PORTLAND — Alive at Five, the outdoor summer concert series in Monument Square, is entering its seventh season with a different attitude. This year, there will be no thunderous sound system pumping out bass lines to be heard all the way up Congress Square. Nor will there will any big-name or regional acts. Instead, a […]

PORTLAND — Catherine Debo, general manager of Casco Bay Lines for the past 2 1/2 years, submitted her resignation last week. At the same time, the state is reviewing the ferry service’s request to raise ticket prices. Donna Rockett, president of the Casco Bay Island Transit District, announced Debo’s resignation in an electronic newsletter June […]

FREEPORT — Voters rejected the Regional School Unit 5 budget by a 79-vote margin Thursday, 661-582. The budget validation referendum held in Freeport, Pownal and Durham on June 25 brought out about 11 percent of registered voters from all three towns. Almost 9 percent of voters cast ballots in Freeport, the only town where the nearly […]

David Turin, left, chef/owner of David’s 388 on Cottage Road in South Portland and David’s restaurant in Portland, offers ahi tuna tartar Napoleon with coconut chili, white truffle oil and sweet potato goufret at Taste of the Nation at Southern Maine Community College. The annual Share Our Strength fundraising event supports Preble Street, East End […]

BATH — Eighty is the magic number in this year’s Heritage Days celebration, particularly since it’s the age of Bath City Hall. “Remembering 80 Years Past … Planning 80 Years Hence” is the theme of this 37th annual event, which runs Thursday, July 2, through Sunday, July 5. The title reflects the nature of the parade […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — The Police Department announced that it will increase sobriety checkpoints and patrols throughout the summer, starting this weekend. According to a June 23 press release, drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent who are convicted of operating under the influence could face expenses of more than $7,000, including fines, towing charges, […]

The foam flies as Amy Warner of the Great Impasta serves champagne to Brunswick Downtown Association member Dave Nadeau during the waitstaff competition at the Taste of Brunswick on June 20. Warner eventually won the contest, part of a charitable event that gave attendees the chance to sample treats from area restaurants. (Keith Spiro photo)Vanic […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — Partners in a  local consortium with plans for a renewable energy power plant on Highland Avenue told the City Council on Monday they are on track for construction next summer, pending state and local permits. The Maine Renewable Energy Consortium plans a 10-megawatt plant near Duck Pond and Rigby Yard. The plant […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — An attorney representing the city’s director of public works and cultural services says his client has been exonerated and will return to work, although the city manager declined to provide confirmation. Gregg Frame, a Portland labor and employment attorney, was hired in May to represent Dana Anderson after citizens and a former […]

BATH — The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s downtown tax increment financing district, an expansion that will encompass the future Hampton Inn hotel. The 55,000-square-foot Hilton-chain hotel is being constructed on the Prawer Block, bounded by Front, Commercial and Summer streets. The amendment will add 2.4 acres to the existing […]