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During a White House meeting with the nation's governors, Donald Trump let them know, in substance, that they better get in line with some of his policies and proposals or he would cut off certain funding to their states. Maine's Governor Janet Mills would have none of it, and told Trump, "I'll see you in court." Trump replied, Good, I'll see you in court. I'll look forward to that. That should be a real easy one." Regarding that dispute between Trump and Mills, as the Guardian reported, "Win for Maine as Trump officials agree to halt school funding freeze." And as Governor Mills stated, "I told him I'd see him in court. Well, we did see him in court, and we won."If you're interested in supporting our all-volunteer efforts, you can become a Team Justice patron at: / glennkirschner If you'd like to support Glenn and buy Team Justice and Justice Matters merchandise visit:https://shop.spreadshirt.com/glennkir...Check out Glenn's website at https://glennkirschner.com/Follow Glenn on:Threads: https://www.threads.net/glennkirschner2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glennkirschner2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glennkirsch...Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glennkirschn...TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/glennkirschner2See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Governor Mills is not above the law. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: Federal and State Tribal Recognition & The Effects of Creating New Tribes a) Historical Background on the issue b) What is required by the Federal Government for Tribal Recognition c) What is required by The States/ What is wrong with States creating new tribes Guest/s: Prof Harald Prins emeritus at Kansas State University Prof Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation, Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. Mali Obomsawin, is Abenaki and a citizen of the Odanak Nation. She is an internationally renowned musician recently nominated for her work in the film Sugar Cane. Mali is also a Social Justice Activist who is working to bring to light issues that stem from the State Recognition of five Tribes in Vermont Prof. Harald Prins, Emeritus Kansas State University. Prof. Rebecca Tsosie, professor of law at University of Arizona. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 3/25/25: Federal and State Tribal Recognition & The Effects of Creating New Tribes first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
https://youtu.be/b-ERp8Xr2_MPresident Trump and his team continue to operate as a common sense administration by making decisions like stopping the production of new pennies which cost more to produce than their value.#trump destroys Governor Mills from Maine because she insists on protecting men that compete in women's sports.#stephenmiller gives the press a civics lesson in the White House briefing room.
Maine's current political landscape is under fire as Governor Mills and The Maine Principal association defy federal law. Join us for a candid discussion, we explore how state leadership is failing to represent the interests of its citizens in the ongoing debate about transgender athletes in women's sports and in doing so it is also failing to protect women in sports and even jeopardizing the transgender athlete as well.• Introduction to the struggles facing Maine • Family dinner inspiration leading to the political discourse • Discussion about the major implications of Title IX and fairness • Examination of transgender athlete participation and public reactions • Analysis of the Maine Principals Association's conflicting stance • Insights into parental concerns for children in sports • Reflection on media coverage of transgender sports issues • Challenges presented by federal funding laws and state compliance • Critique of Governor Mills and her leadership decisions • Closing thoughts on what Maine needs moving forwardIf you found value in today's show please return the favor and leave a positive review and share it with someone important to you! https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/reviews/new/Find all you need to know about the show https://www.sharethestrugglepodcast.com/Official Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077724159859Join the 2% of Americans that Buy American and support American Together we can bring back American Manufacturing https://www.loudproudamerican.shop/Loud Proud American Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoudproudamericanLoud Proud American Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loud_proud_american/Loud Proud American TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@loud_proud_americanLoud Proud American YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYQtOt6KVURuySWYQ2GWtwThank you for Supporting My American Dream!
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: Native American Citizenship under the US Constitution as it relates to the Trump Administration questioning Native American birthright citizenship. Guest/s: Prof. Harald Prins, Emeritus Kansas State University. Prof. Rebecca Tsosie, professor of law at University of Arizona. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 2/25/25: Native American Citizenship Under the US Constitution first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
On this episode of Ford News, Johnathan, and Brian start the show by discussing the alleged incident with Florida Congressman Cory Mills and a woman, now identified as Iranian-American Sarah Raviani. We also bring up Enrique Tarrio, of Proud Boys and Seditious Conspiracy fame, who has made himself a regular in Washington D.C. being the agent provocateur that he is. In segment two, we get to Maine Governor Janet Mills, who openly challenged Donald Trump at a meeting of the country's governors last week. They had a back and forth, where Trump said "WE ARE THE LAW." Governor Mills told him that she will see him in court. This brings up the broader question of how should Dems treat the current situation. Should Dems fight back, or let Trump and Musk burn their own bridges and watch them self-destruct from the sidelines? Segment three takes us to the Pentagon, where Trump fired an amazingly decorated and qualified Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, and replaced him with an odd choice in Lt. General Dan Caine, who actually doesn't meet the legal qualifications for the job. MAGA shouts about "woke" and "DEI," but continues to put people in jobs they aren't necessarily qualified for. LINKSRep. Cory Mills and Enrique Tarrio GOP Rep. Cory Mills probed after 'emotionally charged' spat with Iranian-American activistEx-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested on assault charge outside U.S. CapitolMaine Governor Calls Out Trump Fearless governor tells Trump to stick it — to his face. He doesn't take it well - nj.comWATCH: ‘See you in court,' Maine's governor tells Trump on transgender athlete ban | PBS NewsShakeup at the PentagonTrump fires top US general in unprecedented Pentagon shakeupTrump administration fires top US general and Navy chief in unprecedented purge of military leadership | CNN Politics
Analysis of Governor Mills' State of the Budget address on Tuesday evening, and what the outlook is for the priorities she outlined
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: Effects of Blood Quantum and what choices Tribal Governments may make in future. Guest/s: Prof. Harald Prins, Emeritus Kansas State University. Prof. Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 12/24/24: Blood Quantum Interview with Carrie Schuettpelz first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: Blood Quantum and the most influential aspects of it on the Tribes. Guest/s: Prof. Harald Prins, Emeritus Kansas State University. Prof. Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 11/26/24: Blood Quantum Most Influential Aspects first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
If you're looking for ways to make a massive, lasting impact with your nonprofit, then this episode is for you. I sat down with special guest, Jennifer Hutchins Executive Director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits and collaboration expert. She spoke on the importance of collaborating across different sectors and how it has transformed nonprofit organizations. She dove into examples of strong collaborations and how organizations are thriving in a post-COVID world. This is a great opportunity to learn strategies for maximizing your organization's impact. About Jennifer Since July 2016, Jennifer Hutchins has been the Executive Director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits, the state's leading organization for Maine's charitable nonprofit sector with more than 1,000 members from all 16 counties. She serves on the boards of the National Council of Nonprofits and the Maine Philanthropy Center and the advisory boards of the USM Muskie School of Public Service and the Foundation for Portland (ME) Public Schools. Prior to joining MANP, she was Executive Director of Creative Portland, where she led the City of Portland's efforts to strengthen the creative economy. Jennifer also served as Director of Communications and External Affairs at the USM Muskie School of Public Service for nine years and as Marketing Director at Portland Stage Company from 1995-2000. After graduating from college, she worked for nonprofit and public institutions in Washington D.C., and France. In May 2020, Jennifer was selected to serve on Governor Mills' Economic Recovery Committee, tasked with putting forth recommendations to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state's economy. Jennifer holds a master's in public policy and management and lives in Portland with her husband and two daughters. Read the podcast transcript here. Episode Summary In this episode, you'll learn the importance of cross-sector collaboration and strategies to get started including: The impact of cross-sector collaboration (7:45) Examples of strong collaborations (13:25) Trends in the nonprofit sector (24:20) How organizations are thriving in a post-COVID world (30:35) Benefits of joining a state nonprofit association (36:50) Teasers “What we know about impactful collaboration is it takes people who have skills and the time, and space to be able to develop a really sophisticated partnership.” “Collaboration takes on many, many different forms. We need to really think through how we're looking at our business model. How can we be more entrepreneurial? How can we save resources?” “The thriving nonprofits are the ones that are taking a hard look at compensation and paying attention to how they're being competitive in the marketplace with the types of people that they want to attract to their nonprofits. They are looking at their compensation philosophies. They're looking at their benefits.” Resources The Best Tools for an Efficient & Prosperous Nonprofit: https://100degreesconsulting.com/tools/ The Maine Association of Nonprofits Website: https://www.nonprofitmaine.org/support-us Follow the Maine Association of Nonprofits on Instagram: @mainenonprofits Connect with the Maine Association of Nonprofits on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mainenonprofits/ Keep up to date with the podcast: @100degreesconsulting Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @stephanie.skry/ Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieskryzowski/ Visit the podcast page: https://100degreesconsulting.com/cross-sector-collaboration Want more of the podcast? New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast. Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let me know what you loved most about this episode! Subscribe to the show so you don't miss a thing!
Send us a textThe Urgency of Building Resilient Communities Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and co-chair of the Maine Climate Council, talks about the urgent importance of community action, planning and investments to build resilience to impacts of climate change following the devastating winter storms of December 2023 and January 2024. In response to these storms, Governor Mills proposed and authorized the largest recovery support package in Maine history -- $60 million for working waterfronts, business recovery, and public infrastructure projects -- and launched an expert Infrastructure Rebuilding and Recovery Commission to help develop Maine's first long-term plan for safeguarding Maine communities and people from climate effects like extreme storms, flooding, and storm surge. Hannah will talk about the need for state, regional and local partnerships to address this challenge and efforts underway through her office to support lasting investments in Maine communities, such as through her office's landmark Community Resilience Partnership program, which in two years has grown to include more than 225 Maine cities, towns, and tribal governments.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: This part 2 episode will continue to cover Blood Quantum and the influence it has played in the development of our Tribal Communities, membership numbers and our very identities. This is a highly controversial subject, there are no easy answers. We can only give a glimpse of history and our perspectives. Guest/s: Morgan Talty, a Penobscot Nation Tribal Member and an award winning author. He is author of Night of the Living Rez, and his latest book, Fire Exit. Morgan is currently teaching creative writing at the University of Maine. Prof. Harald Prins, Emeritus Kansas State University. Prof. Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 9/24/24: HIDDEN ELEMENTS – Blood Quantum: Part 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
This Day in Maine Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: This episode will cover Blood Quantum and the influence it has played in the development of our Tribal Communities, membership numbers and our very identities. This is a highly controversial subject, there are no easy answers. We can only give a glimpse of history and our perspectives. Guest/s: Morgan Talty, a Penobscot Nation Tribal Member and an award winning author. He is author of Night of the Living Rez, and his latest book, Fire Exit. Morgan is currently teaching creative writing at the University of Maine. Prof Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 8/27/24: HIDDEN ELEMENTS – Blood Quantum first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: Land deposition west of the Mississippi and how Jewish settlers came to the US and got ‘free land'. The determination by Author Rebecca Clarren to research her families free land and the wealth the land brought to her relatives and how she addressed the her findings and solutions she and her family are implementing. “The Cost of Stolen Land” investigates how 20th-century federal policies that gave her ancestors – Jews fleeing oppression in Russia – free land on the South Dakota prairie and a pathway to the middle class, came at great cost to their Lakota neighbors. The book not only retells this entangled history but grapples with what can be done to reconcile the past. Guest/s: Rebecca Clarren, author of “The Cost of Stolen Land: Jews, Lakota, And An American Inheritance.” Professor Harald Prins is a Native of the Netherlands is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and an Emertus at Kansas State University. Prof Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. FMI: www.rebecca-clarren.com 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 6/25/24: HIDDEN ELEMENTS – Interview with Author Rebecca Clarren about her book “The Cost of Stolen Land: Jews, Lakota, And An American Inheritance.” first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: The historic and economic roots of global capitalism and its effect on Land acquisition in Colonial Maine & New England We will look at similarities and differences and how capitalism fueled Colonization. We will look at the 1930's and 40's. Guest/s: Prof. Darren Ranco, a member of the Penobscot Nation and Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. FMI: Business titans privately urged NYC mayor to use police on Columbia protesters, chats show A WhatsApp chat started by some wealthy Americans after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack reveals their focus on Mayor Eric Adams and their work to shape U.S. opinion of the Gaza war. By Hannah Natanson and Emmanuel Felton. Washington Post May 16, 2024 daviddejong.net 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 5/28/24: HIDDEN ELEMENTS – Follow up to Discuss Points From the DeJong Interview We See as Relevant Today first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Wabanaki Windows | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
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: The historic and economic roots of global capitalism and its effect on Land acquisition in Colonial Maine & New England We will look at similarities and differences and how capitalism fueled Colonization. We will look at the 1930's and 40's. Guest/s: David de Jong is a journalist and author. His first book, Nazi Billionaires, was published in the US and the UK by HarperCollins and is being translated in more than twenty languages. He spent four years reporting from Berlin while researching and writing this book. David previously covered European banking and finance from Amsterdam and hidden wealth from New York for Bloomberg News. He lives in Tel Avi. Professor Harald Prins is a Native of the Netherlands he is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and an Emertus at Kansas State University. FMI: daviddejong.net 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 4/23/24: HIDDEN ELEMENTS – David DeJong Interview on his book titled Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History Of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
Maine Currents | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne A discussion of Governor Mills’ recent announcement that undeveloped Sears Island in Searsport is the state’s preferred location to build an offshore wind terminal. What do people who have worked to protect the island from threats in the past think about this proposal? For the guests who were part of the planning process, what are your feelings about that? If not Sears Island, where? Guests: Steve Miller, Islesboro Islands Trust Jack Shapiro, NRCM Francis Eanes, Maine Labor Climate Council Becky Bartovics, Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club Rolf Olsen, Friends of Sears Island Chris Buchanan, Searsport resident Links and events that were mentioned by guests or callers: www.islesboroislandstrust.org/ www.nrcm.org/ www.mainelaborclimate.org/ friendsofsearsisland.org www.sierraclub.org/maine https://allianceforsearsisland.org/about/ www.mcht.org/story/a-community-embraces-sears-island/ www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?ld=1895&PID=1456&snum=131 FB page: Protect Wahsumkik Email: protectwahsumkik@protonmail.com maineaflcio.org/news/legislature-advances-compromise-strengthen-labor-wage-standards-offshore-wind 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 and Maine Currents, she 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 the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters. The post Maine Currents Special 3/28/24: Sears Island, Part 1 of 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
We had a huge wind and rain storm in Maine exactly a week before Christmas, and trees were down all over the place. In this episode we talk about the storm's effects upon our farm and around the state. Links are included below if you want more details about the things we mentioned.Wind reaching speeds as high as 65 to 70 mph along the coast from Bar Harbor to Eastport.At Bangor International Airport, the National Weather Service reported a peak wind gust of 68 mph at about 1 p.m.https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/18/weather/maine-wind-storm-rain-power-outages/Man killed on roof while clearing debris.https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/18/weather/windham-man-troy-olson-killed-monday-wind-storm-roof/Man tried to move tree with tractor.https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/12/18/news/central-maine/fairfield-man-dies-move-downed-tree/Farmington completely blocked according to fire department.https://www.facebook.com/100064591907911/posts/pfbid07SZ6T4oNuDUMTcz6ZhSg4yd6jakcxoYMWUgsWBghYqemcteBgE5xT3Pwm3enUi6Xl/The storm hit us on Monday, December 18th, 2023. Governor Mills declared a state of emergency the next day.https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-declares-state-civil-emergency-following-heavy-damage-wind-rain-storm-2023-12Music by Musictown from Pixabay Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This Day in Maine November 9, 2023
Governor Mills ordered employers to deny all religious exemptions and ignore Title VII. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org.
This week, on Episode 4 of "In The Arena," Pat, Ethan and Phil look into into the Lewiston shootings to understand what happened and possible solutions to prevent it from happening again. They address Jared Golden's reversal on his previous opposition to an assault weapons ban, the adequacy of Maine's yellow flag law, and what further steps Maine and Governor Mills should take on gun safety and mental health care. In their lightning round, the three discuss a bunch of new laws that took effect last week and determine if each is "good, bad or inadequate," including the new law expanding abortion access, allowing gender-affirming care for 16 & 17 year olds without parental consent and a cap on application fees for landlords. Finally, Phil and Ethan make some political predictions and Pat recounts a story about a certain former president and his critique of his wife's tennis play at Walker's Point.
*These statistics were current at the time of this recording.* Maine Governor Janet Mills has confirmed a devastating shooting incident that left at least 18 people dead and 13 injured in Lewiston. The suspect, identified as Robert Card, is currently at large, and state police have issued a murder warrant for his arrest. The tragedy unfolded at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, where Card opened fire, causing chaos and fear among patrons. The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, prompting a massive response from law enforcement agencies and a shelter-in-place advisory for residents. Governor Mills expressed her deep condolences to the affected community, stating, "This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security." Robert Card, a 40-year-old firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve, has been identified as the primary suspect. Maine State Police Col. William Ross announced that a warrant for Card's arrest has been issued on eight counts of murder, with the possibility of additional charges as the remaining victims are identified. The suspect's history reveals that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023, although details of his treatment remain undisclosed. Authorities received reports of Card expressing threats to "shoot up" a military base, further emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. The tragedy unfolded across two locations, with an active shooter reported at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a nearby bowling alley. Witnesses recounted their terrifying experiences, with one individual describing hearing about 10 shots, initially mistaking them for balloons popping. Schools across the region took precautions, with some closing as far away as Kennebunk, more than 50 miles from Lewiston. Additionally, Bates and Bowdoin colleges canceled classes, along with the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine. The incident has raised concerns about gun laws in Maine, which does not require permits to carry guns and has a strong gun ownership culture tied to hunting and sport shooting traditions. Recent attempts to tighten gun laws, such as background checks for private sales and a 72-hour waiting period for purchases, have faced resistance. Notable author Stephen King, who lives near the affected area, expressed his sentiments on the issue, saying, "It's the rapid-fire killing machines, people. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder." The shooting in Lewiston marks the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. It has left the community reeling and ignited a nationwide conversation about the urgent need for gun control measures. As the investigation unfolds, law enforcement agencies are working diligently to locate and apprehend Robert Card, while the residents of Lewiston come to terms with the devastating loss they've suffered. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
*These statistics were current at the time of this recording.* Maine Governor Janet Mills has confirmed a devastating shooting incident that left at least 18 people dead and 13 injured in Lewiston. The suspect, identified as Robert Card, is currently at large, and state police have issued a murder warrant for his arrest. The tragedy unfolded at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, where Card opened fire, causing chaos and fear among patrons. The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, prompting a massive response from law enforcement agencies and a shelter-in-place advisory for residents. Governor Mills expressed her deep condolences to the affected community, stating, "This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security." Robert Card, a 40-year-old firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve, has been identified as the primary suspect. Maine State Police Col. William Ross announced that a warrant for Card's arrest has been issued on eight counts of murder, with the possibility of additional charges as the remaining victims are identified. The suspect's history reveals that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023, although details of his treatment remain undisclosed. Authorities received reports of Card expressing threats to "shoot up" a military base, further emphasizing the seriousness of the situation. The tragedy unfolded across two locations, with an active shooter reported at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a nearby bowling alley. Witnesses recounted their terrifying experiences, with one individual describing hearing about 10 shots, initially mistaking them for balloons popping. Schools across the region took precautions, with some closing as far away as Kennebunk, more than 50 miles from Lewiston. Additionally, Bates and Bowdoin colleges canceled classes, along with the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine. The incident has raised concerns about gun laws in Maine, which does not require permits to carry guns and has a strong gun ownership culture tied to hunting and sport shooting traditions. Recent attempts to tighten gun laws, such as background checks for private sales and a 72-hour waiting period for purchases, have faced resistance. Notable author Stephen King, who lives near the affected area, expressed his sentiments on the issue, saying, "It's the rapid-fire killing machines, people. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder." The shooting in Lewiston marks the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. It has left the community reeling and ignited a nationwide conversation about the urgent need for gun control measures. As the investigation unfolds, law enforcement agencies are working diligently to locate and apprehend Robert Card, while the residents of Lewiston come to terms with the devastating loss they've suffered. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
Governor Mills' assessment of the last legislative session and upcoming priorities
Governor Mills threatened the licenses of employers if they accepted religious exemptions from the COVID shots. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org
After defying mask mandates & the CDC on COVID-19 treatments and mRNA vaccines, Dr. Meryl Nass was suspended by Maine's Board of Licensure in Medicine and ordered to undergo a psych evaluation. Though the board claims they received complaints about her medical practice, Dr. Nass says the complaints were fabricated by activists using targeted harassment to censor her freedom of speech. “The BOLIM, a regulatory extension of policies enacted by Governor Mills, was intent on silencing her,” said Gene Libby, Dr. Nass' legal counsel. Dr. Meryl Nass is a board-certified physician with over 40 years of experience in all areas of internal medicine. She is a nationally recognized expert on epidemics who has consulted for government agencies around the world, especially focussing on anthrax, Zika, Ebola, and biological warfare investigations. Follow Dr. Meryl Nass at https://twitter.com/NassMeryl 「 SPONSORED BY 」 • BIRCH GOLD - Don't let your savings lose value. You can own physical gold and silver in a tax-sheltered retirement account, and Birch Gold will help you do it. Claim your free, no obligation info kit from Birch Gold at https://birchgold.com/drew • GENUCEL - Using a proprietary base formulated by a pharmacist, Genucel has created skincare that can dramatically improve the appearance of facial redness and under-eye puffiness. Genucel uses clinical levels of botanical extracts in their cruelty-free, natural, made-in-the-USA line of products. Get 10% off with promo code DREW at https://genucel.com/drew 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 The CDC states that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and reduce your risk of severe illness. Hundreds of millions of people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and serious adverse reactions are uncommon. Dr. Drew is a board-certified physician and Dr. Kelly Victory is a board-certified emergency specialist. Portions of this program will examine countervailing views on important medical issues. You should always consult your personal physician before making any decisions about your health. 「 ABOUT the SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (https://kalebnation.com) and Susan Pinsky (https://twitter.com/firstladyoflove). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 「 WITH DR. KELLY VICTORY 」 Dr. Kelly Victory MD is a board-certified trauma and emergency specialist with over 30 years of clinical experience. She served as CMO for Whole Health Management, delivering on-site healthcare services for Fortune 500 companies. She holds a BS from Duke University and her MD from the University of North Carolina. Follow her at https://earlycovidcare.org and https://twitter.com/DrKellyVictory. 「 GEAR PROVIDED BY 」 • BLUE MICS - Find your best sound at https://drdrew.com/blue • ELGATO - See how Elgato's lights transformed Dr. Drew's set: https://drdrew.com/sponsors/elgato/ 「 ABOUT DR. DREW 」 For over 30 years, Dr. Drew has answered questions and offered guidance to millions through popular shows like Celebrity Rehab (VH1), Dr. Drew On Call (HLN), Teen Mom OG (MTV), and the iconic radio show Loveline. Now, Dr. Drew is opening his phone lines to the world by streaming LIVE from his home studio. Watch all of Dr. Drew's latest shows at https://drdrew.tv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lisa McGee, Energy Manager at Community Concepts, joins us to share updates on the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and to announce the Winter Energy Relief Program, a new initiative providing additional energy assistance to Maine residents. If you live in Androscoggin or Oxford County and are struggling to afford heating your home, please call us! We can determine what assistance you are eligible for. You may qualify for HEAP if you are a: renter, renter with heat included, homeowner, subsidized renter with heat not included, employed or unemployed, or have income earned by wages or other sources.If you qualify for HEAP, you may qualify for many other programs. Our team will help direct you to those programs once your application has been approved. If you are over income for HEAP, you may be eligible for the new Winter Energy Relief Program. This program provides an $800 payment directly to your vendor, funded by the energy relief bill passed by Maine State Legislature and signed by Governor Mills in January. Emergency Fuel Assistance is available for anyone in danger of running out of heating fuel (oil, wood pellets, kerosene, etc.).To apply, please call us: 207-795-4065 or 207-743-7716TTY Relay: Dial 711 to connect to a Maine Relay OperatorSpecial thanks to Williams Broadcasting for producing our show. Follow CCI online and on social media:FacebookInstagramTwitterCommunity Concepts is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
This Day in Maine Wednesday, February 1, 2023
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. This month: This episode is a replay of the audio portion of the Donna M Loring Lecture Series for 2022 titled “One Nation Under Fraud A Remonstrance” It focuses on a few brief excerpts from the 1942 Maine Legislative Transcripts of the Legislative Research Committee of the 90th Legislative Session, Testimony of Norman McDonald, Director of Social Welfare and Frank Cowan the Attorney General et el. Discussing ICE of the Maine Tribes. -Formation of the Research Committee -The purpose of the Committee -Ways to eliminate the Reservations by assimilation, definition of who is an Indian and how to decrease Tribal Membership. This show is the foundational show for a new series beginning in Jan 2023. The series will review the 1942 ICE Legislative Transcripts Guest/s: UNE Professor Jennifer Tuttle, our moderator who is a Dorothy M. Healy Professor of Literature and Health, Director Maine Women Writers Collection. Honorable Rachel Talbot Ross Maine House of Representative CoAuthors of One Nation Under Fraud A Remonstrance Honorable Donna Loring Honorable Joseph Gousse Esq. Attorney, Legal research and writing specialist. Eric Mehnert, Chief Judge of the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 12/27/22: State of Maine's attempt to Isolate, Control & Eliminate (ICE) the Wabanaki Tribes first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Amy Browne This week: Earlier this month Governor Mills announced that her administration is dedicating $5.4 million dollars to address climate change and create clean energy jobs here in Maine— and a chunk of that funding is coming to Hancock and Washington Counties. If you or someone you know is looking for a paid internship for a career in an energy efficiency job, here are some of the details from Sharon Catus at Downeast Community Partners For more information, call Derek at (207) 610-5917 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. The post Around Town 12/15/22: Energy Efficiency Career Opportunities Downeast first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
On the podcast this week, Cate, Esther and Mike discuss the voting down of Governor Mills’ plan for emergency heating and housing assistance by Republicans in the state senate and what that will mean for Mainers this winter. They also discuss the election of Maine’s constitutional officers, a new report on the effects of tribal…
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producers/Hosts: Jim Campbell and Amy Browne This series is made possible in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission Maine: The Way Life Could Be, a series in which we look at challenges and opportunities facing Maine in the lifetimes of people alive today. This episode: What are the most important issues Mainers will be facing in the lifetimes of those of us alive today? That is the question Amy Browne and Jim Campbell, cohosts of Maine: The Way Life Could Be, posed to listeners nearly a year ago. The year-long series that followed has focused on the issues you raised in your responses. In this episode we wrap up the series with a look back — and a look ahead. Guests: Donna Loring, Penobscot Indian Nation Tribal elder and former council member. She represented the Penobscot Nation in the State Legislature for over a decade, and is a former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to Governor Mills. Donna is the author of “In The Shadow of The Eagle A Tribal Representative In Maine”. You can catch up on her Wabanaki Windows series on tribal sovereignty on the WERU archives here, and hear her new shows on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 4. Amy Fried, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Fried's most recent book is At War With Government: How Conservatives Weaponized Distrust from Goldwater to Trump, published in 2021. She is in the process of finishing a new book on New England politic, slated for publication next year. Professor Fried also writes a biweekly column in the Bangor Daily News Dr. Phil Caper of Maine AllCare. From his bio on Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), “Dr. Phil Caper received his BA, MS and MD degrees at UCLA, and trained in internal medicine on the Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital. He has held professorships at Dartmouth Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he was also Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs, chief of the medical staff, and hospital director. He has been an adjunct lecturer on health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health, a research associate at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and an associate in health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. From 1971 to 1976, he was a professional staff member on the United States Senate Labor and Human Resources subcommittee on health, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).” Dr. Caper was a charter member of the nation's top health care advisory panel, the National Council on Health Planning and Development from 1977 to 1984, chairing the panel from 1980 to 1984. He was also the founder and chairman of the Codman Group from 1986 to 2001, a health care software and consulting company with an international reputation and clientele. He is a founding member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and is a founding board member of Maine AllCare, the Maine chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. He is also a former national board member of PNHP. He has published numerous articles in professional journals and written many letters to the editor and op-ed articles advocating for a publicly run universal health care program. About the hosts: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon's words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station's sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage. 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. The post Maine: The Way Life Could Be 12/6/22: Series Finale – A Look Back, and a Look Ahead first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
This Day in Maine December 1, 2022
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. This month: This show is the 7th and final show in this 2 part series. On this show we will discuss what we feel are the most important take aways from the series. 1.Land was the very foundation of the Nation Washington was building 2.High points of the history of the sovereignty Process 3.The past is a prologue to the future. Where are we now? Guest/s: Professor Harald Prins is a distinguished professor of Anthropology and an Emeritis at Kansas State University. He is an expert in Wabanaki History. Professor Darren Ranco is a Penobscot Tribal Member and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine Orono. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 11/22/22: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2 part series first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. This month: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2 part series. This show is the 6th show in the part 2 series. On this show we will review the highlights of our past sovereignty series and discuss what we each found most interesting and or important. -The top issues each guest sees as important in the historic Tribal/State Relationship -The important role of Land ownership -The resurrection of Wampum Belt Diplomacy Guest/s: Professor Harald Prins is a distinguished professor of Anthropology and an Emeritis at Kansas State University. He is an expert in Wabanaki History. Professor Darren Ranco is a Penobscot Tribal Member and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine Orono. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 10/25/22: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2 part series first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. Guest/s: 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 9/27/22 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. This month’s program originally aired in March 2022. Click HERE for details and to listen Guest/s: 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 8/23/22: Rebroadcast first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
This Day in Maine Friday, July 29, 2022
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. The issue this month is: Sovereignty and its meaning. This show is the 4th show in the part 2 series. Tribal Sovereignty was never recognized by the State. This non-recognition was used to Control and marginalize the Tribes and as Dr. Ranco suggested this attitude is embedded into the DNA of the State. The refusal of the State to recognize our sovereignty has kept the State in control and allowed it to enrich itself at the Tribes expense. We will follow this thread of State enrichment at Tribal expense. -The historic blue print the state followed to keep control -Land Claims issues that kept the Tribes in poverty -Present effect of the Land Claims good and bad Guests: Professor Harald Prins is a distinguished professor of Anthropology and an Emeritis at Kansas State University. He is an expert in Wabanaki History. Professor Darren Ranco is a Penobscot Tribal Member and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine Orono. Maria Girouard is a Penobscot Nation Tribal Member, she is the Executive Director of Wabanaki Reach, A statewide organization working towards truth, healing and change. She has a master's degree in history. Her thesis was written on the Land Claims Act. She continues to research the Act. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 7/26/22: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2 part series. first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. The issue this month is: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2 part series. This show is the 3rd show in the part 2 series. In this episode Professors Harald Prins, Darren Ranco and Host Donna Loring discuss the on going historical develops between the Wabanaki Tribes of Maine and the State. The meaning of Sovereignty from the Tribal perspective and from the State's perspective. Two very different views resulting in years of conflict and litigation. This show continues to look at the Land Claims Settlement Act. This Act defines the present relationship between the Wabanaki Tribes and the State of Maine. We follow the thread from the John Deane's Letter of 1829 to the Land Claims Settlement of 1980. We will clearly see why this Act was allowed to become law. Key Discussion Points: 1. John Deane's Coercive Plan 2. State of Maine's Coercive Plan laid out in 1942 3. Culmination of those plans with the signing of the 1980 Settlement Act Guests: Professor Harald Prins is a distinguished professor of Anthropology and an Emeritis at Kansas State University. He is an expert in Wabanaki History. Professor Darren Ranco is a Penobscot Tribal Member and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine Orono. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 6/28/22: The Meaning of Sovereignty first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. The issue this month is: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2-part series. We discuss the Maine Land Claims Settlement Act and its effect on Maine Tribal Sovereignty. We look at Act from a different perspective not just who got what but what was happening on a Federal level at the time of the Maine Land Claims Settlement Act. Key Discussion Points: 1. National Events in Indian Country in the 1940's -1980 2. Maine State Court Case Opinions prior to 1980 ACT 3.Micmac Settlement Act how its different Guests: Profs Harald Prins and Darren Ranco. Prof Prins is a native of the Netherlands he is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and an Emeritus at Kansas State Univ.. Professor Darren Ranco is a member of the Penobscot Nation and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 5/24/22: Tribal Sovereignty in Maine first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives
Producer/Host: Donna Loring Other credits: Technical assistance for the show was provided by Joel Mann WERU Orland Maine and Jessica Lockhart of WMPG Portland Portland Maine. Music for the show was from the CD Dream Walk by Rolfe Richter Wabanaki Windows is a monthly show featuring topics of interest from a Wabanaki perspective. The issue this month is: Sovereignty and its meaning: A 2-part series. This show is the first show of the part 2 series. In this episode Professors Harald Prins, Darren Ranco and Host Donna Loring discuss the on going historical develops between the Wabanaki Tribes of Maine and the State. The meaning of Sovereignty from the Tribal perspective and from the State's perspective. Two very different views resulting in years of conflict and litigation. This show details the time period in the early 1970's leading up to the Land Claims Settlement Act and Act that has been used as a club to subjugate the Wabanaki Tribes. Key Discussion Points: -Economic environment in the early 1970’s -State Court cases that shaped the relationship between the State and the Tribes -State of Maine Civil Rights Commission Report of 1974 tells the true state of the Tribes at the time. Guests: Professor Harald Prins is a distinguished professor of Anthropology and an Emeritis at Kansas State University. He an expert in Wabanaki History. Professor Darren Ranco is a Penobscot Tribal Member and an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine Orono. 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 The post Wabanaki Windows 4/26/22: Sovereignty and its Meaning: A 2-part series. first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.
News from Maine on March 31: Wabanaki Indian tribes appear before members of Congress to discuss their sovereignty; Governor Mills signs a bill into law protecting the Maine Veterans' Homes in Caribou and Machias from closure; Maine's network of ecological reserves will be expanded under a new law
Maine News on March 18: Governor Mills adds funding for behavioral health needs in her proposed supplemental budget; Lewiston considers the need for homeless shelters; Bar Harbor residents want to limit tourists from cruise ships
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in many ways over the last two years. From our homes to our workplaces, and everywhere in between, we have all faced challenges that require us to live, work, and think just a little bit differently. In this two-part episode of the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast, I speak with Jason Beam, Director of EHS and Risk Management of CCB, INC in Westbrook Maine, about how he and his team have worked with employers and employees alike to maintain and encourage safe working habits and guidelines in the face of a global pandemic. Peter Koch: [00:00:04] Hello listeners and welcome to the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast. I'm your host, Peter Koch. I expect that we are all if I can use COVID as a verb just a bit COVID-ed out these days. It's been a long road where most of the news has been challenging. So I want to hear more about the successes and where companies have persevered throughout the pandemic. In this episode, I get my wish. Jason Beam, director of Environmental, Health and Safety and Risk Management for CCB, comes to the MEMIC studio to talk about the challenges that CCB faced operating a commercial construction company with the geographically diverse projects throughout the pandemic and the lessons that they will carry forward. We cover topics from emergency management to leadership to basic communication practices. There is enough complexity to the conversation that we broke this out into two episodes. So let me introduce Jason and get going with part one. Jason [00:01:00] Beam, director of EHS and risk management at CCB, has over 25 years of health, safety and emergency services experience. He earned his Master's of Science Degree in Occupational Health and Safety at Columbia Southern University and currently serves as the Enterprise and Risk Management Chairman for the Pine Tree Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Jason is also a principal member of NFPA Technical Committee 704 On the Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response, has written multiple articles for the International Society of Fire Service Instructors and has previously served as an advisory board member of the American Society of Safety Professionals Fire Protection Practice Specialty. Jason, welcome to the podcast. Jason Beam: [00:01:49] Thanks for having me. Peter Koch: [00:01:49] Awesome. So I want to learn a little bit more about you even having some conversations here off the podcast prior to. But before we jump into CCB, you have a pretty interesting [00:02:00] history and have quite a bit of experience doing environmental health and safety and working with different organizations. So before we get to CCB, why don't you give me a little bit of history about how you got into health and safety and, well, how you ended up at CCB to begin with, I guess. Jason Beam: [00:02:17] Sure, sure. I think we can shorten that up a little bit. You know, originally it was an I.T. guy. My degrees in I.T. writing code. We had an I.T Shop with about seven people and we were all police officers, firefighters, hazmat, and one of our clients at the time power plant, Biddeford said, Hey, we have a fire brigade. Would you come? Would you take on some additional training? So we took on the additional training and then that grew to filling in for their safety director when he was incapacitated, to becoming his replacement, to moving to their parent company and hitting a bunch of different types of work environments around the country. And [00:03:00] then when we finally get tired, the way the family and I get tired of being in me being in a hotel five or six nights a week, said, all right, it's time for change. First day back home eating lunch. I get a call from the at the time safety director for CCB is what are you doing right now. Well, Having a sandwich, Bob? Yeah, no, I mean right now. No, I'm having a sandwich. Yeah, no I am. It's. Well, when can you be here? I'm like, Well, where's here, Bob? So, you know, we said, Hey, come on in. I need some part time support. And I got somebody out on a medical and I could really use your help. So he eventually opened his own consulting business and vacated that post. And I was asked to stay on there and have been there ever since. Peter Koch: [00:03:43] Interesting history. I can't tell you how many people that I've talked to that have found success at a particular company with health and safety, that they started in a completely different world. Jason Beam: [00:03:57] It's more common than it seems. Yeah. Peter Koch: [00:04:00] So [00:04:00] interestingly enough, like if I look at my journey to get to where I am as a safety consultant for MEMIC, as an insurance company, and I started as a basically as a ski bum. My goal was to run a ski area at some point in time. And I spent a lot of time, you know, working in all the different aspects of the ski industry and had different opportunities to manage risk and safety without actually being charged with managing risk and safety for a particular company. And then moving, getting an opportunity to, hey, why don't you take this on? Hey, why don't you take that on? Hey, here's some information about this. And I remember one day I was sitting in my office and the guy who was in charge of construction and development at the ski area came into my office. I had just gotten the job as risk manager and he said, I've got to have I have this thing that's going to really help you. And I'm like, Oh, great, because I felt completely out of my element. I really wasn't sure what I was getting into at that point in time. So I'll be right back. And he goes [00:05:00] out to his truck and he comes back in. He. Brings in three boxes. Like these are for you. Great. Thanks. Thanks for that. What's in them? Oh, just you'll, these will be good for you. So they were the code of Federal Regulations for OSHA, for construction, general industry, maritime. What was the. I don't know. So lots of books, lots of small print. Like, how is this going to help? But here I am thinking about it and that connection between the human person that I had to deal with all the time from a in the trenches, working with some particular individual all the time to the regulations and that connection between how to manage people and make sure that they are safe so that they can go home at the end of the day. And, you know, I think that's a big part of what you're doing at CCB and what's making CCB safety history fairly successful over the years. Jason Beam: [00:05:58] Yeah, I would agree with that. We've [00:06:00] put a heavy emphasis on people before production. Yeah, it's about the people. If we're not taking care of the people, then we're not executing work at a high level out in the field. Peter Koch: [00:06:12] Let's talk about the human side of this and let's bring this into the COVID world. So if we if we think about it, when COVID first came out, right, there were there was a lot of confusion, you know, 2019, 2020, as we're starting to hear all this stuff about COVID and how it's transmitted and what it does and how it affects people and who it affects and how fast it travels. There is a lot of information out there. No one really understood what it was and where it goes. And now we're in 2022. And there's still a lot of confusing information out there. Things have evolved as we've moved forward. So, you know, what are some of the things that you did early on in COVID to help keep your staff safe? [00:07:00] That may have changed as time went on. As we come into the present, like how did you start and then how did you get to where you are now with your COVID regs. Jason Beam: [00:07:09] Early on was kind of kind of a two pronged approach, right? There's the business continuity piece. You know, if we don't keep the business afloat, we don't have jobs, we're not putting food on our tables. But there's the people side of it, too. There was a tremendous amount of fear and uncertainty. Right. I mean, even among the experts. Right. You know, we had all these different organizations professing to know the ins and outs of this. Yet there were contradictions, there were loopholes, they were gaps. And we had a group of people that were just nervous and they didn't know what direction to face. We really set out quickly to establish this this cadence of constant communication, effective communication. We consolidated it all into a single point. You know, folks were pretty much home at that time, even though in construction we were considered essential workers because of our government work. But we [00:08:00] kept the senior and executive management right there at 65 Bradley Drive and, you know, kind of war room time, so to speak. You know, what do we have to do to meet our contractual obligations, what we have to do to keep our people safe? And how do we you know, probably the biggest challenge bigger than either of those other two things was how do we how do we get them engaged and being part of the solution? How do we show them that we were not just trying to make a buck, they were there to take care of them. And we kind of had to build on kind of our philosophy of people first. We had to change how we did it. And it took a lot of individual campaigning with some folks, took a lot of group discussions, visiting job sites, a lot of one off conversations with folks just to set them at ease. And part of it was, is a safety and health department. We want folks in CCB to be able to feel they can call us on their worst day and get some sort of support. And obviously, if down deep, you know, you need 911, then call 911. But short of that, [00:09:00] we want one of the first ones. You feel comfortable enough to reach out to us for anything. And we took advantage of the good faith we had built doing that and said, look, together, we're going to get through this somehow. You know, we'll keep you up to date. We'll, you know, kind of work with our partners whether it's MEMIC our legal folks whatever to boil this down into what's the right thing. Because above all else, we got to do the right thing here. So a lot of it was communication at first. A lot of it was you know, we had a everybody at home for a little bit. How can we continue to engage folks or work working at home or some that were out of work at home? Because the nature of what was going on to help us kind of build out our solution. Peter Koch: [00:09:48] Can I can I stop you for a second? Because I think that's a that's an important point to explore a little bit more, because you're not we're not just talking about ten or 15 or 20 or 30 people [00:10:00] in a small construction organization, CCB, relatively large when you think about a commercial organization, not a global thousands and thousands of employees organization, but it's a problem of scale. If I have five employees. You have to do the same thing that I have to do in order to make those employees or help those employees feel safe. Trust me, and make sure that they know that I'm there for them as a business owner. But as the scale gets bigger and you have more employees, you get more job sites. How did you deal with some of those problems of scale? I guess you could say? Jason Beam: [00:10:38] Certainly. Certainly complicated things. You know, we're about 130, 540 people average annually. And then we have a number of subs. We work with close relationships with vendors, customers, all that. But we're so far distributed. We can have 40 concurrent job sites, maybe four concurrent job sites, you [00:11:00] know, down into Mass., up to Houlton, Maine. It's certainly, certainly muddied the waters and being in a union environment while we have a lot of core people that stay with us, you know, there's quite often, depending on what's coming down the line for jobs, quite often an influx and an influx of people that may or may not know anything about our culture or what's important to us. Different levels of skill. I mean, we've seen people that have never seen so many people that are absolutely new to the trades so that complicated it even further. So during the initial quarantine, it was pretty easy. We, you know, we set up shop right there at 65 Bradley and just started communicating, communicating, communicating while in the meantime, we're hatching out these solutions to keep the jobs going. But once things opened up again, senior executive management president, myself, vice president and the operations manager and we hit the road, we're going to job sites, we're [00:12:00] never able to abate all the uncertainty and fear. Jason Beam: [00:12:03] I mean, it's just not feasible. But we're able to address a greater degree of it by getting out to the job sites, meeting with the crews, first with the foreman. You know, hey, here's where the company stands on this. And we need to know what you need for assistance. And then what we're going to do next is we as a leadership body are going to meet with the guys, you know, doing the iron work, doing the pipe fitting, doing the carpentry so we can help put them at ease, too, because you're their first line of defense and offense. You're going to come to you looking for support, come to you with questions. We need to arm you with enough information to be able to at least know which direction to point. So. You know, communicating with that level of field leadership and not necessarily making them subject matter experts, but making them comfortable being able to answer questions. Added a great deal to that. Peter Koch: [00:12:57] Do you mind me asking? Because I find that [00:13:00] this can be a challenging part when your upper echelon meets your middle team and you get given information from the upper echelon as the middle manager, and then you're asked, do you understand that? The answer is typically yes, I do. Whether you always understand it, believe it or not. So how did you make sure that they were on board that they. Because, again, we started talking about the information that's out there. And there is I won't call it misinformation. There's just a lot of different information. And depending on where you get your news from and what you believed, then you may come at it from a completely different side than what your company was coming at it from. So when you're hearing something that might be very different. How did you how did you help that person truly understand what the message and what you wanted [00:14:00] them to know? Jason Beam: [00:14:04] There was a couple of pieces to that. One is we have the I'll call it the fortune of some very open viewpoints in construction. Peter Koch: [00:14:12] That's a very good way of putting that. Jason Beam: [00:14:15] You know, I'm sure you're aware a lot of trades folks are not bashful about expressing their opinions and their concerns. So they were quick to say, you know, I, I think this is crazy. This is insane. You know, I don't understand yet. There are going to be some that just go with it. I'll call it refreshing after the fact, the number of them that that said, you know, no, no, no, man. What gives, you know, explain this. So that was an advantage. Know, we certainly engage with the business agents and stuff at the union halls to leverage that resource as well. We engage with you folks. Help us tell that story, you know, with clerk insurance. Help us tell that story because a, you know, sometimes the [00:15:00] same message from a different voice may be phrased a little differently from a different perspective. Add some clarity. You know, there's one particular conversation that stands out where one of the foreman says, I don't like Chris. We were subject to, you know, staring down the barrel of that federal contractor mandate where vaccination or you punish them or you fire them, get them to comply. And there were folks with real concerns about that. Sure. You know, some were philosophical, some were religious. Some were mistrust of the government some were fear of vaccinations. I mean, they were pretty open about that. And the way we framed it up was, look, as leaders, we're here for the people and we have to be here for the people. And whether we agree with the government mandate or not, we have an obligation to you to keep you gainfully employed if we possibly can. So [00:16:00] we could sit here and be upset and say, you know, saber rattling, we're not going to do it, or we can do everything in our power to enable you to make the choices you need to stay with us. Jason Beam: [00:16:11] We don't want to get rid of anybody. We'll do what we have to do to stay in business for whatever set of rules, you know, whether it's OSHA, the government contracts thing or whatever. But, you know, we get it. You know, it's uncertain. It's unnerving. And for a lot it's aggravating, you know, and we'll get through that. But. We got to have a consistent face to the men. And that was a challenge too, because we all have different beliefs. Some were. I don't mean to sarcastic, but card carrying members for the cause. Others were 180 degrees different, you know, very opposed to it. But I think what carried us through a lot of it was the that faith we built up amongst our people. [00:17:00] CCB has always been a company that that invests heavily in that relationship. And I think we kind of built up that we had some credibility in the bank and like what you and I were talking earlier. Peter Koch: [00:17:12] Sure. Jason Beam: [00:17:12] Yeah. And I think we made some pretty big withdrawals from that that were certainly challenged by the constant changing of the rules of engagement because, well, jeez, you told us this, now it's this, now it's something else, you know, where does this end? Well, we don't know yet either. So I, I think probably, you know, thinking back on, one of the things that had the greatest impact was we were able to take advantage of the good faith, the credibility of the trust we had built previously, kind of in the face of so much change. Peter Koch: [00:17:47] Yeah. And I do want to come back to that to make sure we talk about that more because I really believe, as we talked at the beginning prior to jumping into the podcast, that that is an essential theme that has to happen. If you are going [00:18:00] to if you're going to manage change in your organization correctly or properly or successfully, if you ever just want to stay stagnant, then you don't really need the trust bank because you can always find someone to fill in the gap that that someone else just left. But if you want to grow, if you want to get better, if you want to if you want to be the best company that you can be, you have to have that. So we'll get back to that. I like that theme. So let's talk a little bit more about the specifics around like when all the protocols came down about you have to mask or you have to quarantine and you have to stay six feet apart. And how did you manage that with a commercial construction site? Like how did you got you had said you could have 40 construction sites, you could have four sites. You could have a site up in Houlton or Fort Kent, Maine, or you could all be all the way down in Massachusetts. So people have to travel. People have to be overnight, different places. How did you manage all of the what were the protocols [00:19:00] that worked? How did you implement some of those protocols and how did you manage compliance? I guess those three questions for you. Jason Beam: [00:19:08] Yeah, some of the easiest ones were managing the lodging. Fine. It's one person per room. Instead of bunking up together, limiting travel and vehicles together certainly had an impact financially, but we needed to keep people available to do what needed to be done. That was probably the easiest piece. There were definitely some challenges there. It made us focus a bunch on how we lay out our work, how we stage our tradespeople instead of three people working side by side. Well, how do we rearrange kind of the work area to accommodate that? How do we how do we arrange different trades or subcontractors, you know, things that you might look back at, say, lean construction concepts, right. You know, every purposeful [00:20:00] motion, right. Every action has a defined purpose or do we really need it? It made us kind of reach back into that toolbox a little bit more than we had been, which was good, because it also created some refinements in our production process too. Right? Because I do think the same things that that lead to safe behaviors are also the same behaviors that produce top notch production, have the most engaged employees and so on. So I think it's all part of the same thing. So we're able to kind of reach into that toolbox and juggle things up. But some of it too is we eat an amount of our work is outdoors. That helped, especially when the state turned around, when Governor Mills said, well, you know, we're not as worried about outdoor activities. Perfect. However, you got to guys 60 feet off the ground in a man basket together, they're not six feet apart. You know, a it's hard to observe half a dozen different lifts in the air with everything else going on. And are they aren't they messed up, you know. Well, but the state says we don't have [00:21:00] to anymore. Okay. You know, I get that. So we had some challenges there. And of course, you know, if I'm building a steel structure and then I'm putting siding on it and a roof on it, and then I'm working inside at some time. At some point the outdoors becomes the indoors. And that was always a healthy debate too. Peter Koch: [00:21:19] Yeah, when does when do we cross that line? Like how many walls have to be up for it to be considered indoors? Jason Beam: [00:21:26] Yeah. And there were some healthy discussions around that and they're still ongoing. You know, I think some of what helped it though, is. A lot of our clients have their own sets of rules, and some are extremely stringent and very much exceed the current CDC recommendations. Others not so much. In other places, we were the stringent one. Of course, there again, you do that. And how come we're holding ourselves to a different standard than everybody else in the job site because it's the right thing to do. And again, I think that that credibility we built up, most, most everybody went, [00:22:00] all right, fine, I get it. We'll make it work. Peter Koch: [00:22:03] Did you find in those spirited discussions, did you find that those are happening more frequently or happen more frequently because of the challenges around COVID than they did pre-COVID, like when you might have had some conflict around a particular job site or a particular set of instructions that might have been understood one way and then really implemented a different way. Were there more spirited conversations during COVID than might have been in the past? Jason Beam: [00:22:35] I think they were different. You know, suddenly we have this new set of rules of engagement. Peter Koch: [00:22:41] Sure. Jason Beam: [00:22:42] Right. Some have penalties, some don't. But here's the expectation. And you're all going to do it. You know, that became a pretty good set of measurements to gauge things by. So it was I think it was easier to be able to sit there and not wave those around, but say, look, you know, bottom line is we have to do this. And if we don't do [00:23:00] this, it jeopardizes our ability to complete the work because people are people are getting sick. We're not caring for them properly. And if we can't do that well, now we have financial problems because we're not completing our contracts on time. I think it took some of the fire out of the work process discussions, but it certainly stoked the discussions relating to the two mandates. Peter Koch: [00:23:24] Let's take a quick break now. MEMIC policyholders get lots of free, convenient tools and solutions to overcome everyday ergonomic challenges in any work environment. MEMIC's E Ergo program has proven to help prevent injury. By analyzing your work process through pictures you send into our ergonomics team within 48 hours will begin to identify your risk factors and provide solutions. And now, using cutting edge video analysis, MEMIC can assess your manual material handling risks as they unfold without [00:24:00] stopping production. Ergo, just one of the signature programs from MEMIC that keeps workers safe, prevents costly injuries, and helps companies stay productive. Start the E Ergo process today by logging into the safety director at WWW./memic.com/WorkplaceSafety. Now let's get back to today's episode. Peter Koch: [00:24:26] What I found in all of this is the companies that have found success in those spirited conversations, like in the moment, they can be pretty challenging. But when you reflect back on when you got to live in that tension for a little while between one, one opinion of the individual and then the mandate that the company is trying to put together when you live in that tension for a while, come to a realization and then move forward. That's a that's a pretty powerful opportunity. If you can recognize [00:25:00] the recognize in the moment that you could have success. So stick with that conversation. Make sure you're recognizing what concerns the individuals bringing to you and try to address those concerns as best you can. Where in the past, sometimes the way it was addressed was this is the rule. It doesn't matter what you think. You need to you need to follow the rule. Jason Beam: [00:25:24] And for us, this wasn't we didn't want it to be one of those times. You know, we had our own philosophical position on some of these mandates and, you know, from the from the get go. So, look, we want people to be safe. We want you to we as a company are going to subscribe to CDC recommendations. People are looking for some sort of direction. Great. We're going to start here. And as we have to change and veer from what the CDC says, we will where it makes sense to. But these are the rules of engagement we're going to follow. And then along come these mandates. Well, our belief about what was right or wrong didn't [00:26:00] change. Yeah. So, you know, we're very open about our rules have changed in order to maintain this customer base with the federal contractor piece. And it's a very big part of our business, and we can't afford not to have that. And we still want you to take care of yourself. We still want you to not come to work when you're sick. We still think the right thing to do is get vaccinated and now boosted. But short of anybody telling us you have to, that's a decision for you to make. And we're not here to pass some sort of health policy on our folks or it's certainly not how dictate they and their families manage their health. So that was a tough spot to be in. But I think our position kind of between those two endpoints helped a bit because yeah, when somebody's sitting there, you know, I'm vaccinated, I'm for me, pretty painless process, but I can certainly understand the fear of that form. And I was mentioning earlier saying, you know, look, I'm not comfortable [00:27:00] with some of these things where the government's telling me that I need some medical treatment. He says, you know, I just I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I'm just not comfortable with this, you know, help me through this. So I think our kind of position between the two end points really kind of helped aid what you what you're aiming at here. Peter Koch: [00:27:19] And that's huge for that foreman to come to you with the challenge and look for you to partner for a solution to help him through that is enormous. That doesn't happen all the time and again going back to that invested in that trust bank for quite a while. And then that time, here is the time where you have to go and make a withdrawal to maybe make a change in what is going to happen on the job site that will affect individuals. But that individual to be comfortable enough to come to you and say, I don't know what to think. Right? Here's my challenge. Help me through this. Help me understand this. Where do I go? What do I do? And [00:28:00] ultimately, it's their choice. It's not your choice. It's their choice. But to for you to be there as a company, as part of that senior team, to look and say, all right, yeah, I can help you through that, or I can provide you with some resources. Or we can here's some ways that you can you can go out and look for information on your own and then come back if you have questions, let's talk about it. Jason Beam: [00:28:22] Yeah, you know what really strained that was when with regard to that federal contract and subcontractor mandate, they said, well, hey, here's how you're going to implement this. The people that will not comply, you need to enter them into your progressive discipline policy and apply as much pressure as it takes to get them to do it. We're sitting there going, that's not our role here. Right. And kind of announcing and rolling out that, okay, this is where we're at here. Certainly strained those relationships. But I but honestly, in all fairness, it was, you know, the field [00:29:00] leadership that turned around and got control of that. They're the ones that get their arms around all the tradespeople and said, hold on, hold on. You know, you do understand who we're dealing with here, right? You know, they care about us. They're interested in our success. And they're the ones that that helped really control that narrative, that, look, it's not CCB saying, if you don't do this, we're going to fire you. It's they're put in a position where they have to make some tough business decisions. Peter Koch: [00:29:26] Yeah. And if they don't, then the whole point is moot because we're not involved in the federal contract anymore. Jason Beam: [00:29:34] And that's a big enough portion of the book of business. So that's a pretty crippling thing. Of course then the legs get taken out from under that. Now the piece descends on us and you know where we're at with that. But you know, then how do you manage a, you know, for those that say, great, I don't have to get vaccinated, then how do you manage a testing program across that many sites? So yeah, it's been interesting. Peter Koch: [00:29:57] So can I ask you that question? How do you manage [00:30:00] a testing program across that many sites? Because I think that's a question that a lot of people have even over one site that's been a bigger that's been a bigger challenge than I think OSHA had initially thought, because it seems pretty easy. Yeah, go ahead. If you're not going to get vaccinated, then weekly tests. But if you if you take a quarter of the people that you have at 130, you're you know, you're looking at a substantial chunk of people that have to get tested every week. How do you how do you do that when you've got job sites over seven, 800 square miles? Jason Beam: [00:30:35] Yeah, it's the concept was very challenging. You know, ultimately now that the legs have been taken out from under the OSHA executive order sorry, the OSHA ETS, it changed our opportunities a little bit. You know, prior to that, we're looking at all right, we have a group up at several people up in Houlton, Maine. We have people down in Massachusetts. Even though we're 70 plus percent vaccinated, [00:31:00] there's still pockets of people that aren't. You know, there are some work environments where we can take some alternative approaches. Peter Koch: [00:31:08] Sure. Jason Beam: [00:31:08] But when you've got, say, you know, a bunch of people from up north that have no interest in being vaccinated, but you have to be protective of their data. You have to deal with the lack of testing opportunities. Oh, by the way, home tests either have to be administered or observed by the company. You know, logistically, how do you do that? And now you have you couple that with, you know, a union construction environment where even though we have some longer term jobs, we have a lot of short term jobs. And it's a matter of moving the chess pieces around for the best advantage for the company. So now you've got to track, well, where was everybody Friday? Where do we intend them to be Monday? And how much of Monday are we going to consume getting testing accomplished for these people? You know, we started asking questions like, all right, if it has to be observed or one solution is observed by a medical professional. How [00:32:00] do we feel about the people that have doctors, nurses, paramedics, whatever in the family? Paramedic has a medical license of sorts. Does that count? So we talked about that a bit. We looked at how we could leverage in a world of everything, zoom. Could we leverage that? But that created new challenges, too. Now you're tying up health and safety people for a good chunk of whatever day you pick. You know, great. I need your ten or 15 minutes. I need your 15 minutes. They're scheduling all these slots now. You know, trying to catch everybody has a major impact on the workflow, certainly complicated from a privacy perspective to go that route. And let's face it, just wasn't feasible to send everybody to all to send a bunch of people out to all these job sites to administer tests. Peter Koch: [00:32:49] No, definitely not. Jason Beam: [00:32:50] So. Honestly, we never came up with a great solution. We still have places that we need testing. You know, you got to have a test, negative [00:33:00] test within so many hours of going to the site. Well, those places have been doing it all along. So we're able to. Peter Koch: [00:33:07] Maintain. Jason Beam: [00:33:07] To handle those. You know, we have other job sites like over here at Maine Medical Center work in that expansion where, you know, our partnership with Turner, it gives those folks on that job site access to testing. So we're meeting the clients needs. Well, they're helping us accomplish that by really providing us the solution to. So as it is today, you take availability of tests out of it, which is complicated for everybody right now. Yeah, it's not horrible. But under the ETS scenario, I'm not sure would have been able to it would have taken us a couple of iterations to get it right. Yeah. Peter Koch: [00:33:46] And I think what I'm hearing in all of this is that it couldn't have been done even in its even the testing as it stands right now outside of the ETS. It couldn't have been done without some [00:34:00] commitment and planning. By the company. And it's not just one person, but this has to be a conversations that happen because it affects everybody. Like if you expect if you expect the environmental health and safety person at your company to manage all of the requirements around testing and with no help anyplace else, and they decide that, okay, I'm going to do the observations. Well, that person's no longer available for anybody else to come in and say, Hey, Jim, I need this. Hey, Jason, I need this. Hey, Pete, I need this. Depending on who they are and what's going on, they're not available to have that question anymore, so. Jason Beam: [00:34:41] Oh, absolutely. That was a big concern because a lot of what our team we have a we're in a tremendously good position. I think, you know, we don't have the biggest of companies, but we have a health and safety department of a risk department, all told of six people, including HR for that, you know, that ratio of tradespeople to [00:35:00] risk managers is phenomenal. Peter Koch: [00:35:02] It is. Jason Beam: [00:35:03] And, you know, we enjoyed the conversations where, hey, I'm going to hatch out a fall protection plan. Hey, what's the here's what I'm thinking. But would you come out and make sure that I'm not crazy here, you know, to be involved in in all phases of that project lifecycle from hey, let's talk about how we think we want to bid this through to let's triage this what went right? What went wrong? You know, over the years, CCB has really pulled that whole risk function into all facets of that, that project lifecycle. And to me, that's where we're making the most difference. So, you know, to take up minimally 40% of my time previously, I mean, early on, it was 100% of my time. But to carve that out, to be able to track vaccination status exposures, to contact tracing, you know, and to add the testing component to that. And now you're taking two people offline [00:36:00] and you're having that much less effect in the field. How much riskier is what we're doing at that point? Sure. Not that the folks that are out there doing it are competent. I mean, nine times out of ten, they say, hey, we were thinking of doing it this way. There's maybe a couple of adjustments we might make. By and large, they know. They know they're professionals, they're good at it. But sometimes just that reassurance or being able to troubleshoot something together comes up with a better solution. And to sacrifice that to meet a mandate was kind of scary. Peter Koch: [00:36:32] Yeah. Yeah, I can I can imagine. And I keep thinking of sort of that domino theory and how things fall apart, right? So if you're not available and you're not there to catch that 1% this one time that you need an adjustment with for the plan that they because they couldn't come to you. And that mistake gets captured and ingrained in the process for the next project. Now it becomes not just 1%, [00:37:00] but it's now 10% and it might be 20% the next time that it happens. And it becomes a bigger and bigger problem. And all of a sudden when you get back into it, they've been doing it this way forever and all of a sudden you have to make a much bigger change instead of a small part that doesn't really change the operation, but you're pointing them in a different direction early on. Like it's much easier to change in the design phase than it is to remodel something to make it great. Jason Beam: [00:37:25] Absolutely like a compass. The difference between true north and magnetic north. If I'm a few degrees off and I'm ten feet down the trail, that's an easy adjustment. But if I'm 100 miles, that's a pretty big gap. Peter Koch: [00:37:36] Yeah, I missed the McDonald's completely. Jason Beam: [00:37:38] Right. But, you know, you add to that the fear and uncertainty that comes with COVID, the conviction of people for and against the government's position. And all of these you know, all these other components of supply chain disruption, both at work and at home. Peter Koch: [00:37:56] Yeah, Jason Beam: [00:37:57] You add all those distractions into it [00:38:00] and it magnified outcomes, typically magnified negative outcomes. You know, we have all these new stressors, new distractions that we're trying to figure out. Well, there's only so much margin here. There's only so much bandwidth to observe what's going on around us. And for a good portion of that bandwidth is consumed with new problems and uncertainties. What are we missing? We're missing more than we did before this whole thing started. So, you know, there was definitely a focus on trying to trying to keep that in people's minds, to keep people vigilant for those things. But ultimately, it's a bit of a losing battle because you're fighting human nature. Peter Koch: [00:38:42] True. Jason Beam: [00:38:43] I mean, we got through it so far. Peter Koch: [00:38:46] So far. Right. Knock on wood. Right. Right. So let's I'm not going to switch gears totally, but I want to go back to. So your history. You said you started out as an IT guy. So how did you use how [00:39:00] did you find technology helping you to manage some of the challenges on the job site for COVID, like whether it's contact tracing or any of the check and stuff, because again, disparate locations, disparate groups and, you know, a robust staff of safety people. But if you've got 40 job sites, six people can't make it to those 40 job sites if they're spread out all over New England. Jason Beam: [00:39:25] A couple of different things. One of the things we instituted early on, we'd had a biweekly safety and ops call, you know, all the field leadership and anybody that wants to honestly jumps in and here's kind of here's the tale of the tape. Here's how we're performing on both fronts. Here's what's coming down the line. Here's what we've been on. Here's what we've been awarded. You know, be more inclusive with our information, right? We immediately out of the gate said, you know, this is going to be weekly and early on it's going to be COVID driven, you know, because people need to know. We need to know where we stand. They need to know what we expect and so on. Certainly, [00:40:00] you know, go to meeting Zoom, Teams, things like that made that piece easier because we're able to reach anybody that that chose to participate on all job sites. Yeah. Because of the Internet. You know, I have a phone and I have signal I can participate in that call on the vaccination tracking piece. Really? I can send if I can put a QR code on a job box and I need your vaccination status, I need to know that you're fully vaccinated because we're staring down the barrel of the executive order, 14042, blah, blah, blah. You know, I can get anybody. That doesn't have a flip phone. To scan that QR code. Are you vaccinated? Yes or no? If you're not, do you intend to be? Yes or no? Because we've got a plan in case this thing comes to fruition. And great. Then share that information with us and we tracks it. And of course, there's the questions about what about information, privacy and everything else. There's rules that govern that. [00:41:00] Right. And if we're following those rules, we're in good shape. And it's not that isn't a complex problem. The hard part was getting people to do it. Even the people that said, no, I'm not getting vaccinated. You know, I'm not doing it. I'll work someplace else if I have to. But I'm not doing it because I still get you to share the information with us. You know, I promise we're not going to sell it. Ultimately, we got the majority of it that helped a great deal. And to be able to provide, you know, executive management, the operations management with kind of a snapshot as to what percentage of our people are currently vaccinated, what aren't, because, you know, in the middle of that, you got a bunch of government job sites, some existing contracts. Those provisions weren't in effect yet. Some new contracts. They were. So you're you know, by the way, there's health care and education and all these other places with their own rules. You know, which pieces can I move where? So making that information available to them was big. And then we were looking at, [00:42:00] you know, if we had to follow through under the ETS with, with the testing piece, I, the only way we could even conceive of being able to accomplish that was to leverage things like Zoom the video piece. Would it have worked? Yeah, I think it would have with a couple of iterations, you know, I think it was more about would have been more about difficulties with the process, not the technology. Peter Koch: [00:42:23] And I think a lot of people would actually add one more part into that from a difficulty, which would be the trust part. And then going back to that, that's a pretty big withdrawal when you're asking someone to give you their medical status, to give you their this particular status, to tell your employer something. And if you haven't built some trust up before then, even when you give them information about this is we're promising that we're not going to do anything with this. We're complying with this regulation. We need to do this. This is the process. If you hadn't built the trust, they're not going to believe you. [00:43:00] And so they'll be even more challenged with given that or if they do give it, they're going to give it in a very distrustful way. And that starts to break down your productivity and your quality and your safety and the people part of what makes your business run. Jason Beam: [00:43:17] Oh for sure. You know, we were. You know, I talked earlier about the idea that we want people to feel that they can call us on their worst day. Peter Koch: [00:43:27] Yeah, Jason Beam: [00:43:28] Right. Short of 911. Right. But that kind of showed through. I mean, it kind of demonstrated that we're hitting our mark, I guess, in that regard with the trust. You know, folks would start say, listen, I've got a family member, my mom, my dad, my son, my daughter. I have a wife who's got immune issues. You know, what do you recommend? Well, we're not physicians here. We're not going to pretend to be. But we can tell you how we read the guidance and we'll do our best to help you through it to the point where. Christmas [00:44:00] Eve and Christmas Day. You know, a couple of folks had had some exposures. One was family related, and he'd say, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I don't know who else to reach out to. Right. You know, my doctor's office isn't open. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on this? You know, and they went through the scenario and, you know, afterwards I was talking with my family about it. Pretty big compliment there in that regard that that somebody in their own time worried about the health of one of their loved ones reached out to us based on the connection we've made with them throughout this. It was definitely an indicator that we were hitting the mark with some folks. Which certainly led to more probing discussions with people. And even some of the folks that are typically grumpier than others. You know, we're like, Yeah, no, we think you're doing the right thing. I'm not going to sit here and brag about it. So you don't either. But yeah, [00:45:00] we trust you. So again, I think so much of what we're able to accomplish was because of all the work we did and building the culture prior to the pandemic. Honestly. Peter Koch: [00:45:11] Yeah. And to we talk often with some of our policyholders about that culture survey, taking the survey, taking the temperature of what's going on in the workplace. And obviously for us, it's always a safety culture survey. You're always, I'm always looking at it from the safety perspective. But from your perspective, when you heard that or realized what they were asking you on that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day question, you went back and tried to see if this is really what the perception of the rest of the company is like. How are what's the barometer? I mean, that out of the blue, that's an awesome pat on the back and a humbling compliment to think that someone would think that much of the of the relationship that you built with them to trust you for [00:46:00] an opinion. But how does that, is that pervasive through the rest of the group? And to re-ask that question to not just rest on that laurel and think, yeah, we're doing it, great, move forward. But to actually go back and recheck the pulse, I guess. Jason Beam: [00:46:14] Yeah. And humbling for sure. I mean, that's absolutely you know, it wasn't a 100% success. Of course not. You know, and I don't think it ever will be. Peter Koch: [00:46:24] It's human. Jason Beam: [00:46:25] Yeah, exactly. Exactly. But I think we're able to capture a larger percentage of people because a you know, we understand that you can't control human nature. Right. I can't I can make assumptions about how you might react to something. But I don't know what's affecting you or your mood today. I don't know what's motivating you in any given day. So we tried to incorporate a little bit of that uncertainty in there to kind of putting a heavy emphasis on that based on our belief that this fear and uncertainty is really [00:47:00] eating away at people. So how do we not take advantage of that? But how do we how do we put that on a pedestal so that we're it's obvious that we're trying to take care of our people? Peter Koch: [00:47:11] Let's stop right here with part one of my conversation with Jason Beam, director of Environmental, Health, Safety and Risk Management for CCB right here in Westbrook, Maine. In part two, we will continue with Jason around lessons learned managing COVID 19 on a commercial construction site. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you get notice when part two drops. The MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast is written, hosted and produced by me, Peter Koch, with production and coordination assistance from Rod Stanley. If you'd like to hear more about a particular topic on our podcast, email me at podcast@MEMIC.com. Also check out our show notes at MEMIC.com/Podcast where you can find additional information and our entire podcast archive. So while you're there, sign up for our Safety [00:48:00] Net blog so that you never miss any of our articles and safety news updates. And if you haven't done so already, I'd appreciate it if you took a minute or two to review us on Spotify, iTunes, or whichever podcast service that you found us on. And if you've already done that, then thanks, because it really helps us spread the word. Please consider sharing this show with a business associate friend or a family member who you think will get something out of it. And as always, thank you for the continued support. And until next time, this is Peter Koch reminding you that listening to the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast is good, but using what you learned here is even better.