SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council approved the first reading of a $44.2 million bond referendum for high school renovations on Monday, Aug. 23. The 4-2 vote sets up the borrowing measure for decisive vote on Sept. 8.  Councilors Jim Hughes and Rosemarie De Angelis opposed the proposal, and Councilor Maxine Beecher was absent. Even […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — As students return to class on Wednesday, Sept. 1, teachers and administrators will be working behind the scenes to address the needs of 21st-century learners. Superintendent Suzanne Godin said the school year will begin with an assembly led by national brain research expert Karen Williams, who will present the latest findings about […]

Deputy Chief Eric Sylvain of Freeport Fire-Rescue stabilizes a person in the rear of an SUV, right, while other members of the department prepare to remove her from the vehicle following a crash with a pick-up truck on southbound Interstate 295 shortly after 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 23. Several people required transportation to Maine […]

SCARBOROUGH — While some of his friends were on the beach or scooping ice cream for the summer, 17-year-old Alex Kouros spent his summer teaching residents of Scarborough Terrace how to use a computer. “It’s been pretty fun,” Kouros said. “A lot more fun than I expected.” Kouros, who enters his senior year at Cape […]

HARPSWELL — A proposed town committee could review cost savings used to justify the closing of West Harpswell School. In June, the School Administrative District 75 Board of Directors voted to shut the elementary school. The decision was the district’s second attempt to close the school, and it came just months after Harpswell residents voted […]

TOPSHAM — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Aug. 19 for the renaming of the U.S. Navy Annex as Topsham Commerce Park as part of the closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station. Topsham Development had presented the board with a list of 40 annex name suggestions submitted since June by the public. The organization recommended four […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — Superintendent of Schools Alan Hawkins announced his retirement on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Hawkins, 63, told the School Board he will retire effective Dec. 31, but will remain as a consultant through April 15, 2011, to assist in the transition to a new superintendent and to continue to work on curriculum, instruction and […]

FREEPORT — Mikki Cote and her 6-year-old son Eli have a new home thanks to the efforts of L.L. Bean, the town of Freeport, Habitat for Humanity and local volunteers. The third Habitat house in Freeport, fondly named the “Green Bean,” was donated by L.L. Bean in 2008, and moved from its original lot on […]

FALMOUTH — Two young men face multiple charges after allegedly breaking into a police surveillance van in Walton Park. Police Lt. John Kilbride said the park has been a frequent location for car burglaries, underage drinking and even several instances of suspected prostitution throughout the summer. “It’s been a magnet for problems. Walton Park is […]

PORTLAND — The city will hold a series of meetings in September to gather feedback from residents about how Community Development Block Grant-funded programs are working in their neighborhoods. The city distributes about $2.1 million in federal CDBG funding to select social service agencies and non-profit and city capital improvement projects every spring. The funds […]