Community Voices For Change

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired April 20, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD
The podcast  is an interview with Francis Eanes who is the executive director of the Maine Labor Climate Council.   He talked about the Council which is a growing coalition of public and private sector labor unions that are working to address the twin crises of climate change and the broader inequality in the state of Maine.  The Council presently supports the Federal Tax Credit Program which involves a number of solar and wind projects as well as municipal solid waste, geothermal and tidal projects that can offset development costs up to 30%.  The MLCC is also actively working with mobile home park residents to combat steep rent hikes by organizing for rent stabilization and enabling resident ownership of parks.  It is also involved with the Offshore Wind Power Campaign building an offshore wind industry in Maine.   This initiative is being undermined

The podcast  is an interview of  Marina Schauffler who is a journalist and author of Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals which was recently published by John Hopkins University Press.   The book is a schatting indictment of American corporations that have jeopardized public health through the wide spread use of PFAS which are forever present chemicals not only in the United States  but all around the world.   Marina talked about how it was first discovered in drinking water in southern Maine resulting  from a farmer spreading  sewer sludge on a farm in Arundel.   For over thirty years authorities at the state and local level had encouraged the spreading  of municipal sludge as free fertilizer without realizing the dangers that the discharge of this material  imposes on humans, animals and wildlife. PFAS chemicals are present in a wide range of products, including cosmetics, food packaging, water-resistant clothing, firefighting foams, and anti stick coating for cookware. .She pointed out why Europe is better prepared to regulate PFAS and  that the U.S. Government and Corporate America have  failed to address the problem.  She also talked about what  people can do to minimize their exposure to  forever chemicals in food, water and in household gear.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired April 13, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.
The podcast is an interview of Melisa Valiant who is the Communication Director at Beyond Plastic, a nationwide project based at Bennington College in Vermont. She talked about a new book, The Problem With Plastic that Judith Enck, the founder and president of  Beyond Plastics has written which was recently published by the New Press.  The book is outstanding for it not only provides a brief history about how and why plastic was first developed, but also how we have become so dependent upon it over the past 100 years. Plastics are now utilized on an everyday basis with over 450 million tons used per year causing widespread plastic pollution.  The corporations that make the plastic blame consumers for the pollution. They have created a strategic narrative that plastic pollution is our fault. If only people changed their habits and law enforcement apprehended all the litterbugs, the plastic pollution problem could be solved.  The book is more than a critique for it not only reveals how microplastics are infiltrating not only the natural world,  but also the human body and emphasizes the urgent need for action against plastic's toxic legacy.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired March 30, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of Ryan Tipping who is the Director of Policy and Strategy at the Maine Center for Economic Policy.  Ryan is responsible for building and the coordination of MECEP's participation  in a statewide effort partnership working to establish tax fairness.  Ryan talked about what is wrong with the current tax system at the state level in Maine, and what should be done instead.  Currently, there are several bills that have been carried over from last year's legislative session that will establish new high income tax brackets and rates so people with the most wealth will pay more of a fair share,  Currently, Maine's highest tax bracket starts at $64,850, meaning that someone with an income of $650,000 is paying the same rate as someone with an income of $65,000.  The  proposed change would add a new high income tax  bracket and rates so people  with the most wealth would pay more of a fair share and it would also lower the bottom income tax rate from 5.8% to 5.5%.

The podcast is an interview with Robyn Merrill who is the executive director of Maine Equal Justice (MEJ).   Robyn talked about a major program that her agency has developed over the past several years.  The Hope Project  (Higher Opportunity for Pathways to Employment) is a higher education and training program for low income parents with children.  HOPE  enacted by the Maine Legislature in 2018 has annually provided $2,000 to  low-income parents who are enrolled in post-secondary education. The funds provided were used for transportation, housing, utilities and other basic needs. Although the program has now ended, MEJ hopes the success of the program and the in-depth data gathered will prompt lawmakers to support things like strengthening child tax credits, expanding transportation funding and improving access to affordable childcare.  She also briefly talked about the Eviction Prevention Program which will enable families to stay on track with rent.  The EPP program is expected to keep 1,600 households safely housed, preventing the equivalent of three-quarters of all eviction filings last year for non-payment of rent.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired March 16, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast is an interview of Joseph van der Naald and Kevin Van Meter who are the authors of a recent report which was just published - The State of the Unions: Organized Labor in Maine 2020-2024.  The report is an analysis of the current labor movement in the state of Maine.  The report is primarily focused on industries that have the highest unionization rates and the key benefits that workers receive as union members.  The authors of the report pointed out that Maine union members  make $6 more per hour than non members on average and the union wage premium is even higher for women - $6.80 per hour.  The discussion also focus on how union membership can be expanded in the wholesale and retail trade industry which is currently low and the efforts of the Maine AFL-CIO to encourage folks to organize unions and how the state can attract workers from out of state to address the needs of an aging population especially people who work in the health care service industry.  They also pointed out that the two largest employers have unions:  Hannaford and the State of Maine.  Maine Health Care was historically resistant to union organizing but that was turned around  when the Maine Nurses Association organized and were able to negotiate a strong contract with considerable wage increases an job protections.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired March 9, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The podcast for  March 9,  2026 is an interview of Sarah Alexander, the Executive Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  She talked about how Maine Farmers have encountered financial strain resulting from the federal funding freezes and cuts that have been made and how MOFGA as a last resort had to lay off six full time staff members. Fortunately the layoffs have not affected MOFGA's most important programs such as farmer technical assistance, the Common Ground Fair and PFAS support.  Sarah also talked about Maine's new comprehensive ban on PFAS-containing consumer products which took effect on January 1, 2026. MOFGA advocated for this  legislation and continues to work to protect it against attacks aimed at weakening or eliminating it.  This new consumer law prohibits the sale or distribution of  a number of consumer products such as cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, juvenile products, menstruation products and upholstered furniture that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals.  This landmark legislation positions Maine as a national leader in protecting public health from "forever chemicals" that accumulate in human bodies and the environment.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired March 2, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.

The show Linda Deane who is the President of the Western  Maine Labor Council and two other union members  who were involved in the 1987-1988 International Paper Strike in Jay,Maine which  was a bitter 16 month labor dispute involving 1,200 UPIU Local 14 members.  The strike was triggered by International Paper, the world 's largest paper company's  demands for concessions from union members.  The strike was organized against the company's attempt to impose a new contract that cut jobs, reduced wages, ended the closed shop, and radically transformed existing working conditions and practices.  The strike was a defining moment for labor in Maine, characterized by a "work-to-rule" strategy and the use of a local union band to keep spirits high, and intense community solidarity against IP's demands.  The passionate fight of the Jay paper-workers against IP demands sent shock waves throughout the entire labor movement. It also gave a boost to Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign.  He spoke at the union hall while engaged in the 1988 presidential campaign and finished a strong second in Maine carrying many mill towns  and helped spark a national corporate campaign against IP.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired February 23, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.


The podcast for February 23, 2026 is an interview of Destie Hoffman Sprague who is the Executive Director of the Maine's Women Lobby.  The show focused  on a referendum question that will be on the Maine ballot this coming fall which would restrict transgender students' access to school sports and facilities.   Destie first talked about why the League is involved in this issue and why it has joined a coalition to defeat the proposal.  The coalition contends the referendum will increase bullying and harassment, cost schools millions in potential ligation and undermine public education. According to Destie the referendum is spearheaded by the group Protect Girls Support in Maine which seeks to  mandate sports by sex,  requiring public school students to play on sports teams based on the sex listed on their birth certificates.  Destie believes the effort to restrict transgender students from playing sports in Maine is primarily driven by the Trump Administration which has threatened to pull federal education funding if the state does not ban transgender girls from female sports.   Maine's Governor, Janet Mills, Attorney General Aaron Frey, and the Maine Principals' Association are opposed.  In closing,  Destie encouraged  listeners to get involved in the fight to defeat this measure. which would undermine Maine's existing Human Rights Act which protects gender identity.

Community Voices for Change - 30 mins - First Aired February 16, 2026
WMPG-FM. Univ of So. Maine - Weekly - Mondays - 1:00 PM
Producer & Host:  Richard Rudolph, PhD.


The podcast is an interview with Shenna Bellows, the Maine Secretary of State, who has been an outstanding champion of voter rights in Maine, and over the years has helped prevent efforts to reduce the rights of voters in the state.  Shenna talked about President Trump's efforts to nationalize elections and how his supporters on the House Committee on Administration recently introduced  "The Make  Elections Again Great,"  an 83 page bill that would impose new federal standards on elections which would override state and local elections laws.  Shenna is also a candidate running to serve as the new governor of Maine and  briefly talked about several issues that need to be addressed such as the housing affordability crisis, tribal sovereignty, federal attacks on food assistance, health care and immigration, rising energy costs and what can be done to assist Maine to get the transportation system it needs.