Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
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PublishedMay 26, 2013
Tension on Congress Square Plaza: Sell public spot to save it?
A plan to turn over most of the plaza to private use incites passions in a city that prizes its open spaces.
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PublishedMay 25, 2013
Panhandling a growing concern in Portland
Parallel efforts are under way to tackle the growing issue of panhandling in the city, especially at busy intersections.
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PublishedMay 23, 2013
Group deadlocked over Congress Square proposal
A proposal to build an events center in the downtown Portland plaza will be presented to a City Council committee May 29.
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PublishedMay 21, 2013
Portland street artists pleased with modest rules
City councilors scale back a task force’s tough approach, but those who perform with fire face new safety scrutiny.
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PublishedMay 21, 2013
Officials plan to act on Maine restaurant oversight
Legislators will look into fixes after the Sunday Telegram reported that the state’s inspection program is one of the least rigorous in America.
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Accessing, crunching the state’s results ultimately frustrate bid to create database
PORTLAND – Unlike in most other states, there is no easily accessible way for diners in Maine to look up the inspection history of their favorite restaurant. The inspection reports maintained by the state’s Health Inspection Program are accessible only through a time-consuming and costly manual process. Last fall, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram […]
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Why do failure rates vary across the state?
Insiders say a code is applied uniformly to inspect eateries, but using ‘common sense’ can still make results subjective.
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Oversight of Maine restaurants diminishes, just as complaints rise
Maine’s guidelines for overseeing restaurant safety were quietly scaled back last year, even as the number of health-related complaints about Maine restaurants has been on the rise. An investigation by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has found that restaurant kitchens in Maine are subject to fewer inspections and less transparency than restaurants in much […]
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PublishedMay 15, 2013
Update on Portland fire staffing has ‘no magic pill’
But the city’s fire chief says he expects to have a plan in August to implement changes.
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PublishedMay 14, 2013
Local voters to rule on 3 school budgets
Portland, Scarborough and Cape request small increases, and the city seeks to cut jobs.
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