China student honored at Annual SkillsUSA Workforce Development Event

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Galen Neal

A career and technical student in China was recognized for excellence at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships, held in Atlanta, on June 21-22. More than 6,000 students competed at the national showcase of career and technical education. The SkillsUSA Championships is the largest skill competition in the world and covers 1.79 million square feet, equivalent to 31 football fields or 41 acres.

Galen Neal, from China and a student at Mid-Maine Technical Center (Waterville), was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Photography.

Skill Point Certificates were awarded to all national contestants who met a threshold contest score. The Skill Point Certificate represents workplace readiness in the occupational specialty and students can add the certificate to their employment portfolio as an indicator of proficiency.

Students were invited to the event to demonstrate their technical skills, workplace skills and personal skills in 110 hands-on competitions including robotics, automotive technology, drafting, criminal justice, aviation maintenance and public speaking. Industry leaders from 650 businesses, corporations, trade associations and unions planned and evaluated the contestants against their standards for entry-level workers. Industry support of the SkillsUSA Champ­ionships is valued at over $36 million in donated time, equipment, cash and material. More than 1,200 industry judges and technical committee members participated this year. All SkillsUSA Championships competitors were honored on Friday night, June 23 at the SkillsUSA Awards Session at State Farm Arena.

The SkillsUSA Championships event is held annually for students in middle school, high school or college/postsecondary programs as part of the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference. The national, nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry is a verified talent pipeline for America’s skilled workforce that is working to help solve the skills gap.

Timmins joins CMGC staff

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Nicole Timmins

The Central Maine Growth Council (CMGC), a public-private collaborative economic development partnership, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Timmins as Grant and Finance Manager. Nicole is responsible for overseeing CMGC’s granting efforts, which include optimizing the grant administration process, preparing financial reports, and ensuring compliance with grant regulations.

Nicole’s work will directly support CMGC’s existing funding landscape in addition to being responsible for overseeing CMGC’s Economic Recovery Implementation Hub activities throughout Kennebec and Somerset Counties.

“I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with an organization that champions business interests across all sectors, offering tailored solutions to support operational growth,” remarked Timmins. “The prospect of spearheading impactful initiatives that empower entrepreneurs and reduce obstacles they face is deeply motivating. I am committed to driving ongoing advancement in this space.”

Nicole brings previous experience as the Director of Finance at Care & Comfort, where she oversaw all aspects of the finance department, including managing staff, billing, accounts receivable and payable, payroll, and reconciling the general ledger. Her experience monitoring fee schedules to ensure compliance with various provider contracts and funding sources demonstrates Nikki’s familiarity with financial management.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono in Mass Communications.

Better Business Bureau: Online shopping scams

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Recently, BBB Scam Tracker has received multiple reports of an online shopping scam on TikTok. It’s a sneaky one! It starts with a disgruntled employee supposedly seeking revenge and ends with victims ordering hundreds of dollars in phony merchandise.

How the scam works

You come across a TikTok video featuring someone claiming they were recently fired at a high-end jewelry store. The termination was completely undeserved, and they are angry. To take their revenge, they are sharing their top-secret employee discount code with anyone who wants it. This code gives you up to 100 percent off the company’s merchandise. That’s right, they claim you can get expensive jewelry for free! As long as you’re willing to pay shipping, that is.

You may notice some red flags when you checkout using the ex-employee discount code. One consumer reported: “As you add more things from the website to your cart, the shipping cost increases disproportionately… However, this still seems like a ‘deal’ because you are getting a 100% discount on (faux) jewelry that costs $100-200.” However, that’s not the only warning sign. The consumer added, “There is no cancellation mechanism on their website/order confirmation email, no social media, no address, and no phone number. You can only contact them via an email address.”

If you fall for this scam, you won’t receive the high-quality jewelry you thought you ordered. You may get cheaply made knockoffs – or nothing at all. Also, you’ll be out any money you spent on “shipping” too.

The current version of this scam involves a jewelry store, but watch out for other variations as scammers change their schemes to avoid detection. This con would work with high-cost items like electronics or designer handbags.

How to avoid online shopping scams

Don’t fall for deals that are too good to be true. Scammers love to draw people in with this bait. If a deal seems extraordinarily good, stay skeptical. Research the company thoroughly before you buy.

Only shop with reputable companies. It’s always best to shop with companies you already know and trust. That said, if you come across an appealing item from an unfamiliar business, it’s especially important to do research. Look up the company’s website, physical address, and contact information. Read reviews from customers on third-party websites and review comments left on their social media pages, too. You can even search the company name and the word “scam” just to be safe.

Always make payments with your credit card. When shopping online, use your credit card to pay. Controlling fraudulent charges (and possibly getting your money back) will be much easier with this payment method.

For more information

For more tips and advice, review the BBB Tip: Smart shopping online. You may find the BBB social media scams page helpful as well.

If you spot a scam on social media or elsewhere, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help us build consumer awareness and scammers in their tracks.

EVENTS: Free offerings at Muskie Community Center in Waterville

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Free offerings at Muskie Community Center in Waterville

Spectrum Generations’ Muskie Community Center
38 Gold Street, Waterville, ME 04901

Addressing the Stigma: A Look at Mental Health and Aging

Monday, October 16
10 – 11 a.m.

Join us at Spectrum Generations’ Muskie Community Center as we welcome Leslie Lennig, Clinical Director from Community Health and Counseling Services for a free workshop.

This workshop will take a deeper look at general mental health trends, symptomology of the most common diagnoses seen in older Americans, identify how the traditionalist and baby boomer generational values play a role in mental health, as well as look at some ways someone can seek support from symptoms one may be experiencing.

Pre-registration is required by calling (207) 873-4745 or stop by the Muskie Community Center reception desk.

Free Hearing Tests

Thursday, October 26
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Join us as we welcome Always Listening Hearing Aid Center at Spectrum Generations’ Muskie Community Center.

Felicia Curtis, Hearing Care Practitioner, will be performing free hearing tests, ear wax checks, and basic cleaning of your hearing aids.

Registration is required for your private appointment. To register, visit the front desk receptionist or call the Muskie Community Center at (207) 873-4745.

A Service for Veterans

First Thursday, Monthly (By Appointment)

A Veteran Service Officer from the Bureau of Veterans’ Services will be available to meet with you from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Muskie Community Center.

Veteran Service Officers are experts on federal, state, and local veteran resources and are dedicated to providing assistance to veterans in navigating the complex web of services and benefits available to them and their families.

Appointments are 30 minutes. To reserve your private appointment, call (207) 873-4745.

Family Caregiver Education and Support Group

Third Wednesday, Monthly
1 – 2:30 p.m.

We understand that the transition into the role of caregiver for a loved one can be a stressful, emotional, and difficult endeavor. Our support groups are specifically designed to be educational and supportive for you. We are here for you as a trusted resource and to connect you with solutions to help ease ever day life as a caregiver.

To learn more, visit the front desk receptionist at the Muskie Center or call (207) 873-4745.

Scouts hold uniform distribution day

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Photo by Chuck Mahaleris

by Chuck Mahaleris

Dozens of youth from across central Maine came to the Goodwill Store, in Waterville, on September 27, for the Scout Uniform Bank. The annual event is a way to assist families during these difficult financial times. Scouts who attended the event left with a gently-used uniform shirt, pants, neckerchief, hat and even patches. Youth who had outgrown their uniform could trade theirs in for another. Sabrina Garfield, of Winslow, is the Cubmaster of Winslow Pack #445.

Winslow Cub Scout Pack #445 Cubmaster Sabrina Garfield explained that this uniform bank is truly needed during these challenging economic times. (photos by Chuck Mahaleris)

“Scouting is a great experience,” she said. “I do a lot of activities with my kids but it is nice to do these activities with other people as well. They have made a lot of friends in Scouting.” Garfield said that there were several families in her pack that would benefit from the uniform bank. “It is really helpful,” she said. “The prices of everything is going up and this is a tremendous help to a lot of people.”

Throughout the year, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England collects Scouting uniform items that are donated at its various locations. Chris Bernier, a member of the Kennebec Valley District Scouting Committee from Winslow, receives these items, sorts them and prepares them for the annual uniform bank. Areli Watkins, of Palmyra, he is a third grader who is homeschooled. Areli said he liked this uniform event and received a new hat, shirt, neckerchief and other items.

“This is great,” he said. He recently joined Cub Scout Pack #428, in Pittsfield, but had a fun time at that first meeting where he learned how to cook a hamburger and was happy to have a uniform to wear for the rest of the meetings. Cyndi Davis, of Oakland, has been volunteering at several of these uniform banks. “We are helping Scouts get fitted out so they fit in,” Davis said. “This makes it a level playing field. Every scout has the same uniform. We like to treat every kid the same.”

Wyatt Collins is a Scout from Fairfield and volunteered to help at the uniform bank. He appreciated all the food people gave to help support the Scouting for Food drive. (photos by Chuck Mahaleris)

There were several volunteers from Winslow, Oakland, Belgrade, Sidney, Augusta, and Fairfield. Wyatt Collins of Fairfield is a Tenderfoot Scout in Troop 433. As people came in to look at uniforms, they turned in food for the Scouting for Food Drive. Wyatt helped with the collection of those food items. “It is important to help other people,” Wyatt said. “It is important for Scouts to help in their community.”

Bernier praised the relationship Scouting has built with Goodwill Industries. “There is a lot of good that happens in one night but it is thanks to a year-long effort by Goodwill Industries and we are very grateful for their partnership.”

Cyndi Davis is a Scouting volunteer from Oakland and enjoys giving her time in Scouting and in the Order of the Arrow to help improve the lives of others. (photos by Chuck Mahaleris)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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HealthReach welcomes family nurse practitioner

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Kaylee Wolfe

This September, staff at Belgrade Regional Health Center are happy to welcome Kaylee Wolfe, Family Nurse Practitioner, to the team.

Kaylee earned her master’s degree, Family Nurse Practitioner, from the University of Southern Maine. Previously, she earned her dual-major bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Spanish from Bowdoin College, in Brunswick. Wolfe has a wealth of experience from across the field of Nursing – including experience in both Emergency Nursing and specialty medical work with the LGBTQI+ community. Wolfe most recently graduated from the Keith Haring Nurse Practitioner Fellowship in LGBTQI+ Health.

Wolfe shares, “My philosophy of care is centered around creating a safe and comfortable environment where my patients can be their authentic selves. Primary care is a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding, and I work hard to earn the trust and confidence of my patients in every interaction. I am thrilled to be joining an organization like HealthReach – one that shares my belief that all people deserve access to high-quality and affordable healthcare. I look forward to offering new services, including HIV prevention and treatment, as well as gender-affirming care.”

Wolfe joins Belgrade Regional Health Center’s existing team of healthcare professionals, including Doctor Amy Madden; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Leslie Rita Alfonso LaBarbera; Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Theresa Rush; and Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) Abigail Dalzell, Katie Gillihan, and Andrew Twaite. Our clinicians offer care for patients of all ages and from all walks of life.

Belgrade Regional Health Center, founded in 1977, is a part of HealthReach Community Health Centers – a Federally Qualified Health Center consisting of twelve community health centers located across Central and Western Maine.

Griffin Brown welcomed into the Honors College at the College of Charleston

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Griffin Brown, of Oakland, will attend the Honors College at the College of Charleston, in Charleston, South Carolina, starting this fall.

Brown joins a community of highly motivated Honors students who live and learn together while pursuing their own unique interests. Honors students at the College of Charleston benefit from personalized mentorship, access to specialized opportunities, and small, seminar-style classes. Students also participate in high impact experiences like faculty-led research, internships, and community engagement to help them maximize their time at college.

Brown is a graduate of Messalonskee High School, in Oakland, and plans to major in systems engineering at the College of Charleston.

Update: Eagle Scout project is a LifeFlight helipad

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Many local dignitaries, family and friends attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the helipad, which was built as a project by Eagle Scout Kaleb Brown, left. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

by Roberta Barnes

Eagle Scout Kaleb Brown, left. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

The ribbon cutting ceremony held on September 23, 2023, in Palermo, was for a lifesaving resource added into the Recreational Field, on the Turner Ridge Rd. Family, friends, fellow scouts, first responders and law enforcement officers from Palermo and neighboring towns were present to celebrate this vital resource.

This resource that is beneficial for all surrounding communities is the result of the completion of an Eagle Scout project. An Eagle Scout Project is a community service effort that comes at the end of a scout’s career and must be completed to attain scouting’s highest rank.

The Eagle Scout project Kaleb Brown completed is evidence that one person’s idea can result in creating a resource that can save lives. The project that Brown, senior Patrol Leader of Palermo Boy Scout Troop #222, and high school senior, presented to the Scout Council was for a permanent LifeFlight helicopter pad to be built in an area where it is needed.

Transportation and time are essential factors when critical care is needed. In Maine over 37,000 patients have been airlifted to receive critical medical care by LifeFlight since it was founded in 1998. Just in the past year over 2,000 patients were airlifted. Each airlift requires a safe landing site.

What inspired Brown to take on this project was an event that happened when he and his best friend were each 15 years old. His friend was critically injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver and died on route to the hospital. The only permanent concrete pads for airlifting close to Palermo were in Augusta and Belfast. His mother, Barbara Files-Lucier, assistant scoutmaster who had been a paramedic for 14 years, also served as an inspiration for his project.

When Brown met a woman at a hospital whose daughter had died, it let him know he had chosen the right project. At the ribbon cutting ceremony instead of him cutting the ribbon he asked the woman whose daughter had died if she would like to cut it. She lives close by and had enjoyed watching as the pad was being built.

As with all Eagle Scout projects, Brown’s project required determination, discipline, and hours of hard work to coordinate everything required to complete the project. His first step after the Scout council had approved his project was to get permission to use a sizable portion of the field from the youth association owning that field. After that he went door to door asking businesses for donations.

(photo by Roberta Barnes)

Brown going door to door resulted in generous donations by local businesses, and individuals that covered the entire $20,000 cost. Once enough donations had been received, he still had to be available to keep the construction of the pad smoothly on track. Eagle Scouts are allowed mentors and community support, but the responsibility of the completion of their project is on their shoulders.

An example of the community coming together and people volunteering time was Brown and family members painting the pad. The painting was after all the steps required for the pad’s construction pad had been completed by businesses and individuals donating their time and materials.

Brown’s project required 500 hours of his time and dedicated work to complete a resource that can save lives. Now first responders in all areas surrounding Palermo have this site keyed into their systems to use when needed. If other landing areas used in the past are not available at a needed time, this pad can now be used.

Prior to the ribbon cutting along with speakers from associations and various levels of government, Kaleb Brown, and his mother each spoke.

While Brown and his mother outlined all that had gone into the project they each gave a heartfelt thank you to all the people who had donated funds, materials, and their time at various stages of the project. They expressed how each person’s donation was important in making this life saving resource a reality.

As Brown’s mother spoke, stepping stones for the commitment required to complete his Eagle scout project were explained, including the discipline required for school grades and his martial arts training.

Kaleb Brown’ s words that summed up this project were, “Hard things are right things.”

Roberta Barnes is a freelance contributor to The Town Line.

Research sessions effort to collect data on PFAS

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by Jonathan Strieff

Doctors from Redington-Fairview General Hospital, in Skowhegan, and the MaineHealth Institute for Research, in Portland, hosted six research session over three weeks in Waterville and Thorndike in an effort to collect data regarding PFAS exposure in central Maine.

PFAS refers to a family more than 4,000 chemicals present in a wide variety of consumer products, from non-stick cook wear and food packaging to water resistant clothing and stain resistant home goods. Since the 1970s, evidence of negative health outcomes associated with increased PFAS exposure has steadily grown, including decreased antibody response in adults and children, thyroid disease and dysfunction in adults, and increased risks of kidney, breast, and testicular cancers, but the evidence has primarily targeted water pollution associated with close proximity to chemical manufacturing plants and sites with heavy use of fire retardant foam, like military training bases. The high level exposure identified in central Maine in recent years is unique as the contamination has come from the application of sewage and industrial waste as fertilizer on farm fields, entering the food chain and watershed less directly.

When Dr. Rachel Criswell and Dr. Abby Fleish began seeing the impacts of PFAS exposure in their clinical patients, they sought to understand what ways this form of exposure differed from those that have been better researched. Criswell and Fleish applied for grant funding from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences to conduct a Time-Sensitive Environmental Health Study. Time-Sensitive Studies are typically carried out following natural disasters and other anomalous events, but the doctors convincingly argued that the degree of PFAS exposure in central Maine constituted a “slow-moving environmental disaster.”

The study they designed holds three distinct goals: to describe the extent and impacts of PFAS contamination among the diverse cohort; to clearly identify all possible exposure pathways (food, water, soil dust, other); and to quantify the mental health affects resulting from the stress of mitigating the contamination. To do this, Criswell and Fleish contacted by mail every individual in the three surrounding counties who had well water tested for PFAS by the Department of Environmental Protection, asking for participants to take part in their study.

At the September 19 event, held at the Waterville Elks lodge, more than two dozen respondents attended to participate. Following a brief overview of the study by Dr. Criswell, each participant was individually walked through an informed consent form and then asked to complete a short questionnaire that asked about personal diet and lifestyle habits before and after learning of PFAS exposure. Participants were then asked to provide a blood sample and those willing also had the option to provide hair samples, human milk samples, and stool samples.

Prior to the two events scheduled in Thorndike the following week, Dr. Criswell anticipated falling far short of the 300 participants they hoped to enlist, but was already making arrangements to extend enrollment in the study. Anyone interested in participating can contact Skowhegan Family Medicine at 207-474-6201.

Jonathan Strieff is a freelance contributor to The Town Line.

Vassalboro scouts welcome home Honor Flight veterans

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Front row, from left to right, Arrow of Light William Vincent, of Vassalboro, Life Scout Nathan Polley, of Vassalboro Troop and Webelos Cub Scout Eli Richmond, all of Pack #410, in Vassalboro. second row, Cub Pack #604 Tiger Cubs Jeffrey Blais and Jett Jordan. Third row, Troop #410 Scoutmaster Stephen Polley. Fourth row, Wolf Scout Lux Reynolds, Wolf Scout Connor Millett, Dragon Scout Lila Reynolds, all Pack #410. Fifth row, Star Scout Michael Dellinger and Life Scout Cole Fortin, both Troop #410; the third scout carrying the American flag is Life Scout Macgyver Blundon, Troop #604 and the fourth scout carrying Scout flag is Tenderfoot Scout Ricky Phillips, of Winthrop Troop #604). All those in Vassalboro Pack and Troop #410, are from Vassalboro. (photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Scouts from Vassalboro and the Winthrop area were on hand to welcome home the 24 veterans when they returned home after visiting Washington, D.C. as part of Honor Flight’s third “mission” of 2023.

“The event was a wonderful opportunity to teach scouts about both the Duty to God and Duty to Country, as well as the importance of using some of their personal time to honor those who have sacrificed for the life opportunities we all have living in this great country,” said Christopher Santiago, of Vassalboro, Pack #410 Cubmaster and Troop #410 Asst. Scoutmaster.

The veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War, were able to tour, experience, and reflect at the memorials erected in their honor and memory through the efforts of Honor Flight. The scouts were part of the group welcoming back home these heroes from past conflicts.

Amanda Jordan said, “I’m so very proud of my two sons Jeffrey and Jett in their Cub Scout adventure today for Honor Guard and welcoming home the Veterans!”

Samantha Doody-Remington, Scoutmaster of Troop #604, said, “It is so important to teach each generation the valor of the generations that came before them. These scouts got to talk to and welcome home a man who stood up and served his country during the Vietnam War. When he got home, Arthur Wells probably didn’t get the best welcome and we wanted to make sure he knows how important he is to so many people. America is grateful not only for Arthur’s service but all of those who served. Welcoming them home is the least we can do.