CHIEF SHEPARD REPORTS
Gorham Woman Killed in Traffic Accident
On May 9, Ida Johnston, 79, of Gorham, was killed in a traffic accident at about 3:15 pm. Johnston was driving southbound on Libby Avenue and failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Libby and New Portland Road. Johnston drove into the path of a vehicle driving westbound on New Portland Road. Herman Daniels, 61, of Cape Elizabeth, who was driving the second vehicle, suffered non-life threatening injuries. The accident is being investigated by the Gorham PD with assistance from Westbrook PD and the Cumberland County Sheriff's office.
James Berke, 45, of New Portland Road was arrested on March 23, for violation of privacy after he was reported to have been taking photos of a young girl in the bathroom at his home. Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for his residence and seized numerous items.
Examination of this additional evidence and interviews with the victims, then age four and six, resulted in his being charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor (Class B), one count of sexual exploitation of a minor (Class A) and six counts of Gross Sexual Assault (Class A). Berke had no known prior arrests. He was rearrested on May 7 for violating his bail conditions.
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News from Augusta:
Legislation Prohibiting Toxins in Children's Products
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Haz-Mat Team Responds to Fire in Industrial Park
Sheri Faber
On May 4, an employee of Southern Maine Industries, on Hutcherson Drive in the Gorham Industrial Park, reported a fire in a vat used for metal plating. The cause of the fire was later found to be either a malfunction of the heater unit or a short in the wiring of that unit. The fire spread to four other vats.
Since chemicals are used in the business, the Gorham Fire Department had a list of all chemicals which included sodium cyanide, copper cyanide, sodium hydroxide and muriatic acid. Firefighters had to assess which chemicals might pose a hazard if mixed with water. The Haz-Mat team tested the smoke outside the building for acid and tested the water from the sprinkler system, which had kept the fire from spreading and reduced its size. After talking with employees of the business, firefighters decided to attack the fire using three dry chemical extinguishers, which quickly put out the fire.
Chief Lefebvre was pleased that the fire was contained with no injuries given the many chemicals used at the site. "Because of the time we spent when the business opened here, we knew what chemicals were in the building and what precautions we needed to take before anyone entered the building to fight the fire. With this type of business, preparation is key and in this case it paid off. We were able to contain the fire with no injuries and limited damage to the business." Southern Maine Industries lost several vats in the fire, as well as several days of operation in the plating section.
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Legislation Prohibiting Toxins in Children's Products
Rep. Chris Barstow
As a father of three young children, I am personally sensitive to the needs of youth and families in our community and state. I have long advocated and voted for legislation that puts the health and education needs of children as a first priority in our framework of state public policy. It is in that spirit that I was proud to vote for legislation in April that will prohibit toxins in children's products, as well as create a system for tracking children's products that may contain hazardous chemicals.
The Maine Legislature enacted the bill which will test, track and eliminate dangerous chemicals from products that children are exposed to in Maine. The measure received strong bi-partisan support.
According to information provided by the House Majority Office, the new law requires the state to create a regularly-updated list of chemicals that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) identifies as harmful and require manufacturers to disclose if their products contain those chemicals. It will establish a process for replacing them with safer alternatives, and allow the Department to cooperate with other states, share information and promote safer chemical use.
Manufacturers are using toxic substances in products that children and adults are exposed to every day, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration has failed to keep up with identifying and regulating the use of these chemicals in household products. Due to the lack of federal action with respect to these harmful chemicals, Maine was forced to act.
Chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenol-A have proven to have negative effects on fetal brain development and behavior and have repeatedly been discovered in products such as shampoo and teething rings. These are just two out of thousands of chemicals of concern that are currently unregulated by the federal government. Of the 80,000 chemicals in everyday products today, only about 10 percent of them have been tested for their effects on humans.
Through this new tracking process, if the MDEP determines that a safer alternative to a priority chemical in a children's product is available, effective, cost-comparative and safer, then they will work with the Legislature to require the manufacturer to replace that chemical with a safer alternative.
In April, the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine released a study revealing a number of products sold in Maine that have been banned in other places because they contain more than the allowable level of phthalates, a hormone disrupting chemical that is proven to cause damage to developing children.
According to the report (available at www.cleanandhealthyme.org), 83 percent of 24 products purchased in South Portland and tested contained phthalates far above levels allowed in the European Union. Among the products studied in the Maine test were a waterproof crib mattress cover, bubble bath, a baby doll and an inflatable baby bathtub. Products containing more than 1,000 parts per million of phthalates are banned from toys and child care products in the EU, California and Washington. Some manufacturers already produce different versions of toys and household products for European markets that do not include the banned substances.
I am proud to have supported this bill, and look forward to the progress that will be made in the coming months through this new law.
To contact your representative:
Sen. Phil Bartlett, (207) 839-7827,
phil@philbartlett.com
Rep. Chris Barstow, (207) 839-2095,
crbarstow@gmail.com
Rep. David Farrington, (207) 839-7354,
dwfarrington@maine.rr.com
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Around Town
The Memorial Day parade will be held Monday, May 26 at 11 a.m. Lineup will be at 10 a.m. at Village School on Robie Street. The traditional wreath laying ceremonies and cemetery remembrances in Little Falls will be held at 9 a.m.
Java Dogs by Lisa is now open at White Rock Outboard, Sebago Lake Road/Route 237, serving Green Mountain coffee, hotdogs and more.
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