Pedophile in custody
As the result of an ongoing investigation, the USM Police Department has arrested a Lewiston man suspected of downloading child pornography in a Lewiston-Auburn College computer lab.
The man, Fredrick Butler Jr., 31, is being held at the Somerset County Jail after being charged with downloading and/or possessing child pornography. Butler was already on parole.
The matter has been referred to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The screenwriters have landed
The Maine Chapter of the American Screenwriters Association (ASA) has recently relocated to Brunswick.
ASA-Maine is a local chapter of the national ASA. It is a nonprofit, international group dedicated to the education and organization of screenwriters.
They welcome all current or aspiring screenwriters to attend meetings of the organization. The ASA can help screenwriters learn how to prepare, write, submit, and sell screenplays.
The February meeting shall be held on Thursday, Feb. 15 from 6-8 p.m., at the Curtis Memorial Library on Middle Street in Brunswick.
Sisters acts up
The nuns are coming to USM.
Political activists from the Jonah House in Baltimore, Md., Sister Ardith Platte and Sister Carol Gilbert, will be speaking at the Woodbury Campus Center in Portland about civil disobedience, the government’s plan for Star Wars, and plowshares versus depleted uranium.
Sisters Platte and Gilbert were recently arrested for symbolically disarming a U.S. Military aircraft with hammers and blood. The pair has also peacefully protested the United Nations for its sanctions against Iraq.
Students for Green Politics, Maine Veterans for Peace, and Plowshares Support Group are sponsoring the event.
Their presentation will begin at 7 p.m., Feb. 2 at the Woodbury Campus Center Amphitheater, Portland.
Something’s going on up north
The University’s recent construction plans have spread to Lewiston-Auburn College (LAC).
The first major expansion of LAC is scheduled to begin this winter. Construction will add new nursing and science labs, classroom space, and more library space.
The cost of the project is $3.5 million and is made possible through the support of the Maine Legislature.
“The $3.5 million is an investment that will pay benefits to the people of this region for years to come,” said LAC Dean Betty Robinson in a recent press release.
The project is expected to be completed by the fall semester of 2001.