I hope you all are well and enjoying the short stretch of warm weather. I hear we are in for a cold weekend.

This weekend Democratic Caucuses will be held throughout the state. If you are a Democrat, please plan on attending a local caucus. It is an interesting experience. Caucuses will be this Sunday, January 31st.

Greene – 5pm to 7pm @ Greene Fire Station, 106 Patton Road- Wes Sirois  946-4047

Sabattus – 3pm to 5pm @ Sabattus Town Hall 190 Middle Road-Norm Laplante 375-4006

Last year, the local Republican Caucus was in February. I could not find any information listed on when the local Republican Caucuses will be held this year.

In the next two weeks, the Maine Public Utilities Commission will be holding expert witness hearings in Augusta on Central Maine Power’s (CMP) proposal to expand their transmission network in Maine. The hearings will start at 9am each day and be held on February 2nd-5th and 9th-12th at the Commission’s Hallowell offices on 101 Second Street. At the hearings, expert witnesses for CMP and intervenors will be cross-examined on their previously-filed testimony in the case, and will respond to questions from Commissioners and staff and other parties. These hearings are not a forum for public input, although the public can attend the hearings except when witnesses are asked questions about protected or confidential information. If you are a resident of Greene who is affected by the CMP MPRP, this may be of interest to you.

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful 40 degree weather today. It sure was nice out! Today I attended Barbara Nelson’s 100th birthday party at the Meadow’s in Greene. What a great turnout! Barbara is quite a lady. She was a captain in the armed forces in World War II. Barbara is a very special and classy lady. I am honored that I was able to be there. Senator Nutting and I presented her with a legislative sentiment and she was very excited. Peter Ogden of Maine Veteran Services was also there and he presented her with a certificate from his organization and the Governor. (Sorry the photos aren’t very good. The curtain was open and there was a lot of backlighting.)

On Friday, January 8th, I attended a press conference in the Governor’s office. The press conference was on the new Home Performance Program. If you have plans to make your home more energy efficient now is the time. You can read more about this program here… http://www.efficiencymaine.com/residential_programs_mhp.htm

If you are a senior citizen and you are looking to weatherize your home, there are two programs that you may qualify for. One is a grant program and the other is a loan program. These two programs are offered through the USDA Rural Development program. For more information, please contact John Darling at 753-9400 for more information or program guidelines.

Recently, I read an interesting letter in the Sun Journal Sun Spots. The letter was about Maine’s consumer protection law. Did you know that Maine has a very strong law that provides an implied warranty for every consumer product purchased in Maine? As long as the product has not been abused, is within its normally expected life and is not used commercially, both the seller and manufacturer are obligated to remedy any serious defect of any product (except used cars) within four years of it date of purchase. More details on this law can be found at http://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/index.shtml. Check it out.

The Legislature has been revving up slowly. Right now, we are completing committee work. Appropriations has been in the news a lot because of proposed cuts to Health and Human Services programs. The Labor Committee had a busy day on Thursday with the paid sick days bill. It is going to be a tough session. Please contact me with any concerns you may have on the issues. I enjoy hearing from you.