Hero Award given
to Falmouth resident

FALMOUTH —The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission presented the Carnegie Hero Award and medal to Richard Meserve of Falmouth.

The medal is awarded yearly to individuals in the United States and Canada who have risked their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.

Last July, Meserve saved a 9-year-old girl from drowning at Higgins Beach in Scarborough. Meserve, a 42 year-old teacher, saw the girl get carried by a strong riptide far from the beach toward large rocks. Using a broken section of a short surfboard as a flotation device, he swam out and successfully rescued her.

USM toxicologist earns
$1.6 million research grant

PORTLAND — Dr. John Wise of Cape Elizabeth, director of USM’s Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, has received a $1.6 million award from the National Institute of Health to fund his research on how chromium causes normal cells to develop into tumors.

The five-year Research Project Grant, or R01, is a highly competitive grant program, with a reported acceptance rate of five percent.

This R01 award is one of only six received by faculty in the University of Maine system. It is the second R01 grant received by Wise.

Governor nominates local
residents to courts, boards

AUGUSTA — Governor John E. Baldacci has nominated several local residents to serve in the State’s courts, and on various boards.

Beth Dobson of Portland was nominated to serve in the District Court. She has practiced law for 30 years with Verrill Dana law firm, and is currently a partner.

Kenneth Spirer of Portland and Sally Sutton of South Portland were nominated to the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services.

Spirer was formerly the first vice president and assistant general counsel at Merrill Lynch & Co. Sutton has been employed as a senior policy analyst at the USM’s Muskie School of Public Service.

Ms. A. Mavourneen Thompson of Peaks Island was nominated to the Maine Human Rights Commission. Thompson is the co-owner of Thompson Price Research Group, Inc.

The Governor nominated Dimitri Balatsos of Falmouth and renominated Benedetto Viola of Scarborough to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees.

Balatsos is the president and CIO of Tesseract Partners, a global investment company. Viola has been employed as an engineer with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Wayne Whitney of Brunswick was renominated as the alternate to an employee seat on the Maine Labor Relations Board. Whitney is an attorney at McTeague, Higbee, Case, Cohen, Whitney & Toker.

Awards

Brunswick’s Mid Coast Hospital was presented with a Sentiment of the Legislature offering congratulations on the hospital’s “magnet designation” issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for providing quality patient care.

At the Maine Association of Planners’ annual meeting, Terry DeWan of TDJ & Associates in Yarmouth earned the Plan of the Year award for its Scenic Assessment Handbook prepared for the Maine Coastal Program of the Maine State Planning office. 

Freeport’s Maine Distilleries, creator of Cold River Vodka has earned the “2009 Best of Freeport Award” in the Distilled & Blended Liquors category of the U.S. Commerce Association’s Best of Local Business Award Program.  

Diversified Business Communications presented the company’s highest honor, the Governor’s Award, to Bob Callahan of Scarborough, group show director, and Karen Butland of Cumberland, sales manager for the International Boston Seafood Show. 

Portland’s Back Bay Grill restaurant was awarded the Cellar Excellence Award from Wine Spectator magazine for its 10th consecutive year in recognition for offereing at least 100 different wine selections from diverse geographic locations and grape varietals. 

In the 10th international juried exhibition “For Pastels Only,” held by The Pastel Painters of Maine, Claudette Gamache of Bath earned first place for her painting “Late Spring-Popham Beach,” and Diana Johnson of Freeport was awarded third place for “Marsh in Autumn.” 

Cape Elizabeth’s Inn by the Sea was accepted into the Virtuoso travel network, which recognizes premier destination properties throughout the world. The Inn is Maine’s first and only Virtuoso hotel.  

At the annual The Scarborough Lions Club annual dinner and celebration, Bob Buttarazzi and Bob Holmes, both of Scarborough, were awarded the the Club’s highest honor, the Melvin Jones Fellowship, in recognition of their humanitarian contributions to their community. New officers for 2009-2010 club year include president-elect, Carol Varney; first vice president, Bev Green; second vice president, Len Libby; treasurer, Bill Pape; and secretary, Ed Connolly, all of Scarborough.  

Arthur Schade was newly elected as commander for 2008-2009 for the Falmouth-based American Legion Post 164, replacing outgoing past commander, Frank Dusty. 

New Ventures

Downeast Energy & Building Supply received the Certified Green Dealer status from national trade magazine, LBM Journal, after its staff participated in voluntary educational training and testing on green building techniques and green product choices.

Tilson Technology Management, a Portland-based IT consulting company, recently launched of Web sites for five companies: www.balldontliemovie.com, for Ball Don’t Lie / Night & Day Productions; www.portlandstage.org, for Portland Stage Company, www.inventorycircle.com, for InventoryCircle.com, www.garbjaffe.com, for Garb Jaffe & Associates Legal Placement, www.mainecoastkitchen.com for Maine Coast Kitchen Design.

Burgess Advertising & Marketing was selected by MaineHousing to provide marketing, advertising and public relations support on various projects, including the “Gift of Green” promotional campaign launched by Gov. John Baldacci.

Portland law firm Verrill Dana, has a member of the World Services Group Organization. The multidisciplinary professional network selects one law firm per state for membership based on standards set by its board of directors.

Shalom House in Portland is now providing community rehabilitation services for adults with serious mental illness, through funding by the Department of Health and Human Services and MaineCare.

Rabelais has recently released its first catalogue of rare and antiquarian titles on food and drink. The catalogue can be viewed or downloaded from its website at www.rabelais.com. 

The Holiday Inn Portland West, located on Riverside Street near exit 48, was purchased by Lafayette Riverside, Inc., and has become part of the Maine-based Lafayette Hotels Group, which also acquired the Holiday Inn by the Bay in downtown Portland earlier this year.

Freeport Conservation Trust has received grants from five businesses that have joined the Trust’s business partner program. New supporting business members are Aqua Maine, Inc., Bath Savings Institution, Best Western Freeport Inn & Cafe, Shaw’s Supermarkets, and Royal River Natural Foods. Royal River Natural Foods has also adopted and will help maintain Freeport Conservation Trust’s new Kelsey Brook Trail. 

Maine Medical Center’s urology program has earned approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to host the state’s first urology residency training program. The four-year program will have one residency position available beginning July, 2010. 

Meserve
Schade

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David True, Commander of the Yarmouth AMVETS post, pictured left, presents a $5,000 donation to Sandra McCatherin, manager of Yarmouth Senior Housing Inc. The Yarmouth AMVETS donation is in support of to the local elder housing complex, Bartlett Circle, capital campaign. The donation brings Bartlett Circle closer to meeting its initial fundraising goal to complete needed renovations improving safety and accessibility
issues.