HALLOWELL — Mackenzie Swift, a local restaurant server and bartender, didn’t realize the response to her Facebook post taking a stand against a group she said espouses racist rhetoric and is run by white supremacists would turn out the way it has.  But her social media post has ignited a flurry of responses and thorny […]

AUBURN — Opponents of state laws that legalize medication-assisted suicide and require Medicaid and private insurers to cover abortions are enlisting some of the state’s largest Christian churches to gather enough voter signatures to put the laws on hold before they go into effect next month.  Carroll Conley, executive director of the Christian Civic League […]

Describing Central Maine Power’s proposal to establish a $6 million compensation fund for customers as unprecedented, the Maine Public Utilities Commission said it will take up the matter with CMP’s request for a rate hike, which is expected to be addressed around the end of the year.  CMP has offered to put $6 million into […]

OAKLAND — Gary Bennett gently removed the 2-week-old loon from a box and cupped the chick in his gloved hands as the boat drifted Monday in the sparkling waters of Messalonskee Lake.  Then came the high-pitched cry from the baby, whom he had named Jordan. Just three days ago, Bennett, who runs Snow Pond Cruises […]

  Police: Man in custody after standoff in Brownfield  BROWNFIELD, Maine (AP) — Police say a man is in custody following an eight-hour standoff in the town of Brownfield, Maine.  Officials say there was a disagreement between neighbors, and one neighbor showed a gun, leading to the standoff early Wednesday. Police were called just before midnight and other tenants […]

Portland streetlights that have been out for months will be repaired while the city and Central Maine Power attempt to resolve a dispute over responsibility for maintenance and repair of underground power lines.  City and company officials agreed Wednesday to work together to fix malfunctioning lines that affect at least six city streetlights.  “It is a significant […]

BRUNSWICK — The St. John’s cruise-in returns Friday, 5:30-8 p.m., at the new St. John’s Community Center at 43 Pleasant St. in Brunswick. Community members are invited to take a step back in time at Maine’s newest classic car show and enjoy a night of hot rods, live music and more. Admission is free, but […]

BRUNSWICK — Power was out at Cook’s Corner in Brunswick and more than 4,000 Central Maine Power customers were in the dark Thursday after a reported fire along high voltage transmission lines. Central Maine Power Co. spokeswoman Catharine Hartnett confirmed the outage is due to an equipment failure behind the Bath Iron Works Hardings Plant […]

HARPSWELL — Harpswell’s select board set the town’s 2019 property tax rate at $6.70 per $1,000 of valuation, a 3.4% increase from last year.  Harpswell board members approved the 22-cent increase to the rate Wednesday night. With the increase, a property assessed at $200,000 will now have a tax bill of $1,340, up from $1,296 […]