USM picks Shaw as graduation speaker

David E. Shaw, founder of Idexx Laboratories in Westbrook, will be the commencement speaker at the University of Southern Maine’s graduation, which takes place on Saturday, May 10, at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m., with doors opening at 7 a.m. More than 900 graduates are expected to march.

After an early career in Maine state government and management consulting, Shaw founded Idexx Laboratories in 1983 and served as CEO until 2002.

Maroon named to Civic Center board

The Cumberland County Commissioners recently appointed four members to the Cumberland County Civic Center Board of Trustees. They are David Maroon of Gorham; Neal Pratt, Scarborough; Gary Plummer, Windham; and Andrew Braceras, Portland. Braceras will fulfill the two-year term left vacant by the death of William Troubh. The others are for three-year terms.

Group targets human trafficking

The monthly speaking series that combats human trafficking continues at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 30, at South Gorham Baptist Church on County Road.

The talk, part of a series titled “Potluck With a Purpose,” will be about safe houses, organizer Cindy Elder said.

Elder said, “We will have four speakers – Bill Legere, Phil Crowell, and Dave Wolfe, representing the Not Here Conference and Project TLC, and Bob Atherton, founder and developer of Amirah, a safe house on the North Shore of Boston.”

The public is invited, and those attending are welcome to bring a food dish to share.

U.S. taxpayer debt

The Bureau of the Fiscal Service reported on May 2 that the U.S. Public Debt was $17,468,093,940,076.33.