Today, Feb. 15, is the day commuters have been dreading – the start of nine months without the Stroudwater Street bridge. Drivers who normally use the bridge to commute between Westbrook and Portland will be forced to take an alternative route for at least nine months while the bridge is torn down and replaced with […]

On a recent morning, Betty Williams stood on the campus of the University of Southern Maine near the headwaters of Tannery Brook. From there, she watched the water flow calmly between the hemlock clustered at the banks, just as it did 200 years ago. “It’s a gem,” Williams said of the brook. However, that same […]

In 1966, the Standells released their biggest hit, “Dirty Water,” a song about Boston’s Charles River, which was heavily polluted at the time. Over the years, there has been a significant effort to clean up the Charles, with a great measure of success. And for the most part, the references to the Charles’ “dirty water” […]

Info box: The state has a backlog of an estimated 13,000 traffic ticket appeals due to a computer glitch, causing some people to wait eight months or more for an appeal. While the state is cracking down on suspended drivers who get behind the wheel, nobody has been given what is supposed to be an […]

Despite the fact gunmen raked a car with bullets trying to kill Rev. Mutima Peter of Westbrook, the clergyman sees signs of peace for his homeland. Peter was hit by repair bills but otherwise returned home unscathed last month after six weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. “Killings are still going […]

Assistant House Majority Leader Robert Duplessie, D, Westbrook, has authored a bill to allow wine to be shipped from in-state or out-of-state wineries directly to the home of Maine residents. “This more progressive, open-minded approach would be a win for responsible wine consumers and our local farm wineries,” said Duplessie. Current state law limits the […]