Volunteer Calah Derocher, left, and kitchen manager Cassandra Culleton assemble to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal LEWISTON — After living off-grid and being a stay-at-home mom for the past few years, Calah Derocher was looking for some inspiration as she re-enters the professional world. Through Fedcap’s ASPIRE program, she planned to use volunteer work to get started and perhaps explore several different roles and settings in the nonprofit realm. But after starting at the Trinity Jubilee Center, she found it difficult to go anywhere else. And, according to staff there, Derocher has been rearranging her schedule to help out on holidays. She’s become a regular volunteer in the soup kitchen and food pantry. “After a week of being there I just knew I really wanted to give my time to these people and their cause,” she said. “It’s really kind of scary to go back into society and the job force and it was a really comfortable way to get myself back in there, and feel like I’m a productive member of society.” The ASPIRE program helps Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients move toward financial independence through case management, job training, education, support and employment services. Derocher said life events led her to the program, to find a way to support her family. This winter, she’s starting classes at Central Maine Community College. At first she considered going into social work, but she ultimately decided to learn a trade — electromechanical technology. She said the program asked her to consider tough questions about her passions and what a new professional career could look like, and volunteering was one of the ways for her to face that. Volunteer Calah Derocher, right, organizes to-go meals Dec. 3 during the daily Meals Program at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Derocher began volunteering at Trinity in November, and plans to stay on until school starts. She said she’s been doing “anything and everything” that’s asked of her, including food prep, organizing donations, and more. “I give them my all when I go in there, and try to get as much done as I can,” she said. She often ends up leaving late. On Dec. 23, she was helping to prepare for the Christmas Eve lunch, where everyone who comes through for the meal also gets a stocking with various items. On Christmas Eve she was there from 7:30 a.m. to noon, getting the food out. She did the same on Thanksgiving. Derocher was also helping organize a toy drive, which allows Trinity guests to choose an item to give to someone special in their lives. While her time there will be slowing down soon, she said she could see herself back there again, either during summers when she’s not in school, or at another time. “I feel like the impact of coming here and being around the staff and clients and the whole experience — I know in the future I’ll be able to contribute in my own way back to the community,” she said. Derocher was born in Lewiston and grew up in Auburn, but until just recently lived in Hartford “in the middle of the woods.” She said part of what she’s rediscovered since returning to Lewiston is the feeling of community. She said moving back was a big change, as it was to realize it was “OK to ask for help.” “I think it’s something that’s lost sometimes this day and age,” she said, referring to community. “And I’m hoping to bring that with me for the rest of my life — to remember that communities are stronger together.” Know someone with a deep well of unlimited public spirit? Someone who gives of their time to make their community a better place? Then nominate them for Kudos. Send their name and the place where they do their good deeds to reporter Andrew Rice at arice@sunjournal.com and we’ll do the rest. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs . You can modify your screen name here . Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe . Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors. « PreviousA 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House saysSpecial counsel moves to dismiss election interference and classified documents cases against Trump
Drew Lock matched his career high of four touchdown passes and also rushed for a score and the New York Giants snapped their franchise-record 10-game losing streak with an entertaining 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. Malik Nabers had seven receptions for a career-best 171 yards and two touchdowns to exceed 100 receptions and 1,000 yards during his strong rookie campaign. New York (3-13) registered a season best for points scored by more than tripling its league-worst season average of 14.3 per game. The setback eliminated the Colts (7-9) from the AFC playoff race. Lock completed 17 of 23 passes for 309 yards and Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Stayton also had receiving scores for the Giants, who won at home for the first time this season. Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Joe Flacco started for Indianapolis with Anthony Richardson (back/foot) sidelined and completed 26 of 38 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. But he also was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries, Michael Pittman Jr. had nine receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown and Alec Pierce caught six passes for 122 yards and a score. Indianapolis pulled within 35-33 on Flacco's 7-yard touchdown pass to Pittman with 6:38 remaining. The Giants answered with Lock's 5-yard scramble with 2:57 left to push the lead to nine. After Flacco was picked off by Dru Phillips, Graham Gano tacked on a 30-yard field goal 37 seconds later to put it away. New York held an eight-point halftime lead before Smith-Marsette fielded the opening kickoff of the second half and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown to give the Giants a 28-13 advantage. The Colts answered with Taylor's 26-yard run to move within eight with 11:03 left in the third quarter. Flacco threw a 13-yard touchdown catch to Pierce with 10:53 remaining in the game to move Indianapolis within two. A trick play on the two-point conversion failed. New York increased its lead to nine just more than two minutes later when Nabers caught a short pass at midfield and easily shed two tacklers before sprinting down the right sideline for a 59-yard score. Lock tossed three first-half touchdown passes as the Giants led 21-13 at the break. Nabers caught a short pass in the right flat and raced 31 yards for a score to give New York a 7-3 lead with 1:05 left in the opening quarter. He finished the day with 104 receptions for 1,140 yards. Lock tossed touchdown passes of 32 yards to Slayton and 5 yards to Robinson while increasing the lead to 21-6. Taylor scored on a 3-yard run with 20 seconds remaining. --Field Level MediaJimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100
NRL urged to step in and block Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr suspension loopholeMaupay also had a dig at Everton when he departed on loan to Marseille in the summer and his latest taunt has further angered the Premier League club’s supporters. The 28-year-old said on X after Sean Dyche’s side had lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile 🙂 — Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) December 29, 2024 Former boxer Tony Bellew was among the Toffees’ supporters who responded to Maupay, with the ex-world cruiserweight champion replying on X with: “P****!” Maupay endured a miserable spell at Everton, scoring just one league goal in 29 appearances after being signed by the Merseysiders for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He departed on a season-long loan to his former club Brentford for the 2023-24 season and left Goodison for a second time in August when Marseille signed him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. After leaving Everton in the summer, Maupay outraged their fans by posting on social media a scene from the film Shawshank Redemption, famous for depicting the main character’s long fight for freedom.
Sheehy claims grass fire near campaign sign was politically motivated arsonThe best spa hotels in the UK: Where to go for a relaxing staycationThe No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies (8-2) meet a fellow SEC opponent when they visit the Auburn Tigers (4-6) on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. What channel is Texas A&M vs. Auburn on? What time is Texas A&M vs. Auburn? Texas A&M and Auburn play at 7:30 p.m. ET. Texas A&M vs. Auburn betting odds, lines, spread Odds courtesy of BetMGM Texas A&M vs. Auburn recent matchups Texas A&M schedule Auburn schedule This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.Neal Maupay: Whenever I’m having a bad day I check Everton score and smile
LIAM Payne’s ex girlfriend Sophia Smith has revealed she’s engaged to boyfriend James Bridgwood. The 30-year-old announced her happy news today alongside a video of James popping the question the question on Christmas Day – alongside their daughter Angelina. Sophia wrote: “Yes a million times over 25.12.24.” Sophia first revealed she was dating James in 2021 and the pair became parents in April 20223. The influencer dated Liam Payne from 2013 to 2015 after being friends from their school days. Her news comes just two months after Liam tragically passed away in Buenos Aires. Liam was planning to marry his current girlfriend Katie Cassidy prior to his death. Kate, who dated the One Direction star for two years before his death , shared a note from Liam online shortly after his death, revealing their plans. The social media star, 25, revealed in the caption that they had planned their future and he wanted to get married "within a year". One photo showed the handwritten note from Liam, in which he wrote: "Me and Kate to marry within a year / engaged and together forever". Liam, 31, died in October after falling from a hotel balcony while on holiday in Argentina. His death came just days after girlfriend Kate, 25, returned home to the US following their trip together. Last week it was reported that a close friend of tragic Liam has refused to answer questions over his death. Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores declined to testify and will submit a written statement to the investigating judge. He has denied claims he abandoned Liam before he fell from his balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel . On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne sadly died, leaving family, friends and fans devastated. Here we take you through the biggest stories to unfold since his tragic passing:BEIRUT (AP) — Israel’s military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city’s largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. RELATED COVERAGE The UAE arrests 3 Uzbek nationals for the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Police in Jordan kill a gunman in a shootout near the Israeli Embassy Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza Airstrikes kill at least 31 Massive explosions lit up Lebanon’s skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians , and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military had previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country’s deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” Hopes grow for a ceasefire Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country’s ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were “close to a deal.” “It can happen within days,” he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. Two Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Netanyahu’s security Cabinet had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, but they said it remained unclear whether the Cabinet would vote to approve the deal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations. Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, told reporters Monday that he expected a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to have stages and to be discussed by leaders Monday or Tuesday. Still, he warned, “it’s not going to happen overnight.” After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. “Nothing is done until everything is done,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force . Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel is demanding the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government has said that such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country’s sovereignty. A ceasefire could mark a step toward ending the regionwide war that ballooned after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . The lack of a ceasefire has emerged as a political liability for Israeli leaders including Netanyahu, particularly while 60,000 Israelis remain away from their homes in the country’s north after more than a year of cross-border violence. Hezbollah rockets have reached as far south into Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers died fighting in the ground offensive in Lebanon. The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest of Iran’s armed proxies , is expected to significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition. A top Hamas official in Lebanon said the Palestinian militant group would support a ceasefire between its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Israel, despite Hezbollah’s previous promises to stop the fighting in Lebanon only if the war in Gaza ends. “Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices,” Osama Hamdan of Hamas’ political wing told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, which is seen as politically allied with Hezbollah. While the ceasefire proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.” If the ceasefire talks fail, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, “it will mean more destruction and more and more animosity and more dehumanization and more hatred and more bitterness.” Speaking at a G7 meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, the last summit of its kind before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office, Safadi said such a failure “will doom the future of the region to more conflict and more killing and more destruction.” ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem and Metz from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Nicole Winfield in Fiuggi, Italy, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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