FREEPORT — Although the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce asked the Town Council for $36,000 to support the organization and help maintain an executive director position, councilors on Tuesday approved only half of that amount. The council voted 6-1 to give the chamber $18,000 from the Desert Road Phase I Tax Increment Financing account, with the […]

FALMOUTH — Thanks to an award of just under $250,000 from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program, the Falmouth Land Trust is moving forward with a plan to protect 87 acres of lush forest along the Piscataqua River, adding to more than 100 acres already protected in the area. The property is one of eight […]

CUMBERLAND — A master development plan for the Drowne Road revitalization project is due before the Town Council by Feb. 14. The council on Monday unanimously authorized Town Manager Bill Shane to develop letters of intent for the “sale, lease or transfer” of the town-owned Doane Property – as well as the Public Works facility and […]

FREEPORT — Three families will have new homes in the spring thanks to another Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland project on the corner of South Street and West Street. This is the third project completed in Freeport, but different in that there will be three homes built on one lot. Amy Dowler, Habitat’s associate […]

PORTLAND — One year ago, a small group of ambitious artists, writers and musicians took over an old church building on Mayo Street to turn it into a neighborhood arts mecca. While some may have questioned their decision to build artist studios and a performance space far from the Arts District and deep into the […]

PORTLAND — Anyone looking for something to do on nice winter weekends is in luck: Portland Trails has announced a free “Winter Walk” series beginning on Jan. 8. The series, made possible by a $250 grant from Healthy Portland, will provide informal guided walks along various trails on Saturday mornings this winter. “We hope to […]

PORTLAND — After school superintendents received two letters from the state Department of Education – one in July 2009, the second last September – several southern Maine schools have updated their therapeutic restraint and seclusion policies to prohibit holds that restrict children’s airways. The Scarborough, South Portland and Falmouth school boards have acted on amendments to the […]

PORTLAND — The City Council on Monday approved an 18-month contract that includes raises for police officers. But much of the council’s meeting was spent discussing a Bayside bar. Rockin’ Rickey’s Tavern, 94 Portland St., received its liquor license from the City Council, but only after being required to install outdoor surveillance cameras to discourage […]

PORTLAND — Linda Cohen said she tries not to think “lasts.” Not the last time she will climb the winding staircase at City Hall. Not the last birth, marriage or death she will certify. But Friday, Jan. 7, will be full of lasts, when Portland’s city clerk for the last decade steps down from municipal […]

HARPSWELL — A change in federal law governing handling of passport applications is causing problems for some towns, and may cost them thousands of dollars in income. The change prevents offices that provide certified copies of birth certificates from also processing passport applications. In Maine, many town and city clerks’ offices are the only places […]