A tractor-trailer climbs to the top of Deering Avenue in Portland on Thursday morning on its way to delivering its payload: a Christmas tree for Monument Square. City worker Jay Ash-Cuthbert, left, walks alongside the truck to lift any low-hanging utility lines out of the way, while police keep traffic from entering the street. Neighborhood […]
Portland Forecaster
City-wide news from The Forecaster.
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland seeks affordable housing projects on Munjoy Hill, Cliff Island
PORTLAND — Affordable housing on Munjoy Hill and Cliff Island got a boost when the City Council Housing and Community Development Committee gave the go-ahead for efforts to sell city-owned properties. The committee, with Councilor Kevin Donoghue as chairman, on Nov. 12 gave Economic Development Director Greg Mitchell permission to negotiate with members of Sustainable […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland council adds constables to library staff
PORTLAND — It took two votes, but city councilors on Monday approved a new Portland Public Library policy allowing security staff to give trespass orders to unruly patrons. The new policy adds three constable positions beginning Jan. 1, 2015, despite warnings from homeless advocates the policy will unfairly target some of the city’s most vulnerable […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, The Forecaster
METRO plans buses from Portland to Yarmouth, Freeport, maybe Brunswick
PORTLAND — Planning for proposed METRO bus service to Yarmouth and Freeport began Monday in Portland. At the same time, discussions began about expanding service to Brunswick. The Greater Portland Transit District on Monday began its community outreach with an information gathering session at the Portland Public Library. It was attended by fewer than a […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland enacts spending cuts in case of lost state aid
PORTLAND — A potential budget pinch has put the clamps on city discretionary spending, at least until a court dispute over social assistance spending for undocumented immigrants is resolved. Acting City Manager Sheila Hill-Christian last week ordered freezes on hiring and travel, weekly reviews of staff overtime, and no purchases of more than $1,000 without […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Smaller Midtown project returns to Portland Planning Board
PORTLAND — A revised plan by Miami-based Federated Cos. to redevelop 3.5 acres of city land on Somerset Street in Bayside was back in front of the Planning Board on Nov. 12. Whether you call it Midtown 2.0, or Midtown v.2, it is smaller, less expensive, and seems to satisfy its opponents. “The size and scale […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Community Calendar: Nov. 19 to Dec. 2
Greater Portland Benefits Saturday 11/22 Silent Auction, to benefit Scarborough Alpine and Nordic Ski Club, 5-7 p.m., Wentworth School, 20 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, 730-6990. Sunday 11/23 Santa Hustle Half-Marathon and 5K, to support Easter Seals, sponsored by Bon-Ton, 7 a.m., Maine Mall, South Portland, santahustle.com. “Jimmy Higgins: A Life in the Labor Movement,” one-man show […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
People and Business
New Hires, Promotions and Appointments Michelle Corry was recently elected vice chairwoman of the Maine Restaurant Association. Corry is co-owner of two Portland restaurants, Five-Fifty-Five and Petite Jacqueline. In addition, the association’s board of directors added two members from the Portland area, Judy Forsley, of Shipyard Brewing Co., and Greg Goforth, of Fireside Inn & […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland Meetings: Nov. 19-25
Wed. 11/19 4 p.m. Island Advisory Committee CBL Ferry Terminal Wed. 11/19 4 p.m. Public Art Committee PPL Wed. 11/19 5 p.m. Historic Preservation Board CH Wed. 11/19 5:30 p.m. Transportation, Sustainability & Energy Committee CH Thur. 11/20 8:30 a.m. Emergency Shelter Committee 190 Lancaster St. Thur. 11/20 11:30 a.m. Portland Development Corp. CH Thur. […]
Posted inForecaster Obituaries, Portland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Karle E. Learned, 83: Longtime police officer also served others as pastor
WINDHAM — Karle Edward Learned, 83, a former longtime officer of the Portland Police Department, died Nov. 13, surrounded by his family. Learned was born Sept. 2, 1931, a son of Edward and Marion Doughty Learned. He grew up on Munjoy Hill and attended Portland High School. He joined the U.S. Army as a teen, and […]