PORTLAND — Last year, juniors at Casco Bay High School travelled to West Virginia during spring break to work on a Habitat for Humanities project. Some students described last year’s Junior Journey as a transformative experience. This year, students are planning to travel to Biloxi, Miss., April 13-18 to assist Habitat for Humanity’s ongoing relief […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland School Committee to vote on $92M budget
More state aid headed to Portland PORTLAND — The School Committee will vote Wednesday, April 1, on a more than $91 million budget proposed for next year. Prior to the vote, however, the committee must resolve two remaining issues: whether to budget $100,000 for an assistant superintendent to oversee the district’s high schools and whether […]
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Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Federal grant beefs up Cumberland fire coverage
CUMBERLAND — Grant funding is no stranger to the Cumberland Fire Department. Since 2000, the department has been awarded $1.3 million of the $2.9 million it’s sought. The most recent grant, awarded in January, will help fund a full-time firefighter/EMT for the next 5 years, allowing the department to phase in municipal funding of the […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Town, schools hold the line on Falmouth budget
FALMOUTH — The municipal and school budgets presented at a special Town Council meeting last week will neither increase nor decrease the existing property tax rate. Councilors all praised school administrators for their efforts to bring in a nearly flat budget. Coming in at just over $25.2 million, the fiscal 2010 budget reflects an increase […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland Water District to get $4.5M in stimulus
PORTLAND — The Portland Water District expects to receive $4.5 million in federal stimulus money to replace aging infrastructure, without increasing water rates. PWD Public Relation Manager Michelle Clements said the district expects to fund 14 projects, mostly water main replacements. Citing the standards of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Clements said the projects […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Community garden worries cemetery advocate
PORTLAND — A vacant parcel owned by Evergreen Cemetery could become a community garden, orchard and tree farm if the city approves leasing the land to a neighborhood group. The founder of Friends of Evergreen Cemetery, meanwhile, said she is concerned that turning the cemetery parcel into a garden will prevent it from being used for […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, The Forecaster
Sewall attorney says company could recover in 6-12 months
BATH — An attorney for M.W. Sewall & Co. this week said the company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 27, could be back on its feet in as little as six months. While the length of time needed for companies to work their way out of bankruptcy varies, attorney George Marcus said, […]
Posted inThe Forecaster
Portland library considers service, job cuts
PORTLAND — The director of the city’s public library system says hours at Portland’s branch libraries will be cut if the library is flat-funded in its 2010 budget. The library is asking for $3.2 million in funding from the city for 2010, which is about $118,000 more than the current year’s funding. The library’s total […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Durham school chief tapped by RSU 5
FREEPORT — Shannon Welsh, superintendent of School Union 30 in Durham, was named chief of Regional School Unit 5 last week. She was narrowly selected over Freeport and Pownal Superintendent Elaine Tomaszewski after a 2 1/2-hour closed-door meeting of the RSU board. The 6-5 public vote did not fall along town lines. Freeport residents Kristen […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland City Council accepts manager's CDBG decisions
PORTLAND — The City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt Community Development Block Grant recommendations from City Manager Joe Gray. The decision followed two public hearings marked by pleas from social service agencies and largely reflected that of the CDBG Allocations Committee, with a few notable exceptions. A new allocation process was used this year […]