AUBURN — Peter Letourneau has earned a reputation for his quick jokes and puns at School Committee meetings. Think of him as a pundit of puns.
On Wednesday night, as committee members were debating proficiency-based learning and other such phrases, Letourneau said, “Is it fair to say our geometry students are in good shape?”
Later, committee member Chris Langis used the word “daydream” in a sentence. That’s all it took.
Letourneau immediately offered a joke he heard from comedian Steven Wright: “I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.”
Letourneau said he has long enjoyed being a jokester, but had to tone it down in elementary school to protect his mother from having to meet with the mother superior.
A retired vice president of manufacturing sales for Geiger, Letourneau said he jokes with his wife, Sandy, who responds with laughter and rolled eyes.
— Bonnie Washuk
Tree Street Youth praised in U.S. Senate.
As World Refugee Day was celebrated this week, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, spoke on the Senate floor about Lewiston’s Tree Street Youth, which he visited in April.
King lauded the organization for providing young people with the tools, support and confidence to succeed, according to a news release.
“Tree Street Youth has proven to be a tremendous resource in Lewiston and Auburn, particularly for young people from immigrant families,” King said. “While integrating into the community can be difficult for recent immigrants, the Tree Street experience helps to connect young people to their peers and the community as a whole,” King said. “This is a two-way street of understanding that helps bring everyone together.”
That, he said, “is what America is all about.”
Tree Street Youth was founded in 2011 by Julia Sleeper and Kim Sullivan.
King’s comments were his latest installment of his “Good News from Maine,” where he recognizes positive developments.
— Bonnie Washuk
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