Kennebec Journal from Augusta, Maine • 1

MM TTrrinr Si ANIMALS STUDY: A5 50 Cents 4 m- 'v i- a English speakers suffer more from dyslexia CLAIM: FRIDAY A purr-feet pet massage requires no stroke of genius Mentally ill man claims discrimination against him jn Monmouth B1 C8 TOM MEETINGS: Taxes in Whitefield water in Pittston to be debated MARCH 162001 Ctipyright 200 L' MIKJKJ Oldest Newspaper Augusta Maine Founded in 1825 A Blethen Maine Newspaper 44 Pages I I I I Panel reaches preliminary agreement on state budget By FRANCIS QUINN la losses for some municipalities from the $2 Committee Sen Jill Goldthwait of Bar Harbot the 7 percent sales tax on meals and lodging to The Associated Pres million proposed by King to $5 million Democ- have generally tried to work by consensus food establishments that do not serve alcohol ratlc House leaders said Host of their deliberations have occurred in effectively increasing the tax on meals in such -AUGUSTA-Weeks of wide-ranging state riedapriSffoShffKrf are walking down toe road together with Maine's tax budget talks have nnaUyproduceda series of school binding envisioned by the administre- our Republican House Maiority on meals and lodging from 7 Dercent to 15 aex- tentjve conqttomises between Democrato tion and legislative budget writers would build Leader fttrick Colwell D-Gardiner told rank- cent without expanding its breadth Repubucans witfa some expensive and po- on general purpose aid pegged at about $664 and-file House Democrats during a caucus The change would raise revenue an estimat-tentialy divisive items moved into a category mfllton in the current fiscal year meeting on Thursday ed million far the biennium about $14 mil- that lawmakers on Thursday termed On higher education the Appropriations Some of the budget bargainers' discussions lion more than the original propos-nary panel has penciled in binding increases of 42 however have been conducted outside the al according to King aide Kay Rand The biggest such item is state aid to local percent percent for the University of hearing room away from public As with the original proposal some of the pchools Fbr no the Appropriations Commit- Maine System The state technical colleges observance new revenue would be used to boost the state tee has chosen to accept the two-step increas- and Maine Maritime Academy could be in Ene The committee has tentatively booked tourism budget from $47 million to $72 million es proposed by Gov Angus King: 5 percent in for increases of 4 percent and 15 percent recommended 26-cent-n-pack increase per year fiscal 2002 and percent in fiscal 2001 To date despite evident philosophical differ- in the cigarette tax Appropriations panelists in spite of some The panel also agreed to boost a so-called enoes members of both parties and the indepen- It also has endorsed for now a Taxation Democratic misgivings have green-lighted an cushion which coukl ofbet distribution fannu- dent Senate chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee plan embraced by King to extend unspecified 10 percent cut in human-services programs financed fay the Hind for a Healthy Maine which draws money bran Maine's share of a national tobacco settlement Democratic lawmakers say the cuts would amount to about $11 million compared to $35 million sought fay the governor That action too was termed preliminary House Minority Leader Joseph Bruno R-Raymond stressed the preliminary nature of agreements thus far saying Democrats need to back further spending trims to match Republican acquiescence on taxes House Speaker Michael Saxl D-Portland noted Thursday that major items still to be addressed include an unpopular King initiative to reschedule plans to pay down the pen- sion fund liability and the disposition of $50 million set aside in a school technology fund Mother and Child Reunion BHS takes 2 children from home i Agency explains process of custody in Schofield case By MICHAEL REAGAN Staff Writer INSIDE Christy Baker's daughters Logan Marr and Bailey were taken away from her a year ago because the Department of Human Sendees considered she led ten unsafe lifestyle But Baker and her mother Kat-lynn Badger who helped raise the children at times are bitter that the foster home that the two little girls were sent to proved more unsafe B7 Erin King had an ominous feeling as she drove past the fleet of police cruisers on her short road in January and she was saddened to loam that a 5-year-old had tied B7 8en Tom Sawyer Is seeking a federal investigation of the Mains Department of Human Sendees adoption and child-protection services in the wake of the Jan 31 death of a 5-year-oM state foster child in Chelsea B7 Staff photo JIM EVANS Ruby Dalbeck 94 fivoa across ths hafi from her daughter Lsona Russell In the Kennebec Plaza seniors apartment complex In Augusta 94 and counting: contented By BETTY ADAMS Staff Writer CHELSEA The Department of Human Services has taken custody of the two biological children of Dean and Saly Schofield in' the wake at Salhr arrest in the death of a foster child in her care Salhr Schofield was charged with manslaughter after an autopsy revealed that 5-year-old Logan Marr had suffocated cm Jan 31 after duct tape had been placed over her mouth After death DHS took custody of her sister Bailey and placed her with mother fcater (ami- two biological children 15 years and 18 months old were taken by DHS on Wednesday evening and placed in the care of a relative according to David Winslow a spokesman for DHS initial thought was that having the father there to supervise was appropriate and safe said David Winslow DHS spokesman on some of the information we got from police we changed our mind on Winslow would not be specific about the dangers the state feared State workers convinced a District Court judge Wednesday night to grant the state custody went to the family's house on Skyline Drive late that night to remove them basically have to demonstrate that the children are in dan- or in jeopardy in that household id on a preponderance of the Winslow said The Schofields will contest the action at a dosed hearing Thursday Logan was removed from the tody of her biological mother Christy Baker of Dover-Fbxcroft almost three years ago because of Dalbeck who is a little unsteady on her legs has fallen a few times once remaining on the floor for a couple of hours until she could summon assistance firemen helped me she said Today she wears a string of pearls with a flowered dress and a second necklace that sports an emergency call button She is grateful fbr her health aside from diabetes that is controlled by pills i She can see and hear and remember like to do nothing she said When Dalbeck was able to get out more she would attend services at South Parish Congregational Church a building she can see from her window and she points proudly to the love strep that serves to hold her key ring on her walker Dalbeck worked on farms in Aroostook County picking potatoes and doing housework Every once in a addle she would put her four children in a Model and go fbr a Please see RUBY A2 roots-are in the north but she and her children moved to central Maine first to Readfield Depot where she worked on Eric farm and later to the building that houses apartments fbr senior citizens on Willow Street Augusta She has four surviving children nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren all in central Mama Her sms John of Riverside Drive Jim of Allen Street and Elmer of Mt Vernon Avenue and others stop in to visit when they can none more often than her only daughter Leona Russell 72 who lives three steps away just across the hall in the same complex "She waits cm me gets my meals goes to the store and buys my said Dalbeck Russell who works part-time at the Senator Inn in Augusta checks on her mother every night to make sure she is safely in bed AUGUSTA Ruby Dalbeck walks slowly and purposefully aiming her walker straight fbr the overstuffed chair by the floor-to-ceiling window at the far corner of her small living room Her favorite seat offers a commanding view of the dark water and white ice in the Kennebec River below She anticipates the summer scenes with boaters and anglers seeking striped bass and shad just to the south of the inm-girdered railroad bridge love it here because all she said Dalbeck who will turn 95 on March 28 remembers her own dqys seeking salmon near her home in Aroostook County used to fish in the North Branch about a mll from toe she said "We used to go up there and fish and pick substance abuse problems in the household and inadequate supervision Winslow said After an initial placement in a foster home in Turner Logan was returned to her mother But she was taken away again fix' poor supervision and ongoing substance abuse Logan then was placed in foster care in Rumford but those parents eventually informed the state that toe placement was not working out was a situation where Logan was a bit of a handful to deal Please see FOSTER A2 Plan to insure partners wins Democratic approval WEATHER Partly sunny B8 Bhara Than NaSon By GARY KEMAL Staff Writer Call 621-1300 8kxks6 Worlds From the State House' Local 1-5 7 Community 2 Obttuariaa4 Opinions 1002 TknaSltanix 1000 1001 Lottary 8oapa 8ports 1-fl Animals AUGUSTA Legislative Democrats Thursday muscled past Republican opposition to let stand a new health benefit fbr unmarried gay and heterosexual couples -But the issue will likely be seen again because the sponsor said he will keep looking for ways to bring the issue before the Legislature TWo months ago the labor-management commission that oversees the state employee health in- surance program voted to provide health coverage for unmarried domestic partners both gay and het- erosexual in response to requests by union officials Labor officials say they anticipate 50 to 100 people to apply for the benefit at a cost of based on i Please see PARTNERS A2 CtaaaWad 1-811-12 Comics 10 Staff photo JIM EVAN8 Rap Brian Duprey R-Hampden was unable to persuade the House on Thursday to consider debating health-insurance benefits for domestic partners who are not married IM'M'W- -r i njiiwyiiil it gnpj iidiihrfiiclirarfiw Im fcuafe wViiiii iiiciii nin iw Hurt r--ir-lirV --Vilft i WM.