SANFORD — Sometimes, folks just need a helping hand. Winter is on the way, and while gas and heating oil prices are falling a bit from what they were a while ago, those who help others say people still struggle to make ends meet. Folks in Sanford and surrounding communities can get a bit of […]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Providence Phoenix, a 36-year-old alternative news and entertainment weekly newspaper that had continued operating more than a year after its corporate parent Boston Phoenix shut down, is ceasing publication. Stephen Mindich, owner and publisher of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, said Thursday that the last issue, dated Oct. 17, would be […]

Southern Maine Church of Christ, meeting at 159 Alfred Road, West Kennebunk, will feature the sermon “Destroyed for a Lack of Knowledge” by evangelist Terry Schmidt on Sunday, Oct. 12. A potluck fellowship will follow. All are invited and welcome. Bible study is at 9:30 a.m. and worship at 10:30 a.m. Evening Bible study is […]

WOBURN, Mass. — A 113-year-old, shoebox-sized time capsule was removed Thursday from the head of a lion statue where it had long sat, hidden in plain sight, atop one of Boston’s most famous landmarks. When the copper box was carefully pried open, it revealed at least one mystery: a red, hardcover book with no visible title or […]

OSLO, Norway — Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for risking their lives to fight for children’s rights. The decision made Malala, a 17-year-old student and education activist, the youngest-ever Nobel winner. The news set off celebrations on the streets of Mingora, the main town […]

KETTAMA, Morocco — In the rugged Rif mountains, Abdelkhalek Benabdallah strode among towering marijuana plants, checking the buds for the telltale spots of white that indicate they are ready for harvest. Much of the crop had been picked and left to dry on the roofs of stone-and-wood huts that dot the valley, the heart Morocco’s […]

BIDDEFORD — For years, many in the Biddeford area have complained that the city’s downtown has been stagnant. But in the past two years, development in that area has grown, said Delilah Poupore, executive director of the downtown revitalization organization Heart of Biddeford. “As growth happens,” she said, “We want to make sure that we […]