YARMOUTH — A local student won a silver medal at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships last weekend. Franz-Peter Jerosch, 14, and his partner, 12-year-old Julia Curran, of Westbrook, took second place in juvenile pairs Jan. 16 at the championships in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are the first Mainers to win a medal at the championships […]
Forecaster News
Maine AG, medical community seek to slow opioid prescriptions
PORTLAND — Kelly Benson practices and preaches calm and inner strength, but Maine Attorney General Janet Mills has sounded the alarm. Both are seeking the same thing: the end of substance abuse disorders caused initially by legally obtained prescription opiates, often prescribed for pain management. “The increase in overdose deaths has made prescribing protocols a law […]
Former Topsham school, Town Hall, get new life as senior housing
TOPSHAM — A building constructed in 1896 as a place to educate children will soon become a home for senior citizens. The former John A. Cone School will open next month as the newest member of the Highlands retirement community, an upscale, four-unit rental called the Olde Town Hall Apartments, for people 55 and older. Having […]
Portland panel ready to amend rules governing temporary art
PORTLAND — The Public Art Committee will again discuss final revisions to rules governing temporary public art displays at its 4 p.m. meeting Wednesday at the Portland Public Library. The revisions are largely centered on public notification about applications for exhibits in place for no more than a year. They will be forwarded in a communication to […]
Portland students ‘rise to the occasion’ against invasive species
PORTLAND — Seventh-graders at King Middle School answered the call when the Department of Environmental Protection asked quite the chore of them. The DEP asked the students to build 35 submersible, remotely operated vehicles to investigate invasive aquatic plants, and the students spent last fall perfecting the devices. Pamela Porensky, a math teacher at the […]
Peaks Island woman creates community effort to clothe the homeless
PORTLAND — Anna Blash went looking for a man named Lewis at the Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal Monday. He wasn’t there, but wherever he was, he was probably warmer thanks to Blash. Blash, 32, is a writer who also works “odd jobs,” and has lived on Peaks Island since March. A job she took about […]
Catherine McAuley H.S., UNE ink pact for college transfer credits
PORTLAND — Some students at Catherine McAuley High School will now be able to get a head start on their college educations. McAuley, which will sever its religious affiliation this summer, has signed a partnership with the University of New England to allow qualified students to earn up to 30 college transfer credits while still […]
Maine firefighters on target at burn survivors camp
Tatyana Shakhray, 18, guides a fellow camper during target practice at Lakeside Archery in North Yarmouth on Sunday, Jan. 17. Twenty-three adolescent burn survivors came together in southern Maine over the weekend as part of the 10th Fire & Ice Burn Survivors Winter Camp put on by the Portland Firefighters Children’s Burn Foundation. Portland-area firefighters […]
‘These kids are brave’: Cape Elizabeth students champion civil rights
CAPE ELIZABETH — The Middle School Civil Rights Team knows just because diversity isn’t always visible, doesn’t mean it’s not an issue. The team of seventh- and eighth-graders also knows this means they have to work harder to educate their peers on social issues such as race, sexuality, gender and ability. “Maybe because we’re not as […]
Liane’s story: An addict finds ‘Hope’ at Scarborough Police Department
SCARBOROUGH — When Liane was told to visit the Scarborough Police Department for help with her addiction to heroin, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Seeking help from the police wasn’t something she was used to. “Living as an addict, you’re kind of scared of the police,” she said. Liane, 24, who asked not to be […]