PORTLAND

More than 40 employers expected at annual job fair

More than 40 employers will be on hand when the University of Southern Maine holds its annual job fair Tuesday.

The fair, which draws hundreds of people each year, is being held from noon to 4:30 p.m. at USM’s Sullivan Gym. It is open to both students and the public.

Held each March, the event gives job seekers a chance to meet with potential employers in an informal setting to discuss full- and part-time jobs, career opportunities and even summer jobs.

Employers at this year’s fair include KeyBank, FairPoint Communications, Bath Iron Works, WMTW-TV, JobsinME.com, two police departments and insurance companies.

AUGUSTA

Hearings set on proposed Anthem rate increases

Maine insurance regulators will hold public sessions this week on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s proposed rate increases.

Anthem has requested average rate increases of nearly 10 percent for several of its individual health insurance products covering about 11,000 customers. If approved by the Maine Bureau of Insurance, they will take effect July 1.

Public comment sessions for consumers to say how the increases will affect them will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today in the Corbett Building at the University of Maine in Orono; 5 to 7 p.m. March 22 in the Wishcamper Center’s Lee Community Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland; and 4 to 6 p.m. April 11 at the Bureau of Insurance in Gardiner. An overview of the rate review process will begin at 4:30 p.m. before the Orono and Portland forums.

If unable to attend the public comment sessions, the public is invited to provide comments at a public hearing scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. April 12 in the Kennebec Room of the Gardiner site.

Comments can also be submitted by e-mail to sarah.hewett@maine.gov, or mailed to Superintendent of Insurance, Attn: Sarah Hewett, 34 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.

Schools offered grants to plant trees this spring

Conservation officials are offering grants to Maine schools to plant trees on school grounds as part of the 2011 Arbor Week celebration and to give recognition to Maine’s forest industry.

The Maine Forest Service’s community forestry program, Project Canopy, is awarding 20 grants of up to $1,000 each. Participating schools can use the grant money to purchase one or several trees that can be dedicated to Arbor Week or to an individual who is significant to the school.

The application deadline is April 29. The projects will be acknowledged as part of the Maine Forest Service’s annual Arbor Week celebration from May 16 to 20.

Funding for the program comes from the USDA Forest Service-Urban and Community Forestry Program and corporate sponsors.

BRUNSWICK

PETA recognizes college for day of meatless meals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is recognizing Bowdoin College for the vegetarian and vegan offerings in its dining halls.

The animal rights group said it is giving Bowdoin’s dining services a “compassionate campus” award for its “Meatless Monday” event in February, when the Brunswick college dished up only meatless meals to more than 1,000 students.

Dan Shannon, director of PETA2, the student wing of PETA that is giving out the award, said that demand for vegan and vegetarian food is growing on the nation’s college campuses. More than 20 major universities regularly hold “Meatless Monday” events in their cafeterias, he said.

 

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