The West End News - June Edition 2023 - Vol. 23 No. 06

June 13th Portland Municipal Election

Voter Guide Question A

By Colin Monahan

Abandonment of Pain Patients

By Kelly Merrill

When Dr. Merideth Norris was indicted by the DOJ’s New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force in late October of 2022, her pain patients were abandoned to a hostile regulatory and prosecutorial climate in which physicians are fearful about prescribing opioid pain medications and medical professionals are increasingly refusing treatment, rescinding care, and forcing rapid downward tapers that ignore FDA warnings and CDC clarifcations that such methods of treatment are dangerous and have serious consequences, including suicide.

Governor to the Treatment Task Force for the Maine Opiate Collaborative. She was an early-adopter and advocate of harm reduction, offering treatment access to the uninsured.

Portland residents will decide whether to change the city’s rent control system with a vote this June.

Portland voters will contend with two ballot questions, concerning rent control (Question A) and the school budget, in the upcoming June 13th municipal elections. The Southern Maine Rental Housing Alliance (RHA), formerly known as the Southern Maine Landlord Association, successfully advanced a citizen initiative referendum to the ballot which seeks to amend the Rent Control Ordinance previously passed by Portland voters in 2020, and later amended this past November 2022. RHA’s proposed amendment would eliminate rental increase limits specifcally when a tenant voluntarily terminates their lease.

The RHA’s amended language to “An Act to Amend Rent Control and Tenant Protections” reads in part: “If the tenancy of a covered unit is terminated voluntarily by a tenant, the landlord may establish a

Seven months after the Norris indictment, the situation is dire. Pain patients with rare, disabling illnesses and other conditions causing severe, persistent, life-limiting pain, say they cannot fnd adequate continuing medical care and have been given no alternative but to drastically reduce or discontinue the use of opioid pain medications that allowed them to function.

The results have been disastrous for those still struggling to fnd care. I sat down with seventeen legacy pain patients who have been displaced by the DOJ actions. Legacy patients are people who have tried and failed numerous treatments for pain and have relied on opioid analgesics for many years to manage symptoms.

Who is Merideth Norris?

Dr. Norris is a Board-Certifed Addiction Medicine Specialist who has been a leading voice in opioid policy and a ferce advocate of treatment options and access for people with substance use disorder. In 2015, Norris was appointed by the then

Norris’s expertise around addiction medicine and the Opioid Epidemic extends to the pain community, as well. She has been an outspoken critic about rigid policy prescribing limits adopted by the state in 2017, which followed soon after the publication of the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. She then foretold the unintended consequences for both physicians and patients.

Last October, Norris was indicted for illegal distribution of opioids by the DOJ; and while people being medically treated for substance use disorder were able to fnd doctors, disabled pain patients with complex comorbidities could not fnd care.

The NEPO Strike Force specifcally claims to address what they call one of the root causes of the epidemic, “unlawful prescription and diversion of opioids.” They single out doctors and other medical professionals by using the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program. Norris was a top prescriber in private practice; she is the Strike Force’s frst target.

As someone who is an expert in the feld of opioid policy, who was treating patients with pain-generating illnesses, as well as patients with substance use disorder, it is logical that Norris would be a top prescriber of opioid medications. Further, she was the only doctor who would take on such patients when three doctors from Southern Maine retired during the pan-

Diane Nason (left) was with Dr. Norris for 12 years. She has complex comorbidities and has been treated under the palliative care exemption since 2018. Elaine Pepin (right), with degenerative disc disease, was a patient of Dr. Norris for at least 10 years. Norris helped her to reduce her daily medications, including opioid pain relievers, to fnd a regimen that worked. -Photo by Kelly Merill

demic, said an anonymous prescriber who contacted me from a restricted number.

If convicted, Norris faces up to twenty years in federal prison.

The Impact of Public Policy

This issue has been ramping up for years. Public outcry over lethal, unintended patient harm, resulting from the 2016 CDC Guidelines, lead to strong actions from agencies tasked with protecting pub-

Page 16

Kris Clark shares his history with ZOOTZ nightclub and the Western Prom Summer Concerts

Nancy Dorrans shares happy memories of Cape Town and the joyful Cape Malays

What’s that buzz? Rosanne Graef shares her tale of housing mason bees right in the West End

-Photo by Colin Monahan

Cont'd on Pg. 3

Cont'd on Pg. 8

INSIDE THIS EDITION

Best Worst Trivia.........................................15

Book Short...................................................16

Business & Community News....................6

City News & Info ..........................................3

Climate Justice.............................................18

Crossword....................................................15

Events...............................................................5

Health & Wellness News.........................8-9

Gothic House Series..................................17 La Vida Local.................................................16

Layne's Wine Gig ..................................12-13

PelotonPosts...................................................7

Poetry............................................................19

Puzzle Page...................................................15

Reiche Community Ctr. Calendar.............4

Sudoku...........................................................15

Travel..............................................................14

SUBMISSIONS

WEN is a community newspaper and we need your voice! Share your submissions with thewestendnews@gmail.com or send to: The West End News, 795 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04102.

• Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood.

• Op-eds should be no more than 750 words and include a brief biography of 1-2 sentences.

• WEN also accepts poetry, cartoons, and photo submissions.

Deadline for publication is the fourth Friday of every month. Publication is not guaranteed and submissions may be edited for length and content.

The thoughts and opinions expressed in our pages belong solely to the authors and not necessarily to the publication.

Nancy Dorrans, Travel & Adventure Rosanne Graef, La Vida Local Caitlin Marshall, Bright Ideas

Kelly Merrill, Health & Wellness Feature Stephanie Miller, Book Short

Marta Morse, Gothic House Series

Halsey Snow, We're All in this Together

Ben Taylor, Best Worst Trivia Liz Trice, PelotonPosts

Layne V. Witherell, Layne's Wine Gig Reiche

Portland Ballot Question A

Cont'd from Pg. 1

new base rent at their discretion. Voluntary termination occurs when a tenant decides to return the leased premises to the landlord before the expiration of the lease or determines not to renew a lease.”

Under the current rent control ordinance, if a tenant terminates their lease, the landlord may only increase rent by 5% of their base rent. Base rent is defned by the City of Portland Permitting and Inspections Department as “the amount of rent charged for the unit in June 2020.” If Question A were to pass, landlords may charge rent in excess of 5% upon a tenant voluntarily leaving, however, no more than the maximum allowable rent increase cap of 10%. Additionally, the current ordinance only allows for a rent increase once per twelve months regardless of new tenancies. RHA’s proposed amendment rescinds this time constraint.

Critics of the RHA warn that the passage of this referendum will exacerbate Maine’s already worsening housing crisis. According to Maine Biz, Maine has the second lowest rental housing vacancy rate in the country at 2.9%, trailing Massachusetts at 2.8%. The Maine State Housing Authority reported that the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in 2020 was $1,880, a price point that less than a third of Maine households can afford.

The RHA has historically opposed bills in the Maine legislature that protect tenants such as “An Act to Decrease Discrimination Based on Evictions in Housing Applications,” a bill banning landlords from

A YES vote means...

A landlord will be able to increase rent above the existing 5% rent increase limit whenever a tenant voluntarily terminates their lease.

A NO vote means...

Preserving the existing tenant protections and rent control ordinance, limiting landlords to a maximum of a 5% rent increase when a tenant voluntarily terminates their lease only once per twelve months regardless of new tenancies.

requesting a tenant’s eviction history, and “An Act to Prevent Retaliatory Evictions,” a bill protecting tenants from unusual rent increase notices, amongst others.

Por tland residents will also vote on approving the city’s proposed school budget for the 2023-24 academic year. The City of Portland’s Municipal elections will take place on Tuesday, June 13th. You can request your absentee ballot at PortlandMaine.Gov.

Colin Monahan is a community organizer, server, and journalist whose previous work has focused on social movements in Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and New England.

Portland Police Beat May 2023

Suspicious Person Enters King Middle School

At 8:48 a.m. on Monday, May 15th, 2023, offcers were dispatched to King Middle School for a report of a suspicious person who had entered the building. Upon arrival, police were directed to a 43-year-old man who was then near the Deering Oaks Park entrance. Investigators charge that the perpetrator entered the girl’s bathroom and offered a female student hypodermic needles. Police arrested the suspect and charged him with Criminal Trespass,Violation of Privacy, and Refusing to Submit to Arrest or Detention, Physical Force.

Incident Near Portland High School Ends Peacefully

Portland Police responded to a report of a disturbance with a possible frearm at 25 Cedar Street, 6:45 a.m., on May 10th, 2023. Out of an abundance of caution, Portland High School was advised to not use the front entrance of the school. After a brief time, a 31-year-old man was detained peacefully, questioned, and later released. Police served a search warrant at the address. The investigation is ongoing, and no one has been charged as of print.

To provide information anonymously:

• Call 207-874-8584 and leave a message on the department’s Crime Tip line.

• Text keyword “PPDME” plus the message to 847411 (TIP411).

Two Injured in Shooting near 600 Block of Congress St

At 8:16 p.m. on May 9, 2023, Portland Police responded to a report of a shot fred in the 600 block of Congress Street. Minutes later, a vehicle suspected to be involved was stopped in the Walgreens parking lot at 616 Forest Avenue.

Offcers determined that a 20-yearold Portland man had suffered a gunshot wound, while 21-year-old male sustained injuries from a vehicle. Both men sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Maine Medical Center.

During the subsequent investigation, a search warrant was executed and items of signifcance to the incident were located. Police urge anyone who has any information to call them at (207) 874-8575.

Indecent Exposure during Rush Hour on Brighton Ave

On Wednesday, May 4th, 2023, Portland Police responded to a call at 915 Brighton Avenue for a suspect on his front porch, wearing nothing but shoes, while engaging in indecent conduct. There was heavy traffc at 8:52 a.m., and several occupants of cars witnessed the suspect’s actions, prompting a 911 call.

Police say the man has an extensive history of indecent conduct and assaultive criminal behavior. He was arrested and charged with Visual Sexual Aggression Against a Child Under 14 and Indecent Conduct.

summer days in the courtyard are quite remarkable, especially because good friends, birding enthusiasts, and gardeners will fnd each other.

##Thursday - June 8 -Peter Munro presents on the Stewards of the Western Cemetery & the history of the cemetery

All activities are free unless indicated otherwise. Donations to WENA are gratefully accepted.

FMI check wenamaine.org under About>Programs>Reiche Community Center News and under Calendar

Please Note

There will be no WENA activities in the Reiche Community Room from June 22 – September 6, 2023. There willbe A.M. Exercise from 8:15–9:15 a.m. on M, W, Th in the gym or in the pine grove.

MUSIC + EVENTS

ZEME LIBRE & EL GRANDE (FREE SHOW) JUL 14, 2023 - 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

BUMPIN UGLIES JUL 29, 2023 - 8:00 PM – 11:30 PM

COMMUNITY EVENTS JUNE 2023

‘In the Making’ at UMVA Portland Gallery features Diverse Work by 9 Women

Fri., June 2 (First Friday Reception) / 5 – 8p / Portland Media Center / Free

“In The Making” is an exhibit that includes nine women from Maine with diverse backgrounds and outlooks who work in a great variety of media. The collection of work in this exhibition creates a conversation about their different experiences and amplifes their voices. The exhibit runs from June 2nd to June 29th, 2023, at the UMVA Portland Gallery, in side the Portland Media Center, 516 Con gress Street, Portland. An ar tist’s recep tion is set for Friday, June 2nd, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the gallery. It is free and open to the public.

Artists in the show are Cynthia Ahlstrin, Kimberly Bentley, Kaela Br nan, Kimberly Crichton, Lesley MacVane, Anne Strout, Christine Sullivan, Ann Tracy, and Joyce Ellen Weinstein. An artists’ roundtable is scheduled for Saturday, June 10th at 2:30 pm. Galler y hours with artist docents are scheduled for Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Soccer Saturday

Sat., June 3 / 9a – 12p / Kennedy Park, Portland

We welcome all to join us for our spring edition of Soccer Saturday! The Immigrant Welcome Center and USL to Por tland are hosting our Spring edition of Soccer Saturday on June 3rd from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Join us in Kennedy Park on Fox street, across the street from Rising Tide Brewing, for a fun-flled day of soccer.

We will be providing free, healthy snacks, drinks, and soccer balls for all with great thanks to our generous community partners for their support. It brings

Samantha Smith Road Dedication

Mon., June 5 / 10a / Best Western Merry Manor Inn, So. Portland

Maine Veterans for Peace, Tom Sturtevant Chapter 1, is hosting a celebration on Samantha Smith Day, June 5th, 2023 at the Best Western Merry Manor Inn, 700 Main Street in South Portland, Maine. The event is to be held in the Wildwood Ballroom starting at 10 a.m., and will feature local politicians, poets, teachers, and entertainers who will remember “Maine’s Youngest Diplomat.”

Samantha Smith Day was offcially recognized by the State of Maine in 1987 and is always the frst Monday in June. The ceremony will conclude with the unveiling of the Samantha Smith Way at the intersection of US Route 1 and the Maine Turnpike Approach (exit 45) off the Maine Turnpike, adjacent to the Best Western Merry Manor Inn.

Featured speakers include VFP honorary member and artist Robert Shetterly, founder of Americans Who Tell the Truth. Robert has been painting portraits of people who have fought for social, economic, environmental, and racial justice issues since 2002, and painted Samantha’s portrait in 2004. Also speaking is Rob Kelly, Assistant Professor at the School of International Services, American University, who uses Samantha’s work for peace as an example to be followed in helping

students understand their role in being a global citizen.

Samantha Reed Smith (June 29, 1972 - August 25, 1985) was an American peace activist from Manchester, Maine who became famous for her anti-war outreaches during the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. In 1982 she wrote a letter to Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR, and visited the Kremlin, with her family accepted.

The Maine Regiment Annual Sandwich Luncheon Fundraiser

Sat., June 17 / 11a – 2p / American Legion Post 35, So. Portland / $9

Please note that our curbside / takeout fundraising luncheon is by advance order only. All proceeds to support The Maine Regiment All Age Drum & Bugle Corps. Lunch includes a ham Italian sandwich, chips, dessert, and beverage for only $9.00!

Deadline to order is Wednesday, June 14th, at 2 p.m. Please call 207-613-9196 with number of meals, your name, phone number, and choice of beverage. Pick up is Saturday, June 17th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Stewart P. Morrill American Legion Post 35, 413 Broadway, South Portland. Please pay at pick up. Cash only. No indoor dining or restrooms available.

And so much more...

Join

6/1 Enter the Fishtank: mixed music, video projections, and live, mind-bending prop manipulation

6/3 Dragology: explosive drag show hosted by Gem Fatale

6/4 Eric Andersen LIVE in Concert

6/7 Shawan Rice, LIVE in Concert

6/8 Balderdash Academy On The Air!

6/9 meSSes: Solo Circus-Theater-Dance Performance

6/10 Ian Stuart: Welcome to Maine Comedy Show

6/14 Period. The End? Live performance event centered on menopause, perimenopause and health.

6/15 Barney Martin Performs music of James Taylor

6/16 Blues Prophets LIVE

6/17 Peter Gallway and the Real Band featuring

Larry John McNally

6/18 Magic 8 Ball Summer Solstice Concert

6/20 Balderdash Academy IMPROV Jam

6/22 Balderdash Academy: IMPROV Live

6/23 Half Moon Jug Band LIVE

6/24 Evening of Film with Martha Clarke and Sarah Ford

6/25 Hyperion Trumpet Ensemble

7/1-2 Slemons Theater Productions: Lockdown 7/13-30

Theater Festival: The Thin Place 8/17-9/3

Theater Festival: Sanctuary City

MUSIC. COMEDY. THEATER. DANCE.

Suppot Our Advertisers

Summit Project Celebrates

10th Year at Portland Elks

Stones honoring fallen heroes will be carried to Mt. Katahdin

On Saturday, May 27th, the Portland Elks Lodge 188 hosted the Summit Project, a non-proft organization that honors Maine Fallen Heroes from the wars in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The Summit Project is celebrating their 10th year.

The volunteers of this project contact the families of the men and women who lost their lives during these wars and a stone is created in the fallen hero’s name.

The stones are brought to the Portland Elks Lodge and transported in a motorcycle riders’ caravan, escor ted by Maine State Troopers, to Millinocket. From there the stones are carried by hikers up Mt. Katahdin where a memorial is being built in their honor.

For more information visit: www TheSummitProject.org.

The Portland Company Wins Small Shipyard Grant

This May, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the award of $739,302 in grant funds to The Portland Company through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The Portland Company will use these funds to support the purchase of a 60-ton vessel trailer, 249 HP tractor/loader, and an indoor ventilation project. Small Shipyard Grant funds help awardees modernize, increase productivity, and expand local employment opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.

“Small shipyards strengthen America’s commercial feet, bolster our economic security, and generate good jobs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud to support these shipyards and reinforce their vital role in the U.S. maritime sector.”

Since 2008, MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program has awarded $303 million to nearly 350 shipyards in 32 states and territories throughout the U.S.

Local Transportation Planners Adopt Vision Zero Plan

Strategies will make roads safer for pedestrians and bicyclists

Transportation planners in Greater Portland are moving forward on a new initiative, called Vision Zero Greater Portland. It aims to eliminate all traffc fatalities and severe injuries. The plan will help communities qualify for federal funding. The transportation policy board at the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) unanimously adopted the plan this May.

Between 2016 and 2022, while only two percent of crashes in the region involved bicyclists or pedestrians, 22 percent of fatal crashes involved bicyclists or pedestrians. The Vision Zero plan aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries from the region’s roadways by 2045.

Strategies in the plan include encouraging people to walk, cycle, and take public transit; road safety upgrades like roundabouts, protected lanes for bicyclists and pedestrians, and lower speed limits; and prohibiting right-on-red in key locations.

Please see webite for hours and rates:

Kris Clark: ZOOTZ Nightclub to Western Prom Summer Concerts

Every month PelotonLabs co-founder Liz Trice interviews a local community member. This month, Liz caught up with Kris Clark, who is organizing the 3rd Annual Western Prom Sunset Concert Series every Wednesday evening from July 12th through August 14th.

Why did you decide to start this concert series?

Music has always been my main source of inspiration and spiritual renewal. So, during Covid I felt like I was losing my mind in part because of not being able to hear live music for two years.

In the spring of 2021 as the pandemic was easing up, I started thinking about how much I loved and missed the Wednesday evening sunset concerts on the prom that Portland Parks used to put on. Ted Musgrave at Parks started and organized these wonderful shows in the 1990s, which were held at Deering Oaks, Western, and the Eastern Promenades, and which ran for twenty-fve years. So, being a semi-retired music promoter with extra time on my hands, I thought, why not just start them up again?

Though Parks no longer had the budget for them, they were very supportive of me trying to bring them back again. The Friends of Western Promenade agreed to be our offcial non-proft sponsoring organization for which I am so appreciative. They decided this year, however, to pass on sponsoring the 2023 series. But, fortunately, SPACE agreed to become our new non-proft fscal sponsor for 2023. So, thank you staff and the board at Space! What’s it like to go to one of the concerts?

I restarted this series not only to present great live local music, but also because I feel strongly that they help build and strengthen our sense of community in the West End. Our frst season in 2021, it was so nice seeing people who hadn’t seen each other in more than two years greet and reconnect with each other. They were so appreciative as were the three dozen or so musicians who had not played live shows during that same time. The vibe is very relaxed and family friendly. Attend-

ees bring folding chairs or blankets to sit on the grass and often bring snacks or a picnic dinner. The Western Prom is just such a beautiful park and the sunsets over the White Mountains and Mt. Washington are positively sublime.

What was your nightclub, ZOOTZ, like?

It was defnitely alternative in every way. Our customers were very diverse in all ways. Depending on the night and music, gay, bi, trans, straight, 16 to 60 year olds, new wave hipsters and skinheads, serious jazz buffs, grunge, reggae, zydeco, West African, house, techno, rave, hip-hop music fans, college, art school and high school students, bar and restaurant staff, night owls... We were open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays, and I intentionally opened uptown instead of the Old Port partly for this reason.

Third Annual Western Prom Sunset Concert Series

Every Wednesday, 1 hour before sunset, 1-hour shows

• July 12 and 19th - Star t at 7 p.m.

• July 26th and August 2nd - Start at 6:30 p.m.

• August 9th and 16th - Start at 6:00 p.m.

Rain Dates on next day, Thursday, same time if necessary, or in some cases rescheduled to Wednesday, August 23rd.

How did you get interested in promoting bands?

I started as a DJ in the early 80’s, when I moved to Portland. I was the host of “You’ll Dance to Anything,” a show on WMPG, and I started organizing and DJing events called Ultimate Dance Parties every three or four months in any hall I could afford to rent. Also, I spun at Hushang Restaurant and Dance Club on Exchange Street.

When dancers at my parties kept saying that I should open a dance club, I fnally decided to take the leap and open a club, which I called ZOOTZ I wanted to present both DJ and live bands, however. All the music had to be new and cutting edge. No cover bands, no Top 20 dance cuts.

We also were the only club to do all ages chem free nights on Friday nights. When I went to Colby in 1968 the drinking age was 18, so I could go to bars and hear live bands. But the drinking age changed to 21 in 1973. It seemed unfair that college and high school kids, who are always into new music and dancing, could rarely experience that.

PelotonLabs is a coworking space in the West End of Portland, Maine, with a mission to connect and encourage people working on their own to manifest their visions without fear.

PelotonPosts is produced by PelotonLabs and WEN provides free column space. Publisher-editor Tony Zeli is a coworking memeber at PelotonLabs.

PS: The series always welcomes donations and volunteers. If interested in supporting live music in the park, please contact Kris Clark at 207-409-4628 or email him at kc10tsg@gmail Tax deductible checks can be made out to SPACE (annotate WPSCSeries on check), brought to a show, or mailed to: Kris Clark - WPSCS, 129 Emery Street, Portland, ME, 04102.

Kris Clark at a ZOOTZ nightclub reunion in 2022 -Photo by Troy Bennett, Bangor Daily News, reprinted with permission

Abandonment of Pain Patients Cont'd from Pg. 1

lic health. In 2019, the FDA issued a Safety Communication, warning about abruptly discontinuing and rapidly reducing dosages due to precipitated withdrawal, psychological distress, and suicide. And in a rare move, at the end of 2022, CDC fnally clarifed their stance due to widespread misapplication of the guidelines. But the damage was already done; six years later, the guidelines, originally intended as recommendations for primary care physicians, were adopted into law. Thirty-eight states have imposed hard prescribing limits.

The CDC’s Guidelines and Maine’s prescribing limits, formed in the early years of the fentanyl crisis, have done nothing to mitigate overdose deaths, which have set records for the past three consecutive years. The restrictions have, however, had a chilling effect on the pain community, resulting in a 40% reduction in opioid prescribing. This seismic shift has left many patients in the state without options.

“Since the limits on prescribing took effect in January of 2017, it has been more diffcult for patients with chronic pain to fnd prescribers willing to use the appropriate and lawful palliative care exemptions in the statute that were designed to assist them,” said Gordon Smith, Director of Opioid Response for the current Governor. Smith was involved in drafting of the 2016 legislation while he served as Executive Vice President for the Maine Medical Association. “The recent enforcement action by the federal government has had

an additional chilling effect,” he added.

Physicians are too afraid to go on the record and speak publicly in support of Norris or treat her patients. “They’re hunting us,” said an anonymous prescriber. “They’ve weaponized the Prescription Monitoring Program and there’s always going to be a top prescriber.” When asked about using the palliative care exemption, multiple prescribers have expressed extreme discomfort and an unwillingness to use it because of the current climate.

Devastating Consequences

When Norris was indicted, patients were blindsided. Emergency rooms bridged care by writing prescriptions to last fve to seven days, while patients scrambled to fnd practitioners to treat them. Mike Albaum, Chief Medical Offcer at Southern Maine Health Care, explained the rocky process of trying to accommodate patients in the aftermath of the Norris indictment. He said he consulted with the Schmidt Institute in Bangor and set up a plan to reduce and taper patients off their medications or transfer them to another provider for what he calls longitudinal care. He does not plan to use the palliative care exemption that was passed in 2018 because he says they are unclear. That taper clinic is scheduled to close this month.

The pain patients interviewed had been taking pain medications safely and responsibly for six years to two decades, and subsequent to the DOJ action, report dangerous dose reductions that have caused extreme harm and bodily injury, leaving them deeply disabled and unable to function. Of those patients, several who were in recovery from alcohol and drugs for many years have lost their sobriety as they self-medicate. Another is now housebound. Two reported precipitated withdrawals, one experienced multiple seizures, and another’s new medication regimen causes constant vomiting. Several have reported dangerous spikes in blood pressure.

Ms. Snyder, who asked that we not use her frst name, is a 48-year-old patient with degenerative disc disease. She said that during her frst visit to her new provider, they cut short-term opioid pain relievers by 25%. They continued with an aggressive tapering schedule and eliminated the medication entirely in just three weeks. At the same time, they cut her benzodiazepine Xanax by 25 - 75% per week, eliminating the anxiety medication entirely over just a fve-week period. According to revised CDC Guidelines, patients who have been using opioids and

benzodiazepines long-term should not have medications reduced by more than 10% per month. Snyder went into precipitated withdrawal, resulting in fve bad falls within four weeks. The last one split her forehead open on a windowsill, giving her a bloody nose and two black eyes.

At one point, Snyder reports calling the provider thirteen times, and says they never called back. She then contacted Norris, who prescribed medication for the severe withdrawal she was experiencing.

“Until the DOJ targeted my doctor, I had been on stable doses of opioid analgesics and other medications for twelve years. Now, my eleven-year recovery from alcohol is in jeopardy, my mental health has deteriorated, and I can barely make it to my psychotherapy appointments,” she said. “I am barely hanging on. I can’t move around; I can’t make my bed. These are medications that allowed me to function when nothing else has been effective.”

Elaine Pepin, who has been through years of interventional therapies and medication management, is seeking a neurosurgeon who will do her spinal fusion. She detailed over a decade of care that she received from Norris, as well as what she has endured subsequent to Norris’s arrest.

“When I frst came to Norris years ago, she helped me reduce my intake of opioid and other medications, and we found a regimen that was still effective,” she said. “In my subsequent visits to the hospital, I’ve been treated like a criminal. I’ve been told, ‘You know, that’s like heroin.’ ‘We don’t do opioids here.’” Pepin wearily explained, “I wouldn’t be taking these medications if I didn’t need them. It’s demeaning, and it’s insulting.”

Their stories are too numerous to detail. After being turned away from doctor after doctor, some patients are fearful they won’t survive this and that suicide may be their only answer. Others are actively pursuing legal remedies through litigation against institutions for patient abandonment, refusal to treat, and dangerous, inhumane medical practices.

In the ten weeks following this story, patients’ health continues to deteriorate.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by forced downward tapers or the inability to obtain pain management or you are a prescriber who wants to talk about the current climate, please contact Pain Advocacy Alliance at painalliances@ gmail.com.

Diane Nason has complex comorbidities and has been treated under the palliative care exemption since 2018. She is one of 17 patients who spoke about their abondoment by health care systems. After being turned away from doctor after doctor, some patients are fearful they won’t survive.

-Photo by Kelly Merrill

Cigarette Smoking Declines

CDC reports cigarette smoking declined from 12.5% in 2020 to 11.5% in 2021, the lowest level recorded since 1965; however, use of tobacco products remains high. To assess 2021 national estimates of commercial tobacco use among adults aged 18 years or older, CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Cancer Institute analyzed 2021 National Health Interview Survey data.

In 2021, an estimated 46 million U.S. adults, or nearly 1 in 5, reported that they were currently using some kind of commercial tobacco product. This includes 35.6 million adults who reported using a smoked tobacco product (such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes), and 8.3 million who used two or more tobacco products. Among people who used two or more products, nearly one-third reported use of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes, followed by cigarettes and cigars (21%), cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (8%), e-cigarettes and cigars (7%), and cigarettes and pipes (4%).

Despite a decline in cigarette smoking, the use of smoked tobacco products remained high and is the main cause of tobacco-related disease, disability, and death.

Salmonella Linked to Raw Breaded, Stuffed Chicken Products

CDC warns that stronger controls at the manufacturing level are needed to prevent illnesses linked to raw breaded, stuffed chicken products. These raw stuffed meat products (e.g., chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese) typically have a crispy, browned exterior that can make them appear cooked.

Despite changes to packaging to identify the products as raw and to warn against preparing them in the microwave, these products have been repeatedly linked to salmonellosis cases in the United States.

CDC linked 11 Salmonella outbreaks to these products between 1998 to 2022. Most of the products tested from patients’ homes and retail stores during 10 of the outbreaks contained Salmonella.

CDC asks manufacturers of raw breaded and stuffed chicken products to implement additional control measures to reduce Salmonella illnesses related to these products.

Hispanic, Black Adults More Likely to Report

Long Covid Symptoms

Hispanic and Black respondents were more likely than other racial or ethnic groups to report Covid-19 symptoms lasting three months or longer, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS).

The HPS, an experimental online survey representative of the adult population at the state and national level, began asking about long Covid symptoms in June of 2022, more than two years after the pandemic hit the United States. It found that 31.1% of respondents ages 18 and over reported long-lasting symptoms.

Findings are based on responses col-

Covid is 4th Leading Cause of Death in 2022

Early death data showed Covid-19 was the 4th leading cause of death in 2022. Covid-19 was the primary cause of death for 3 out of every 4 deaths with Covid-19 listed as a cause on the death certifcate. A large proportion of 2022 Covid-associated deaths occurred during the frst few months of the year.

The leading causes of death in 2022 were heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injury. Covid-19, previously the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, fell to fourth place in 2022 due to the large decrease in Covid-19-associated deaths in 2021.

Overall, in 2022, about 3.2 million deaths occurred in the United States.After adjusting for age, the death rate decreased by 5% in 2022 compared with 2021. Overall death rates were highest among men and among people who are non-Hispanic Black or non-Hispanic American Indian or

That song was made for dancing!bely

Layne's Wine Gig Presents CAMP

By Layne V. Witherell

“Something so outrageously artifcial, affected, inappropriate or out-of-date as to be considered amusing.”

“The essence of camp is its love of the unnatural and of exaggeration.”

Sontag

Our entire era of the latter half of the 21st Century can be defned by both the smartphone and one’s ability to garner attention and turn oneself into a brand. Some of these brands are created by individual infuencers. Others are the efforts by companies to reach a specifc audience or to create a new one. Today, the entire world is in search of a brand.

There are 11,691 wineries in the US, and 49% produce less than 1,000 cases each year. I mention this because we are constantly witnessing an ocean of wacko ideas to increase that tiny number of dollar sales in each of those wineries. Or in the case of the major companies - the remaining 51% - their quest is to make their shareholders deliriously happy. These efforts are often beyond amusing.

I usually taste all the products that I write about, but in this article the call is all yours.

HAPPY MOMMY WINES

A Santa Inez winery with a brilliant marketing idea. They are out there, lots of them, and now it is time to reign them in. Their marketing photos feature Dana Volk, single working mom with two kids, wearing her grape vine pruning fannels wandering her vineyard. These are wines for the “discerning woman”:

• Mommies Time Out Pinot Grigio: $12

• Girls Night White: $15

• Kids in Bed Red: $15... etc.

The list of like-minded swag is endless and includes books, television, flms, board games, tea towels, seminars, luncheons, stemless glasses... all by women, for women. Dana has carved herself a sizeable niche.

THE ‘BETTER FOR YOU’ CATEGORY

This category is for the ecologically freaked out members of society. Think calories, purity, alcohol, and the cosmos.

Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, $12. The brand title alone is uplifting.They practice, “an innovative and proprietary process that gently reduces alcohol.”

Bubbly Rose, $20. “Why not add some ice to the Bubbly Rose.” They have

Our Portland market is open!

262 Commercial St, Portland Tues – Sat: 10 am – 5 pm Closed: Sunday-Monday

already added the water or run it through the spinning cone to reduce the alcohol, and hence the favor. But you really didn’t care anyway.

Avaline Rose Clean Wine, “Vin De France,” $20, by Cameron Diaz. This wine represents a healthy dose of camp combined with a fair share of celebrity hype. Best enjoyed on your yoga mat in the position of your choice. Love the San Francisco Chronicle wine writer quote, “the one great clean thing about it is, it is sure to clean out your wallet.”

It isn’t really a “Natural wine.” But none of its choir of practitioners have really come up with a solid defnition. It is intended for “discerning drinkers (and

friends) who embrace the pleasures of a whole life and a relaxed approach to wellbeing.” And it is created by a celebrity who revels in the daytime talk show circuit.

The Give Me a Break moment is the label quote, “pairs well with the warmth of the sun and the company of your best friend.”

MARTHA’S LIGHTER CHARD, 19 CRIMES, CA, $12

This is the penultimate marketing disconnect from reality. Yes, there were thought to be somewhere around nineteen crimes that got you sentenced to a

Cont'd on Next Page

-Merriam-Webster

-Susan

HAPPY MOMMY WINES: A Santa Inez winery with a brilliant marketing idea: wines for the “discerning woman.” One of many campy wines Layne explores this month.

WINE GIG: Camp

vile English prison colony. But the story just begins there.

Beginning in 1788 England shipped their criminals to a totally alien never-never land called Australia: all 160,000 of them. None of the convicts would have an idea of their destination. “Australia was settled to defend English property not from the frog-eating invader across the channel but from the marauder within. English lawmakers wished not to get rid of the ‘criminal class’ but, if possible, to forget about it,” noted Australian critic Robert Hughes. Penalty of escape was death.

These people bore absolutely no resemblance to our ever cherubic, blond luminous Martha Stewart smiling at us from the label. Our heartfelt thanks to Mr. John Wordley, Brand and Marketing Manager of 19 Crimes, for his cultural assistance.

Arthur Bowes Smythe, surgeon on the women’s transport Lady Penrhyn, comments, “But I may believe, I may venture to say, there was never a more abandon’d set of wretches collected in one place at any period than are now to be met with in this ship… it frequently becomes indispensably necessary to infict Corporal punishment on them. Nor do I conceive it possible in their present situation to adopt any plan to induce them to behave like rational or human beings.”

The augmented reality app is wonderous at telling a fanciful, short millennial

tale. But nothing beats reading a book for the truth. Our text is, “The Spectacle of Skill,” by Robert Hughes.

BUD LIGHT

Now we reach dicey ground. Dylan Mulvaney, trans infuencer, has her own Bud Lite package. And so Kid Rock got out his trusty machine gun and annihilated a few cases of his favorite beer.

This is an old story dressed up in a Gen Z package for a new generation’s consumption. As I reported in my March 2020 blog article, “Wine: Fastened or Fluid,” the execs have been freaked out over Gen Z for a while. They are 24.3% of the population and are already more than skeptical enough. And there is that all important gender fuidity to worry about.

Let’s see how Budweiser solved their last Gen crisis. Gen X was busy inventing a thirst for craft beer in the 1980’s. What to do? The folks at Bud Light created the “original party animal dog,” Spuds MacKenzie, causing the entire generation to make a head turn and get warm and cozy with their product.

Spuds MacKenzie’s run ended when

the Mothers Against Drunk Driving howled and the Center for Science in the Public Interest hauled out their big guns to take Spuds down. I guess the real end in popular culture was when Sophia from the “Golden Girls” dated Mickey Rooney, whose character was wanted for the crime of spray-painting female parts on a billboard of the make-believe male dog. Hats, dolls, and other Spuds memorabilia are available online and selling cheap.

Don’t worry. Dylan Mulvaney will be here, like all Tik Tok sensations, then gone. The execs are at this very moment hatching yet another idea to keep those all-important shareholders and the next generation of beer drinkers happy.

As long as we have our phones, our gummies, and our vivid imagination, there will always be camp in our lives.

Layne has been a professional in the wine business for many decades and was awarded the Master Knight of the Vine for his pioneering work in Oregon. He can be reached at lvwitherell@gmail.com.

Joyful Cape Malay

By Nancy Dorrans

As a travel counselor, I strive to send or lead my clients to an authentic experience, safely out of their comfort zone, and into an appreciation of another culture, landscape, tradition, food, music, and people.

In the spring of 2016, I organized and traveled to Southern Africa with a small group of adventurous friends. We journeyed from Portland, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, and Duluth, landing in Cape Town to begin our adventure.

The People of Cape Town

While tracking, spotting, and getting fairly close (enough) to the animals in the wild was breathtaking, it was the people we met, the schools we visited, the history, the personal stories we listened to, and friendships we made that made this trip one of my favorites of all my adventures.

“The Cape Malays (people of Cape Town) are the descendants of enslaved and free Muslims from different parts of the world who lived at the Cape during Dutch and British rule ,” Wikipedia informs us. Cape Malay is a mash up of African and Malaysian culture, color, and cuisine – including the delicious Malay Koeksisters, a much-loved South African traditional sticky, spicy, sweet treat. Delicious!

Dutch presence in Southeast Asia.

"From tragic beginnings, Cape Malay has emerged as a strong culture of its own distinct from the Asian, African, and Dutch cultures that have infuenced it. The community has a tumultuous history ranging many years, from fghting slavery to resisting their classifcation under the apartheid government and playing important roles in the struggle against the unjust former regime.” -sahistory.org.za

On the Way to the Harbor...

We arrived at our boutique Cape Town hotel excited and hungry. We were told to head to the harbor for great views and seafood. On our way, a young teenage woman began following us. She started offering directions, and she was persistent and chatty. She told me she had a baby at home and no food. So, we stopped at the corner store on the way, and I asked her what she needed. She said milk and diapers.

The others continued down to the harbor while she picked out the diapers and not one liter but a full case of milk boxes, maybe eight liters. I paid. She thanked me profusely and headed out of the store in the opposite direction, leaving me to fnd the harbor restaurant and my friends on my own. A spontaneous moment with a stranger… slightly out of my comfort zone. Yet an unforgettable and worthwhile encounter!

We enjoyed a delicious meal and from the harbor we could see the iconic Table Mountain that we would climb a few days later.

Happy

This mash up begins in 1652 when the Dutch arrived in the Cape to establish a port for their vessels on their way to the East Indies.

“The Dutch needed laborers for the growing port and began bringing in slaves from their colonies in the Indonesian archipelago, as well as parts of Africa. These slaves were the frst to bring Islam to the Cape and included political dissidents opposed to the

The next day we set out exploring the outskirts of Cape Town and visited Kirstenbosch gardens with amazing blooming aloe, the country’s stunning national fower Protea, and a very special yellow Bird of Paradise fower named for Nelson Mandela. His spirit is ever present.

We enjoyed a delicious Cape Malay lunch at the Groot

Constantia Wine Farm, stunning views from the Cape of Good Hope, and a visit to meet the penguins at Boulders Beach. Next was a challenging yet rewarding hike up Table Mountain. We met up with a group of local schoolboys who happily entertained us and each other!

The people everywhere seemed so very happy! Our hotel bar tender, Happy Juice, introduced us to a delicious cream liquor called Amarula. We enjoyed somewith him - on the rooftop of the hotel!

Our adventure continued further north to Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, Karongwe private game reserve, Victoria Falls, and back to Johannesburg. I’ll continue the rest of this incredible adventure in another article.

We left Cape Town behind, but not the memories of this amazing landscape and the happy, beautiful people that call Cape Town home. Africa keeps calling me back… My dreams to return are slowly coming into view. If you’d like to go, please let me know.

Nancy with the entertaining schoolboys on top of Table Mountain. Nancy Dorrans is founder of Adventure Marketplace... Navigating travelers on authentic, nurturing, global and local adventures since 2014 -All photos courtesy of Nancy Dorrans

Nancy Dorrans Travel Group Expert

Spicy & sweet Malay Koeksisters

Diane Degenhart and Kathleen Connelly with Happy in the elevator to the hotel roof.

Nelson's Paradise Flower

Botany Basics Trivia

1. Boysenberries were popularized by what California Berry farm that’s now a popular theme park?

2. Mold, fungi, and ferns don’t propagate by spreading seeds, but instead they use what one-celled units to reproduce?

3. What’s the C-word for the family of cone-bearing trees and shrubs like pines, firs, and redwoods?

4. Taken as a whole, the petals of a flower can be called by what name that comes from the Latin for “crown,” and is shared by a popular model of Toyota car?

Mondays at Foulmouthed Brewing, Lazzari

Tuesdays at Ri Ra, Brookside F+D

Wednesdays at Wilson County BBQ, Elsmore BBQ in SoPo

Thursdays at Arcadia, Locally Sauced, Goodfire online @bestworsttrivia

Find the answers online at thewestendnews.com/puzzle-solutions!

ANSWERS ON PG. 16

& Online at TheWestEndNews.com/Puzzle-Solutions

WHAT’S THAT BUZZ?

By Rosanne Graef

An undeniable urge to dig always strikes me about mid-April. It’s getting to the 50°s by day and overnight hovers a few degrees above freezing. It’s time to haul out the lifetime trove of gardening accoutrements: such valuables as strips of ancient t-shirts, unmatched separated sections of wire edging, generations of wornout gloves, and my beloved handheld garden fork with the smooth wooden handle that fts just right. During the process of assembling these materials, one of my fondest aspirations was realized.

But frst, let’s go back around six to seven years to when I purchased a teardrop shaped bee house made of woven rattan and bamboo.

My Bee House

Having securely mounted it to catch the morning sun, have protection from driving rain, and enjoy plentiful access to pollen and nectar from our grass-free yard and other foral buffets in the immediate neighborhood, the waiting began. No sign of interest. Not even a fy-by. The unused bee house sat there, quietly decomposing, until spring 2022 when we lashed it together with blue painter’s tape for one fnal try at attracting some tenants.

Maybe it was that touch of color, but for whatever reason our bee house was on the map in Spring 2022. By the end of the six-week mating and pollinating season, eighteen of the nesting tubes were occupied and capped. Who were these long-awaited guests? Mason bees. In contrast to the social honeybees that live together in hives and have a strict division of labor among queens, drones, and workers, mason bees are solitary. Each female has to do the work of fnding a home, building, and provisioning a nest for each egg she lays all on her own. The males don’t do much other than mate with the females.

Although independent, the girls do like to live together, each with her own

nesting tubes. A female makes around twenty-fve trips gathering nectar and pollen to mix and form a nutritional loaf upon which she will lay a single egg. She then gathers mud and builds a partition in the tube to seal off the developing egg. (The name mason bee comes from this construction method.) This is repeated until the tube is flled with fve to seven individual cells, each holding an egg and its food supply.

Mason Bees Proceed

Fast forward now through metamorphosis from egg to larva to pupa, through winter dormancy, to mid-April 2023. I open the door to the shed where the nesting tubes have spent fve months, and there they are — a couple of bees exploring the shelf. Ring those bells! Time to take them outside to mate and nest.

In their approximately six-week lifespan, female mason bees can lay thirty to thirty-fve eggs in several nesting tubes. They can visit 2,000 fowers daily. Not only are they gathering pollen for their future offspring, but they are also spreading pollen everywhere they go.

When you eat a Maine blueberry or apple, chances are a mason bee made it happen. On top of that, they don’t sting and are lots of fun once they fnally fnd you.

BOOK SHORT 'Klara and the Sun'

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Review by Stephanie Miller

In late May, NVIDIA, a maker of chips used in artifcial intelligence (AI) technology, was valued at nearly one trillion dollars. At the same time, the Silicon Valley executives of ChatGPT and other AI companies continue to caution the world against letting their own inventions get too far ahead of human understanding.

Those headlines drew me back to revisit the prescience and elegance of “Klara and the Sun,” a novel with an AI robot as the protagonist from Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. Published in 2021, the social and technology issues addressed in the novel are even more relevant today.

Klara is an exceptionally observing artifcial friend (AF) designed to be a companion, guardian, and tutor to children in some non-specifed future world where many humans are “post-employment”: kicked out of their jobs by robots. Since the entire narrative is from Klara’s viewpoint, there is a striking lack of detail about human society’s new rules and practices. We only get glimpses of sometimes violent “communities” created by lack of technology jobs (presumably, the AI robots now make the technology smarter), debates on the power of AI to take over, and manipulations and corruption (apparently, humans haven’t changed much!). There is also no physical description of Klara herself, other than a remark on her “cute” hairstyle and the fact that she can smile.

First, she is store merchandise being browsed by children and their parents.

She is programmed to learn by observing human behavior. She doesn’t feel emotions, but she knows what they are and reports “feeling” sad when a child seems unhappy and “being happy” when another AF is chosen. Here she learns that humans make promises they don’t keep.

She is chosen by a young girl, Julie, whose mother tests Klara on how well she has observed her daughter. Julie is often sick, which we learn later is a result of a decision by her mother to “lift” her intelligence through genetic alteration. This “lifting” is at the heart of the drama — Klara is programmed to want the best for Julie, and so she joins the mother and family friends who yearn for Julie to get better. Each of them has a plan. Klara’s involves the sun (where the robots get nourishment and energy). The mother’s involves Klara in a rather diabolical scheme which taps the power of AI to simulate humanity.

Through Klara’s sharp and clever observations, which clearly go deeper than the narrative explains, Ishiguro’s spare language slowly meters out the story, a method that both engages the reader and ultimately amazes us with the revelations of the mother’s selfsh audacity. The languid way he shares what Klara learns adds to the dystopian favor of the novel. I fnished it not sure if the mother is a demon or an admirable, fercely loving parent. Klara, however, is consistently kind and gracious, a true friend to Julie, and more humane than the humans.

Rosanne Graef lives in the West End and is a regular volunteer contributor.

Rosanne’s bamboo bee house packed by the mason bees. -Photo by Rosanne Graef

Find Stephanie Miller online @StephanieSAM.

Part I: The Gothic House’s Big Move

formed Greater Portland Landmarks few into action to save the wooden J. J. Brown House, considered a pristine example of American Gothic Revival, then at 86 Spring Street.

A 1971 application for historic designation was already in progress. Earl G. Shettleworth, Jr. (trustee) and John W Briggs (historian) for Greater Portland Landmarks prepared the necessary forms. These efforts soon resulted in the J.J. Brown House being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

By Marta Morse

After purchasing the Portland Gothic House at 387 Spring Street in 1986, I became curious to know more about my new home. This story begins with Portland’s modernization efforts toward urban renewal.

Urban Renewal vs. Historic Preservation

During the 1960s and early 1970s the city administration decided to help the city grow by increasing high capacity traffc corridors, thereby supporting demolition of buildings in order to accommodate growing automobile traffc and parking space. Fortunately, passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966 helped slow some of the scheduled demolitions.

Early on, many considered the Spring Street arterial to be an important project. This plan was to connect Spring Street with the newly planned Franklin Street arterial. As a condition of sale, Harper Hotels Inc. (developer of the Holiday Inn) insisted on widening Spring Street to four lanes. The historic mansions of Charles Q. Clapp and Major Hugh McLellan would remain untouched on the upper side of the block, but existing buildings opposite were destined for demolition.

Sadly, many buildings, like Frye Hall (1917), did not make it. For many years, the Hall and adjacent clubhouse, known as the Woman’s Literary Union Club, had hosted many joyful events. A large Holiday Inn hotel was planned, with plenty of rooms, convention space, swimming pool, and parking. Harper Hotels hoped to lure conventions and tourists to the city.

Smarting from the destruction, ten years earlier in 1961, of the Union Station and Clock Tower (built in 1888) on St. John Street, some recognized the need for speedy action. A group of concerned citizens gathered to form an organization toward the preservation of Portland’s remaining historic architecture. The newly

At that time Mr. and Mrs. Howard B. Whipple owned the building. Assuming that the Whipple’s had been compensated fnancially by Harper Hotels, Inc., it was not surprising when the management, speeding the planned hotel construction along, passed building ownership to Landmarks for a pittance.

The Big Move

Finding a new plot of land, beftting the newly freed building, became urgent. An open lot was found, luckily still on Spring Street. Number 383 was then the side garden belonging to Joseph and Mary Flagg. Mary related to me, when I became her new neighbor some years later, “It was good to know beforehand what a building looked like, one with no unpleasant surprises.”

Settled now in its new location, the building could be put up for sale. Expenses for the move had been tallied and a sale would be by closed bid, hopefully covering all accumulated expenditures. Historic designation had been granted before the move, and the new owner would be bound to honor the challenge toward proper restoration in keeping with the original design.

My Part Begins…

In 1986 I became the third owner of the Gothic House and began planning extensive renovations, both exterior and interior. But frst, I had to get permission from Greater Portland Landmarks for any exterior physical change. With help from Sam Van Dam, a local architect, we got the approvals.

We began work to fnish the Clifford Street side of the building with an addition. Before the move a porch extended along the back. Removed to simplify transport, those scars were still visible. With Landmarks’ permission, we made a large refection of the existing bay window into a glass enclosed conservatory. Being 180 degrees opposite its original orientation, the new conservatory now faced westward into a garden. Exterior scraping and painting continued, replacing damaged carved details.

JUNE 1971... It took 36 hours for James Merry and his crew to move the structure, slowed down by the need to trim trees and raise utility lines.Pulling the house forward was a giant 16-wheel fatbed army surplus tank retriever. The house moved west on Spring to High Street, down to York, then West Commercial to St John’s Street, up Danforth (pictured above) to Vaughn. Clifford Street had Elm trees, so the house was lifted on to its new foundation from Spring Street. Estimated cost: $33,0000. -Photo by Unknown, courtesy of Marta Morse, private collection

Where History Leads Us…

I spent much time in the Maine Historical Society library hoping to fnd further historic details leading to my surprised introduction to the original inhabitants. What was the story of the owners who built it and why did they build a Gothic style house in wood, replicating stone examples historically familiar in England? Was the original house number 40? When and why was it changed to 86?

Portland has an illustrious past. I was hoping to recapture a sense of pride that the city lost during recent history. My in-

terest was focused. I wanted to discover the original occupants. Was there a story? Curiously, the far off Caribbean Island of Cuba entered the tale.

Next Month… Marta’s research uncovers an unexpected connection between the Portland Gothic House and early American shipping trade with the island of Cuba.

Sweet Treats

Breakfast Sandwiches

Lunch

Special Occasions Cakes

katiemadebakery.com

Marta Morse is a freelance photographer who has shown prints at galleries and diverse venues around the country. She has lived at the Gothic House since 1986.

The Gothic House... also known as the J.J. Brown House, is an historic house at 387 Spring Street in Portland.

-Photo by Marta Morse, current resident

Get to Know Your Carbon Handprint

By Caitlin Marshall

You might be familiar with your carbon footprint by now – the amount of carbon emissions created by the miles you drive or the lightbulbs you leave on. But do you know where that footprint idea came from? Turns out, the story is a bit ugly. We might all be better served by thinking about our climate handprint instead.

The carbon footprint calculator was invented as a marketing campaign by… British Petroleum. As one of the largest fossil fuel extraction companies, BP was and is directly responsible for a huge proportion of the climate crisis. They’re one of just 20 companies that are responsible for a full third of global emissions. Despite this, they wanted the spotlight off their business and so devised the carbon footprint campaign to shift the focus back onto individuals.

In the ads, they urge “we all do our part” by looking at things like “mowing your lawn” and “vacuuming your home.” It’s been highly successful; even the Nature Conservancy features a carbon footprint calculator. But if we are all truly doing our part, BP (Exxon, and Chevron) have a really, really big part to play.

So instead, I’m tr ying to use a concept I learned only a few months ago, and that’s my carbon handprint

We’re All in This Together Do Something about Climate Change. Help Us Fix the Grid.

By Halsey Snow

This is about the campaign to create governance reform in the electric grid operator in New England. The electric grid covering the six New England states is operated by a behind-the-scenes operator known as ISO-NE (Independent System Operator – New England, a Delaware-incorporated non-proft company). Other regions have similar ISOs operating their electric grids.

Nor are they very much in alignment with the states’ (certainly not with Maine’s) clean energy transition to renewable energy sources – like solar, wind, and hydro. So, as the ISO works to balance regional fows, and endeavors to protect grid reliability, it has a habit of relying on old solutions.

The idea is to consider the ways in which humans beneft the environment. From pocket forests in Japan, to electric buses in Chile, to fossil fuel divestment here in Maine, people are actively digging, building, and writing a better, more livable future. And I can certainly use my hands to keep writing and calling out the big polluters for what they are.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the climate crisis; it’s global! But by training our attention on the examples of others, already making positive change right now, we can fnd hope.

What will be your climate handprint?

Bright Ideas is brought to readers by the Portland Climate Action Team (PCAT) which meets the Third Tuesday of the month, 6-7:30 p.m. All are welcome to join in: portlandclimateaction@gmail.com.

The older generating plants in our region (unlike all those solar farms you see popping up) use a combination of fuels to feed our grid.The most common one right now is methane gas, a carbon-producing fossil fuel. In 2021, 53% of the region’s electricity was generated using methane gas (only about 12% renewables). That’s a huge impact on our regional carbon footprint.

ISO-NE controls which energy sources power our grid, because they are the ones who buy it from producers through a complex mechanism called the “wholesale electricity market.”

Where this process becomes a problem is that the ISO is not accountable to the states They can listen to what the states want, and fve of the six New England states now have pretty aggressive and forward-thinking carbon-reduction goals and plans. But the ISO is only answerable to FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a subdivision of the US Department of Energy. This is because technically the ISO is engaging in interstate commerce.

The inner workings of the ISO-NE are not very transparent to the rest of us.

If we are to reach our Maine Climate Council’s ambitious goal of 80% clean energy generation by 2030, we need ISO to be on board with stakeholders’ current focus on clean, renewable sources of energy.

This is a particularly unique issue, politically, because the states can’t legislate what energy sources ISO-NE chooses to use. This is one of the reasons there is such a backlog of solar energy farms waiting to be hooked up to the grid. Because ISO is dragging its feet and continuing to support the older fossil-fuel generating stations throughout the region. And guess what? You and I pay for all this!

Want to know more? Contact Citizens Climate Lobby at por tlandme@citizensclimatelobby.org or write to the campaign here in Maine at fxthegrid.maine@ gmail.com.

Halsey Snow is a Golden Ratio educator and a student of water, as well as a member of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, currently focusing on climate change issues and the Fix-theGrid Campaign. He lives in Casco.

We’re All in this Together is provided by the Portland chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

-Photo by grandeduc / Adobe Stock

HILLTOP SUPERETTE’s

SLICE FROM THE PIE

SMALL BITES THAT DIDN'T MAKE THE FINAL CUT…

Pumpout season begins with Friends of Casco Bay’s mobile sewage disposal vessel the Headmaster once again patrolling the bay from South Portland to Harpswell… Portland Fire Department hosts their frst Awards Ceremony since 2019 in to honor frefghters and EMS providers for excellence in the line of duty…

Dean’s Sweets wins national 2023 Good Food Award for their dark chocolate hot fudge sauce which was judged on both favor and environmental and social accountability… New York Daily News calls Becky’s blueberry pancakes the best in the state… Mechanics Hall receives a 1772 Foundation grant to help with needed improvements to their 164-year-old building… Maine was named 2023’s 9th Best State for Working Moms by the fnancial website Wallethub thanks to the lowest unemployment rate among women and 6th best ratio of female to male execs… Gov. Janet Mills hosts the United Bikers of Maine for tea at the Blaine House to promote motorcycle safety… The New York Times Spelling Bee game celebrates 5 years of entertaining Times readers… MTV news shuts down after 36 years as parent company Paramount undergoes mass layoffs… US Fish & Wildlife celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act with commemorative posters

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Comedy

Fifty years ago Carol Burnettt

Starred in her comedic variety show Timeless as vaudeville

- Slip on a banana peel

Everyone laughsBut not today

Democrats would point to recycling

Or the cutback in garbage men’s pay Republicans would point to failed farm programs

Or the lapse of the work ethic

Independents would point to ineffective littering rules

The ha-ha’s would halt in mid-air

The oxygen needed for a hearty guffaw

Sucked out of the prat fall

Political correctness has made fools of us

Comedy, if not impossible, becomes anemic Society has slipped on a banana peel And we don’t get the joke!

-Susan Bassler Pickford

The Dancer

My granddaughter is such a tiny little thing But she knows how to dance she knows how to sing She loves to boogie to the music so loud She shimmies and shakes and dances so proud The music just sets my granddaughter reeling Rockin’ and boppin’ and dancing with feeling

A little girl with rhythm and a touch of class

She’s such a powerful lovely young lass

-Elaine Carver

Learning to Play Playing to Learn

It’s Never Too Late

Make Music

Wednesdays

Beginner Band 3:15, Concert Band 4:15

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church 515 Woodford St.

See us at RBHall Day Richmond, ME June 24, 2023

SouthernMaineNew HorizonsBand.org

Affiliated with New Horizons International Music Assoc

SUBMISSIONS

Share your submissions with thewestendnews@gmail.com or send to: The West End News, 795 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04102.

Letters to the editor should be no more than 200 words. Include your name and town or neighborhood. We also accept poetry, cartoons, and photo submissions. Deadline for publication is the fourth Friday of every month.

-Cal Robinson/USFWS