the portland daily sun, saturday, april 2, 2011

SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2011 VOL. 3 NO. 43 PORTLAND, ME PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER 699-5801

Trip to Augusta: Musicians protest all-ages legislation

See Mark Curdo’s column on page 6

LePage manages to unite state’s arts groups

See Curtis Robinson’s column on page 4

Opening day brings outRed Sox faithful

See the story in Sports, page 11

FREE

Signs of economic rebound seen in city’s budget plan

Andrew Ian Dodge

Nateva music fest axed

Does bar scene fi t the bill?

The Old Port can be an odd sector of Portland’s business community: A scenic high-traffi c bazaar for grazing tourists during the day, but on weekend nights morphing into a neon-laced drinking district.

Along Wharf, Fore and Commercial streets, one can witness “trickle down” economics fi rst hand — the crowds, and their money, fl ow wherever cheap drinks are trickling, making rock-bottom drink specials an important part of some busi-ness models.

City offi cials on Friday unveiled a $200 million budget plan that raises property taxes by more than 2 percent

but for the fi rst time in three years does not include layoffs or service reductions.

Acting city manager Pat Finni-gan’s spending proposal for fi scal year

2012, which starts July 1, shows non-property tax revenues for things like car registrations, blue trash bags and parking enforcement have bottomed

Tea party activist and Harpswell-based writer Andrew Ian Dodge is challenging Maine’s U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe in the 2012 Republican primaries.

In November 2012, Snowe is running for a fourth term. In November 2006, she was re-elected to a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate with 74 percent of the vote. Before her election to the Senate, Olympia Snowe represented Maine’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years.

But tea party activists sense an open-ing. According to Dodge’s website (www.electthedodge.com), “Prior to his run for offi ce, Andrew was a leader in Maine’s Tea Party movement. He organized the

fi rst registered tea party event in Maine, which took place in Augusta on April 15, 2009. Andrew has also represented Maine at national conventions of Tea Party supporters, and has had a major hand in deciding strategy for the move-ment.”

The Portland Daily Sun sat down with Dodge this week to discuss his candi-dacy, the tea party movement and Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who has

endorsed Snowe. Dodge started by con-fi rming he is no longer coordinating the Tea Party Patriots (www.teapartypa-triots.org/state/Maine) as he seeks to shake up the Republican primary:

AID: I’ve handed over my Maine coordinatorship to Kathy Johnson, who’s from up north. But I keep track of it. I was involved for two years, if you’re involved in a cause for two

see PRICE page 9

BY MATT DODGETHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

RIGHT: Legislative proposals are spurring debate about Old Port drink prices and policies. (MATT DODGE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION)

BY CASEY CONLEYTHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

see BUDGET page 3

BY DAVID CARKHUFFTHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Snowe’s primary challenger speaks outAndrew Ian Dodge talks tea party politics, Gov. LePage and life in England

The Nateva Music and Camping Festival, which in its fi rst year attracted The Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, and a host of jam bands to Oxford County, won’t be coming back for an encore.

Less than a month after releasing the 2011 lineup, organizers announced yes-terday that the 2011 event, which was planned for early August, had been canceled. A news release said “slower than predicted ticket sales and the very crowded summer festival schedule” were to blame.

“In the end, it’s all about being able to put forth a fi rst rate event that everyone can

see NATEVA page 3

BY CASEY CONLEYTHE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

see DODGE page 18

“There are people who say, ‘Great, we got LePage in, we got the House and Senate (to go) Republican,’ and that’s it, they’re gone. A lot of groups went from being 30, 35 people to fi ve now. There are personalities, and there are people

who are working for him who used to be tea party leaders.’”

— THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Saturday, April 2, 2011

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WORLD/NATION–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– DIGEST––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Teaching

little fi ngers new math

tricks

SAYWHAT...Those that know, do. Those that

understand, teach.”—Aristotle

(NY Times) — Gabi Bagley, 5, dug through a box of Kid K’Nex toys, bypassing rods and cylinders until she found a purple, teardrop-shaped object about four inches long. “Does that fi t your hand just right?” said Cyndi Lopardo, her Preschool for All teacher. “Bring it over.”

Two children compare hand size during a lesson that helps them learn mea-surement. Erikson Institute coaches evaluate teachers as part of an early-mathe-matics-education project.

Gabi was one of four chil-dren at Onahan Elementary School learning a math-ematical concept — mea-surement — by searching for items the same length as their hands.

The lesson was devel-oped by coaches from the Erikson Institute to hone the children’s ability to compare and predict size — skills that researchers from Erikson say provide a foundation for success in elementary math but are often neglected in preschool.

Ms. Lopardo has been teaching preschoolers for 17 years at Onahan Elemen-tary. But she said the Erikson coach has helped her create more engaging and effective math lessons.

“I have gotten great results,” she said. “We’ve been talking through ideas and making my practice better.”

“

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1,521U.S. military deaths in

Afghanistan.

CAIRO — (NY Times) Thousands of pro-testers took to the streets in cities around Syria on Friday to chants of “We want free-dom” and security forces responded with tear gas, electrifi ed batons, clubs and bul-lets, killing at least seven people, according to activists, residents and a Syrian human rights group.

The most violent clashes occurred in the city of Douma, near the capital, where two activists said security forces had opened fi re

on more than 1,000 protesters after beat-ing them and attacking with the electric batons. At least fi ve people were killed and many others wounded, the Syrian human rights group, Insan, said.

“It is crazy, nonstop,” one activist, reached by telephone and who asked not to be named because of safety fears, said of the shooting in Douma. The type of ammunition used could not be immediately determined.

Another protester was killed during dem-

onstrations in a small town outside the southern city of Dara’a, according to Ahmed Al Sayasna, a prayer leader in Dara’a.

In the capital, Damascus, witnesses said thousands had gathered at Al Rifai mosque and were met there by security forces and plain-clothed government supporters who barricaded them inside, beating those who tried to leave and killing one protester in the process, said Wissam Tarif, executive director of the rights group.

Syrian protesters clash with security forces

TRIPOLI, Libya (NY Times) — A senior aide to one of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi ’s sons has held secret talks in London with British authori-ties, a friend of the aide said on Friday, adding to the confusion and anxiety swirling around the Tripoli regime after the defection of a high-ranking minister and the departure of another senior fi gure to Cairo.

Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Seif al-Islam, one of Colonel Qad-dafi ’s sons, traveled to London for talks with British offi cials in recent days, the friend said in London on Friday, speaking in return for ano-

nymity because he was not autho-rized to brief reporters.

In Benghazi on Friday the rebel leadership issued a set of demands for a cease-fi re in its battle with the Qaddafi government. Mustapha Abdul Jalil, the head of the rebel National Council, said in a news conference that any cease-fi re would have to entail the lifting of the sieges of rebel-held cities like Misurata and Zintan, the removal from those cities of Colonel Qaddafi ’s mercenaries and snipers and a guarantee of the right to “peaceful protests” for Libyans in the western half of the country.

Qaddafi envoy visits London as tensions mount in Libya

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (NY Times) — Stirred up by a trio of angry mullahs who urged them to avenge the burn-ing of a Koran at a Florida church, thousands of protesters overran the compound of the United Nations in this north-ern Afghan city, killing at least 12 people, Afghan and United Nations offi cials said.

The dead included at least seven United Nations workers — four Nepalese guards and three Europeans from Romania, Sweden and Norway — according to United Nations offi cials in New York. One was a woman. Early reports, later denied by Afghan offi cials, said that at least two of the dead had been beheaded. Five Afghans were also killed.

The attack was the deadliest for the United Nations in Afghani-stan since 11 people were killed in 2009, when Taliban suicide bombers invaded a guesthouse in Kabul. It also underscored the latent hostility toward the nine-year foreign presence here, even in a city long considered to be among the safest in Afghanistan.

Afghans angry over Florida Koran burning kill U.N. staff

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THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Saturday, April 2, 2011—

out after recent declines.Meanwhile, signs of an economic

rebound in the national economy are starting to register in Portland. Stron-ger building activity and more cruise ship visits are expected to net the city an increase of $310,000 next year.

That’s not to say the budget is all good news. Portland’s share of state sales tax revenues is expected to decline by $300,000, and a proposal in Gov. Paul LePage’s two-year budget would reduce general assistance reim-bursements by up to $640,000.

The budget calls for a 2.2 percent property tax increase. For the owner of a home valued at $200,000, the com-bined 2 percent property tax increase from the city and school budgets is estimated at $72.

“Throughout the process, I focused on developing a budget that would allow us to deliver core services to citi-zens, that values city employees and recognizes their willingness to take on additional responsibilities and do things differently,” Finnigan said in a statement.

She said the budget proposal rep-resents “an affordable tax rate that takes into consideration the fi nancial conditions facing our residents and businesses.”

The current tax rate is $17.96 per $1,000 in assessed value. A 2 percent overall increase would add about 36 cents to that fi gure.

The city council will spend the next six weeks reviewing the municipal budget. City council public hearings will be held on April 25 and May 2, and a fi nal vote is expected on May 16.

“It doesn’t contemplate, at least at this point, the elimination of positions, which I think is a really good place to be starting,” Mayor Nick Mavodones said of the proposal, which he was briefed on earlier this week.

In an email, Councilor John Anton, who chairs the city Finance Commit-tee, said he hopes to fi nd savings that reduce the likely tax increase.

“I look forward to working with the council and staff on refi ning the budget,” Anton said. “I hope we can identify additional effi ciencies to lower the proposed tax increase and increase capital investment.”

While the 2012 budget includes few frills — GPS systems will be installed in some city vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and emergency dispatch will be consolidated with South Port-land and Cape Elizabeth — the lack of personnel and service cuts marks a major shift from recent budgets.

Over the past three years, the city laid off more than 100 workers, includ-ing police and fi re fi ghters, and elimi-nated dozens more vacant positions. Unpopular pay freezes were enacted, library branches were shuttered, and fees for things like trash bags and parking meters went up.

Nevertheless, that belt tightening helped prevent a fourth year of pain,

city spokesperson Nicole Clegg said.“The work we have been doing over

the last three years is not forgotten,” she said. “But we still have to seek effi ciencies, we still have to consoli-date and regionalize, because these are diffi cult economic times and we need to be as fi scally responsible as possible.”

Without the specter of layoffs, Clegg says morale at City Hall is much improved over recent years.

That said, the city is still looking to save on employee costs, which helped drive the nearly $3.7 million increase over the FY2011 budget. On Friday, the city announced a retirement incentive that would pay eligible workers $10,000 to leave their jobs.

Asked to provide more details, Clegg said workers must have been with the city for fi ve years and meet other qualifi cations, which vary by city department, to receive the payout. Unlike a similar retirement incentive at Portland Schools, which more than 40 staffers applied for, the city’s pro-gram does not have a minimum age threshold.

Clegg said it wasn’t immediately clear if positions vacated through the voluntary retirement program would be fi lled.

Roughly two-thirds of the city income comes from sources other than property taxes, and for the most part these revenue streams have stabi-lized, Clegg said. In some cases, they are going up.

Increased building activity is expected to bring in $200,000 more from permit fees. More cruise ship berths and waterfront income is expected to bring in $1.2 million, about $110,000 higher than last year.

Also, higher patient counts at the Barron Center, the city’s assisted living and long-term care facility on outer Brighton Avenue, should yield an additional $860,000.

Despite these and other positive signs in the budget plan, bills under review in Augusta to alter the excise tax system in Maine could disrupt the city’s overall revenue picture.

According to city estimates, the bill, which would peg excise taxes to the actual cost of a car instead of its list price, would reduce the city’s excise tax income up to $900,000.

“It doesn’t contemplate, at least at this point, the elimination

of positions, which I think

is a really good place to be starting.” — Mayor Nick

Mavodones

BUDGET from page one

Without the specter of layoffs, staff morale reportedly much improved at Portland City Hall

be proud of and that our customers can enjoy. We just don’t have the con-fi dence to go forward at this time,” Frank Chandler, festival founder, said in a statement.

“After an epic inaugural year, we have found ourselves struggling at every turn as we have tried to push forward with preparations for this summer,” he continued.

WGAN 560 news radio fi rst reported early Friday afternoon that Nateva 2011 was canceled.

Still, for much of the day, the Nateva website showed no indica-tion that the event, scheduled for Aug. 4-7, was off.

But by late afternoon, a statement

from the event’s public relations fi rm went out to reporters saying the rumors were true. Shortly after-ward, a notice appeared on the event’s website.

Nateva launched last summer to much fanfare, but attendence was less than expected and the event, over July 4 weekend, ended up losing money. The Thievery Corporation, Bob Weir, The Gregg Allman Band, Dave Mason, and Peter Wolf, among others, were to play this year.

Anyone who bought tickets will automatically receive a refund on their credit cards for the cost of the tickets, plus fees, organizers said.

For more information on refunds, or to read Chandler’s full statement, visit natevafestival.com.

Slow ticket sales contribute to downfall of Nateva music festival

NATEVA from page one

WASHINGTON (New York Times) — There is no proof that foods with artifi cial colorings cause hyperactivity in most children and there is no need for these foods to carry special warn-ing labels, a government advisory panel voted Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administra-tion convened the expert panel after agency scientists for the fi rst time decided that while typical children may be unaffected by the dyes, those with behavior problems may see their symptoms worsen by eating food with synthetic color additives.

The debate over artifi cial dyes began in the 1970s when Dr. Benja-min Feingold, a pediatric allergist

from California, had success treat-ing the symptoms of hyperactivity in some children by prescribing a diet that, among other things, eliminated foods with artifi cial coloring.

But once the agency conceded that some children might be negatively affected by the foods, it had to decide what to do.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, peti-tioned the agency to ban the dyes or, at the very least, mandate warnings that foods containing the dyes cause hyperactivity in children. Major food manufacturers staunchly defended the safety of artifi cial dyes and said no bans or warnings were needed.

Artifi cial dye safe to eat, panel says


Portland’s FREE DAILY NewspaperCurtis Robinson Editor

David Carkhuff, Casey Conley,Matt Dodge Reporters

THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN is published Tuesday through Saturday by Portland News Club, LLC.

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Reserved

LePage manages to unite state’s arts groupsHe’s still fairly new on the job, and

we all make mistakes with the a new gig, but if Gov. Paul LePage actually wants to see how civilized folks go about removing public art from our communities, he need only look to Portland.

Clearly, the poor guy could use some advice. Now we have lawsuits demanding that a labor department mural ordered removed last weekend be returned. The national news outlets, including The New York Times, have covered the story and signifi cant international com-mentators have suggested that Gov. LePage has made Maine “a southern state.”

(As a southerner by birth, I take offense to the implications of that, but that’s another battle,)

Let’s give the governor some credit. It’s not always easy to unite our various cultural groups, but he’s managed to get them working together in a way usually reserved for the Celtics second unit during playoffs. And he’s gained some national attention for Maine, but in a way that makes it seem our very fi ne research and development industry still seeks the secret of fi re.

But about removing public art ... here in the state’s largest city, the “Tracing the Fore” installa-tion in Old Port has been controversial for years, and fi nally business owners and other neighbors of the piece petitioned the city’s public arts committee, asking that it be removed. There was nothing partic-ularly political about the argument, but it remains an example of some people wanting public art gone, and some not.

It’s not the fi rst time controversy has reared its ugly head over public art here in the nation’s most livable city. And history shows that, if you leave the art in place, it becomes more appreciated over time.

Tracing the Fore, however, relied on the evolution of very particular grass and specifi c types of mainte-nance — it did not grow on many.

Critics of the installation had their hearing and made their case, arguing that the piece was not working, had never really worked, was an eyesore and also was dan-

gerous. The arts committee never signed off on the “dangerous” argument, but some members certainly noted that the grass and other aspects of the instal-lation had not lived up to expectation.

The artist came to a pubic meeting and made her case. The city council weighed in on options of moving the piece or selling it. Attorneys read con-tracts to see how to balance the rights of the city with the rights of the artist. There was much wring-ing of hands and working of jaws. The art is being removed, but through a fairly human process with a bit of due process for all sides — well, most of the time.

See, this would be different from a chief executive walking past the art and deciding it somehow gave the “wrong message.” And it’s very different from making a community decision based on a singly anonymous fax. This is public art, not the “35 per-cent off” display at a discount store.

Even those who really like LePage are left scratch-ing their heads. Maybe they don’t make the case in public, but they assure us that he’s actually in favor of “transparency” and building consensus. They describe him as a “good guy” who we should fi nd refreshing because of his plain-spoken way.

Really? That seems a bit like telling us a house fi re is a good thing because it tests the smoke detectors.

Only now are we starting to see something akin to a public discussion about the labor mural situation.

There’s a protest slated for Monday in Augusta, and — of the more signifi cant Portland events — a gath-ering of the art tribe, if you will, is slated for Friday, April 8, at The Portland Museum of Art. It’s titled “Whose Art Is It?” and will include a round-table dis-cussion about public ownership of public art.

The focus, of course, will be the removal of the mural from the Maine Department of Labor build-ing. Hopefully, they will touch on the Tracing the Fore debate, if only for contrast.

It’s a good art-leadership lineup along with Chris O’Neil, the government relations consultant for the Portland Community Chamber — a real pro. Joining him will be Mark Bessire, director of the Portland Museum of Art; Sharon Corwin, director and chief curator of the Colby College Museum of Art; and Christina Bechstein, sculpture professor and direc-tor of public engagement at Maine College of Art.

Both the mural artist and Gov. LePage were invited, but alas can’t make it.

Granted, it might be the kind of discussion held by farmers debating barn-door closure policy well after the bovine has vacated the facility. But part of the LePage immediate legacy is this: What the heck is next?

(Curtis Robinson is editor of The Portland Daily Sun. Contact him at [email protected].)

Daily Sun Columnist Bob Higgins is taking the day off. See his column

back here in the Sun.

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A gathering of the art tribe, if you will, is slated for Friday, April 8, at The Portland Museum of Art.

It’s titled “Whose Art Is It?” and will include a round-table discussion about public ownership

of public art.


All letters columns and editorial cartoons are the opinion of the writer or artists and do not refl ect the opinions of the staff, editors or pub-lisher of The Portland Daily Sun.

We welcome your ideas and opinions on all topics and consider every signed letter for publication. Limit letters to 300 words and include your address and phone number. Longer letters will only be published as space allows and may be edited. Anonymous letters, letters without full names and generic letters will not be published. Please send your letters to: THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, [email protected]. You may FAX your letters to 899-4963, Attention: Editor.

We want your opinions

Heidi Wendel–––––

Daily Sun Novelist

The Port City Chronicle

‘It’s because I have a poetic vision and I’m helpless’

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SERIAL NOVEL ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Last week in the seventh episode of Season 2 of the Sun’s serial novel, The Port City Chronicle, Gretchen Reingren, a 44-year-old, divorced, criminal defense attorney, had to cover up her dream life from her boyfriend Adam, who’s a pros-ecutor.

“I woke you up so you’d know I’m still sleeping,” Adam said, turning towards Gretchen in bed in the middle of the night.

She would have been more annoyed if she hadn’t been having a tough time with her subcon-scious anyway.

“I just dreamt I was running an undercover and all my guys got burned,” she said. “I basically had your nightmare.”

She didn’t mention the fact that she was rooting for the bad guys and that one of them looked a lot like her ex-boyfriend John, because why worry Adam about all the unresolved issues in her heart and soul? If she’d learned anything from dating a prosecutor it was never rat yourself out.

Now this week Gretchen has to cover up for her brother Ethan, who’s hiding his love life from their friend Tim.

The Port City Chronicle is the continuing story of a woman and her family seeking love and happiness in Portland in the midst of the Great Recession.

You can buy Season 1 in book form, Getting Off the Earth, from GettingOfftheEarth.com.

And now for this week’s episode of Season 2:

Just Because You Cut Back on Alcohol, Doesn’t Mean You’ll

Become an Accountant“I like her, she likes me,” Tim said. “Why can’t this

go the extra six inches?”I looked away, under strict orders not to tell him

Ethan and Nicole had started dating.But Ethan took a more proactive approach.“What’d you like so much about her anyway?” he

asked. “When she was over the other day you and I drank fi ve beers and she barely drank one. How you going to talk to somebody?”

I sensed he was trying to talk himself out of her as much as Tim.

But Tim wasn’t that easy.“Actually, I’ve started cutting back myself. You’ve

probably noticed I’m not as much fun this week as usual.”

Ethan didn’t respond. He could never tell whether Tim was mocking himself, setting himself up to be mocked by others, or just unaware of how weird he was.

But I tried to be encouraging.“Even if you’re not as much fun now, you’ll adjust

and be back to your old self soon.”Of course, I was really talking to Ethan, since I’m

convinced it’s beer that’s come between him and Angela, aside from irresponsibility, immaturity, and selfi shness.

Anyway, Tim wasn’t too concerned.“I know, believe me, I’m not going to become an

accountant by tomorrow afternoon.”He paused and looked at Ethan.“Sometimes I think Nicole might have a thing for

you,” he said. “There’s something about you women like.”

Ethan shrugged.“It’s because I have a poetic vision and I’m help-

less.”There was truth to it, except that Angela, the

woman he really belonged with, saw through all that to the greater possibilities within him.

“How’d you get like that?” Tim asked.“I don’t know,” Ethan said. “But it’s a one-man job

and I don’t take appren-tices.”

It seemed to me Tim was doing pretty well in

the helplessness department on his own, consider-ing his fi nancial situation, and should apprentice himself to someone less skilled in that area.

But he didn’t get my point.“Should I train to be a bull-fi ghter?” he asked.I was thinking more along the lines of a middle

class profession in America but that just goes to show I lack poetic vision. Which is fi ne for me but, as I’d just learned, would be fatal for Tim or Ethan, at least in their love lives.

At any rate, Tim had other plans for attracting Nicole besides becoming more helpless.

“She’ll see me differently when I get my inheri-tance,” he said. “You can’t ignore $350,000.”

Apparently he intended to outbid Ethan for her.“But what are you going to do with it?” I asked.

Women aren’t necessarily that impressed by bags of money stuffed under a mattress.

He’d obviously given it a lot of thought.“The fi rst thing I’m going to do is get my dress

pants hemmed,” he said. “It only costs $15, but I’m not comfortable spending it unless I have at least $350,000 in the bank.”

I wasn’t sure he should tell that to Nicole, but I didn’t say anything.

“Then I’m going on Amazon to buy the twenty items I’ve had sitting in my cart for the last three years.”

“You might want to save something for your retire-ment,” I said.

But Tim didn’t get the sarcasm.“What do I need for retirement? You sit in the

library all day and watch TV all night.”Apparently the cruise ads weren’t getting through

to him.“You might want shelter,” I said.He looked around.“What’s wrong with this place?”I shrugged.“I thought you might have outgrown it by then.”“No,” he said. “I’m done growing.”I didn’t disagree. But I wasn’t sure which way it

cut, since it showed a lot of helplessness on the one hand, but seemed to lack poetic vision on the other.

At any rate, Ethan wasn’t impressed.“My mother has money too, you know,” he said.“Right,” Tim said, “but since she’s alive she’s not

as liquid. Not that you’re trying to push anyone into the grave.”

It was good to know they wouldn’t go that far.“At any rate, I asked Nicole out fi rst, you know,”

Tim said.Ethan rolled his eyes.“That was over a year ago. It obviously didn’t work

out.”His comment was somewhat inconsistent with

claiming complete disinterest in Nicole, but nobody else seemed to notice.

“Then what about Angela?” Tim said, smirking. “Maybe I’ll ask her out since she’s available.”

Charles looked up from his newspaper.“If she’s available I’m actually asking her out.”Ethan sneered at him.“You never go out. You haven’t gone on a date in

a year.”Charles shrugged.“I’ve been busy.”Ethan stood up from the couch.“I don’t think you guys want to fi ght me on this.”

“Do you mean like in a duel?” Tim asked.Charles put down his newspaper.“How about a nerf gun at 20 miles?”Ethan looked at him again scornfully.“Where would either of you even go on a date? You

don’t know anything about dating. That’s why you’re here.”

Tim thought a moment.“Well, what does Angela like anyway?”“Jazz,” Ethan said, looking wistful. “Charlie

Parker, John Coltrane. We used to go all the time before the boys were born.”

Tim shook his head.“That kind of jazz was cryogenically preserved in

1966.”“Funk, too,” Ethan mused, ignoring Tim. “The

Average White Guy Band, the Sunshine Band, that type of thing.”

Tim shook his head again.“Those guys are nothing but taxidermists. They

added nothing to the funk template of Sly and the Family Stone.”

So it looked like Angela wasn’t going to win the $350,000 after all, even if she did have a lovely face, with deep, earnest brown eyes and a sweet mouth, as well as a nice curvy body. Her musical tastes dis-qualifi ed her.

“What do you think of Miles Davis?” Ethan asked Tim.

Apparently they’d already forgotten about Angela.“He had a fascinating career, which I’ve demon-

strated to you many times by putting you to sleep while describing it. In fact, my description lasts almost as long as his career itself, which spanned 40 years.”

“I’m in a bidding war on eBay for a Miles Davis recording made in a Bronx radio station,” Ethan said. “I bid $150 and then somebody else bid $175. I might go to $200.”

Tim shook his head.“Put down $1,000 and wipe the guy out. I hate

people who try to outbid me on eBay.”“Angela wouldn’t let me,” he said.That reminded him they’d been talking about

something more important even than Miles Davis.“Which reminds me,” he said. “I don’t care what

you do but you’re not going the extra six inches with my wife.”

(Heidi Wendel is a former editor of the Colum-bia Law Review and has written for The New York Times, among others.)

It seemed to me Tim was doing pretty well in the helplessness department on his own, considering his fi nancial situation, and should apprentice himself to

someone less skilled in that area.


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–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MUSIC COLUMN –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

All-ages legislation brings out musical protest95 TO THE 901

As I come close to my two-year anniversary writing for the Portland Daily Sun, I think back to one of the fi rst pieces I wrote.

It was about the all-ages music scene in Portland, or lack thereof I should say. Young music fans under the age of 21 and music makers under the age of 21 really don’t have it easy around here. It’s tough to see a show and tough to play a show if you haven’t hit the legal age in Portland.

It’s a real shame, too, considering how steady, busy and wonderful our music scene here is.

The inspiration, the entertainment, the exposure and opportunity for those passionate about music is greater than many large cities I’ve seen. That is so awesome, too, if music is your thing. As a fan, we have national acts coming through here daily, and on our local stages we have talent that rivals those imported artists.

To recap that original article and transport into this piece, we need to fi nd ways to improve the situations for young people who want to attend concert performances or pursue music related careers of their own. Stick-

ing them in church base-ments is not acceptable or fair. With music being so much of what we love in downtown Portland, it shouldn’t be that diffi cult for kids, but it is.

This past week it almost got down-right impossible.

In less than 24 hours of it being pre-sented in Augusta, a bill was leaked to the public on Tuesday, named LD 901. In this bill, it would be illegal for music fans and musicians under the age of 21 to enter Class A venues to either watch or perform live music. Venues like The Big Easy, Empire and Geno’s would fall in that category, to name a few. These are venues with basically just a bar and a stage. No restaurants attached to them.

The concern — which I’m not opposed to, by the way — is to improve any problems with younger kids get-ting their hands on alcohol at venues around Portland. The problem with

LD 901 is that it was a kneejerk, “no, that’s why” reaction to this concern. The close/shut out-come of this bill would have hurt Portland’s econ-omy, crippled our blossoming live concert music boost we’ve been enjoying in recent times and most importantly, LD 901 wold have been a near-fatal blow to the future of local music.

I’m moving this week. I really hate moving. I’m shoulders deep in boxes and the popping of bubble wrap is starting to hurt my ears. My steady gig at WCYY brought on a major new project this past week, so I really had to focus and do a lot of work to help get it off the ground.

In a nutshell I have been jamming this week. So when this bill and its proposal date popped up on me you can imagine how great it felt to know there was less than 24 hours to do anything in response.

In the course of a couple hours, I connected with some local friends in the music scene to get everyone’s fi rst response to this bill and what they might be doing in defense. Ral-lies, concerts, protests – they were all ideas fl ying around with them. I thought hard about what I could do given my involvement and place in the scene. I’m not gonna lie, I was simultaneously crying inside about a couch that I really needed to get rid of from my apartment before I move out. It’s heavy as a real heavy thing.

I realized the best thing for me to do was just head to Augusta the next day for the 1 p.m. hearing on the proposal. I don’t get to Augusta much. I think last time I was there I stopped in town at a Wendy’s on my way back from a ski promotion broadcast for CYY. This time would be different. I traded in my Burton ski jacket for a suit and a clean shave ... for my head; my beard takes too long to level off. I just didn’t have that kind of time this week.

It was great to hear a couple of my fellow board members from the Port-land Music Foundation were heading up as well as some other good support-ers like Ken Bell from the Big Easy and Rob Evon from Port City Music Hall. Both club owners have held successful all ages, chem-free concerts in their clubs over the years. So their experi-ence was crucial testimony. Longtime local musician Spencer Albee and Lee

Nelson from WCSH also made their way to the State House in support of, not supporting 901. (There’s an easier way to say that, I know. Sorry. I’m no good at court talk.)

I plowed my way up the Maine Turnpike to our state’s capitol in the brand new WCYY truck. Hey, it was offered to me and you guys know the deal on this gas price thing that’s going on, right? Ok then. Had to take it. It had the EasyPass too. Ha! That thing’s kind of cool. I know I could get it for my car too yeah yeah, but I still like keeping collecting change in the car to hand over old school style. It’s weird I know. Anyways...

I made my way to the fourth fl oor of the State House and stepped into room 437. Paintings of old people on the wall and an odd basket of fruit and small bags of Chips Ahoy cookies was buried in the back corner. I had a few minutes before the council took to their seats. I pulled out my Sharpie and made a few quick edits for length reasons. (The Daily Sun editors right now are probably laughing saying, “Hey, try that with us sometime!”)

Eventually LD 901 was proposed and a case was made to the Commit-tee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. This happened just after 1 p.m. I think it was like 1:20 actually, which kind of threw me for a loop. I thought it was starting at 1 p.m. I mean, I’m at the State House, legal big things happening and we kicked it off like twenty minutes late? I’m usually the one who’s a bit behind.

Eventually the opposition had its turn and everyone spoke wonderfully. Lee Nelson was amazing. He spoke on behalf of being a parent with a (very talented) son who plays in an under-21 band. If the bill was to pass, not only would Xander not be able to play with his band Phantom Companion in local venues, but Lee wouldn’t have even been able to bring his son to a show at one of these venues. Not even as his parent. That’s rough waters

I wasn’t nervous. I’ve introduced bands in front of 10,000 people before. So why did I get a bit dry in the choppers? Weird. On my drive home, I made myself feel better and blamed it on not being able to swear during such a

passionate presentation. Clean mouth equals dry mouth.

see next page

Spencer Albee


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right there as you can imagine if you have kids.

Ken Bell from the Big Easy made some great points coming from a place that’s hosted a lot of chem free, all ages shows and done them very well. Rob Evon from Port City was able to speak not only as a venue owner, but as a parent of three.

It was weird to see these folks on the council using what looked to me to be pretty expensive microphones even though from one side of the room to the other wasn’t even a chip shot dis-tance wise.

If anything, I felt a bit of normalcy from the folks in the nice chairs. That was probably a good thing. I think I even saw one of them take a picture of Lee Nelson with their cell phone in a sneak way, as if they were a fan. I mean, Lee’s great on the news, but what’s up with that? We’ve got serious business here, people!

Then came time to speak for the person who speaks to — I don’t even know how many people a night live on the radio. Now, I’m in front of what, barely 20 people in decent clothes sitting behind name plates and half way through I get cotton mouth? Killer! I mean, I fi nished my speech and I think it was decent. A couple of the representatives pulled me aside later and said so them-selves, but what was up with the cotton mouth thing?

I wasn’t nervous. I’ve introduced bands in front of 10,000 people before. So why did I get a bit dry in the choppers? Weird. On my drive home, I made myself feel better and blamed it on not being able to swear during such a passionate presenta-tion. Clean mouth equals dry mouth.

Back to the proceedings, as each of us from the opposition spoke (approxi-mately nine of us including one who sat on the council) and I could see the representatives body and facial expressions cast their votes early.

Between that and what I felt was a weak proposal to start with, I believed this was going to go the right way for all of us in favor of the local music scene and supporting young musi-cians and those who want to expe-rience live music in Portland. This would be a win for anyone who’s had a good feeling looking at a ticket stub to a concert. Or for the kid who got to perform with his band of junior high schoolers on a real stage with a real sound system in a real club.

This would be a sweet victory for all those who already feel defeated by the lack of all ages shows and open doors for it’s crowds. It was already tough for this scene to exist, but now this? This would be a nail in the coffi n for sure. All because, in my opinion, some people don’t understand kid’s pas-sion for music and what it gives them. They also might not understand the difference between certain clubs and venues in Portland. Let’s just say at some venues people are focused on the music and the bands mostly.

At others, well, people focus on drinks and each other all night long and that’s when there’s problems.

People need to bark up another tree if they’re trying to clean up the party/club/drinking scene in Portland. Going after rooms that throw all-ages shows where the bar is closed and locked is not productive. To be honest it’s harm-ful to the kids to take away those clean activities in hopes that they will be all sweet and nice and that they’ll go ride their bikes and jump rope. I don’t think it takes Sherlock Holmes to fi gure out what areas need to be monitored a bit more when it comes to problems with nightlife. Walk around just one night. It’s elementary.

As the vote was called, every thumb in the room was turned down on LD 901. I also saw some smirks and sour taste looks to go along with those thumbs. I believe it was the right choice and everyone in the room, almost everyone, knew it. Taking away chem free options from kids isn’t going to help them stay away from drinking. Keeping them from per-forming on local stages isn’t going to strengthen and grow our local music scene. To quote one of the opposing participants, “the system worked.”

I agree and I’m glad I was there to witness it. Even if my suit had my boxers riding me something fi erce for two hours.

On my free ride home, I was getting hit with texts and calls about the win. Even during a quick stop at that Wen-dy’s in Augusta I checked Facebook quick and everyone was buzzing over the relief of 901’s brutal death. In mes-sages to me over the various devices and accounts, people were congratu-lating me and those who were in the room to fi ght against 901.

The thing people need to under-stand is this is such a huge win for all of us. Not just the kids, not just the musicians, not just concert goers, not just local business – it’s a win for our city. Our parents can continue to experience music with their children. We now have the chance to see the next Rustic Overtones or Ray Lamon-tagne emerge. Kids can strive for suc-

cess together as a band with goals of making music as a career or making music as a fun thing to do rather than get caught up with bad addictive down-falls that come too easy when there’s nothing to occupy an afternoon or week-end. This is a win in many ways.

The thing I think has to come from it also is for us to be open and commu-

nicative about the areas of worry in our city. To sneak something by that could have been terribly damag-ing to Portland is a shame. In this case, we want the right thing done – yes – to protect our kids, but this wasn’t the right way to go about it. This also wasn’t going to simply protect our kids. This would have hurt them and our city in many ways. The big pic-ture was being overlooked and it had to be pointed out. On Wednesday the system worked. We opened an important dialogue that will hopefully continue, not die, in order to help answer this concern in the future with a proper solution.

I have to go now. I’m run-ning low on packing tape and Aubachon Hardware closes in like fi fteen min-utes. But it feels good to be on the right side and win.

(Mark Curdo is a DJ on 94.3 WCYY and the owner of a record label, Labor Day Records, based in Portland. Mark is not only a board member of the Portland Music Foundation, but he loves the Boston Celtics, Ginger Ale and Jack Lemmon movies. He is a weekly Daily Sun music colum-nist.)

from preceding page

Phantom Companion of Falmouth. Lee Nelson told legislators that if an all-ages bill passed, not only would his son, Xander not be able to play with his band Phantom Companion in local venues, but Lee wouldn’t have even been able to bring his son to a show at one of these venues. Not even as his parent. (Photo by Robbie Kanner)

Under-21 shows an important part of music scene


Mortgage lenders that are not banks acquired a bad reputation during the housing crisis, when now-defunct play-ers like Countrywide Financial and Ameriquest Mortgage came to light as purveyors of risky, high-priced loans, often to subprime borrowers with less-than-stellar credit.

So-called nonbank lenders are trying to stage a comeback now, through two relatively new lobbying groups based in Washington that are seeking to bur-nish the image of those nonbank lend-ers that steered clear of risky lending.

While a few nonbank lenders still offer higher-risk loans with exorbitant rates, others, including stalwarts like LendingTree and Quicken Loans, sell plain-vanilla fi xed-rate or adjustable-rate loans that are marginally cheaper than those from big banks.

Many borrowers are suspicious of the loans offered by smaller, nonbank lenders. “Most consumers say, ‘Who are these people?’ but the fact is that these

are mainstream loans with good pric-ing,” said Glen Corso, the managing director of the Community Mortgage Banking Project, a trade group of 43 nonbank lenders.

Some nonbank lenders say they are seeing a steady increase in business from middle-income borrowers who may be unable to get a loan elsewhere.

“So far this year, we’re up 15 to 20 percent in the total value of loans we make,” compared with last year, said David Wind, the president of Guar-anteed Home Mortgage, a nonbank lender in White Plains, N.Y.

Mr. Wind said the average loan amount in the New York City area was $240,000, compared with $220,000 a year ago, an indication that higher-end customers were seeking out nonbank lenders amid tighter underwriting standards at the larger banks. Because nonbank lenders tend to be smaller and have lower operating costs, he said, they can offer rates that are 0.125 to 0.375 percentage points below those offered by major banks.

The nonbank lenders extend money through one of two methods: the lend-ers have a line of credit with big banks and funnel that money to consumers in the form of home loans, or they collect money from private investors to lend to consumers. (The most recent data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council showed there were 914 nonbank lenders nationwide at the end of 2009.)

It is the second category that bor-rowers need to be wary of, said Diane Thompson, a lawyer at the National Consumer Law Center, because the interest rates may be signifi cantly higher.

Nonbank lenders with lines of credit from big banks often fi nd themselves with the same tough underwriting standards as the banks, said Stephen Adamo, the president of Weichert Financial Services, a nonbank lender in Morris Plains, N.J.

Still, Mr. Wind admits that nonbank lenders still have a battered reputa-tion among consumers to overcome.

“There’s a tremendous image problem,” he said.

And the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has made regula-tion and oversight of nonbank lenders a priority.

Enter the Community Mortgage Banking Project and Community Mort-gage Lenders of America, both created in 2009 to promote the interest of non-bank lenders. “Nonbank lenders don’t have the name recognition of a Wells Fargo or a Bank of America, so they have to compete on price,” Mr. Corso said.

He said that contrary to popular belief many nonbank lenders these days do not offer subprime or other risky loans, and instead were offer-ing conventional mortgages or loans backed by insurance from the Federal Housing Administration.

But Ms. Thompson advised home buyers, especially those who aren’t inclined to comparison shop or read the fi ne print in lending disclosures, to stick with a bricks-and-mortar bank.

Non-bank mortgage lenders are staging a comebackBY LYNNLEY BROWNING

THE NEW YORK TIMES

In foreclosure settlement talks, predictions of a long process

The nation’s top mortgage servicers met Wednesday in Washington with the attorneys general from fi ve states as well as Obama administration offi -cials, beginning negotiations in ear-nest over new rules for homeowners who are in default.

The one thing everyone seemed to agree on was that an agreement was going to take time.

“We have a long way to go,” Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading the effort from the states’ side, said after the afternoon session broke up.

“Obviously this is a very large set of issues, and it’s going to take some time to work through,” Thomas J. Per-relli, associate United States attorney general, said.

The quest to secure new foreclosure rules, which began last fall after the banks were shown to be breaking the rules as they pursued evictions, may be slow but it is playing out in public. When the effort was started, every attorney general signed on, but the coalition has begun to fracture.

Several Republican attorney gen-erals are accusing their colleagues of overreaching in their attempt to bring the banks under control, while at least one Democrat, Eric T. Sch-neiderman, the New York attorney general, has expressed concern that any deal would immunize the banks from future legal action.

After Wednesday’s meeting, Mr. Sch-neiderman said through a spokesman that he remained worried about “pro-viding broad amnesty to servicers.”

The banks at the meeting were

Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPM-organ Chase, Citigroup and GMAC. A spokeswoman for GMAC, which is partly owned by taxpayers as a result of failing during the recession, called the session “productive and useful” but added it was “an extremely com-plex topic.” The other banks declined to comment.

Lengthy negotiations work to the banks’ advantage, critics say.

“The banks’ strategy is to run the clock,” a Georgetown University law professor, Adam Levitin, said. “The chances of a settlement that meaning-fully reforms mortgage servicing and makes the banks pay an appropriate price for illegal conduct are rapidly slipping away.”

The government negotiators may receive some support from the immi-nent release of a report by banking regulators. The report, based on inves-tigations conducted over the winter, is expected to establish what many households in default knew long ago: that banks cared little for the legal niceties governing foreclosure, exacer-bating the troubles of millions at a par-ticularly vulnerable point of their lives.

In addition, the report is expected to show that bank employees were poorly trained, that they let law fi rms and other third party contractors run wild, and that they had little interest in keeping people in their houses.

Lenders say they have fi xed these problems, and that few if any hom-eowners were evicted who did not deserve it. But as recently as a few weeks ago, a major bank, HSBC, which is based in London, was forced to suspend foreclosures when regula-tors found a number of defi ciencies.

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Several state laws are being pro-posed that could change all that. While a state legislative committee quickly – and unanimously – nixed a proposed bill Wednesday to limit all-ages events in some of Maine’s bars and clubs, another bill aimed at the nightlife industry is still kicking around the state house and possibly posing a threat to the steady trickle of commerce between bars ans their patrons.

Sponsored by District 120 Repre-sentative Diane Russell at the behest of Portland’s Public Safety Commit-tee, bill LD 902 would require estab-lishments to sell liquor at a profi t — targeting events like 25 cent beer nights, which some say encourage irresponsible drinking habits.

“I’m not optimistic that this bill is going to pass any more than LD 901 did, but certainly a conversation needs to happen around how do we manage what happens in the Old Port,” said Russell.

Russell acknowledges that there is a problem to be dealt with in Portland’s sea-side bar scene — fi ghts outside of bars are a fairly common sight, and an incident last May saw a reportedly intoxicated 20-year-old assault and kill a man with a single punch after being served on Wharf Street — but she said that the proposed legislation seems redundant given the state’s many laws on alcohol sales.

“I’m not sure if I agree LD 901 or 902 is how we should to deal with this,” she said. “The challenges we face in the Old Port are not something we face anywhere else in city or state, and the question is, how do we deal with that in prescriptive way that does not impinge on rights of these business owners, who are generally responsible people,” she said.

For Russell, responsibility in the Old Port is left to the management of its various bars and clubs. Well trained, responsible staffs can get people in and out the door will relatively little incident, but too often, Russell said, it might be profi t and not responsibility driving alcohol sales.

“The question becomes, are we training people properly? Do they rec-ognize over-serving, if they do, are thy truly empowered by management to take that step and deny someone ser-vice?” said Russell.

Enter the management51 Wharf owner Tanner Herget will

tell you there was an ongoing price war last summer in the Old Port. His Wharf Street neighbor and proprietor of nightclub Oasis, Nick Dambrie, will downplay the competitive pricing spe-cial which ushered in an July/August of 50 cent drafts, $3 martinis, $2 well drinks and $3 Long Island ice teas.

“It was really between myself and Oasis. We were doing $3 martinis to attract the ladies, and they’ve been doing 50 cent PBR drafts on Thurs-day night for years,” said Herget, who is also the president of the Nightlife Oversight Committee — a board of local nightlife business owners orga-

nized a decade ago under the city-backed Portland Downtown District.

The reactionary pricing scheme in necessary in a Old Port district which, Herget said, has seen steadily less business in recent years as more “friendly, neighborhood” bars open in Portland outlying suburbs.

Old Port bars, many of which oper-ate as restaurants until around 9 or 10 p.m., really only have a couple of hours each week to clear a profi t, according to Herget.

“I’m not even clearing people out of the restaurant until 10 p.m. and then from 10 to 11 p.m., I am just trying to get people in,” he said.

“You try to make your money in two hours while staying within the guide-lines,” said Dambrie of Oasis.

Specials like 50 cent drafts and cheap well drinks are typically only offered during this interim period between the food and drink crowd as a way to quickly draw in a clientele willing to spend the next couple of hours dancing and drinking their dol-lars away.

“We both shut it off at 11 because we’re not making money off that — we’re making money off having a crowd, and once the specials get shut off, they stay there,” said Herget.

With big 20-something crowds home from college and a gaggle of tourist fl ocking, summer nights in the Old Port can get competitive.

“I tried everything, $3 martinis, $2 well drinks — it just wasn’t winning,” said Herget.

The stagnant sales inspired Herget to employ the his secret weapon, a 50 cent Long Island ice tea served in a 10 ounce cup earning the bar a slim 14 cent profi t.

“Fifty cents in general is just not a good image to have, but it defi nitely brought me a lot of business,” he said.

But Dambrie disagrees with Her-get’s assessment of the Wharf Street business atmosphere.

“There never was a price war, Tanner and I discussed this all the way through and were in constant communication,” said Dambrie. “We’ve worked closely together to help Wharf Street, we don’t want a bunch of trouble down there by any means, we just want to increase clientele and increase the quality of the clientele, “ he said.

Dambrie said legislation like LD 902 seems redundant if not just ill-informed — bar owners are always looking to make a profi t on their alco-hol sales, and no crowd buzz is worth cutting into your bottom line.

“Everything that goes over bar I need to make money on. I’ve got 26 employees who rely on that income, that’s a heavy burden to bear,” he said.

Echoing the sentiment of Russell, Dambrie said LD 902 would simply add an unnecessary liquor enforce-ment law onto the books. “In my belief, it’s a business. That the government can tell me how I can and can’t run my business isn’t my political belief,” he said.

“I understand that they’re trying to prevent binge drinking, but there are already laws in place to that pre-vent binge drinking, I think it’s just a redundant law,” Dambrie said.

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Former Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman has DiedBOSTON (New York Times) —

Former Boston Red Sox general man-ager Lou Gorman, the architect of the team that came within one strike of winning the 1986 World Series, died early Friday morning of conges-tive heart failure. He was 82.

“All he wanted to do was make it to Opening Day, and he made it,” said his nephew, Tom Dougherty, who answered the phone at Gorman’s Weston home. “He lived a great life. And he was truly one of the nicest men you ever wanted to meet.”

Gorman died peacefully at 1:50 a.m. after an illness of almost a year, surrounded by his family at Massa-chusetts General Hospital, Dough-erty said.

“Lou Gorman was a giant in our industry,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said shortly before the team was scheduled to open their season against the Texas Rangers.

“We’ll dearly miss this good, humble man who leaves an unmistakable legacy on the Red Sox and major league baseball.”

James “Lou” Gorman was the Red Sox general manager from 1984-93, building the 1986 AL championship team led by Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans that was one strike away from win-ning the World Series. It wasn’t until 2004 that the Red Sox fi nally won it all and ended what had become an 86-year title drought.

“Lou Gorman was a legendary fi gure in the game of baseball,” Red Sox owner John W. Henry said. “Over the course of a career that spanned fi ve decades, Lou helped to build winning teams across the sport, including the 1986 American League champion Red Sox.”

Commissioner Bud Selig praised Gorman, who spent eight years in the

U.S. military, as “A Navy man who became a baseball man.”

“Lou was a perpetual optimist, a wonderful storyteller, and a con-tributor to many outstanding base-ball causes,” Selig said. “On behalf of major league baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Lou’s family and his many friends and admirers throughout the game of baseball.”

The Red Sox were still formulating plans for a tribute, a spokeswoman said.

A native of Rhode Island, Gorman helped launch the expansion Seattle Mariners in 1976 and also worked for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. But his greatest success was with the 1986 Red Sox, who came back to beat the California Angels in the AL cham-pionship series in stunning fashion, then took a 3-2 lead over the Mets in

the Series.Boston led 5-3 with two outs in the

10th inning, when Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley coughed up the lead, then Mookie Wilson dribbled a slow roller toward Bill Buckner. The ball went through his legs for a Mets vic-tory, and New York went on to win Game 7 as well.

The excruciatingly close miss fur-ther embittered the long-suffering Boston fans, but never Gorman. When contract negotiations with Cle-mens broke down in 1987, Gorman famously dismissed the doomsayers with the quip, “The sun will rise. The sun will set. And I will have lunch.”

went from a Double-A third base-man trapped behind Boggs, to a Hall of Fame-caliber fi rst baseman who hit 449 homers — all for the Astros — in a 15-year career.

But Gorman never shied away from the criticism or to let it bother him.

A-Rod nearly outearns Kansas City Royals(New York Times) The Kansas City Royals are

barely making more than Alex Rodriguez this year. The salaries for Kansas City’s 27 players on its

opening-day roster and disabled lists total $36.1 mil-lion, according to an analysis of major league con-tracts by The Associated Press.

A-Rod alone makes $32 million atop the New York Yankees’ $201.7 million payroll. He is baseball’s high-est-paid player for the 11th straight year.

Overall, baseball salaries were nearly fl at for this season, which started Thursday. The average salary for the 844 players on opening-day rosters and dis-abled lists was about $3.3 million, up just 0.2 percent from last year. The increase was the lowest since a 2.7 percent drop in 2004.

Kansas City’s payroll was cut in half from $72.3 mil-

lion at the start of 2010. The Royals traded Zack Gre-inke, and Gil Meche retired.

“I’m not worried that it’s too low,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “I look at it as something that gives us tremendous fl exibility going forward as an organization to be competitive as we negotiate for players.”

The Yankees, as usual, had the top payroll but dropped to $201.7 million from $206.3 million at the start of last season.

Philadelphia, once considered a small-market team, was second at $173 million following the offseason signing of Cliff Lee. The Phillies began last year fourth at $141.9 million but have been given a fi nancial boost by 123 consecutive home sellouts during the regular season.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the fans sup-porting us the way they supported us,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “It’s really plain and simple: We don’t sell out games, we don’t give ourselves a chance to be even in this stratosphere.”

Yankees fi rst baseman Mark Teixeira isn’t bothered by competition at the top of the spending list.

“It’s great for baseball anytime you get teams will-ing to go out there and improve their team,” he said. “It’s great for baseball.”

Boston is third on the salary list at $161.4 million, followed by the Los Angeles Angels ($139 million), the Chicago White Sox ($129.3 million), the Chicago Cubs ($125.5 million) and the New York Mets ($120 mil-lion). The totals don’t include salaries owed released players — Carlos Silva ($11.5 million for the Cubs) and Oliver Perez ($12 million) and Luis Castillo ($6.25 million for the Mets).

The World Series champion San Francisco Giants are eighth at $118.2 million, up from $97.8 million. The AL champion Texas Rangers rose to 13th at $92.3 million from $55.3 million.

“Obviously I don’t make the fi nancial decisions, but as a manager you certainly appreciate how ownership stepped up and kept the team intact after a special year to try to give us a chance to do this again,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “I’ve been on the other end and seen clubs dismantled. It’s frustrating.”

Tampa Bay, the 2008 AL champion, dropped from 21st at $71.9 million to 29th at $41.9 million, after shedding Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Matt Garza and Rafael Soriano. Cleveland fell from $61.2 million to $49.2 million.

Pittsburgh’s payroll went up from a major league-low $35 million to 27th at $46 million. San Diego’s increased from $37.8 million to $45.9 million.

There were 453 players — nearly 54 percent of those in the major leagues on Thursday — making $1 million or more. That was up from 433 at the start of last season.


Amber Randall shows off her Boston Red Sox tattoo. (JEFF PETERSON PHOTO)

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SPORTS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

There is nothing quite like opening day. Sure it’s the start of a long baseball season, but for many, it’s almost like a holiday.

“Opening day is like Christ-mas,” exclaimed a Red Sox fan named Angela. Every year the Portland resident checks out the schedule and takes the day off from work. “It is fun to watch the game and be with friends,” she said.

Angela’s friend Amber Ran-dall loves the Sox so much, not only does she take the day off to watch the game, but she also had a red “B” tatooed right on her lower stomach.

“We are crazy about the Red Sox,” said Randall. “We always look forward to opening day and we actually get together all season long to watch games.”

Amber and Angela were among the Red Sox faithful who braved the cold and snow to check out Friday’ afternoon’s game with the Rangers at Bruno’s on Allen Avenue in Portland. Friday’s game against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas — the Rangers ended up besting the Red Sox, 9-5 — was the fi rst of a 162-game schedule, a schedule Amber and Angela and other Red Sox fans hopes includes many victories. With a lineup that includes

the likes of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Craw-ford, Youkilis, Gonzalez, Ortiz, Cam-eron, Saltalamacchia and Scutaro and a pitching staff that includes Lester, Buchholz, Beckett, Lackey and Matsu-zaka many think the sky is the limit.

Mark Woods is a Braves fan. He watched Atlanta on Thursday, but today it was all about the Red Sox. He roots for Braves, but he hopes the Red Sox win as well. The Atlanta fan from Portland roots for the Red Sox in the American League.

“My second favorite team is the Red Sox, “said Woods. “My dream is for the Red Sox to play the Braves in the World Series. Of course, the Braves would win. “I got out of work at 3 p.m. today to watch the Sox. There is noth-ing beter than opening day. I get to watch baseball and hang out with friends.”

The Sox enter the 2011 season with high hopes. The Sox are going for their third title in eight seasons. Many baseball experts are predicting them

to contend for the World Series for good reason. They have some made some major addi-tions. Joining the team is free agent outfi elder Carl Crawford and infi elder Adrian Gonzales.

“This has the potential to be a very good team,” said Donnie Gillies. The long time Red Sox fan always fi nds a way to watch opening day. He is especially exicited about this season. “If our pitching does what it is supposed to do and Crawford and Gonza-lez come through, we should have a great season,” said Gil-lies. With a laugh, Gillies pre-sicted the Red Sox would win 115 games. “We could be very good. I want to win the World Series, but as long as we are ahead of the Yankees at the end of the year, that is all that matters.”

No matter what happens the rest of the season, on this wintry Friday in Portland, Maine, at least fans got a chance to escape from the April Fools’ Day storm and enjoy a little baseball. After a long winter, that’s all that matters, because remember on open-ing day, everyone is still in the pen-nant race.

Let’s play ball! By the way, the home opener is next Friday at Fenway Park against the Yankees.

BY JEFF PETERSONSPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Opening day brings out Red Sox faithful

Donny Gillies and Mark Woods of Portland check out the Red Sox in their season opener Friday as the game is broadcast at Bruno’s Restaurant. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

Amber Randall and Angela (no last name given) share their enthusiasm for the Red Sox Friday. (JEFF PETERSON PHOTO)


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HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll be fi lled with new ambition to be better than you were. Initiate contact with those who can help you. Your enthu-siasm will make you younger than you were yesterday. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It takes effort to put your best look forward. You’ll put in the time necessary. Shop-ping will be involved, and you’ll fi nd the best deals or negotiate your way into what you want. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You have a competitive advantage, but it won’t benefi t you unless you know what it is. Investigate this now. Ask for opinions from objective parties. Find out what is special about your position and how to leverage this. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are compassionate and sensible. You are favored among loved ones for this very reason, and you will be given prior-ity status. Your suggestions and needs will be heard and acted upon. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll focus on a new goal. It is not readily apparent how to proceed in this matter. Luckily, you’ll be among those who know the best way to move things along. Ask and learn. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are those who look up to you and require your counsel. You sometimes struggle to be the person you ask others to be. No one is perfect. The important part is that you try. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s as though you are standing in wet cement. You can get out now on your own accord, but don’t stick around any longer, or the cement will dry and you’ll be truly stuck.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Often you are automatically given due credit for your contributions. Today you’ll have to demand it. You will fi nd a charm-ing way to talk about your good work, accomplishments and ideas. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Issue invitations, show up bearing gifts, or engage in other spontaneous acts of kindness. You’ll derive great pleasure in taking care of the ones who take care of you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The most time-effective way to do a job will not be the fastest way or the way that brings the highest quality. There is a perfect compromise somewhere in between quality and quantity. You will strike the balance. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You want to make an improvement, but may not be sure how to go about it. There are many cures available to choose from. Just be sure to look for one that’s better than the disease! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The change you make today will stick because you’re doing what’s right for you. Others may benefi t, but that’s not why you’ll put in the effort. This is purely personal. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (April 2). You’ll get the top-rate treatment you deserve this year, as loved ones heap attention on you. The risk you take this month pays off in October. In May, you will turn a hobby or personal inter-est into a moneymaker. In June, you’ll fi nd a new audience that really gets what you’re doing. September brings renewal and upgrades. Cancer and Leo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 50, 43, 2, 41 and 15.

ACROSS 1 “Keep your __

up!” words of encouragement

5 Jeweled crown 10 Folktale 14 Helper 15 Stopped 16 Dubuque, __ 17 Entreaty 18 Desert roamer 19 Dermatologist’s

concern 20 Great joy 22 Street with only

one way in and out

24 Slip up 25 Rudely brief 26 Lower in rank 29 Pronoun 30 Stitched joinings 34 __ and pepper 35 Goal 36 Reckless 37 “Murder, __ Wrote” 38 Exhibition

40 Soil-turning tool 41 Tongue-lashing 43 Long, long time 44 Swiss capital 45 Caption 46 Expert 47 Place fi rmly 48 Book of maps 50 In favor of 51 Capital of

Wisconsin 54 Became juicy and

ready to be eaten 58 Wicked 59 Rustic home 61 Bird of peace 62 __ or less 63 Entertain 64 Microwave __ 65 Had debts 66 Beer 67 Quite a few

DOWN 1 Superman’s cloak 2 Mound 3 Thought

4 Most orderly 5 Singing voice 6 Privy to 7 Four-star naval

offi cer: abbr. 8 Library patron 9 Puff __; snake 10 Sin 11 Pair of oxen 12 Look-alike 13 By __; manually 21 Anger 23 Analyze ore 25 Problems for

hotheads 26 Valuable item 27 Member of a

religion that started in Iran

28 Watchful 29 Belonging to that

guy 31 Cramps 32 Native New

Zealander 33 Used up 35 Feel sick

DAILY CROSSWORDTRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

36 Fellow 38 Songs for two 39 British restroom 42 Swung the arms

wildly 44 Tedium 46 __ Canal 47 Burst 49 Of the

neighborhood

50 Less coarse 51 Short note 52 Declare openly 53 Urgent 54 Go skyward 55 __ Scotia 56 Smooth; level 57 Say “no” to 60 Gnat or cricket

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 thru 9.

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Yesterday’s Answer


SATURDAY PRIME TIME APRIL 2, 2011 Dial 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 2 WGBH Keep Up Old Guys Lark Rise-Candleford Antiques Roadshow Europe Old House

4 WBZCollege Basketball

College Basketball NCAA Tournament: -- Kentucky vs. Con-necticut. Second Semifinal. From Houston. (Live) Å

WBZ News (N) Å

The Insider (N) Å

5 WCVBMovie: ››› “Transformers” (2007, Action) Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel. Two races of robots wage war on Earth. (In Stereo)

NewsCen-ter 5 Late Saturday

Stylebos-ton

6 WCSHHarry’s Law Adam tries to break up Chunhua. (In Stereo) Å

Law & Order: Los Ange-les A pregnant woman is left for dead.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit “Pop” (In Stereo) Å

News Saturday Night Live (N) Å

7 WHDH Harry’s Law Å Law-Order L.A. Law & Order: SVU News SNL

8 WMTW Movie: ››› “Transformers” (2007, Action) Shia LaBeouf. (In Stereo) News Cold Case

9 WMUR Movie: ››› “Transformers” (2007, Action) Shia LaBeouf. (In Stereo) News Brothers

10 WLVIAmerican Dad “Dope & Faith”

American Dad Å

Family Guy Å

Family Guy Å

7 News at 10PM on CW56 (N) (In Stereo) Å

Ugly Betty “Sugar Daddy” Ignacio enters a TV cook-off. Å

11 WENHPoirot A curse may have caused death. (In Stereo) Å

Masterpiece Classic “The 39 Steps” Engineer is caught in a conspiracy. (In Stereo) Å (DVS)

Great Ro-mances

The Red Green Show

Globe Trekker (In Stereo)

12 WSBKMovie: ›› “Kingdom Come” (2001, Comedy) LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith. Family members react differently to a patriarch’s passing.

Seinfeld “The Ex-Girlfriend”

How I Met Your Mother

Curb Your Enthusi-asm Å

Entourage “Blue Balls Lagoon”

13 WGME Basketball College Basketball: NCAA Tournament: News Ent

14 WTBS Fam. Guy Fam. Guy Movie: ››‡ “Yes Man” (2008) Jim Carrey. “Nick and Norah”

15 WFXTCops (In Stereo) (PA) Å

Cops “Ho! Ho! Ho! No. 8”

America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back (N) Å

Fox 25 News at 10 (N) Å Fringe “The Plateau” Olivia struggles with a vision. Å

16 CSPAN American Perspectives American Perspectives

17 WZMY Movie: ››‡ “Betrayed” (1988) Debra Winger. Cheaters Å Paid Prog. Creeps

28 ESPN SportsCtr Tyson’s Hits Baseball Tonight (Live) Å SportsCenter Å

29 ESPN2 NHRA Drag Racing 2010 Poker 2010 Poker 2010 Poker

30 CSNE MLS Soccer: Timbers at Revolution UEFA Mike SportsNet SportsNet SportsNet

32 NESN MLB Baseball Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers. (Subject to Blackout) Innings Red Sox

33 LIFE “The Perfect Teacher” Movie: “Abandoned” (2010) Brittany Murphy. Coming Home Å

35 E! Movie: ››‡ “Liar Liar” (1997) Jim Carrey. True Hollywood Story The Soup

38 MTV The Real World Å Jersey Shore Å Jersey Shore Å RJ Berger Real World

42 FNC Huckabee Justice With Jeanine Geraldo at Large Å Jour. FOX News

43 MSNBC Lockup Lockup Orange County Lockup Orange County Lockup

45 CNN Muslims Next Piers Morgan Tonight Newsroom Muslims Next

50 TNT Movie: ››› “Hitch” (2005) Will Smith, Eva Mendes. Å Movie: “Why Did I Get Married?”

51 USA NCIS “Jet Lag” Å NCIS “Masquerade” NCIS “Borderland” Movie: “The Patriot”

52 COM Chuck Movie: ›› “Employee of the Month” (2006) Dane Cook. “Harold & Kumar”

53 SPIKE Movie: “Exit Wounds” Movie: ››› “Executive Decision” (1996) Kurt Russell, Halle Berry.

54 BRAVO House “Baggage” House “Help Me” Å House “The Tyrant” House “Lockdown”

55 AMC Movie: ›››‡ “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) Tim Robbins. Å “The Black Dahlia”

56 SYFY Movie: “Meteor” (2009) Christopher Lloyd, Marla Sokoloff. Premiere. Movie: “Ice Twisters”

57 A&E The First 48 Å The First 48 Å The First 48 Å Purgatory Manhunter

59 HGTV Candice Block Secrets Antonio House House Hunters Hunters

60 DISC Sons Sons Sons Sons Sons Sons Sons Sons

61 TLC Strange Strange Strange Strange Strange Strange Strange Strange

64 NICK 2011 Kids’ Choice Awards Victorious 2011 Kids’ Choice Awards Sponge.

65 TOON Scooby Scooby King of Hill King of Hill Stroker Fam. Guy Freaknik: The Musical

66 FAM Movie: “Happy Feet” Movie: ››› “Monsters, Inc.” (2001, Comedy) “Robin Hood”

67 DSN “The Suite Life Movie” Movie: “16 Wishes” (2010) Suite/Deck Wizards Suite/Deck

75 SHOW Shameless Å Nrs Jackie U.S., Tara Movie: ›› “The Joneses” (2009) Nrs Jackie

76 HBO Movie: ›› “Sex and the City 2” (2010) Kim Cattrall Å Movie: ››‡ “It’s Complicated”

77 MAX Movie: ›› “Bad Boys II” (2003) (In Stereo) Å Movie: ››› “Splice” (2009) Adrien Brody. Å

––––––– ALMANAC –––––––

Today is Saturday, April 2, the 92nd day of 2011. There are 273 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:On April 2, 1811, James Monroe became

the seventh U.S. Secretary of State.On this date:In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de

Leon landed in present-day Florida.In 1792, Congress passed the Coinage

Act, which authorized establishment of the U.S. Mint.

In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fl ed the Con-federate capital of Richmond, Va., because of advancing Union forces.

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.” (Congress declared war four days later.)

In 1932, aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and John F. Condon went to a cemetery in The Bronx, N.Y., where Condon turned over $50,000 to a man in exchange for Lind-bergh’s kidnapped son. (The child, who was not returned, was found dead the following month.)

In 1956, the soap operas “As the World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” premiered on CBS television.

In 1982, several thousand troops from Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands, located in the south Atlantic, from Britain. (Britain seized the islands back the following June.)

In 1986, four American passengers were killed when a bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.

One year ago: President Barack Obama, visiting a factory in Charlotte, N.C., hailed a new government report showing the most jobs created in nearly three years, saying, “We are beginning to turn the corner.” Gunmen seeking to pass themselves off as U.S. and Iraqi soldiers raided a Sunni village outside Baghdad, killing at least 24 people in an execution-style attack.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Rita Gam is 83. Actress Sharon Acker is 76. Singer Leon Russell is 69. Jazz musician Larry Coryell is 68. Actress Linda Hunt is 66. Singer Emmy-lou Harris is 64. Actor Ron Palillo is 62. Actress Pamela Reed is 62. Rock musician Dave Robinson (The Cars) is 58. Country singer Buddy Jewell is 50. Actor Christo-pher Meloni is 50. Singer Keren Woodward (Bananarama) is 50. Country singer Billy Dean is 49. Actor Clark Gregg is 49. Actress Jana Marie Hupp is 47. Rock musician Greg Camp is 44. Rock musician Tony Fredianelli is 42. Actress Roselyn Sanchez is 38. Coun-try singer Jill King is 36. Actor Adam Rodri-guez is 36. Actor Jeremy Garrett is 35. Rock musician Jesse Carmichael is 32. Actress Bethany Joy Lenz is 30. Singer Lee Dewyze (TV: “American Idol”) is 25.

ACROSS 1 Dreadful 9 Atom with a

variable nucleus 15 Sudden disruption 16 Layers 17 Teasers using

sharp barbs 18 Epistle 19 Buster and Diane 20 Matched grouping 21 Half an African fl y? 22 Rowan and Rather 23 Renter 25 Old English poets 27 Beau Brummell 28 Gumbo vegetables 31 Type of society or

curtains 32 Digging up 34 B&O and Union

Pacifi c 35 Mopers 36 Pharm. watchdog 37 Seekers of the

philosopher’s stone

39 Work long and hard

40 Taj __ 41 DDE’s political

opponent 42 Thicket 43 Come forth 45 Niger’s western

neighbor 46 Abe Lincoln’s boy 48 TV’s “Science

Guy” Bill 49 Wolves and foxes 52 Harebrained 54 “Jurassic Park”

star 55 Infamous hand-

washer 56 Organism not

requiring oxygen 57 Volcano, at times 58 Abated

DOWN 1 Depressed mood 2 Duel item 3 Early

4 Bureaucratic snags

5 Stylists’ shops 6 Baking chambers 7 Neighboring

planet 8 South African

golfer Ernie 9 Archipelago

members 10 Cowboy hats 11 Food scrap 12 Debatable point 13 Summers at the

Sorbonne 14 Extremely unlikely 20 Seas and Deadly

Sins, e.g. 23 Brief peek 24 Med. lines 25 Go away! 26 Diane’s nemesis

on “Cheers” 27 Greenery 29 Autobahn autos 30 No longer fresh 32 Grog liquor

33 Tax agcy. 35 Crystalline

gypsum 38 Spiral-sliced meat 39 “Tartuffe”

playwright 42 French resort 44 Winona of “Little

Women”

45 Papas’ partners 46 Recipe meas. 47 Leaning

precariously 49 Punishment stick 50 River of Hamburg 51 Coaster 53 Cat’s foot 54 Maglie of baseball

Yesterday’s Answer

DAILY CROSSWORDBY WAYNE ROBERT WILLIAMS


THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN CLASSIFIEDS

DOLLAR-A-DAY CLASSIFIEDS: Ads must be 15 words or less and run a mini-mum of 5 consecutive days. Ads that run less than 5 days or nonconsecutive days are $2 per day. Ads over 15 words add 10¢ per word per day. PRE-

MIUMS: First word caps no charge. Additional caps 10¢ per word per day. Centered bold heading: 9 pt. caps 40¢ per line, per day (2 lines maximum) TYPOS: Check your ad the fi rst day of publication. Sorry, we will not issue credit after an ad has run once. DEADLINES: noon, one business day prior to the day of publication. PAYMENT: All private party ads must be pre-paid. We accept checks, Visa and Mastercard credit cards and, of course, cash. There is a $10 minimum order for credit cards. CORRESPONDENCE: To place your ad call our offi ces 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 699-5807; or send a check or money order with ad copy to The Conway Daily Sun, P.O. Box 1940, North Conway, NH 03860. OTHER RATES: For information about classifi ed display ads please call 699-5807.

CLASSIFIEDS • CALL 699-5807

Prickly City by Scott Stantis

ANNIE’S MAILBOX Dear Annie: I am ready for the loony farm. Both of my adult sons are back at home, one with his child. My husband retired last year. I am still working. One son, “Matt,” contributes toward rent and household chores, but the other, “Joe,” sits like a bump on a log and does nothing. I’m sure that Joe has Adult Attention Defi cit Disor-der, but he won’t do anything about it. I don’t want to throw him out, but he leaves us no choice. He always claims we love his brother more, but it’s not true. Matt is simply more re-sponsible, while Joe sits around looking for handouts. I am a fi rm believer in tough love, but Joe always fi nds a way to make us feel guilty. Please help. I need my sanity. -- Drowning in Denver Dear Denver: Kids are great at playing on their parents’ guilt. Stiffen your backbone, and tell Joe he will not be permit-ted to become a freeloader simply because you love him. If he wants to remain in the house, he must contribute either rent money or household help, no excuses, and if that is too much to ask, he is welcome to fi nd another place to live. We also recommend you contact CHADD (chadd.org) for information and suggestions about adult ADD. Dear Annie: I have been married for 36 years. “Alvin” and I have not had a good marriage in a long while and have sepa-rated several times. In the past few years, Alvin has been un-faithful. After a recent affair, I shamed Alvin into reluctantly return-ing home. I now realize that no amount of time will fi x the lack of trust. I truly cannot forgive him for his years of infi del-ity. I no longer love him. We have nothing in common except our grown children. I do not enjoy or want to be intimate with him. I am tired of pretending things are OK. I am miserable, and I know he is not happy, either. I do not enjoy being around

his family. The last time we separated, I dated other men and found it refreshing. I now wish Alvin would leave, but I doubt he will, because I made him feel so guilty. At the time, I thought I needed him, but forcing him to come back made it worse. I’d like to warn your readers to be careful what they wish for. I feel stuck, but hope I can fi nd the words to end this rela-tionship for both of our sakes so we can each move forward. -- Mrs. Miserable in California Dear Mrs. Miserable: Here are the words: “Alvin, this isn’t working out. We are both unhappy and deserve better. Please come with me for counseling so we can fi gure out the best way to handle our relationship and whether it’s worth stay-ing together.” Good luck to both of you. Dear Annie: This is in response to “Emotionally Drained,” whose husband is bipolar and abusive. She will not be able to help her husband, and it will only get worse as the years go by. An untreated mental illness can drag down those closest to it. My husband burned all his bridges with family and friends, and I felt responsible for his well-being. I think children would have better memories of their father from a distance and grow up more stable with one sane par-ent, rather than with a mother who is emotionally drained and a father who is mentally ill and abusive. -- Stress Free at Last Dear Readers: We are carrying on Ann Landers’ tradi-tion that April 2 be set aside as Reconciliation Day, a time to make the fi rst move toward mending broken relationships. It also would be the day on which we agree to accept the olive branch extended by a former friend or estranged family mem-ber and do our best to start over.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to: [email protected], or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

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BY DAVID STREITFELDTHE NEW YORK TIMES

The United States economy showed signs of kicking into gear in March, as the Labor Department reported Friday that it added 216,000 jobs and knocked the unemployment rate down another jot, to 8.8 percent.

As many corners of the global econ-omy are storm-tossed, with oil prices rising and rumblings of a government shutdown in Washington, economists are watching carefully to see if there will be a cumulative effect on hiring. The answer, so far, appears to be no.

President Obama and the Demo-crats quickly pointed to the numbers as proof that their policies, from the stim-ulus spending to the payroll tax cut, are working. “Our economy is show-ing signs of real strength,” President Obama said to applause from several

hundred employees at a UPS ship-ping facility in Landover, Md., where he appeared on Friday. But, he added, “Although we got good news today we have to keep the momentum going.”

The private sector has added, on average, 188,000 jobs in each of the last three months. Manufactur-ing continued its unlikely — if still modest — revival in March, adding 17,000 jobs. Health care added 37,000 jobs in the month, and professional and business services added another 78,000, although about 37 percent of that came from increases in tempo-rary help. It was the 13th straight month of private-sector job growth.

In all, the Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks the economy into 16 job sectors. The unemployment rate, while still perilously high in a few, has dropped in 13 of those since March 2010.

“The private sector of the economy has been the locomotive pulling the economy forward,” noted Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at Cali-fornia State University, Channel Islands. “Record exports, better-than-expected retail sales and the increase in business capital spending are part of the good news.”

At the same time, March’s numbers offer more than a few cautionary signs that the national economy is not cured of all its ills. The ranks of Americans who have been without a job for 27 weeks or more remains painfully high, at more than six million.

The labor force has shrunk steadily since the beginning of the recession, to a point that just 64.2 percent of adults are either in the work force or looking for a job. That is the lowest labor par-ticipation rate in a quarter-century.

Many economists have expressed hope that as unemployed Americans grow emboldened by signs of new hiring, they will re-enter the work force in greater numbers. That did not happen in March, as the participation rate was unchanged.

“It is still a very inhospitable market for unemployed workers,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the lib-eral Economic Policy Institute. “We still have fi ve unemployed workers for every opening and those are desper-ate times.”

The average workweek was also unchanged, at 34.3 hours, and aver-age hourly earnings remained static. Both indicators point to an economy with much slack demand, some hints of defl ation, and little upward pressure on wages. In other words, the economy is an engine still coughing.

Job growth numbers suggest resilience of U.S. recovery


–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– EVENTS CALENDAR–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

see next page

‘Saturday, April 2

History Barn Open House in New Gloucester9 a.m. to noon. The New Gloucester Historical Society will hold its next monthly History Barn Open House. The His-tory Barn is located on Route 231 right behind the Town Hall. The public is invited to see the society’s collection of antique wheeled vehicles and historic photos. Admission is free. The History Barn will be open again in May for a quilt show.

Biddeford Winter Farmer’s Market9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Biddeford Winter Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the former West Pepperril Mill on Main Street in Biddeford. Roy Guzman, 210-0123

Free Clothing Swap Shop in South Portland9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free Clothing Swap Shop is open Satur-day, April 2 from 168 Elm St., South Portland. “Come check it out — no one will be turned away! We are open the fi rst Saturday of every month. FMI call 799-0407 and leave a message. We have infant to plus sizes with new clothes coming in all the time.”

A Day of Meditation9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Opening the Heart: From Empathy to Compassion. The day begins with tea and a talk by Nancy followed by meditation alternating between sitting and walking. Please bring a cushion and a simple lunch for Mindful Eating. Center for Studying Mindfulness, Living Well, 836 Main St., Westbrook. www.NancyHathaway.com

Money Management 101 Seminar10 a.m. to noon. “The Institute for Financial Literacy has launched a new interactive personal fi nance seminar series. Taught by certifi ed educators and open to the gen-eral public, the seminars are designed to improve fi nancial literacy in Maine. In this session, you will learn everything you always wanted to know about successful money man-agement and more including budgeting, net worth, fi nancial planning and goal setting. All seminars are being held at the Institute’s new campus conveniently located near the Maine Mall at 260 Western Ave. in South Portland. Cost is $50 per adult/$75 couple.” Attendance is limited and advance registration is required. To register, please call 221-3601 or email help@fi nanciallit.org. www.fi nanciallit.org

Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser10 a.m. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine will hold its annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraiser at Yankee Lanes in Portland The event, which offers Red Sox and Sea Dogs tickets as incentive prizes to participants, begins at 10 a.m. at both sites. Teams and individuals are sched-uled to bowl for one hour of their choosing. The agen-cy’s second event will be on April 9 at the Bowl-A-Rama in Sanford. “Supporters can be bowlers, sponsors, or both. Donors can be assured that their support is help-ing put Big Brothers and Big Sisters in children’s lives, in their own communities. Bowlers will enjoy a fun outing with friends, family members and co-workers— as well as having the satisfaction of knowing they are making a big difference in the lives of kids and their mentors. ... Individuals, companies, families and organizations are welcome to participate and help raise funds. Teams of 4 or 5 people are encouraged; however, individuals are welcome as well.” To register for the event online, visit somebigsbowl.kintera.org or call 773.KIDS (5437). Those interested may also contact the agency by email at [email protected]. Hannaford, TD Bank, Unum, PowerPay and Kennebunk Savings Bank are once again the lead sponsors for the event. The media sponsors are WPOR 101.9 and Mainebiz.

An Illustrated Talk with Margaret Roach11 a.m. “At Home in My 365-Day Garden: An Illustrated Talk with Margaret Roach” at the Abromson Center, Univer-sity of Southern Maine, Portland. Roach, former executive vice president/editorial director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, blogger of awaytogarden.com, and author of the memoir “And I Shall Have Some Peace There,” will present an illustrated gardening talk at the Maine Festival of the Book. Admission is free and seats are available fi rst-come, fi rst served.Admission is free and seats are available fi rst-come, fi rst served. www.mainereads.org.

Cycle4Care fundraiser1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Cancer Community Center is excited to announce its inaugural Cycle4Care fundraiser. This fund-raiser will bring together people of all cycling abilities for a fun afternoon of exercise, inspiration and caring. 22 teams with eight cyclists per team will fi ll Lifestyle Fitness Center at 29 Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in support of the Cancer Community Center. noon registration. Registration fees: $25 per half hour of riding. http://cycle4care.kintera.org

Lewiston Auburn Film Festival3 p.m. The fi rst-ever Lewiston Auburn Film Festival, pre-

sented by Bangor Savings Bank, will debut on Saturday, April 2, showcasing work from around the world, includ-ing 26 Maine-made fi lms. From Lodz, Poland to Poland, Maine, 80 fi lms were selected among submissions from more than a dozen states and 15 countries. “The diver-sity of fi lms is exactly what we wanted for the festival’s fi rst year,” said Sandra Marquis of L/A Arts, one of LAFF’s partnering organizations. “There’s something for every cinematic taste.” Festival highlights include a “festival within a festival” featuring work from the Los Angeles-based Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, question-and-answer sessions with fi lmmakers, and a gala dinner and awards ceremony. The fi lms will be shown in a variety of venues in downtown Lewiston and Auburn, including Gallery 5, Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch and Fish Bones American Grill. A full schedule of events is available at

www.lafi lmfestival.org. Headlining the festival is a spe-cial advanced preview of the work-in-progress PAL HOP DAYS by Lewiston fi lmmaker Bill Maroldo. The documen-tary examines the popular weekly PAL Hop concerts that took place in the mid-to-late 1960s, within the context of a reunion concert that drew thousands of fans in August 2010. PAL HOP DAYS will be presented at the Franco-American Heritage Center at 4 p.m. on April 2. A reception will be held in the building’s Heritage Hall at 3 p.m. A ques-tion-and-answer session with the fi lmmaker and several of the original PAL Hop band members will be held right after the fi lm. Tickets for the PAL Hop event are available through the Franco-American Heritage Center box offi ce and online at www.francoamericanheritage.org. Passes for the entire festival, including PAL HOP DAYS, are available through L/A Arts and the LAFF website atwww.lafi lmfestival.org. The festival is sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank and is a joint production of L/A Arts, Lewiston Auburn Magazine and Maine Public Broadcasting Network. For more information, visit www.lafi lmfestival.org or call 577-9746.

MAMM SLAM at Empire Dine & Dance5:30 p.m. Maine Academy of Modern Music’s statewide High School Rock Off competition, now known as the MAMM SLAM, begins on April 2 and 3 at Empire Dine & Dance. In partnership with the Portland Music Foundation, Maine Academy of Modern Music’s MAMM SLAM pits 11 high school bands in two preliminary rounds on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 - all of whom hope to move on to the MAMM SLAM Finals to be held Saturday, April 30 at Port City Music Hall. In the fi rst round, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on April 2 and 3:30 p.m. on April 3, judges will evalu-ate all of the participants and choose fi ve bands to move on to the fi nals. In addition, fans can go to www.MaineTo-day.com/mammslam/ and vote for their favorite band – the band with the most votes will serve as the sixth band to join the judges’ selections in the fi nals. Tickets for each prelimi-nary show are $10 for students, $12 for adults; participating bands have unlimited $2 off vouchers to distribute. Special guest Dean Ford, hot off the release of his new EP “Deaf. Dumb. In Love.,” will play a set as judges make their selec-tions on Sunday. The schedule of participating bands is as follows: Saturday, April 2 (doors at 5:30 p.m.) Parenthesys (Windham HS); Finding Perfection (Scarborough HS); The Twisted Truth (Portland HS, South Portland HS, Casco Bay HS); Pity Fools (Cheverus HS, Bonny Eagle HS, Casco Bay HS); Dharma Thieves (Freeport HS, Waldorf School, Yar-mouth HS); Sunday, April 3 (doors at 3:30 p.m.) Longstory (Portland HS, Casco Bay HS, Falmouth HS); Dusty Grooves (Cheverus HS); Park Place Fiasco (Greely HS); The Modest Proposal (Freeport HS); Midnite Haze (Telstar HS, Telstar Middle School); Crossed Out (Gorham HS); GUEST BAND: Dean Ford; Finalists will be announced at 7 p.m.

Mark Marchesi of South Portland features images of the Portland Waterfront in an upcoming April 8 exhibition at SPACE Gallery, www.space538.org. (COURTESY IMAGE)

John Baldinelli of Biddeford was the Mystery Puck grand prize winner Wednesday night during the Southern Maine Heart Walk Kick-off Event as the Portland Pirates faced the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Baldinelli won a team-signed American Heart Association-themed Pirates jersey during a special contest held on ice during the second inter-mission. The Mystery Pucks sold out and $2,000 was raised for the American Heart Association. The Pirates will raise funds for autism research at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. The Pirates host their fi rst ever Autism Awareness Night presented by the Port-land Press Herald. The Pirates will wear commemorative jerseys accented with bright puzzle pieces, the international symbol of autism. The Pirates will be raising funds for the Autism Society of Maine through advance ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. (Photo by Chris Nordenson/Portland Pirates)


Haiti relief revisited7 p.m. Benefi t concert, Haiti relief revisited, one year later. Proceeds for Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership. The Maine Squeeze, Zemya, Improvox at First Congrega-tional Church UCC, 301 Cottage Road, South Portland. Suggested donation at the door of $15. 865-6060.

The Maine Festival of the Book7 p.m. The Maine Festival of the Book runs April 1-3 at venues in Portland, with a full day of free literary discourse on April 2 at USM’s Abromson Center. Events are free and unticketed. Tickets for Opening Night are available at www.mainereads.org or at the door. From the historical to the philosophical, psychological and sociological, to gardening and fl y fi shing, nonfi ction will be well represented the Maine Festival of the Book Free programs will be held on Saturday, April 2 at the Abromson Center at the University of South-ern Maine, where all genres of literature will be celebrated. On Saturday evening at 7 p.m. the Annual Poetry Party will be held at Local Sprouts, 649 Congress Street, presented by Port Veritas. A Book Arts Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 3 at the Wishcamper Center at USM, Portland featuring book artists, bookbinders and all things related to the book. On Sunday evening, April 3 at 7 p.m., Portland Stage Company at 25A Forest Avenue will present a dramatic reading of selections from “Everything Matters!,” a new novel by Ron Currie Jr.

‘The Vagina Monologues’ in Auburn7 p.m. V-Day aUbUrn will present a “one night only” per-formance of “The Vagina Monologues” on Saturday, April 2 at Admission is $5 (min. suggested donation): feel free to donate more. This show is presented in partnership with Sexual Assault Crisis Center (SACC). A portion of the pro-ceeds will benefi t both Women of Haiti and SACC. Directed by Karen Lane, the cast includes: Melissa Farrington, Cheryl Hamilton, Chris Heckman, Stephanie Hughes, Casey Iris Knight, Bridget LaRoche, Krista Lord, Bridget McAlonan, Eileen Messina, Janet Miles, Mary Morin, Betsy Mallette, Nicole Rush, Madeline Strange, Judy Webber and Sabrina Yocono. “The Vagina Monologues” was created by Eve Ensler. Abused as a child, Ensler wanted to teach vic-tims to break their silence. For over 10 years, her organiza-tion, V-Day, has been a global movement to end violence against women and girls by raising awareness and money. This year’s spotlight charity is Women of Haiti. The home of V-Day aUbUrn is the First Universalist Church of Auburn, 169 Pleasant St. (across from Dairy Joy on Spring Street). Parking available. 783-0461 or www.auburnuu.org

‘The Music Man’7:30 p.m. April 1-3 and April 8-10 at Gorham High School. Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. “An all-time favorite, ‘The Music Man’ is a musical tale of a con artist who strolls into a small Iowa town expect-ing easy pickin’s, and, of course, falls in love with the standoff-ish librarian he woos as a lark. This entertaining tale will also have you humming any one of the famous tunes: ‘Seventy-Six Trombones,’ ‘Wells Fargo Wagon,’ ‘Marian The Librarian,’ ‘Ya Got Trouble,’ ‘Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little’ ... the list goes on. Director: Bruce Avery; Musical Director: Matt Murray; Chore-ographer: Deb Lombard. www.gorham.k12.me.us

10th annual Maine Playwrights Festival in Portland, Westbrook7:30 p.m. Acorn Productions, a nonprofi t located in the Dana Warp Mill, announces the complete line-up for the 10th annual Maine Playwrights Festival, the company’s annual celebration of the work of local theater artists. The event unfolds over four weeks in April at two different venues, and features the talents of over 50 actors, direc-tors and playwrights from a number of Portland-area com-panies. The month-long festival begins in early April with staged readings of two full-length plays at the Acorn Studio Theater in Westbrook. “Iceland,” by Michael Tooher, will be read on Saturday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m., and “Commixtus,” by Katherine Roscher, will be brought to life on Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. Both readings are free with a $5 sug-gested donation. Later in the month, the MPF moves to the St. Lawrence Arts Center, where 10 short plays will be presented in 2 evenings of rotating repertory between April 14 to 29. Each evening of plays will be presented 4 times, along with a special marathon evening on Friday, April 29 on which all 10 plays will be performed beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the 10th annual Maine Playwrights Festival are $16 for adults, $14 for students and seniors. The MPF culminates with the second annual 24-Hour Portland The-ater Project, which features directors from 5 different area companies. The 24-Hour Portland Theater Project will have two performances at 5:30 and 8 p.m. on the St. Lawrence Stage on Saturday, April 30th. Entrance to the 24-Hour Portland Theater Project festival is $8. www.acorn-produc-tions.org or 854-0065

An Evening with David Sedaris 8 p.m. “Best-selling author, humorist and contributor to NPR’s This American Life, David Sedaris returns to Port-land for an evening of engaging recollections and all-new readings. With his wickedly witty observations of the ordi-nary-bizarre, David mines poignant comedy from his pecu-liar childhood, his odd career path, his move to France and multiple other facets of his life’s journey. His sardonic humor and incisive social critique have made him one of NPR’s most popular commentators. His books — such as ‘Naked,’ ‘Holidays On Ice, ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day,’ ‘Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,’ and most recently ‘Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary’ — like his live appearances, are sure to deliver unique insights and a lot of laughs.” Merrill Auditorium, Portland. $55, $50, $45.

Sunday, April 3

Maine Jewish History Conference10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second Maine Jewish History Con-ference: Discovering Maine’s Jewish History, presented by Colby College with Maine Historical Society and Document-ing Maine Jewry at Roberts Union, Colby College. Explore the richness of Jewish life in Maine at a day-long confer-ence featuring talks, panels, and workshops presented by community, professional, and student historians. Learn about early Jews in Lewiston, Jewish back-to-the-landers, anti-semitism in Portland, openness in Eastport, commu-nal life in Old Town, social life in Old Orchard Beach, and much more. Leading scholars will place the experiences of Maine’s Jews within the broader context of American Jewish history. Registration required (includes lunch and materials). For more information, please visit: http://web.colby.edu/jewsinmaine

An afternoon in honor of Maine workers, The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and labor and civil rights4 p.m. The Maine AFL-CIO, NAACP/Portland and Bangor chapters, Southern Maine Workers’ Center, Maine State Employees Association/SEIU Local 1989, Interfaith Worker Justice of Southern Maine and Maine Education Associa-tion plan an afternoon in honor of Maine workers, The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacies of the labor and civil rights movements for worker justice, at First Parish Church, 425 Congress St., Portland. Interfaith convocation at 4 p.m.; fi lm and discussion on “At the River I Stand” at 5 p.m.

St. Augustine of Canterbury Church healing service4 p.m. St. Augustine of Canterbury Church will hold a heal-ing service in accordance with the Rites of the Church. The service will be followed by the Mass which includes the Holy Eucharist. The healing service includes anointing with oil and the laying on of hands as contained in Holy Scripture and according to the rites of the Church. Per-sons are welcome to attending both the healing service and the Mass that follows. “St. Augustine’s is a Traditional Anglican and Sarum Rite Catholic Community, part of the worldwide Traditional Anglican Communion, with members in 44 countries. The Church seeks to uphold the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Order, Orthodox Worship and Evangeli-cal Witness of the Anglican tradition within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. The Com-munion holds Holy Scripture and the ancient Creeds of the Undivided Church as authentic and authoritative, and wor-ships according to the traditional Liturgies of the Church.” St. Augustine of Canterbury Church worships at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Cathedral Pines Chapel at 156 Saco Ave. in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Father Jeffrey W. Monroe is Vicar. For additional information contact 799-5141.

Maine Roller Derby action 5:30 p.m. Maine Roller Derby, Calamity Janes vs. Boston B Party, Happy Wheels Skate Center in Portland. Doors at 5 p.m., action at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5, limited seating available. After-Party at 9 p.m., Empire Dine and Dance. “The third home bout of the season features the Calam-ity Janes, MRD’s b-team taking on the Boston B Party, the b-team of the Boston Derby Dames. The Janes are fi red up for their fi rst bout after a victorious win (267 to 24) against Granite State Roller Derby in a closed scrimmage last month. The Boston B Party features any skater who is not a member of the all-star team, the Boston Massacre. The B Party did not skate in 2010, but are making a come-back in 2011. The roster for April 3 bout includes A-Block, T-Storm, Wrexzilla, Lez Lemon, Mae Snap, Porsche D’Rail Yah, Double Tap, Alice Saltya, Pepper Jacked, Iron Matron, Mother Bones, Crazy Buchanan, Kissy Kicks and Cherry Clobber. Tickets are $5. Purchase tickets early as they sold out last bout! Following the bout is an after-party held at Empire Dine and Dance at 9 p.m. The cover is $3. If you have a ticket stub from the bout there is no charge. DJing the after-party is vik44.”

‘With My Own Two Wheels’ screening7:30 p.m. SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St. presents “With

My Own Two Wheels,” a fi lm screening. “For many Ameri-cans, the bicycle is a choice. An expensive toy. An eco-conscious mode of transportation. For countless others across the globe, it is much more. For Fred, a health worker in Zambia, the bicycle is a means of reaching twice as many patients. For Bharati, a teenager in India, it provides access to education. For Mirriam, a disabled Ghanaian woman, working on bicycles is an escape from the stigma attached to disabled people in her community. For Carlos, a farmer in Guatemala, pedal power is a way to help neighbors reduce their impact on the environment. For Sharkey, a young man in California, the bicycle is an escape from the gangs that consume so many of his peers. With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of these fi ve individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world—one pedal stroke at a time.” Q&A with fi lmmaker Jacob Seigel-Boettner. Proceeds to benefi t World Bicycle Relief. Sponsored by Horny Toad/Nau. www.withmyownt-wowheels.org

Monday, April 4

Bring Our War $$ Home rally in Augusta11 a.m. The Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home will hold a news conference and rally inside the Hall of Flags at the capital in Augusta. “The event will be held on the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. A Draw-in will follow the rally. Members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists will be on hand working with the public to envi-sion spending on social needs rather than war and destruc-tion, and this event will continue through the afternoon.”

Event to defend Labor Department muralnoon. Postponed from Friday due to weather. Event to defend Labor Department mural. Hall of Flags, State House, Augusta. “Artists, labor leaders, civil rights advo-cates, historians, and concerned citizens will convene in the Hall of Flags to demand the return of the ‘Maine Labor History’ mural to its rightful place in the Maine Department of Labor. Governor Paul LePage’s seizure and hiding of a mural painted for the people of Maine is not merely pre-sumptuous and disrespectful but also illegal and a breach of the state’s contract with artist Judy Taylor. All Mainers who are concerned about this governor’s disregard of the rule of law and of the dignity of Maine’s workers and their history are invited to attend. All Mainers who believe in sup-porting art that tells our history and who believe in orga-nizing to defend our rights, please join us.” Sponsored by Union of Maine Visual Artists, Veterans For Peace, Maine Chapter 001, Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home.

Proposed marijuana legislation6:30 p.m. “Maine’s recent citizen’s referendum made medi-cal marijuana legal. Now some lawmakers in Augusta are proposing decriminalizing other marijuana growing and possession laws. All of these efforts are occurring in the face of federal statutes that completely prohibit the grow-ing and use of marijuana for any reason. Come join Maine lawmakers, police offi cers and attorneys as they discuss and debate whether Maine’s current marijuana laws are too harsh, too lenient or just right.” DailyBulldog.com is host-ing this forum on proposed marijuana legislation and its consequences at the University of Maine at Farmington’s Olsen Student Center in the North Dining Hall. The event will be moderated by attorney Woody Hanstein and is free and open to the public. Written questions from the audi-ence will be considered, along with questions submitted via email prior to the event. Email a question for the forum participants to: [email protected]

Dress rehearsal to benefi t Japan6:45 p.m. The Portland Symphony Orchestra in a partner-ship with the American Red Cross of Southern Maine will raise funds in support of the response to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The PSO will open the April 4 rehearsal to the public, and donations will be collected at the door. Donations will also be collected at the concert on Tuesday evening. Donations will benefi t the American Red Cross, which has already raised more than $120 million nationwide to help the people of Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. More information about the Red Cross will be available in the lobby of Merrill Auditorium or at http://southernmaine.redcross.org/. The Tuesday, April 5 PSO concert, “Seasons and the Sea,” opens with Mendels-sohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, then showcases violinist Corine Brouwer in Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzola. Brouwer is joined by PSO concertmaster Charles Dimmick and Principal Second violinist Ben Russell for Interplay for Three Violins by composer Chris Brubeck. The highlight of the concert is La Mer, the impressionist masterpiece by Debussy. Attendees at the dress rehearsal are asked to arrive by 6:45 p.m. For tickets to Tuesday’s concert, call 842-0800 or visit PortTIX.com.

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Portland’s proposed municipal budget 7 p.m. Portland Acting City Manager Pat Finnigan will pres-ent her proposed municipal budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), which begins July 1, 2011, to the City Council. The $200 million budget, which is the fi rst budget proposal in four years to refl ect stabilizing revenues and maintain core city service levels, would mean a 2.2 percent property tax rate increase. The proposed combined tax rate increase for both city and school is 2 percent which for a home valued at $200,000 means a total tax increase of $72.

‘Being in the World’7:30 p.m. University of Southern Maine Philosophy Sympo-sium Film: “Being in the World,” SPACE Gallery, 538 Con-gress St., Portland. “The USM Philosophy Symposium Film Series is an annual collaboration between the Symposium and SPACE Gallery in an effort to bring the discussion of philosophy out from behind the walls of academia and into the access of the general public. The screening of ‘Being in the World’ will be followed by a discussion moderated by USM Associate Professor of Philosophy Jerry Conway. 828.5600. Doors open at 7 p.m., fi lm begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission $7/$5 for SPACE Members/free for USM staff and students with ID. www.beingintheworldmovie.com

‘Blazing Paddles’ MCMA travel lecture7:30 p.m. Gray Warriner, “Blazing Paddles” Maine Chari-table Mechanics Association travel lecture at Catherine McAuley High School Auditorium. “Excitement and adven-ture abound in ‘Blazing Paddles’ as Warriner presents some of the wildest rides in nature on the biggest navigable rapids in the world.” 519 Congress St. www.mainecharita-blemechanicassociation.com

Tuesday, April 5

Greater Portland Business Expo10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Reception follows.) Explore the inno-vative businesses that are the new face of the Portland Region at the Greater Portland Business Expo. The Greater Portland Business Expo is coming to the Holiday Inn by the Bay on April 5. (Seminars begin at 10 and Exhibit Hall opens at noon.) To learn more, contact Kerry Rasor or Nancy Trot-tier at the Portland Regional Chamber at 772-2811.

Additional public comment session regardingrate fi lings for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield5 p.m. Insurance Superintendent Mila Kofman has announced that the Bureau of Insurance will hold an additional public comment ses-sion on April 5 in Orono regarding rate fi lings for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield individual products. In addition to the public hearing scheduled for April 12, Superintendent Kofman held public comment sessions in Orono and Portland earlier this month. Two more public comment sessions are scheduled for April — the fi rst at the University of Maine Orono on April 5 and the second in Gardiner at the Bureau offi ces on April 11. Public comment will be accepted for the proposed rate increases at the following dates, times and locations: April 5, 5-7 p.m., 102 Murray Hall, University of Maine, Orono; April 11, 4–6 p.m., Androscoggin Room, Department of Professional and Finan-cial Regulation, Gardiner Annex, 76 Northern Ave., Gardiner. Members of the public are also invited to attend a public hearing and provide comments if unable to attend the public comment sessions. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on April 12 and, if necessary, continue on April 13, in the Kennebec Room, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Gardiner. Written comments can be submitted for consid-eration by the Superintendent of Insurance through U.S. Postal mail or e-mail: Mail: Superintendent of Insurance, Attn: Sarah Hewett (INS-11-1000, 34 State House Sta-tion, Augusta, ME 04333. E-mail: [email protected].

“Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield fi led a proposed rate adjustment for its HealthChoice, HealthChoice Standard & Basic, Lumenos, HMO and HealthChoice HDHP products on Jan. 28, 2011, to become effective July 1, 2011. In its amended fi ling submitted on Feb. 7, 2011, Anthem pro-posed an average increase of 9.7 percent. As of Dec. 31, 2010, there are approximately 11,000 policyholders who will be affected by the proposed rate revisions.”

Hall Elementary School silent auction6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hall Elementary School in Portland will hold its annual community silent auction at the Ocean Gateway Terminal. The evening will include complimentary appetizers and desserts, full cash bar and live entertainment. Admis-sion and parking are free. Proceeds will go toward Hall’s artists in residence, enrichment activities, fi eld trips, author visits, classroom resources, books and media for the school library, health and fi tness equipment and enhanced educa-tional technology. The silent auction will feature donations of items, services and gift certifi cates. Art projects created by all 25 of the school’s classrooms also will be auctioned. The auction items include tickets to the Boston Red Sox and the fi rst round of NBA Playoffs at the Fleet Center, a three-night getaway to a waterfront cottage on Peaks Island and two nights at Hawthorn Inn in Camden, signed artwork by local artists Scott Potter and R.N. Cohen and gift certifi -cates to several local restaurants, jewelers, fi tness centers, beauty salons and clothing stores. Also, a designer rug from Angela Adams, handbags from Cole Haan and Coach, passes to Storyland, Funtown/Splashtown, Victoria Man-sion, Maine Wildlife Park and Maine Indoor Karting, pottery from the Maine Potters Market and Bonechi Italian Pottery, tickets to Portland Stage Company, Portland Ballet and the Portland Symphony Orchestra, family memberships to

Maine Historical Society, Portland Trails and Maine Audu-bon Society, art lessons, dance lessons, summer day camp gift certifi cates and more. For more information, please call 874-8205.

Rape Aggression Defense course6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Portland Police Department will offer its Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Training class April 5, 7, 12, 14 and 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (April 16 class 8 a.m. to noon.) at the Portland Police Department, 109 Middle St. R.A.D. provides women with the tools they need to both avoid dangerous situations and escape them. The course is spe-cifi cally designed to help women survive situations in which their lives are in jeopardy. This class is open to all women, ages 13 and older, in the Greater Portland area who would like to develop real life defensive tools and tactics. The Basic Self-Defense Course consists of a series of four classes and one scenario day. All classes must be attended to complete the course. A donation of $25 for the course is suggested. All donations support the Amy St. Laurent Fund, which sponsors the R.A.D. trainings. Due to attendance issues, all donations must be paid prior to the fi rst class (send checks to ASLF/PPD RAD Program, Portland Police Department, 109 Middle St., Portland ME 04101). To sign up for the class or receive more information about Portland R.A.D., e-mail [email protected] or call 874-8643.

‘Seasons and the Sea’ by the PSO7:30 p.m. The Portland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Robert Moody will present “Sea-sons and the Sea.” This Tuesday Classical concert features works by Mendelssohn, Piazzola, Brubeck and Debussy in an evening that celebrates the arrival of spring and the beauty of the seasons and the sea.

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“At Home in My 365-Day Garden: An Illustrated Talk with Margaret Roach” will take place in Portland today at 11 a.m. at the Abromson Center, University of Southern Maine. (COURTESY PHOTO)

SoPo community garden on city agenda Wednesday, April 20

The South Portland City Council will vote whether to accept a lease agreement between the newly created nonprofi t, the Community Garden Collective and the city of South Port-land for the development of a new community garden on the former Hamlin School property, the collec-tive announced. The vote is to be held during the Wednesday, April 20 city council meeting at 7 p.m. at the South Portland City Hall.

The proposed community garden is to be located behind the former Hamlin School at 496 Ocean St. The garden design has been revised to approximately 39 garden plots located within a fenced area. Three plots will be set aside for the Plant-A-Row for the Hungry, an outreach program of the University of Maine Coopera-tive Extension Service, and one plot will be reserved for use as a Chil-dren’s Garden. The plots will consist of raised beds and all gardeners will be required to use organic garden-ing techniques — no chemical fertil-izers, pesticides or fungicides will be allowed, the collective reported.

The Community Garden Collective

was formed last summer in response to the demand in South Portland for community garden space and the lack of city funds and personnel available to expand the existing municipal com-munity garden program. There are 22 individuals on a waiting list for a com-munity garden plot at Hinckley Park, the only community garden within South Portland, the collective reported.

Zoo-Zoo performance cancelled due to weather

Imago Theatre’s ZooZoo school-time performance on Friday was cancelled due to a snowstorm and the resulting

school cancellations for area schools, Portland Ovations reported.

Portland Ovations noted its weather-related school cancellations and refund policy: “Portland Ovations is obligated to pay artists regardless of weather conditions as such Portland Ovations cannot issue refunds but will try to accommodate any prepaid school and homeschool groups at another perfor-mance. “ For more information contact Gretchen Berg, at 773-3150 or [email protected].

Mayo Street Arts cultural center reported that its April 1 puppet show had to be rescheduled to 5 p.m. Friday, April 8. For details, visit www.mayo-streetarts.org.

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years, you don’t just walk away and say, ‘Oh, I don’t care about it anymore.’ It’s evolving, I don’t think anybody can predict it. ... There are people who say, ‘Great, we got LePage in, we got the House and Senate (to go) Republican,’ and that’s it, they’re gone. A lot of groups went from being 30, 35 people to fi ve now. There are personalities, and there are people who are working for him who used to be tea party leaders.

PDS: Do you mind commenting on Gov. LePage, because there is this perception that he was a tea party candidate?

AID: He had a lot of tea party support. I have to admit that when I fi rst saw him I was impressed with him, obviously ... the tea party patriots nation-ally, of which I was a state coordinator, didn’t endorse, so I didn’t endorse. People would ask me who I support for governor, and I would say, ‘It really isn’t my place to say.’”

PDS: What was your thought process in deciding to run for offi ce, knowing that it would draw atten-tion to the tea party, probably negative as well as positive?

AID: There are various machinations on the right. There is the sort of right which a lot of people believe is the poster child. ... There is a part of the right that’s just as meddling and just as, ‘Ban this, ban that,’ as the socialist left, which the right is perceived to be against. I thought there had to be a choice for fi scal conservatives, which I am, I’ve been writing about it for 25 years ever since I got out of Colby; limited gov-ernment; fi scal responsibility; and the free market, which are the core values of tea party patriots and the tea party as a whole. The reason I announced and fi led with the FEC and am running is because I thought it would be a good idea to have that kind of choice between Olympia Snowe, who’s a moderate, who’s for big government, she’s voted lots of times to increase the size of government, she had an F rating in 2008 from the National Taxpayers Union and she gets a D every other year. ... Mainers don’t really like government to meddle in their lives. ... I don’t think government should be meddling in anyone’s lives. I don’t care whether you’re inspired by Mao, Lenin, Che or a holy book, government should stay out of people’s lives as much as possible.

PDS: On Facebook, you had something about medical marijuana, you liked the implication that it shouldn’t be cracked down on by the feds.

AID: Of course. I think we need to completely reexamine our views on the War on Drugs because it’s been a colossal failure, from my reading it’s now cheaper to buy cocaine on the street than it was in the ‘80s. What the War on Drugs is doing is making some very, very nasty people very, very rich. I’m not saying legalization of all drugs, I’ve never said that. ... We have a limited amount of resources for polic-ing; and personally I think it would be far better if the police forces in Maine were chasing Islamist terrorists, after all fi ve of the 9/11 bombers went through Maine, rather than chasing some stoner. ...

PDS: When you say medical marijuana could be an exhibit in the case of Maine is a bit of a libertar-ian state, but on the other hand you see Dirigo, the health care program in the state that some say is way too expensive. How do you make the case that you can get elected on a libertarian platform?

AID: I had cancer in 2007, and getting health insurance is kind of hard. However, the state of Maine limits my choices, I can’t get health insurance from various out-of-state providers because they limit my choices. ... If you really want to give people choice and reform this whole aspect of health care, you need to liberalize and let the free market decide. The problem with Dirigo health is it’s meddling, it’s anti-competitive and it’s limiting the choices of Mainers, not adding to them; also it’s a bloated bureaucracy that’s going broke.

PDS: You take issue on the federal level with Obamacare and with Sen. Snowe’s vote to let it out of committee, but she also voted against it later.

AID: It doesn’t matter, I mean, you release that monster of a bill into a Democratically held House and a Democratically held Senate, you know it’s going to pass. As far as I can tell, a deal was done, now she’s in trouble electorally from the likes of me, so now Maine is getting an opt-out. Funny that ... that’s no coincidence, it’s politics.

PDS: Some would say that’s one of her strengths, that she can make deals and she’s a power broker.

AID: Yeah, and she sells out every one of the prin-ciples she stands for every single time. She has actu-ally said in the press that she can’t understand why I’m running because she has a fi scally conservative record, and I said that in front of a large group of people, some of whom were on the left, journalists, and everybody laughed. I think people’s attitudes are changing, I think people are starting to realize, partly due to the tea party movement, partly due to practicalities, that the level of government which we have at this point is unsustainable, unless some-thing happens. Instead of saying, ‘Oh, you just want to let poor people die in the street,’ or ‘Oh, you’re just a bunch of socialists,’ there needs to be some kind of understanding and discussion that’s rational. ...

PDS: What’s your usual reception in Portland? ...AID: I’ve spoken at a couple of tea party rallies

here. It seems to be fairly positive. ... I think I can speak to people in Portland and people in more liberal areas of Maine, which, as far as I can tell, many Republicans are scared to go to, because ... I’m able to talk issues rationally, not, ‘You’re all evil, awful liberals, socialists, I don’t want to talk to you,’ because that’s not true. Because a lot of people in Maine, they consider the only right is a right which is xenophobic, the authoritarian right, for lack of a better term. If they think the only right that exists in Maine is that, obviously they’re going to consider themselves the opposite. And I offer a choice where I’m not. I’m married to an English woman, I’m very worldly, I don’t look at politics through that sieve. I think there are solutions we could fi nd in Europe. ...

PDS: Could you explain briefl y your connection to England?

AID: Besides being married to an English woman? I spent two or three years there as a child, and in 1990 when I got out of Colby, I had a relationship that went south, and I wrote Margaret Thatcher a letter, saying, ‘I admire you greatly, can you get me a job?’ and she passed it on to her protege, who got me a job. ... I lived there off and on, my family had a fl at in London. But my roots are planted fi rmly in Maine, I’m the grandson of a master boat builder and lobsterman, my father went to University of Maine, I went to Colby, my family has been in Maine since the 1800s. I just happen to go back and forth to the UK a bit. It should be a benefi t, not a bad thing. I have friends who are socialists, I have friends who are liberals in the American sense, and we used to get together and we used to discuss things. It teaches you an ability to chat with political oppo-nents and not treat them as the enemy, and not say that they’re all idiots. It helped me greatly when it comes to debates, I personally don’t like personal attacks, and I fi nd it interesting that all I’m getting is personal attacks. ... Because of being in London I encountered and spoke to and worked with people who came from under the Soviets, who lived under communism and who lived under state socialism, so I have an understanding of where this country is going if the hard left wants us to be a socially demo-cratic country. ...

PDS: Can you talk about what you do today, you

live in Harpswell?AID: I’m a freelance

writer. ... I work from home. I write all day on various subjects includ-ing the UK, and novels, short stories, lyrics. I write basically.

PDS: I’m also curi-ous about what you see as the dynamics of the next election because, of course, this previous election we just went through showed the potency of the tea party movement.

AID: I think the tea party movement is

evolving. They learned a lot [from] mistakes in 2010, because they sent a lot of people to D.C., the minute they got there, they got their fi rst drink and sud-denly they went native. I think that really made a lot of tea party people nationwide wake up and realize that they have to select people from their own ranks, they can’t have rehashes and re-gos, and think that these people who have been part of the establish-ment of the Republican Party, and supported all these things, suddenly, ‘Now the tea party’s here, now I’m going to be fi scal conservative,’ because that’s not how life works. I think the dynamic in 2012 is you’re going to have a stronger tea party that’s learned its lessons, that’s fi nding who they can trust and who they can’t trust. Ultimately, the tea party movement will have less infl uence on the presidential primary because of the money involved, the machines, you get sucked into it and fi nd you’re one of the cogs. ... I think the right has fundamen-tally realized that right now what matters is the economy and spending and the debt and the defi cit, and if we don’t get that right, some of these issues ... will become irrelevant. If you’ve got a country fall-ing apart because it’s broke like Greece, they’re not going to be paying attention to some of the nuanced issues that groups care about. ...

PDS: I saw a press release today about the EPA and its regulation of greenhouse gases, and it’s Envi-ronment Maine saying that Sens. Snowe and Collins are poised to vote against the EPA and its ability to clean up the air.

AID: The problem with the EPA just like the FCC and some of the other federal agencies, is not that they’re necessarily bad agencies in theory, but they’ve gone become out of control like the TSA, and a law unto themselves. Oh, so the Congress doesn’t pass net neutrality, so we’re going to put it in by the back door. I think the tea party movement especially is reacting badly to federal agencies that seem to be operating, whether it’s the case or not, seem to be operating without any oversight and a law unto themselves, and they’re heavily agenda driven.

(....Dodge also commented on the need for princi-pled leadership, not politicians who are “like weather vanes, and blow whichever way the wind blows.”)

PDS: What do you make of Gov. LePage not endorsing you?

AID: Well, (connections with Snowe) got him the SAT in French and paid for his Husson College tuition, how can you expect him to do anything less? What surprised me a bit and worried me is how so many people were shocked when he endorsed Snowe ... I told many people back when he was running that this was the case, and they said I was lying. It’s not surprising. ... It strikes me as a one-party state. None of the press ever criticize Snowe, and since my announcement, I’ve counted eight or nine puff pieces on her and no reporting on me; this is a one-party state, it’s third world, we don’t have a debate in this state. It’s all Snowe all the time, which I think is wrong. If I do only one thing, it’s I caused a primary, and that needs to be done, because it’s democratic, it allows the issues to be discussed, this is not divine right of kings. ...

DODGE from page one“I think I can speak to people in Portland and

people in more liberal areas of Maine, which, as far as I can tell, many Republicans are scared to go

to, because ... I’m able to talk issues rationally, not, ‘You’re all evil, awful liberals, socialists, I don’t want

to talk to you,’ because that’s not true.”

Dodge

‘I thought there had to be a choice for fi scal conservatives’


Saturday, April 2

Jesse Pilgrim and the Bonfi re CD Release with Panda Bandits, Grant Street Orchestra, Butcher Boy8:30 p.m. Jesse Pilgrim was born and raised in West Bath, Maine and wouldn’t have it any other way. He plays loud and proud folk music with his band The Bonfi re and tonight marks the debut release of his fi rst full length album “Trial & Error.” The Portland Phoenix writes, “Jesse Pilgrim’s set sounded broadcast from Folsom Prison. Songs like these are fi t for bold storytelling, and Pilgrim’s clear, brassy pipes were a shiny and inclusive welcome.” Opening the night are Panda Bandits who steal songs, burn down stages, and care nothing for money - they have come only for your soul. Also on the bill is Grant Street Orchestra. Born and raised in Parkside Portland, they are the most happenin’ seven piece live hip hop act in town, fusing funk and rock into an ener-getic set that’ll make you want to move. Rounding out the night is Butcher Boy, a maniacal four-piece that smashes the current ‘folkpunk’ trend to smithereens with a live show that is equal parts hardcore sweat-lodge dancefest and paranoid storytelling circle. $8, 18+ Space Gallery.

Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters at One Longfellow8 p.m. A two-time W.C. Handy Blues Award winner as “Guitar Player of the Year,” Ronnie Earl has been hailed by musicians and critics alike as one of the premier blues guitarists of his generation and played alongside side such greats as Carlos Santana, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, Otis Rush, Earl King and Duke Robillard (who he replaced as guitarist in the legendary Roomful of Blues after Robillard left that band). Hope Radio, the new CD from Ronnie Earl and The Broadcasters was recorded and fi lmed live (with a separate DVD forthcoming) in the studio before an audience at Wellspring Sound in Acton, Mass in April of 2007. Hope Radio features 11 songs that showcase Ronnie Earl at his amazing best, backed by long-time members of The Broadcasters: Dave Limina – keyboards, Jim Mouradian – bass and Lorne Entress – drums. Guests include Michael “Mudcat” Ward on bass and piano and Nick Adams on second guitar. $25, all ages.

Tuesday, April 5

Junior Watson with Matthew Stubbs8 p.m. With nearly thirty years of experience, Junior Watson has reached cult status. Junior has done what all great art-ists have done: melting diverse styles to create a style all his own. With infl uences as diverse as Tiny Grimes, Oscar Moore, Bill Jennings, Rene Hall, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Guitar Slim, Earl Hooker and others he has truly created one of the most unique and orig-inal guitar voices to come along in years. Besides his mas-tery of blues and swing he often adds his own cartoon-like twist to everything he plays. You’ll never know what he will do and when asked he doesn’t know himself. His energy and playing gives you a feeling of reckless abandonment. As he was once quoted “like a train off the tracks”. Hailing from a small New England town, Matthew Stubbs is quickly gaining a reputation as one of today’s premier Blues guitar-ists. Whether performing with his own band or as a sideman to some of the best singers in the business, the 25 year old always delivers a mesmerizing performance. $15, all ages.

Wednesday, April 6

STRF-R / Foam Castles at Space 8:30 p.m. In the past, Portland, Ore.-based Starf----- has received almost as much attention for its not-exactly-accessible moniker as for its immensely accessible dance hooks. But, having fl irted briefl y with a couple of name changes, the group is now fi rmly settled on Starfucker and so the focus can rightly return to what got people talking in the fi rst place: the quartet’s endlessly catchy, hook-laden pop in the tradition of Phoenix and Of Montreal. “Reptilians” juxtaposes lectures by Alan Watts with vibrant crescendos, explosive drum beats, and layered synth melodies that drive a theatrical live show where dance party meets Roxy Music. Champagne, Champagne is redefi ning hip-hop from the left coast, inciting Matt (of Matt & Kim) to say they’re his “favorite Seattle band, even more than Nirvana!” Midcoast electronic duo Vistas makes their SPACE debut to keep things moving between sets. $10, 18 plus.

Thursday, April 7

Kenny Chesney show sells out7:30 p.m. With Special Guest Uncle Kracker. All tickets for the Kenny Chesney show at the Cumberland County Civic

Center have sold-out, the Civic Center board reported. It will be the third sell-out appearance at the Civic Center by one of country music’s biggest stars and the fi rst appear-ance since 2004.

Grupo Mofongo at One Longfellow8 p.m. A Latin Dance Party featuring traditional Afro-Cuban music from Andres Espinoza (percussion), Rafael Freyre (tres, vocals), Gary Wittner (guitar, vocals), and Nate Ther-rien (bass). $8, all ages.

Saturday, April 9

Gustafer Yellowgold at Space Gallery2 p.m. Groovy Gustafer Yellowgold is a small, yellow, cone-headed fellow, who came to Earth from the Sun and has a knack for fi nding himself neck-deep in absurd situations as he explores his new life in the Minnesota woods. Illustrator/songwriter/musician Morgan Taylor developed the “musical moving book” Gustafer Yellow-gold experience as equal parts pop rock concert and animated storybook. The latest chapter, Gustafer Yellow-gold’s Infi nity Sock, follows our hero as he embarks upon a hilarious, mind-bending musical journey in search of the toe-end of the longest sock in the universe. The New York Times calls the Gustafer show and accompanying live music “a cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss, fi ltered through the lens of the Lower East Side.” $8, all ages. www.space538.org/

Middle Eastern Night at Space Gallery8 p.m. The Shavarsh Kef Ensemble carries on a Maine tradition of Middle Eastern music started by the late master musician Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian. The ensemble consists of five musicians who have played with, studied with and been inspired by Al: Eric LaPerna, percussion, Amos Libby, oud, Beth Borger-hoff, accordion, Michael Gallant, violin and Steve Gru-verman, clarinet. They continue to play a rich mixture of Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Arabic folk and clas-sical music. Alhan Middle Eastern Music Ensemble’s repertoire is drawn from compositions of some of the preeminent composers of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Turkey. They also perform Muwashshahat, a classical song form developed in 10th century Andalusia and performed throughout the modern Arab world. The group features Eric LaPerna; riqq and darbuka, Tom Kovacevic; oud, nay and vocals, Madeleine Hanna; lead vocals and frame drum and Michael Gallant; violin. All of the members have studied with some of the leading performers of Middle Eastern Music in the world today, including Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, Michel Merhej and the late Alan Shavarsh Bardezba-nian. $10, 18 plus. www.space538.org/

Saturday, April 23

Spose and Cam Groves at Port City Music Hall8 p.m. Portland’s most well known emcee, Spose and fellow hip-hop lyricists Cam Groves and Educated Advo-cates come to Port City Music Hall. Since the release of his debut album “Preposterously Dank” in 2008 on his own imprint, Spose has seen his musical endeav-ors reach a new plateau. He was named Maine’s “Best HipHop Act” for both 2008 and 2009 at the WePushBut-tons Awards and also named “Best Hiphop Act” in the Portland Phoenix’s 2010 Best Music Poll. In 2009, he released a mixtape with fellow emcee Cam Groves entitled “We Smoked It All.” A track off that mixtape, produced by Spose himself, “I’m Awesome” garnered Spose his fi rst major label recording contract with Universal Republic Records. Spose used the opportunity to build his own company, the Preposterously Dank Entertainment label based out of Wells, Maine. Artists signed to his imprint include himself, Spose, emcee Cam Groves, hip-hop trio Educated Advocates, and the space-funk-sex-r’n’b of Doctor Astronaut. In 2010, Spose released both “In Sessions,” the debut album from Educated Advocates, as well as his own indie album “Happy Medium.” $10 advance, $12 day of show, $20 VIP, 21 plus.

Friday, April 29

John Prine, presented by the State Theatre,performing at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium8 p.m. John Prine plays at Merrill Auditorium, presented by the State Theatre. Some four decades since his remarkable debut, John Prine has stayed at the top of his game, both as a performer and songwriter. Tickets available in person at the PortTix Box Offi ce at Merrill Auditorium, charge by phone at 842-0800 and online at www.porttix.com

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MUSIC CALENDAR ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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