Maine News Friday August 21

Maine's Catholic diocese has settled more than 100 claims brought by people who said they were sexually abused as children by clergy.  Roughly half of the claims were covered by a seven-figure financial amount, according to one lawyer for the plaintiffs.  This process has brought life changing validations after decades of institutional silence and concealment,” attorney Michael Bigos said Thursday.

The agreements came after Maine’s highest court struck down a state law that allowed people to sue for claims of child sexual abuse, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. Maine had previously removed its statute of limitations for these cases in 2001, but people who had been abused before 1987 still couldn’t pursue claims.

Maine Democrats - Susan Collins has shown time and time again that, when it matters most, she will side with Trump and Republicans over the people of Maine.

She cast the decisive vote to confirm far-right Justice Brett Kavanaugh, leading directly to Roe v. Wade being overturned.

She voted to give ICE $70 billion with no guardrails, and opposed any amendment that would’ve required ICE agents to wear body cameras.

And she voted to cut billions of dollars from Medicaid, causing hospital unit closures across Maine.

Maine is seeing an uptick in travelers from Canada.

UPCOMING

Wolfe’s Neck Center calendar

Freeport Farmers Market - Saturdays now through October: Through October 8:30am – 12:30pm at the BTLT Saturday Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm. 277 Pleasant Hill Road, Brunswick. The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Farmers Market was established in 1999 to advance the Land Trust’s mission of supporting local agriculture. With over forty vendors, many of whom have been with the Market since its inception, the Saturday morning market offers a variety of local, fresh produce

AUG 21
Free Coffee Friday! In-Person Curtis Memorial Library Library Lobby (below the mezzanine) 9:00 am 
Summer Sunset Dinner: Music, Meals, and Drink for Charity → Replenova Farm, LLC, 1252 Royalsborough Rd, Durham  5:00 pm


AUG 22 
Cook’s Lobster & Ale House, 68 Garrison Cove Rd., Bailey Island: Travis James Humprey, 5-8

AUG 23 
Music in the Parks (Freeport)  Memorial Park, 19 Bow St 2:00 pm

AUG 25
Town Manager's Office Drop-In → 30 Main Street, Freeport 4:00 pm
Annual Meeting with Bustins Island → 30 Main Street, Freeport 5:00 pm



AUG 27
Art Afloat Closing Celebration
 Harraseeket Inn 5–7 PM RSVP
Bandstand By The Sea, 1410 Harpswell Neck Rd., Harpswell: Pat Colwell & the Soul Sensations, 6-7:30

AUG 28
Brickyard Hollow Brewing, 149 Maine St., Brunswick: Vanessa Jones, 6

AUG 29
Cook’s Lobster & Ale House, 68 Garrison Cove Rd., Bailey Island: Travis James Humprey, 5-8

AUG 30
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: Heyday Suite, 2-4
Vesta, 424 Walnut Hill Rd., North Yarmouth: Bess Jacques Trio (Bess, piano/vocals; Evan Haines, guitar; Sheldon Perkins, drums), 4-6


SEP 2
Join Lew Schneider and moderator Brett Pierce at Bowdoin's Kresge Auditorium on September 2, for "We Might As Well Laugh..."—a Freeport Speech event exploring how shared laughter draws us together through life's absurdities. 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM (pre-lecture music starts at 6:30 PM) Kresge Auditorium, Bowdoin College, 239 Maine St, Brunswick. $20 general, $10 students (proceeds benefit Meetinghouse Arts). Get tickets

SEP 4



SEP 7 
Join Freeport Speech for a special evening featuring Emmy-winning comedy writer Lew Schneider (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Goldbergs) in conversation with local educator and producer Brett Pierce as they discuss how Lew learned to make people laugh and evolved to keep people laughing over a 40-year career. Where: Kresge Auditorium, Bowdoin College, 239 Maine St, Brunswick, ME Cost: $20 general, $10 students (proceeds benefit Meetinghouse Arts) Get your Tickets now. For more information, visit FreeportSpeech.org

SEP 12

SEP 18-20

Maine Biz - L.L.Bean will mark the reopening of its Freeport flagship store with a month-long series of concerts and events. The store has undergone a $50 million makeover led by Freeport-based Zachau Construction. The 120,000-square-foot store is expected to open in September, with the grand opening set for Sept. 18-20.

Events will include cameos from Boston Red Sox and Portland Hearts of Pine players, as well as the Wallflowers, the band led by Jacob Dylan that rose to prominence in the 1990s with hits like “One Headlight” and “6th Avenue Heartache.”

Events will include a grand-opening weekend, Sept. 18-20, featuring an outdoor concert with country star Kip Moore.

A so-called heritage weekend, Sept. 25-27, will feature a vintage product drop and repairs for “well-loved” apparel.

A fall festival, slated for Oct. 2-4, will feature local makers, artists, music and food, presented by Visit Freeport.

A makers weekend, Oct. 9-11, will feature demonstrations by L.L.Bean artisans at work.

The annual pumpkin festival, Oct. 16-18, will include thousands of jack-o’-lanterns as well as fall crafts, treats and activities, presented by Camp Sunshine.

Events culminate with hometown weekend, Oct. 23-25, featuring players from the Boston Red Sox and Portland Hearts of Pine. The Friday night concert will spotlight Jacob Dylan and the Wallflowers.

L.L.Bean, founded in Freeport in 1912, operates 65 stores in 19 states, along with 25 stores in Japan and 14 stores in Canada.

NOV 7

Twin Keys: A Love Story: Thomas Wolf with Jessica Chow Shinn and Michael Shinn, duo-pianists  2 PM  Crewe Center for the Arts