The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has announced a series of statewide workshops to explain the Maine Technology Asset Fund. The fund is the result of the $50 million bond proposal approved by voters last November to create jobs through the support of research and develop-ment. MTI will be administering the program.

The Maine Technology Asset Fund will work to help finance capital assets in order for companies and research organizations to develop new technologies and bring them into the marketplace. The goal is to foster technological advancements that will create good paying jobs for Maine workers.

The workshops are intended to help those interested in applying for funding from the Maine Technology Asset Fund. The two-hour work-shops will include information on the application review process, award amounts, types of awards and the timeline for applications and decisions. MTI officials will also be on hand to take questions and provide answers.

You can view times and locations of the workshops by visiting www. mainetechnology.org . If you are interested in attending, MTI is encouraging reservations be made by calling them at (207) 582-4790.

Preliminary data from 2007 released by the Department of Marine Resources suggests that Maine's lobster industry had its largest decline in the past 50 years last year.

The figures show that the total harvested pounds fell by 23 percent, while total revenue from sales declined nearly 16 percent. While total landings peaked in 2003, last year's catch plummeted 40 percent from that record setting year.

The Maine Lobster Dealers Assoc-iation said the news of the smallest catch in years comes at an especially bad time for lobstermen. They pointed out that lobstermen are already paying skyrocketing prices for fuel and noted that a possible national recession could shrink demand for lobster, which many people view as a delicacy.

The Commissioner of the Depart-ment of Marine Resources has said he plans to meet with state biologists to discuss the possible reasons for the decline in last year's catch.

The Maine State Treasurer's office has started their yearly campaign to return lost and unclaimed property to residents throughout the state.

Unclaimed property consists of money and other personal assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a specified period of time. This includes checking accounts, certifi-cates of deposit, overpayments, gift certificates, paid life insurance policies, unpaid wages, savings ac-counts, stocks and other assets, sometimes totaling thousands of dollars.

In most cases, the addresses are bad or the person has died or moved away. I will be calling people I recognize and sending a letter.

When financial and other institutions are not able to return property to the rightful owner, it is turned over to the state. The Treas-urer's office will print notifications of unclaimed property in local newspapers and has a searchable online database for Maine residents to use. There is no fee charged to process claims.

You can search the online database and get more information about unclaimed property by visiting the State Treasurer's Web site at http:// maine.gov/treasurer/ .

Rep. Jonathan McKane represents district 51 which includes Edge-comb, Newcastle, Damairscotta, Bristol, South Bristol and Monhegan Plantation.