Senate Passes First-in-the Nation Mercury Bill
Bill would ban sale or distribution of mercury-added button cell batteries; Plan study on dental amalgams
The Maine Senate on March 22nd unanimously enacted a bill into law that would make it illegal to sell or distribute mercury-added button cell batteries in Maine after June 30, 2011. These types of batteries are often used in novelty products that are often discarded when the battery dies.

The battery industry has announced that it planned to voluntarily eliminate mercury-added button cell batteries by the same date as the proposed Maine law. Maine’s legislative effort will help reduce mercury exposure around the country by the time the law takes effect.

Another bill enacted on March 22nd by the Senate would require the reporting of the amount of mercury amalgams supplied to dentists.

Mercury enters the environment via pollution from power plants, waste incinerators and other sources. Once it enters the environment, it infects the food supply, such as fish. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one in six women of childbearing age in the United States is at risk of having newborns with neurological problems from mercury exposure in the womb. This translates to 630,000 children being born each year at risk for problems from exposure to mercury.

Christian Civic League Crashes Local Awards Banquet
Two members of the Christian Civic League of Maine attended the 22nd Annual Equality Maine Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn on Spring Street on March 17th and issued a ‘Special Report’ for The Record, the group’s online newspaper.

The article on the group’s website described various fliers, magazines, and brochures available at the event “celebrating the homosexual ‘lifestyle’” and it criticized the mainstream press for not covering the annual event.

The article also listed some of the public officials who attended the event, including Governor Baldacci, Senator Peter Mills, Senator Karl Turner, Senator Ethan Strimling, and Congressman Tom Allen. It also listed many of the sponsors of the event, among them Maine Bank and Trust, Time Warner Cable, and The Maine Democratic Party.

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY!
Thursday, March 23
Mayor to Talk About Local Developments
Portland Mayor James Cohen, will speak at the Portland Democratic City Committee monthly meeting on Thursday, March 23, 2006, 7 PM- 9 PM.

Cohen will talk about "Portland: What's Going On" with a particular focus on developments planned for Bayside and the East End.

Markos Miller, Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization President, and Ron Spinella, Bayside Neighborhood Association Chair, and other neighborhood leaders will be there to give the neighborhood perspective on the many changes in the pipeline. The meeting is at King Middle School, 93 Deering Avenue. FMI: Sive Neilan, PDCC Chair (207) 774-4219 or # (207) 838-7719 cell.

____________________________________________________________
West End Pizza Gallery
-Every Day Special-Large Ham Italian,
Chips, 20 oz. Soda - 5.49
-One Topping, 10 inch Pizza,
20 oz. Soda – 6.49
-Terryaki Shrimp,Salmon, Chicken & Beef
With Rice & Salad
129 Spring St. 871-9170
Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Subs, Wraps, Fries, Chicken Fingers
Mon.-Sat. 10:30-9 PM