DEAR SUN SPOTS: There’s an official destination where people can send donations to help the family of Maine State Police Detective Ben Campbell. Maine State Police have received several inquiries about what people can do to support the fallen officer’s family.
Detective Campbell, 31, was killed April 3 along I-95 in Hampden when a wheel from a passing logging truck fell off and struck him. He was outside his cruiser helping a driver in the breakdown lane.
Maine State Police said they have worked with Campbell’s family and his estate to set up a fund that will help to support his wife, Hilary, and 6-month-old son. Donations can be sent to Detective Benjamin Campbell Fund, Bangor Savings Bank, PO Box 454, Skowhegan, ME 04976.
In addition, Maine State Police said that with the assistance of Sgt. Aaron Turcotte and the Maine State Troopers Foundation, they have linked an official PayPal account to the Bangor Savings Bank account. Donations can be made via PayPal here: https://paypal.me/detcampbellfund.
For other questions regarding donations to Campbell’s estate, contact Lt. Michael Johnston, Maine State Police’s benefits liaison officer at Michael.P.Johnston@Maine.Gov.
— No name, no town
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Here is more information on the switch between newscasters Lee Nelson and Lee Goldberg on News Center WCSH that was just announced on April 8. This is a follow-up to the April 10 Sun Spots. Starting Monday, April 15, Lee Nelson will permanently be on the 5 p.m. newscast and on the noon and 5:30 p.m. broadcasts with his wife, Cindy Williams. After 30 years, he’ll be able to spend more time in the evenings with her at home, too.
Lee Goldberg will be on the morning show. That way, he can be home with his youngsters in the afternoons.
ANSWER: Sounds like a win-win to me. I’m glad that’s worked out. Now all the “Lee fans” out there will have to adjust their schedules!
DEAR SUN SPOTS: Some time ago I wrote to Sun Spots for information on how long we should keep canned goods. Some cans say “best by” and others say “use by.” It’s a shame to throw out some cans just a month or two after the date.
I may have missed your answer before, but will keep a sharp eye out this time.
— No name, no town
ANSWER: That answer was published in Sun Spots on March 15 but here’s a recap for all those who missed it. A product’s use by date on the label is aimed at consumers as a directive of the date by which the product should be eaten, mostly because of quality, not because the item will necessarily make you sick if eaten after that date. However after the use by date, product quality is likely to go down much faster and safety could be lessened. Consuming canned food a few months after this date is perfectly fine.
The best by date is only a suggestion to the consumer of when the product should be consumed to assure ideal quality.
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is involved with reintroducing the 2016 “Food Date Labeling Act” this year, working toward standardizing labels because it’s too confusing when different manufacturers have so many different ways to label canned and jarred food.
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