ELLSWORTH, Maine - Move over, Drudge and Huffington. The "Woodward and Bernstein" generation is going to be using blogs and social media tools to report the news - news by and about Maine baby boomers. It's called the Maine Boomer Reporting Corps.

Thanks to a matching grant from the Knight Foundation, seniors from rural communities are going to receive training ranging from "journalism 101" to photo and video newsgathering and social-media skills. That will be done at the University of Maine's Center on Aging, where Carol Hammond says the trend in hyper-local news blogging should not be off-limits to older folks who did not grow up as so-called "digital natives."

"It is a myth that older people don't know how to use technology. It's just a question of being introduced to it in a way that's relevant to their lives."

The $52,000 in matching funds comes from the Knight Community Information Challenge. Its directors say out of the 20 winning proposals, the Boomer Reporting Corps stood out as the only one addressing the informational needs of that age group.

Trabian Shorters of the Knight Foundation says it makes sense to him that older Mainers should get into the news business.

"It turns out that boomers are actually - compared to the general public - pretty voracious consumers of news. But what was exciting to us about this proposal was it was the boomers actually doing the news coverage about issues that matter to their generation."

Dr. Lelia DeAndrade of the Maine Community Foundation helped secure the grant. She says the "citizen journalists" will use both new and old media.

"This is a group of people who are incredibly passionate about their communities, and they will go knocking on the doors of the editors of the newspapers in their small towns and cities to make sure that their articles get in the paper."

Hammond says the initial "boomer bloggers" are going to come from members of a group overseen by the University of Maine Center on Aging.

"People over 50 who are already members of Encore Leadership Corps are now going to be not only getting training and skill-building around the concept of citizen journalism, but they're going to actually go out and try to find news stories."

The University of Maine New Media Department is to provide training, along with input from expert media consultants and advisers.




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Cities and towns across Massachusetts hope to increase young voter turnout in local elections by lowering the voting age to sixteen or seventeen. Somerville, Northampton, Southborough and Concord are just a few of the municipalities which have attempted but failed to secure state approval.

State Sen. Becky Rausch, D-Norfolk, said allowing young people to vote on local matters helps ensure they'll keep voting throughout their lives.

"That voting power fosters a real sense of civic duty and does in fact encourage higher turnout rates among young adults," she said.

Opponents contend teenagers lack the ability or motivation to fully understand what's at stake in an election. But Rausch points to Takoma Park, Maryland, where the turnout rate for sixteen and seventeen-year olds exceeded that of any other age group for the first election in which they were allowed to vote.

Rausch is sponsoring legislation to allow Massachusetts' municipalities to lower their voting age for local elections without approval from the state legislature but it's been tabled for the session. She says it's just one of a few issues where home rule gets in the way of local autonomy. Still, she said young people are already engaged in local issues, often related to their schools, and many students hold jobs and pay local taxes.

"And they are active members of every community I represent, and they are both contributors to and beneficiaries of community and local government services," she continued.

Rausch added the effort is part of civics education, which was solidified as a centerpiece of K-12 education in Massachusetts in 2018, and which received a significant funding boost from the state legislature this past year.


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Minnesota is closing in on the 35th anniversary of a volunteer program for clearing litter and debris along highways and rest areas.

With spring in full bloom, officials call on residents to maintain this service.

In the early 1990s, Minnesota launched its Adopt a Highway initiative.

Last year, roughly two thousand church groups, community organizations, business teams, and individuals filled up more than 42,000 bags of trash.

The Department of Transportation's Spokesperson Anne Meyer said about 900 sections of state roadways are available for adoption this year.

By pitching in, she said volunteers allow MN DOT staff to focus on other needs.

"Filling potholes, fixing fences," said Meyer, "really keeping roadways safe."

She added that the program also saves taxpayers money.

People considering volunteering can adopt a roadway section or rest area for two years and clean it at least twice a year. There's also an option for a one-time clearing of garbage near a state highway.

The agency provides training, resources, and safety vests. The state observes the program's 35th anniversary next year.

Meyer encouraged drivers to use caution if they approach an area with volunteer crews at work.

"A lot of our volunteers do go out and pick up trash on the weekends," said Meyer. "So, that's a time to really be alert out there for those volunteers - to slow down, to give them space, to do their job safely. "

Meyer said areas outside Minneapolis and St. Paul tend to have more opportunities for highway adoption.

More details are on the department's website, including a list of local coordinators around the state.




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Concerns about potential voter intimidation have spurred several states to consider banning firearms at polling sites but so far, New Hampshire is not among them.

Only a dozen states and Washington, D.C., prohibit both open and concealed-carry weapons at voting locations.

Emma Brown, executive director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said most of the bans were enacted after the 2020 election, when unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud took hold.

"The risk of gun violence at the polls is heightened," Brown contended. "Which means that legislation at the state level is even more critical than it ever has been."

Brown argued America's elections are free and fair, and prohibiting guns at polling sites and government locations is constitutional. Opponents countered the bans unfairly disarm law-abiding gun owners.

Recent surveys reveal election workers have faced increased threats and harassment since the 2020 election with one in three reporting some form of abuse. And nearly half of election workers said they are concerned for their colleagues' safety.

Brown pointed out armed intimidation tactics disproportionately target people of color and add to the growing exodus of election workers.

"This is a threat that we can't ignore," Brown stressed. "These attacks have also served as a deterrent to Black and brown election workers, who've historically been a really key part of ensuring that our democracy endures on Election Day."

As state legislatures consider banning guns at voting sites, legislation in Congress known as the "Vote Without Fear Act" would place a nationwide ban on weapons within 100 feet of a federal election facility, with exceptions for on-duty law enforcement and security personnel. It has been languishing in a House committee for a year.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.