An $8.75 per hour minimum wage in Portland? Why not $18.75 or $25.75? Where will the non-market-driven wage increases come from? From higher prices for goods and services, or from saved wages of laid-off workers. After Oakland, California, raised their minimum wage numerous restaurants in the Chinatown district closed due to labor costs eliminating profits. […]
Portland Forecaster
City-wide news from The Forecaster.
Posted inCoastal Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Letter: Facts are facts, not right or left
Julie McDonald-Smith believes economics is “left” or “right” (“The Right View: Economics is a matter of right vs. left”). Actually it’s a matter of facts. If Gov. LePage and DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew are right on refusing Medicaid expansion, why did so many Republican governors fight for expansion in their states? Because they understood the […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland orders decks removed after tenant dies in fall
PORTLAND — A Cape Elizabeth man has until May 8 to remove three decks from the rear of his 563 Cumberland Ave. property, after a tenant fell to his death April 22. After an inspection April 24, Harry Krigman was ordered by city Deputy Director of Inspections Jon Rioux to file for a building permit […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Update: AG charges New Gloucester men with civil rights violation after Portland attack
PORTLAND — Two New Gloucester brothers charged in an April 19 attack on a man in an alley off Congress Street were accused Monday in a civil rights complaint filed by Maine Attorney General Janet Mills. “This behavior is absolutely outrageous and has no place in our society,” Mills said in a press release. Charles […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Community cleanup scheduled for Saturday
PORTLAND — The 23rd-annual April Stools Day and Community Cleanup will be held Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m.-noon. The event is hosted by Friends of the Eastern Promenade and the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization. Participants are urged to meet at the Hill House, 92 Congress St., for coffee or tea and to get cleaning items, […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland City Council moves to de-vaporize public places
PORTLAND — Are electronic cigarettes a public health menace, or a valuable tool to help smokers quit the habit? The opposing viewpoints can be expressed Monday, April 27, when the City Council considers an order to add “electronic nicotine delivery systems,” commonly known as e-cigs and “vapes,” to the list of tobacco products banned in […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Turn in outdated Rx drugs on Saturday
PORTLAND — Police departments and other organizations around southern Maine are participating in Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Drugs collected will be incinerated, according to the Maine Sheriff’s Association, which said the event helps protect Maine’s environment by offering an alternative to flushing outdated or unneeded prescription drugs […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
'It is a plague. It is merciless': A son's overdose in Portland, a mother's plea for action
PORTLAND — She endured years of troubles, heartaches, courtrooms and counselors while trying to help her son regain a safe, sober life. Now Massachusetts resident Mary Gibson wants to spread a message about the horrors of heroin addiction, because her son, Andrew Gibson, 21, was found dead April 11 at his Cumberland Avenue apartment. “It […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland's Downtown District director to step down
PORTLAND — Steve Hewins, who has directed the nonprofit Portland’s Downtown District for two years, will step down at the end of June. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with PDD, especially working with all the people and organizations that make Portland what it is today,” Hewins said in a press release Monday. Hewins became head […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland minimum wage law faces LePage challenge, heads to council
PORTLAND — City councilors are expected to soon consider a citywide minimum wage ordinance. But the state Legislature may blunt any municipal effort to set local wages. On April 16, the City Council Finance Committee unanimously forwarded a minimum wage ordinance that could boost the citywide minimum wage to $8.75 per hour from the current […]