adventures before paying his way through college by skiing for the University of Colorado, playing Boulder coffeehouses, and teaching. He has climbed all of Colorado’s Fourteeners; found work as an FAA-certificated commercial pilot, a California-licensed building contractor, a publishing editor, a practitioner of Aikido, and a college professor of English; among his many interdisciplinary pursuits are the design and building of Terrell Residence Library (recently renamed the Terrell House Permaculture Living & Learning Center at the University of Maine), writing Building It In Two Languages (a bilingual dictionary of construction terminology), aerial photo documentation of two dam removals (Great Works and Veazie) on the Penobscot River, and once a week since 1991 drafting an installment of A Word In Edgewise, his essay series addressing issues affecting our day-to-day lives — and WERU’s oldest continuous short feature. When pandemics do not interfere, he does the Triple Crown of Maine open-water ocean swims (Peaks to Portland, Islesboro Crossing, and Nubble Light Challenge) and the Whitewater Downriver Point Series of the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization. RW is the father of two and the grandfather of three and lives with his partner Kathleen of 37 years and their two Maine Coons in Orono.

 Esoterica 1/21/24: It’s Gehenna, Not Hell | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4:47

Rev. CJ Kenna | Producer + Writer/Reader

 The Nature of Phenology 1/20/24: Porcupines in Winter | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4:44

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark While the risk of predation may not be number one on a porcupine’s list of worries, winter may take its place. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com. About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor School, L3C, and is a Registered Maine Guide and Carpenter. He is passionate about fishing, cooking, and making things with his hands. He has both an MBA in Sustainability and an MS focused in Environmental Education. Joe can be reached by emailing naturephenology@gmail.com Hazel Stark lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder and Naturalist Educator at Maine Outdoor School, L3C, and is a Registered Maine Guide. She loves taking a closer look at nature through the lens of her camera, napping in beds of moss, and taking hikes to high points to see what being tall is all about. She has an MS in Resource Management and Conservation and is a lifelong Maine outdoorswoman. Hazel can be reached by emailing naturephenology@gmail.com

 Earthwise 1/20/24: The Beach in Winter | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:23

Producer/Host: Anu Dudley About the host: Rev. Dr. Anu Dudley is an ordained Pagan minister and a retired history professor. She continues to teach classes, including the three-year ordination curriculum at the Temple of the Feminine Divine, and others such as History of the Goddess, Paganism 101, Ethical Magic, and Introduction to the Runes. Currently she is writing a book about how to cast the runes using their original Goddess meanings. She lives in the woods off-grid in a small homesteading community in Central Maine.

 The Cosmic Curator 1/20/24: Storms Pass | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:17

Good Morning, People! This is your cosmic curator, Tom Yaroschuk, with a look at the stars for the week of January 20th and the days ahead… About the Host: Tom Yaroschuk is a Vedic Astrologer. His intention is to help people understand their karma and the issues they may confront to cultivate more fulfilling lives. Tom is writing a memoir of the spiritual lessons derived from his work in a Homeless Day Center in between a career as an award winning television and documentary producer.

 Democracy Forum 1/19/24: Who Gets to Vote in Maine Primaries? Change is coming… | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 58:24

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine The mostly volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes: Martha Dickinson, Michael Fisher, Claire Fox, Starr Gilmartin, Maggie Harling, Ann Luther, Rick Lyles, Judith Lyles, Wendilee O’Brien, Lane Sturtevant, Leah Taylor, and Linda Washburn. Democracy Forum: Participatory Democracy, encouraging citizens to take an active role in government and politics This month: We’ll talk about the roll-out of semi-open primaries. Maine will be running semi-open primaries for the first time in 2024. We’ll explain to voters what to expect and what important deadlines and new procedures may pertain. And we’ll talk about how semi-open primaries might affect voter behavior and election outcomes. Guest/s: Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State www.maine.gov/sos/about/bio.html Jill Goldthwait, Hancock County journalist and political columnist, former Maine state senator (unenrolled) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Goldthwait Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Professor of Political Science; Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research; Northwestern University www.ipr.northwestern.edu/who-we-are/faculty-experts/harbridge.html To learn more about this topic: 1. LWV Of Tennessee | League of Women Voters LWVTN sues over Bona Fide Primary Voting Law, November, 2023 www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/lwvtn-tennessee-voters-file-federal-lawsuit-challenging-state-bona-fide 2. Understanding the Partisan Divide: How Demographics and Policy Views Shape Party Coalitions | New America, February, 2023 www.newamerica.org/political-reform/reports/understanding-the-partisan-divide/ 3. The Success Story Behind Maine’s Adoption of Semi-Open Primaries | Independent Voter News, August, 2022 ivn.us/posts/the-success-story-behind-maines-adoption-of-semi-open-primaries 4. State Primary Election Systems | National Council of State Legislators, June, 2021 documents.ncsl.org/wwwncsl/Elections/Primary-Types-Table_2021.pdf 5. Why Do Legislators Reject ‘Half-Loaf’ Compromises? | Northwestern Institute for Policy Research, April, 2020 www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2020/harbridge-yong-half-loaf-compromises.html 6. Rejecting Compromise: Legislators’ Fear of Primary Voters. Anderson, S., D. Butler, and Harbridge-Yong, Cambridge University Press, 2020 www.cambridge.org/core/books/rejecting-compromise/01F2DA900C72ACF02E1B3ECF4EED43D3 7. LWVME Study Guide on Primaries, 2017-2018 www.lwvme.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Primary_Study_Guide.pdf 8. 9 media myths about independent voters, debunked | Vox, January 2016 www.vox.com/2016/1/22/10814522/independents-voters-facts-myths 9. How Do You Like Me Now? The desirability of Political Independence, Klar S, Krupnikov Y., Independent Politics: How American Disdain for Parties Leads to Political Inaction, Cambridge University Press, 2016. www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/independent-politics/how-do-you-like-me-now-the-desirability-of-political-independence/312BD7BFCC87D43FFACADAA264E261FB About the host: Ann currently serves as Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine and leads the LWVME Advocacy Team. She served as President of LWVME from 2003 to 2007 and as co-president from 2007-2009. In her work for the League, Ann has worked for greater public understanding of public policy issues and for the League’s priority issues in Clean Elections & Campaign Finance Reform, Voting Rights, Ethics in Government, Ranked Choice Voting, and Repeal of Term Limits. Representing LWVME at Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, she served that coalition as co-president from 2006 to 2011. She remains on the board of MCCE and serves as Treasurer. She is active in the LWV-Downeast and hosts their monthly radio show, The Democracy Forum, on WERU FM Community Radio -which started out in 2004 as an recurring special, and became a regular monthly program in 2012. She was the 2013 recipient of the Baldwin Award from the ACLU of Maine for her work on voting rights and...

 Around Town 1/19/24: Local News, Culture and Events | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:26

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Guest: Ann Luther, host of the Democracy Forum, with a sneak preview of this month’s show (which airs today at 4pm, and then will be archived at weru.org); and some of the legislative public hearings coming up on Monday. About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021. Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

 Climate & Community 1/18/24: Coast Lines MDI | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4:27

Host: Brianna Cunliffe   Description: Climate & Community covers “Coast Lines MDI”, a collaboration between artist Jennifer Steen Booher, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, MDI Historical Society, and the Schoodic Institute, that helps communities visualize future sea level rise on MDI’s coast in a collaborative installation. Learn more at schoodicinstitute.org/coast-lines/.   Johannah, Brianna, Tanvi, Gus, Corey, and Beth are the team at A Climate to Thrive, a nonprofit working to build a model of community-driven, solutions-focused climate action. Since its origins around a potluck table as concerned neighbors gathered to take action on climate change, A Climate to Thrive, or ACTT, has been supporting solutions on Mount Desert Island and beyond since 2016. Learn more at www.aclimatetothrive.org.

 Around Town 1/18/24: Local News, Culture and Events | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5:13

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Events, legislative work sessions this afternoon, and a look at the news in Maine, 100 years ago today About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021. Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

 Around Town 1/17/24: Local News, Culture and Events | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4:27

Host/Producer: Amy Browne Guest: Melanie Sturm, Natural Resources Council of Maine, discussing LD1156, the “Maine Trails Bond” FMI:  www.nrcm.org/programs/forests-wildlife/maine-trails/ legislature.maine.gov/billtracker/#Paper/1156?legislature=131 About the host: Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021. Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

 Relationship Rewind 1/16/24: Who’s That Girl? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 26:29

Host: Carrie Clark (she, hers) Youth Educator and Advocate at NextStep Domestic Violence Project. NextStep 24/7 Helpline: 1(800) 315-5579 Music credit: Megan Light and Nathan Spears, local musicians, donated theme music for the show. Relationship Rewind: Rewinding relationships in popular media and breaking down behaviors based in power, control, and abuse. This episode: Discussing unhealthy behaviors in relationships shown in the TV show New Girl. Discussing how media normalizes these behaviors. Discussing the impacts of these messages about relationships on young people. Guest/s: Alli Williamson, Director of Prevention and Youth Services, awilliamson@nextstepdvproject.org About the hosts: Alli Williamson (she, her) is the youth educator and advocate for NextStep Domestic Violence Project based in Hancock and Washington County, ME. She teaches young people from Kindergarten to College about what power and control looks like in friendships and relationships, what resources are available to support those experiencing this, and how we can work to make our schools and communities safer and more equal spaces where abuse may be less likely to happen.

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