Maine at Work: A coach for the visually impaired finds satisfaction in delivering tools that foster independence.
Ray Routhier
Staff Writer
Ray Routhier has written about pop culture, movies, TV, music and lifestyle trends for the Portland Press Herald since 1993. He is continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of Maine’s people and places. He’s written about why so many businesses use the made-up word “Mainely” in their names, how you can trace Portland’s history through its various smells and why Mainers lament the loss of Portland-made B&M baked beans. He’s interviewed a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, musicians and authors, including Patrick Dempsey, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Russo, Tess Gerritsen, Tony Bennett, Anna Kendrick, and Stephen King. His passions, besides writing, include baseball history, old movies and “Jeopardy!” A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, he graduated with a degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He lives in South Portland with his wife and two children.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Author Q&A: The man, the myth, the gun lover
Mainer Silvio Calabi explores the life of Ernest Hemingway through the prism of his passion for hunting and firearms.
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Posted inLife & Culture, News
Screenwriting contest picks winning script
Chris Sorensen wins $500 for his short screenplay “Double or Nothing.”
Posted inNews
For youngsters this Christmas,’little things … are big right now’
Santa might not need such a big toy sack this Christmas. It appears the hot holiday toys are shrinking.
The gotta-have toy of Christmas 2000 was the Razor Scooter, a toy big enough to stand on. In 2005, the hot Christmas toy was the Xbox 360, a substantial video game set. In 2006, parents scoured stores for the $40 TMX Elmo doll, in the standard Muppet size.
Last year, the hottest holiday toys by far were Zhu Zhu Pets, small in both stature and price. They were the size of hamsters, and priced under $10.
Posted inBusiness, News
At South Portland store, reporter wonders if the shoe fits
Marie Forbes sat in a chair and said casually and cheerfully, “I’m looking for a sexy little black shoe with a heel.”
My first inclination was to ask for more information — maybe a sketch of the shoe so I’d have more to go on. I mean, how do you define sexy in shoe terms?
But before I could open my mouth, Paul Adams had me following him into the back room at Selby Shoes, Etc.
Posted inLife & Culture
Music and Nightlife: Hooked
Phish founder Mike Gordon can’t get enough of … lists. And playing music. And touring — he’s in Portland Friday.
Posted inNews
Man in charge of sheet music helps symphony handle ups and downs
Maine at Work: Among his many duties, the PSO’s librarian makes sure the string instrument bows don’t rise and fall willy-nilly.
Posted inLife & Culture
Music and Nightlife: LIVE! From southern Maine!
If you can’t find a place to see live music in southern Maine, you aren’t looking hard enough.
In the past few months, a half dozen performance spaces opened in southern Maine. They range from Venue Music Bar and Grille in Portland, which opened in June in the old Raoul’s space on Forest Avenue and has shows almost every night, to the brand-new music, film and art space in Biddeford called The Oak + The Ax, which opened in October.
There’s also Bayside Bowl in Portland, a bowling alley on Alder Street that has live music two or three nights a week and can hold up to 300 people. It opened in June.
Posted inUncategorized
We’ve been wild about Harry from the start
For Hogwarts newbies or for diehards who need a refresher, here’s a brief summary of the previous six films: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001): The first in the series was directed by Chris Columbus, famous for family-friendly adventures such as “Home Alone.” The young Harry Potter is rescued from the neglect of his […]
Posted inNews
Sharp learning curve for meat cutter
Maine at Work: Reporter Ray Routhier tries to warm up to a job that requires skill with long knives and cold pork.