PORTLAND — Reacting to a late-in-the-game outcry from fishermen, a group of wharf owners hoping to change the city’s rules for waterfront use are dropping a request for increased space for non-commercial ship berths. “We dropped the 50-foot request because it was clouding the overall intent of the zoning requested changes,” Richard Ingalls, a representative […]

PORTLAND — Voters will be asked in November whether they want the city to have an elected mayor. The City Council on Monday night put three Charter Commission questions on the ballot. It also told a teenage provider of taxi service on Peaks Island he has to play by the same rules as the non-profit […]

PORTLAND — For most Americans, the cost of cooling off with an iced coffee has gone up this summer. Green coffee beans are commanding higher prices, forcing major manufacturers like J.M Smuckers, which owns national brands like Folgers and Dunkin’ Donuts, to hike the price of their coffee. But while consumers buying beans might have […]

PORTLAND — The bids are in and it appears that local tax dollars will not be needed to build the so-called mega-berth for large cruise ships at Ocean Gateway. Three companies submitted bids for the project, originally estimated to cost as much as $8 million. Paul Pottle, assistant manager of the Maine Department of Transportation’s […]

PORTLAND — A summer community in Casco Bay is looking for a year-round caretaker to watch over island homes. Cushing Island, off the coast of South Portland and next to Peaks Island, has about 45 homes. The island is a part of Portland, but is privately owned. Island Association President Fred Spencer said summer residents […]

PORTLAND — In a city that caters to its dog population with special parks, day-care centers, playgroups and boutiques, it’s should be little surprise the city has launched a fundraising effort to purchase oxygen masks for four-legged friends. Fire Chief Fred LaMontagne, Planet Dog and the Portland Downtown District on Monday announced a $3,000 project […]

PORTLAND — Neighborhood opposition has convinced the Police Department to back off a plan to move the Parkside Community Policing Center. But a battle over future funding for the Grant Street center could be on the horizon. City Councilor David Marshall, who represents the district, said the Police Department wanted to move out of its […]

Part two of a three-part series on Maine’s law to fast-track wind turbine development. Next: Flaws in the wind power bill are like skating on dull blades. AUGUSTA — Gov. John Baldacci established the Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development by executive order on May 8, 2007, with the expectation it would make Maine a […]

PORTLAND — Growing a mustache to raise awareness of cancer is an oddball thing to do, but Dr. Lou Jacobs is hoping the idea is quirky enough to catch on. The Farmington-born chiropractor and acupuncturist with a busy practice in Portland sports a neatly waxed, handlebar mustache that he started growing when his mother, Patty, […]

Although the string of accidents is unusual, it is unclear whether the crash rate has risen.