Maine Wedding Show set for Jan. 15 at Augusta Civic Center

Kathryn Sonderegger, of New England Events, of Loudon, New Hampshire, is coming back to the Augusta Civic Center to host the Maine Wedding Show on Jan. 15, according to a news release from the events company.

The show will offer over 35 of the area’s wedding professionals, including florists, DJs, photographers, caterers, wedding cake vendors, limousine companies, dance studios, wedding planners, rental companies, tuxedo rental, jewelry and much more.

There will be thousand of dollars in door prizes, a cash bar and two grand prize condo vacation trips to two luck couples. This show will have everything to help you with your planning your day in the Augusta area. The show is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m.

More show and ticket information is available at www.myneevent.com or by calling 603-708-1318.

Pair join management team at Kennebec Behavioral Health

WATERVILLE — Linmarie Goulette has become the medical practice administrator at Kennebec Behavioral Health, and social worker Pat McKenzie is its new outpatient and substance abuse administrator, according to the agency.

Goulette has over 17 years of health care management experience. She previously worked as the practice manager for Penobscot Community Health Center, a large medical/behavioral health practice that offers an integrated health care model with primary care, behavioral health, care management, physical therapy, pharmacy on site, laboratory on site, and walk-in care. Earlier, Goulette worked for The Charlotte White Center in Dover-Foxcroft. During her time at the Charlotte White Center, she provided oversight for outpatient counseling and adult/children’s medication management programs. She lives in Guilford with her husband, Barry, and has a son, a daughter and a stepdaughter.

McKenzie has over 30 years of experience serving children, adults, and families with behavioral health needs in their efforts to build stronger lives in their journey to recovery and wellness. McKenzie previously was the vice president of community inclusion and recovery services at The Opportunity Alliance of Cumberland County, beginning in 2008. Before that, she was the senior director of Sweetser’s Crisis Services and the clinical coordinator of the crisis team at Community Health and Counseling Services.

McKenzie lives on a working farm in midcoast Maine where she and her family produce vegetables, eggs, hay and fiber from a small alpaca herd.

Kennebec Behavioral Health is a nonprofit health care organization that has provided mental health and substance abuse services and support in central Maine since 1960. It operates clinics in Waterville, Skowhegan, Winthrop and Augusta and has three vocational clubhouses, located in Waterville, Augusta and Lewiston.

Superior Court Justice Mills wins Advocate for Justice Award.

Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills, of Cornville, has received the 2016 Advocate For Justice Award, Maine Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Leigh I. Saufley announced Thursday in a news release.

The Judicial Branch awards the Advocate For Justice Award annually to a person who has championed the cause of justice most effectively.

Mills is a 1982 graduate of the University of Maine School of Law. After several years in private practice, she was appointed to Maine’s District Court in 1991 and the Maine Superior Court in 1993, where she served for three years as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court; and she continues to serve on the Superior Court today.

“As a trial judge Justice Mills has presided over some of the most high profile criminal and civil trials in the state with a respect for the rights of the parties and victims, as well as for the public and the media’s interest in the proceedings,” the Judicial Branch Performance Council — the awards review panel — said, explaining its reason for choosing Mills. “She has a great ability to efficiently manage the many cases assigned to her, eliminate delays, and yet assure that all have had their ‘day in court.’ She instills a respect for justice in every proceeding over which she presides.”

In presenting the award, Saufley said Mills has made a significant difference in the delivery of justice, particularly in criminal cases, through the development of two important problem-solving courts: the Co-Occurring Disorder Court and the Veterans Court. Through her consistent commitment to those courts, Justice Mills has created a model for others to follow, she said.

In 2005 Mills, in collaboration with the Kennebec and Somerset County District Attorney’s Office and treatment providers, created the Co-Occurring Disorders Court. This court provides intensive judicial monitoring, case management, specialized treatment and other services to criminal defendants who have serious substance abuse problems and mental illness and who have committed serious criminal offenses. As a result, the participants are some of the most challenging defendants in the criminal justice system. Participating defendants meet weekly with the judge, probation officers and substance abuse and mental health service providers, with the goal of holding defendants accountable for their crimes while helping the defendants to improve their mental health, as well as reducing future criminal behaviors. Minimum participation is one year, with most participants averaging between 18-23 months before “graduating.”

In early 2011, Mills added a separate veterans’ track to the Co-Occurring Disorder Court. Mills worked closely with the local veterans hospital and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to insure that each participant had the resources necessary to succeed. It is one of the first veterans’ courts in New England. Each participant has a veteran mentor. As in the Co-Occurring Disorder Court, all participants are involved in serious substance abuse, often have a mental illness diagnosis, and have been charged with serious felonies.

Mills has transitioned out of weekly management of the two courts in 2016 but has taken on the task of overseeing all of the specialty courts in Maine as chairwoman of the Statewide Drug Courts Steering Committee, while maintaining her regular trial duties on the Superior Court.

Kennebec Savings Bank donates $15,200 to food bank

Kennebec Savings Bank has contributed $15,200 to Good Shepherd Food Bank in an effort to ease hunger in Kennebec County, according to a news release from the bank.

The donation will support 38 local food banks and pantries in their mission to provide nutritious food and warm meals to those in need during the winter.

Access to food is a significant problem for many individuals and families in Kennebec County. The most recent data from Feeding America suggests 15 percent of the residents of Kennebec County are food insecure, according to the bank. This works out to about 18,280 individuals who lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

As the largest hunger relief organization in Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank gathers and distributes millions of pounds of food each year to 400 partner agencies across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools, and senior programs.

The gift was made on December 28 at the Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Auburn office and warehouse. Kennebec Savings Bank President and CEO Andrew Silsby presented the check to Good Shepherd Food Bank Vice President of Development Erin Fogg following a brief tour of the facility. The donation sets up a credit of $400 with the food bank for each of 38 partner agencies in Kennebec County.

Compiled from contributed releases

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