PORTLAND — Mayor Michael Brennan outlined an ambitious course for the city Jan. 21 in his annual State of the City address. “It doesn’t start with program or grand master plans,” Brennan said. “It starts with values, those we embrace and those we act upon.” Brennan’s 45-minute address, ranging from affordable housing, to increased broadband availability, […]
Forecaster News
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland's Deering High gets $45K from CIEE for study abroad
PORTLAND — The Council on International Educational Exchange has given Deering High School scholarships totalling $45,000 to send students abroad. Portland-based CIEE announced the scholarships on Jan. 26. Both programs, the Global Navigator Scholarship and the Girl Rising program, will send students all over the world during the summer. Students can choose from a range […]
advertisement
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland schools to add e-cigarettes to smoking ban
PORTLAND — The School Board began updating its policies Jan. 20 by holding first readings of proposed new rules on service animals and tobacco use in schools. The policies are scheduled to be voted on at the Feb. 3 meeting. The policy prohibiting tobacco use now includes electronic cigarettes and electronic hookahs, School Board Chairwoman […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland bans street parking, cancels trash removal during blizzard
PORTLAND — A citywide parking ban begins tonight at 10 and extends through 6 a.m. Wednesday, City Hall spokeswoman Jessica Grondin announced Monday. There will be no solid waste collection Tuesday and Wednesday, Grondin also said, because of the blizzard predicted for tonight through Wednesday morning. The storm is expected to drop as much as 2 […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland mayor concedes minimum wage won't happen this year
PORTLAND — A citywide minimum wage is probably coming, but not at the level or the speed sought by Mayor Michael Brennan. In a 90-minute meeting of the City Council Finance Committee on Jan. 22, Councilors Jon Hinck and Jill Duson and committee Chairman Councilor Nick Mavodones Jr. signalled they are open to creating a minimum […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Portland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Bath museum's latest exhibit is nod to its roots
BATH — It started 53 years ago as a history book project. Now, the Maine Maritime Museum has grown into an institution known around the world. Its latest exhibit, “Ocean Bound: Three Centuries of Library Treasures,” showcases the 243 Washington St. museum’s research library, cultivated by Bath community members who wanted to publish a book […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland WinterFest takes off
Snowboarder Zander Stearns, 24, of Old Orchard Beach, glides across a C box Friday during the Portland WinterFest Rail Jam. The city closed an eastbound, one-block stretch of Spring Street to accommodate the terrain park, which included a steep pile of snow and three rail features. It was built during an eight-hour span by employees […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Why and how behind Portland's new storm-water fee
PORTLAND — The Portland City Council this week approved new storm-water fees, signing off on a measure that was once controversial, but over years of deliberation become an accepted inevitability. Christopher O’Neil, a government liaison for the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce, perhaps said it best when he addressed the council at its Jan. 21 meeting: […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
LePage wants to replace Maine secretary of state with lieutenant governor
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage wants to get rid of the secretary of state position and replace it with a lieutenant governor. The duties of the secretary of state, from running elections to licensing drivers, would come under the lieutenant governor, who would also be first in the line of succession to replace the […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
South Portland, Cape Elizabeth to celebrate Winterfest
SOUTH PORTLAND — Winterfest returns Friday, Jan. 30, with two days of seasonal activities including ice skating, competitive chili- and chowder-eating contests, organized snowshoe hikes, and a hockey tournament. Hosted by the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Winterfest has become one of its largest annual events and is funded exclusively by donations from local businesses […]