Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 3, 2012

Dispatches

From staff and news services

PORTLAND

Cliff Island’s post office gets break after Pingree lobbies

The Cliff Island post office, which faced severe reductions in its hours of operation, will remain open for at least six hours a day.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, announced Tuesday that the U.S. Postal Service has agreed to triple the post office’s hours from the previous plan.

Initially, the Postal Service put Cliff Island on its list of post offices to be closed. It later agreed to keep the post office open for two hours a day.

Pingree, who lives on the island of North Haven, said two hours wouldn’t be long enough to serve residents effectively. She lobbied the Postal Service to keep Cliff Island open for at least six hours a day.
“The Post Office is a critical part of island communities. I know that firsthand and I was glad we could get the Postal Service to keep Cliff Island open longer,” Pingree said in a prepared statement. “The Post Office in a small town is more than just a place for people to get their mail.”

Pingree is married to S. Donald Sussman, the majority share owner of MaineToday Media, which owns the Portland Press Herald.

Car that plunged into harbor had no defect, analysis finds

Police said Tuesday that an analysis of the car that barreled down India Street and plunged into Portland Harbor on Friday showed no mechanical defect that would have explained the accident.

Ursula Nixon, 84, of Portland was driving when the Nissan sped out of control down the street, crashed through two chain-link fences, went across a parking lot, crashed through a guardrail and plunged into the water.

Police, firefighters and some civilians jumped into the water to rescue Nixon. A civilian, Katie Nelson, helped pull the woman out of the driver’s seat to where a firefighter could grab her and get her to shore, city officials said.

The City Council plans to honor the people who helped in the rescue at its Oct. 15 meeting.

Police said the small sedan has an electronic throttle, so no cable stuck. They next will analyze the “black box,” a small computer that records information about the car’s performance, to determine whether that indicates a malfunction.

Homelessness task force will hold public hearing

The city’s Task Force on Homelessness will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday on a draft report to end homelessness.

The task force, created by the City Council last fall, recommends centralizing the intake process at shelters, building three 35-unit housing complexes with in-house supportive services for tenants, and expanding case management services to align with the clients’ needs, rather than what is reimbursable.

Wednesday’s public hearing will take place in the State of Maine room at City Hall.
The draft report is available on the city’s website. The report is expected to be presented to the council on Oct. 15.

The task force was led by former City Councilor Dory Waxman, Maine Red Claws President and General Manager Jon Jennings and United Way of Greater Portland President and Chief Executive Officer Suzanne McCormick.

FREEPORT

Part of Main Street to close as workers fix water main

A section of Main Street, between Bow and Mill streets, will be closed to traffic until 6 p.m. Wednesday while workers repair a water main break, town officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

Traffic will be routed around the closed area, which is in the heart of the village, near L.L. Bean.
The cast-iron main broke Tuesday morning and has been under repair since 9 a.m., according to a news release from town officials.

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