Legalizing marijuana makes sense in Maine
Labor mural protest is about actions, not ‘tone’
Edible book festival feasts on wordplay
See Bob Higgins on page 4
See Curtis Robinson’s column on page 5
See Margo Mallar’s Locavore column, page 9
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011
VOL. 3 NO. 44
PORTLAND, ME
PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
699-5801
FREE
Feds to state: Display mural or pay up BY MATT DODGE THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
Fallout over a labor mural removed from the state’s Department of Labor office continues this week as the federal government advised Maine to reinstall the mural or pay up. The development comes amid a spate of statewide protest over the removal, ranging from about 350 people attending a formal protest rally in Augusta Monday to a guerrilla light-show Sunday night that saw images of the controversial mural projected onto the side of the State House. At the center of the protest is an 11-panel mural created by Tremont artist Judy Taylor and installed in 2008 at the state’s Department of Labor office. Last week Gov. Paul LePage deemed the artwork “one-sided,” claiming the mural depicting milestones in the Maine labor movement could be con-
Enlisting the help of artist friends and community members, Local Sprouts unveiled this homage to the Maine Department of Labor historical labor mural. The cooperative displayed this version in the cafe on Thursday. For a story on the Local Sprouts mural, see page 7. (MATT DODGE PHOTO)
strued as anti-business. In a letter to the acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, a senior U.S. Department of Labor administrator warned the state that since “a majority of the artist’s commission of $60,000 was paid from
Reed Act funds,” distributed by the U.S. DOL, “Federal Unemployment Compensation laws concerning Reed Act money govern the disposition of this property.” “We understand, however, that the mural is no longer on display in your
headquarters,” wrote Gay Gilbert, administrator with the U.S. DOL’s Office of Employment Insurance. “Thus, it is no longer being used for an administrative purpose permitted by the Reed Act; [and] the state must, as a condition of continued participation in the Federal-State UC program, return to its UTF account the amount of the Reed Act funds represented by the mural,” wrote Gilbert. But the U.S. DOL isn’t sending a bill to Augusta just yet. In lieu of returning the Reed Act funds that paid for 63.4 percent of the $60,000 mural, Gilbert said that the state could either reinstall the mural at the Maine DOL or “another state employment security building.” The mural is currently reported to be in storage, awaiting transfer to a “suitable venue for public display,” according to LePage spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett. see MURAL page 6
Reny’s getting ready Store opens on April 14 BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
John Kempton with Eastern Fire Services moves through the new Reny’s department store in Portland Monday while installing fire protection systems. The store’s opening day is Thursday, April 14, and hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to Christian Steppe, store manager. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)
Attention, job seekers. A new Reny’s department store in Portland will open its doors at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 14, but don’t worry — that beginning doesn’t mean an end to hiring. The retailer, filling high-profile side-by-side Arts District vacancies left by L.L. Bean and Olympia Sports, may add to its rolls, depending on how business fares. In the meantime, job seekers can see RENY’S page 8