PORTLAND — Uber, a startup ridesharing service that has frustrated the taxi industry in other U.S. metropolitan areas, has launched its first Northern New England operation in Portland. Kaitlin Durkosh, a spokeswoman for the company, confirmed the launch on Thursday, Oct. 2. The company offers various levels of service built around its smartphone app, which […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Franklin Street study eyes slower speeds, narrower lanes
PORTLAND — The road to a redesigned Franklin Street will not be fully charted until next spring, but the steps along the way were presented to about 100 people Oct. 1 at the Portland Public Library. “We need your input, how well did we hit the mark?” Markos Miller asked at the outset of the […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
SBA chooses Portland for small-business grant
PORTLAND — Aid to local small businesses will be bolstered by a federal Small Business Administration grant worth as much as $1.6 million over the next five years. SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet announced Portland is one of eight communities awarded funding through the inaugural ScaleUp America program. The funding will “help scalable small firms grow […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland Museum of Art to take time out for cleaning, reorganization
PORTLAND — The Portland Museum of Art will close for about six weeks early in 2016 as it works to make its collection more accessible to patrons. The work is part of a new strategic “vision” for the museum, which will close in mid-January 2016 and reopen in mid-February. Museum Director Mark Bessire said the goal […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland principal wins $100K for school projects
PORTLAND — After a month of online voting, a city high school principal has won $100,000 for his school. Derek Pierce, of Casco Bay High School, won the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s third annual Larry O’Toole Award, which gives a grant to a New England educational organization to advance student-centered learning. For the first time, this year’s winner […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
University of Southern Maine to cut 50 faculty positions, 2 academic programs
PORTLAND — The University of Southern Maine has a plan to cut 50 faculty positions and two programs in an effort to eliminate $6 million from its budget, according to a statement Monday by administrators. These cuts are the first phase in a year-long effort to eliminate $16 million from the university’s budget that recently […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Marathon draws 3,500 to Portland, Falmouth and beyond
Vanessa Vigue, of Portland, sets a brisk pace along Back Cove on Sunday, Oct. 5, during the first mile of the annual Maine Marathon. Some of the 3,500 runners participating in the annual Maine Marathon and Half Marathon cross from Portland into Falmouth on the new Martin’s Point Bridge shortly after 8 a.m. on Sunday, […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, The Forecaster
Bath, Lewiston appliance stores close; customers in limbo
BATH — The attorney general’s office’s is fielding complaints after Gediman’s Appliance stores in Bath and Lewiston abruptly closed last month, sitting on customers’ deposits and undelivered appliances. The stores are owned by Peter and Serrene Gagnon of Poland. The answering machine at the Lewiston location, at 1822 Lisbon St., says, “We are currently out […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Scarborough council OKs plan for Dunstan area
SCARBOROUGH — The Town Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the Dunstan Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy proposed by the Scarborough Economic Development Corp. and the Planning and Code Enforcement Department. According to the strategy’s introduction, written by SEDCO Executive Director Karen Martin, “the plan pulls ideas, concepts and strategies from the Comprehensive Plan, the Sustain Southern Maine Pilot […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Some councilors still skeptical about Scarborough ice rink plan
SCARBOROUGH — While most town councilors expressed support for construction of a hockey rink Wednesday night, several were hesitant about putting the project next to the high school. “I’m not wild about the location for a number of reasons,” Councilor Jean Marie Caterina told the Friends of Scarborough Hockey, who proposed the $5.5 million rink […]