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July 30, 2010

BRIEFS

Kennebec Journal Staff

AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci has nominated Acting Education Commissioner Angela Faherty to take over as full commissioner of the Maine Department of Education.

The Senate will consider the nomination in a special session Aug. 25.

Faherty has been acting commissioner since early May, when former Education Commissioner Susan Gendron stepped down.

Faherty had been the education department's deputy commissioner. She's also served as assistant superintendent of Windam schools and special-education director in Portland schools. In addition, she has been a classroom teacher; an assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa; and an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine, St. Joseph's College in Standish, and Walden University.

Baldacci on Wednesday also nominated Martha Harris, of Winterport, and Jana Lapoint, of Falmouth, to the State Board of Education; and reappointed five members of the Maine Community College System board.

Irrigation assistance deadline approaching

AUGUSTA -- The signup deadline for irrigation assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program is Sept. 1, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service said in a news release.

The program offers technical and financial assistance to growers for irrigation-related practices, especially in improving irrigation efficiency, such as irrigation sprinkler systems and irrigation storage reservoirs. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. However, only applications which are received by September 1, 2010 will be considered for funding in fiscal year 2011. Applications received after this date will be considered for funding in 2012.

For more information, visit the USDA Service Center, 21 Enterprise Drive; call 622-7847, ext. 3; or visit www.me.nrcs.usda.gov.

Public pot talks postponed

AUGUSTA -- A proposed zone change to allow a medical marijuana dispensary at a site in north Augusta did not face the scrutiny of a public hearing Tuesday night.

The Augusta Planning Board was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed zoning change, but discussion of other agenda items Tuesday forced postponement of the hearing.

In June, city councilors approved rules for medical marijuana dispensary that limit the location of such facilities to the city's medical district.

The district surrounds the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and proposed site of a new MaineGeneral Medical Center hospital off Old Belgrade Road in north Augusta. The Planning Board is currently considering a proposal to expand the medical district to include a larger area of land along Old Belgrade Road.

The proposed expanded zone would include a 10 Middle Road property at Old Belgrade Road that Northeast Patients Group is considering as a potential site for a regional medical marijuana dispensary.

Board members, at just past 10 p.m. Tuesday, decided to reschedule the public hearing on the medical district change to Aug. 10.

Meeting on school construction Monday

CHELSEA -- The committee working on plans for a new Chelsea Elementary School meets Monday to discuss matters related to the school's ongoing construction. The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the library of the existing Chelsea Elementary School.

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