The Portland Board of Education voted unanimously July 20 to shift $4.3 million in school renovation reserve funds to cover the cost of renovation and new construction for the Presumpscot Elementary School project. Great Falls Construction won the project with the lowest bid of $14.6 million, but that exceeded the expected budgeted amount by close […]
Forecaster briefs
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School board to use $6.2M for tax relief, custodial pay, debt service
The Portland City Council has given the Board of Public Education the go-ahead to allocate an extra $6.2 million in state aid for the 2021-2022 school year for tax relief, custodial salaries and the creation of a debt service relief fund. The extra $1.49 million being used as tax relief will mean taxpayers will not […]
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Longtime director leaving Friends of Casco Bay
With the retirement of its longtime director, Friends of Casco Bay is seeking a new leader to oversee its work in monitoring and improving the health of Casco Bay. Executive Director Cathy Ramsdell is stepping down from the post after nearly 20 years. Andrew “Sandy” Marsters, president of the Friends of Casco Bay Board of […]
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Local diaper bank hits 1 million mark
Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services has distributed more than 1 million diapers in Southern Maine since the beginning of 2020, thanks to $100,000 in grants and donations from 20 organizations and over 200 individuals. KJFS, a program of the Jewish Community Alliance, ramped up distribution through its diaper bank to meet an increasing need throughout […]
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Temporary safety measures put in place at Portland intersection
Safety bollards, signs and intersection paint have been temporarily added to the intersection of Deering Avenue and Revere Street at Woodfords Corner. Through its Imagine People Here campaign, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine teamed up with Friends of Woodfords Corner for the work July 15 in an effort to slow traffic to make the intersection […]
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North Yarmouth offers seniors help with property taxes
Applications for North Yarmouth’s Senior Property Tax Assistance Program are now available on the town’s website at northyarmouth.org. Residents who are 70 or older with an annual income of $40,000 or less and have lived in North Yarmouth for 10 or more years may qualify. This year, $57,000 was allocated for the program in the […]
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North Yarmouth Select Board elects leadership
The North Yarmouth Select Board elected Brian Sites, whose first three-year term on the board expires in 2023, to serve as chairman, and Jim Moulton, who has served 16 years on the board and whose current term expires in 2022, to serve as vice chairman. Sites replaces former chairman Steve Berry, who served one year […]
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Yarmouth juveniles charged in local armed robbery
Three juveniles from Yarmouth were charged with robbery after police allege they held up a clerk at knifepoint at the Big Apple convenience store on Route 1. According to Chief of Police Dan Gallant, officers responded to a report of armed robbery early Sunday morning and the suspects – two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old – […]
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John T. Gorman Foundation accepting nominations for 2022 Fellowship Program
The John T. Gorman Foundation is accepting applications for its 2022 Fellowship Program through Sept. 8. The fellowship, according to the Foundation, is “designed to strengthen the capacity of leaders to make changes that can improve the lives of vulnerable people in Maine.” Through a series of in-person and virtual seminars over the course of […]
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SMCC to hold boat parade for 75th anniversary celebration
Southern Maine Community College is hosting a boat parade this month in Casco Bay as part of the college’s 75th anniversary celebration. The parade is scheduled for July 11 in Casco Bay off the college’s South Portland campus. SMCC President Joe Cassidy and Professor Dan Abbott will lead the parade in their boats, and the […]