Wathen: Glad mom didn’t have a delete button

AUBURN — On Wednesday, dignitaries were at Central Maine Community College seeing the new nursing simulation center that features computerized mannequins.

The mannequins allow nursing students to learn real life skills on lifeless patients.

“We’re allowed to make mistakes here we would not be allowed anyplace else,” student Vickie Cummings said. At 55, she described herself “as the oldest kid in the class.”

One mannequin has simulated heart attacks, another dubbed Noelle gives birth.

“She talks. She has blood pressure,” Cummings said. “There’s complete electronic monitoring of the baby and mother.” During labor “we can stop. We can hit delete, and we can back up and talk about it.”

Dan Wathen, former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court who serves on the Maine Community College System board, got a kick out of her remarks.

“I’m very pleased my mother didn’t have a delete button,” Wathen said.

  —Bonnie Washuk

Bus map comes out on top

Simplicity, elegance and strong use of color — not usually the way you’d describe a bus schedule.

But those are the kinds of things judges had to say about Lewiston-Auburn’s Citylink bus schedule last month.

A panel at the NorthEast Passenger Transportation Association in Hartford, Conn., rated the Twin Cities bus map the fairest in New England for its graphic flair, clear direction and ease of use.

According to Noah Berger, program manager for the Federal Transit Agency, the Citylink map was selected as best overall of the 45 print maps submitted. Maps were evaluated based on usefulness, aesthetics and coordination with other transit services and local landmarks, attractions and services. The Twin Cities also received points for printing the maps on inexpensive newsprint, making them ideal for affordable publication and distribution.

Marsha Bennett, transit coordinator for the Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee, said the maps were designed by consultant Tom Crikelair of Bar Harbor and Richard Tolmach, a nationally recognized transit graphics expert, of Sacramento, Calif.

— Scott Taylor

Auburn school calendar matches Lewiston

AUBURN — The school calendar for Lewiston and Auburn will be the same next year, except for, of course, Auburn’s early release Wednesday for elementary students.

For years both cities shared the same calendar, making it easier for parents who work and live in either Lewiston and Auburn. In the last few years, the school departments’ calendars were a bit different. This year, Superintendent Tom Morrill said he took the calendar passed by Lewiston educators and used it for Auburn’s in 2011-12. The calendar was adopted by Lewiston last month and by Auburn on Wednesday.

— Bonnie Washuk

 ‘I’m not walking out!’

When meeting with the Lewiston City Council for the first time March 26 to talk about the school budget, Superintendent Bill Webster joked, “I got a little nervous after reading the paper.” He was referring to a March 22 story about three Auburn city councilors walking out of a school budget presentation by the Auburn School Committee.

Lewiston officials chuckled, then praised each other for how well the two groups get along.

A few minutes into Webster’s slide show on the school budget, Ward 7 Councilor Stephen Morgan stood up and started to move from his chair.

“I’m not walking out,” he said, with good comic timing. As others laughed, he said he moved to get a better view of the slide show.

— Bonnie Washuk