York, ME Toll Plaza's Renovations

YORK— Maine Turnpike wants to invest money in the York Toll Plaza making the toll more accessible and allowing the mass quantity of vehicles to travel I-95 each day. By advancing to an all-electronic lanes or making the toll payable at the end either ends of the Interstate.

The citizens of York, ME and the Maine Turnpike Authority’s, or MTA, have discussed many options to the toll plaza plan. Local residents want the toll plaza to construct two more toll stations at the York toll, instead of putting about five new booths between Wells and New Gloucester. It would cost more to build five tollbooths between Wells and New Gloucester.

Tollbooths have changed to electronically pass system and have been losing the coin system. Electronically going through tolls is said to be more efficient to save money and time when traveling. Massachusetts has developed the electrical system on main highways, and cut their traffic down in the state’s rush-hour times. Maine has committed to having at least two booths at the tolls to the all EZ-pass technology. Authorities have calculated that “fifty-seven percent of drivers going through the Interstate 95 toll plaza in York already pay the toll electronically through EZ-Pass system”.

Morse, S. (2010, February 24). York resident presents alternative toll plan. Retrieved from http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100224-NEWS-2240315

York resident, Robert Wade, has presented the MTA and Think Again, an organization that is protesting the building the two new tollbooths at York toll plaza. Wade believes that the cash payments at I-95 exits would be more beneficial and would save in revenue. The York toll plaza is “the most important on the Maine Turnpike, making some $34m or 40% of its annual revenue on some on an average 44k transactions/day”. This new development would put the town of York in danger of producing health risks to the water supply. That is why the Maine Turnpike Authority would rather put four to five tollbooths between Wells and New Gloucester.

Samuel, P. (2010, January 6). Maine turnpike authority pushes on with fight for big new ort + cash toll plaza. Retrieved from http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4526

It is a struggling debate on this issue could possibly be put on a ten-year hold. A meeting on Tuesday, in Portland, was to look at Wade’s plan on the alternative strategy to the York toll plaza. The meeting was between MTA. Wade believes that this is the best way to spend government funds wisely. It is possible that the MTA could choose a number of options.

International Dance Festival 2010

This Saturday is the International Dance Festival 2010. The International Dance Festival has been an annual event at University of Maine, Orono, for the past six years. The festival holds on average 13 performances all with from different culture. The festival is primarily held to get students from the University of Maine, and local communities, to be exposed to a large variety of talented individuals. People who attend this event are left feeling educated on the arts of cultures.

Over the years, the festival has been growing and becoming more popular. In the past, the festival had been held at the Minsky Recital Hall that only holds 250 people. For the past four years, the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus has been the holding this event, with the exception of the year that the Collins Center was being repaired. There have also been changes in the schedule to two times when the performances can be shown. This is to help the quantity of people.

There are plenty of similarities and difference in each performance. Because of the diverse dancing, the audience can fully compare the cultures. Some examples of the different cultures that have been shown are: “India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and the United States”. These countries inspire their cultures dances, such as, “tango, hip-hop, Latino meringue, belly dancing, capoeira, and swing dancing”. This year should be just as, or better performance than previous years in the Collins Center of the Arts.

Dionne, Z. (2006, February 16). International dance fest 2006. Retrieved from http://mainecampus.com/2006/02/16/international-dance-fest-2006/

For all of the performers, there is hope that there is a great show. At the University of Maine, in Orono, there is always room for more people to attend special events, like the International Dance Festival. The show is completely free. Admission is not necessary when you are getting a diverse cultural experience. There will be two performances, just like past years. The first show of the performances will be at 2:00 p.m. and the second showing will be at 7:00 p.m. on February 20. Doors will open one hour before show time, so that the audience can find seats. Attend this cultural experience and be entertained by its talented individuals.

Having an Opposite

Something that has always been an issue is jobs. People who graduate from high school, and go onto becoming managers at the local diner, are the type of people that don’t see the possibilities to do other things. Students that go to college are the type of people that they either know what they want do for a career, or the type of people that believe they can do something for a life practice.

The college career, that I have set out to partake in, has brought nothing but frustration and the overwhelming feeling of unimportance. The first year of college had been about determination to get into a set schedule, the schedule of a busy college student. In the second year of college, there is much doubt as to what I want to accomplish from continuing school. I have had multiple dreams of careers, but have lost interest quickly when starting the actual studying in the subject. This has led to the decision to write about someone that has planned their life career at age 16. This individual is a good friend, and has supported me with every decision in my life, even through the good and the bad.

Adam Hatch, a local Old Town resident, had, from a young age, decided to become a policeman. His father, now retired, first interested him in police work. Stephen Hatch had been on the force for over 28 years. His dedication has got him praise in his small town. Adam Hatch has always been proud of his father’s work. In high school, Adam joined his friends in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). His teachers admired his skills in learning and physical aptitude. They told them he could go on to great things in the army.

Adam went through the enlistment process to be in the Military Police at age 17. He enlisted into a squad based in Bangor. Adam went to basic training fell in love with the system. He met many people that were in the same position as he, most wanted to become a cops. After the return from the 11 weeks of basic training, he finished out high school with the plan to go to Husson University and to study criminal justice. Fall 2008 to spring 2009, he attended his first year at Husson University.

During the following summer, at age 19, Adam went to Advanced Individual Trainning (AIT) with other military police officers, from all different people in other states. He explained that, “It was like a very tough college” for military police. With his family support, he found that he was unable to attend the university that following fall semester. Adam was informed that he would not be able to commit to classes and training. He discovered that he was going to be cross-leveled to a different unit. This meant that he would be shipped out to Afghanistan.

This March is going to be a stressful time for his family and friends. Adam Hatch will be flown into Afghanistan and put through several missions of security measures and transports. Being in the Military Police officer, Private First Class Hatch, will spend one year away from home. His dedication to the nation, along with many others, will be to try and stabilize Afghanistan.

There are no words for the amount of time citizens in the United States spend on worrying about their loved ones overseas. It is a little hard to understand what exactly troops go through in Afghanistan. It is remarkable how quickly the transition happens. Once you have an idea, you push and are determined to prevent any relapse. Because once you have a purpose in life, there is really no stopping yourself from success. Your determination alone can help you succeed and perform at a higher level.

Newscast Review of a Positive Story

Looking online for news articles, there are various articles about something ended with a death or tragedy. The general public views these types of articles to get information of either how to avoid the situation and/or how to learn what to do when faced with the same problem. Positive stories, or stories that have a good ending, are often difficult to find. In this article reviewed, it is about a man who was faced with death, until his best friend came to his rescue. Don Callahan has diabetes and went through an episode, one evening, while taking his dog for a walk. The reporter, that covered the story, created a lead into the content just like someone who was telling a narrative. It clarifies and eases the entrance into the article and is not so direct. If the reporter was direct and made simplified statements of information, the tense of the piece would have sounded like an argent message to the viewers. This argent message would be rather suited for disasters and important data that are seen in a top headline. It helps when watching this type of story on television, after the direct, or straight set information, the show can catch its hypothetical breath on a positive piece. It can also make the audience watching the show, find time to release anxiety of the previous news.

The reporter is telling the piece in a way that can relate to the viewer. When an older gentleman is shown on the screen, people can sense sympathy with the story. The language is another positive aspect of the report. The language is not overwhelming and words are stressed when the author wants to make a point. For example, in conclusion to the story, the dog had barked loudly for a long period time. The reporter states, “He will continue to take Wyatt on walks each and every day”, this statement is said slowly and the tone does not conceal any hidden emotion. The affection of the owner to his dog appears to be loving and thankful.

This report doesn’t need any changes. It was found to be completely appropriate and well told. It was interesting to see the other side of news. The high stressed information can get too intense for many simple readers.

Podell, L. (reporter). (2010). Diabetic: dog saved my life. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/02/05/dnt.mi.dog.diabetic.rescue.wdiv?iref=allsearch