A new Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine afterschool program for asylum seekers is staffed in part by college students who also came to Maine from African countries.
Founded in 2020, Youth Work Makes the Booth Work is encouraging teenagers to participate in the democratic process – whether by voting or by working the polls themselves.
Pavel Sulyandziga, an opera singer whose father lives in Yarmouth, says he is particularly sensitive to the invasion of Ukraine because he has many friends there.
A partnership between the McAuley Residence in Portland and Southern Maine Community College aims to ease the way for the women, while also providing enrichment opportunities for their children.
Two teams of 15 Waynflete students will compete next month in the Maine State Science Olympiad, which Waynflete has won seven times out of the past eight competitions.
In addition to training New Mainers for textile jobs, Common Threads is branching out with a new store, consignment shop and classes for the general public.
As housing opportunities dwindle in the competitive market, more working people are experiencing homelessness, often for the first time in their lives.
On March 7, the Portland City Council will decide whether to change the name of Bedford Park to Noyes Park, correcting what the Noyes family, the Parks Department and independent groups believe is an historical error.
The bridge and road work around Exit 9 and Route 1 are expected to have major traffic impacts and drivers are encouraged to detour around the area in April.
The Meads of Westbrook host the computerized light and music show each evening during the season to benefit the American Refuge League of Greater Portland.
The family of Terry Tucker Jr. say they feel the police didn't give their concerns enough weight and as a result, the body of their loved one wasn't found for more than four months after they reported him missing.
The great-grandson of the department store founder and his wife want their Westbrook design company to reflect the quality and spirit of the old family business.
The I-295 bridge over Veranda Street in Portland will be replaced in October, requiring the closure of that part of the highway and the heavily traveled street below.
Westbrook-based nonprofit Furniture Friends plans a virtual slumber party fundraiser to assist in its efforts to provide furniture to low-income residents in Greater Portland.
Portland is looking into a new outdoor dining program that would permanently close Dana and Wharf streets and part of Milk Street, but economic development committee members worry the new allowances would impact parking.
Existing Giroux Energy service plans will be honored thorough the end of their contracts and staff will stay on as the companies transition through the merger.
Murky Overhead," a historical fiction novel by Michael Connolly, tells the story of a day in the life of a young Irish couple living in Portland during the turn of the 20th century. A book launch is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maine Irish Heritage Center.
Nationally, there was an 85% decrease in breast cancer screenings, 75% decline in colon cancer screenings, 74% decrease in prostate cancer screenings and 56% decrease in lung cancer screenings in April 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019.
A planned expansion would include two additional squash courts, a cafe, community kitchen and space to hold meetings, lectures, potlucks or open mike nights.
Preble Street is teaming up with other veteran service organizations and landlords to find permanent housing for 100 homeless veterans over the next three months.
Several Maine colleges, including the University of New England, University of Southern Maine, Bowdoin, Southern Maine Community College and Saint Joseph's, are requiring students to be vaccinated.
A coloring book created by the Portland Public Art Committee is being expanded this year to include illustrations of several more of the city's art pieces.
There are a dozen companies in the state, including two in Portland, that offer tours that allow the public an opportunity to try their hand at lobstering.
USL to Portland is looking into the feasibility of using two city-owned sites, Fitzpatrick Stadium and Preble Field by Back Cove, as the location for a professional soccer stadium.
The report found that most of the attendees were there to peacefully protest and concluded that police made arrests "sparingly" and used force only on protesters who had turned violent.
Visit Portland hopes to create a Tourism Improvement District to provide a source of funding for hotels to use for promotion and other efforts to increase room occupancy and the amount of money tourists spend in the area.
Portland city councilors agree to have a developer continue its work in spite of calls for it to wait until November when a measure to mandate smaller shelters could be on the ballot.
The annual fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation had to go virtual due to the pandemic last year, but this time around there will be one component, a 5K road race, that participants may do in person if they wish on July 18.
Anna Korsen said the new state initiative, just the second in the nation, "has the potential to be the most important piece of child hunger policy" in the state.
Despite an uptick in bookings and reservations, hotels and restaurants are finding it a challenge to operate at pre-pandemic levels due to a shortage of workers.
The Maine Outdoor Film Festival will take place in three locations in Portland over 11 days from July 29 to Aug. 8 and include more than 65 films from local, national and international filmmakers.
Youth and Family Outreach is hoping to secure some of Cumberland County's federal pandemic relief aid to build a new child care center and affordable housing with the Portland Housing Authority.
The center, which would be open seven days a week and provide meals and a respite from the weather, would be paid for in part by federal coronavirus relief funding.
If a land swap between the city and the Maine Department of Transportation is approved, the city would receive a defunct railroad track between Deering Oaks and St. John Street, a 10-acre parcel on County Way and the parking lot next to Miss Portland Diner, and the state would gain ownership of the wharf on Cliff Island and the International Marine Terminal.
Portland voters Tuesday will decide on nine members of the Portland Charter Commission and whether to approve the $125.2 million school budget for the next school year.
Greg Mitchell has been in charge of Portland's economic development efforts since late 2008, but is leaving the position to spend more time with family.
To host a limited number of shows, organizers must first receive Westbrook Planning Board approval of a noise plan, ensure they have enough employees and find available performing artists.
The 266-unit, 18 story, 180,000-square-foot building will go up on the site of a small plaza behind the U.S. Post Office at the corner of Federal and Temple streets.
The district has been reviewing and revising school rules that relate to police involvement since it ended the school resource officer program last year.
The housing and economic development committee recommends moving forward with Developers Collaborative and hopes to get the project approved before any potential limits on shelter sizes would go into effect.
The project included students from Waynflete School in Portland, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Oxford Hills and Friends Seminary in New York City.
José Iván Sabau Torrelo, a fifth-grade teacher in Lyseth Elementary School's Spanish Immersion program, won the Ministry of Education, Embassy of Spain's 2021 Teacher of the Year award for a detective game he created for his students.
Tom Roth's "A Sporting Year in Maine" is a month-by-month journey in the year of a Maine outdoorsman, who counts Sebago Lake as one of his favorite fishing spots.
Recommendations include changes to police training, oversight, accountability and response, as well as the creation of several new groups to address inequalities in the city.
Due to revenue from the American Rescue Plan, municipal tax bills are expected to go down by 4%, excluding any increases caused by the Portland Public Schools budget.
The pandemic caused the Portland-based organization to forgo both its regular international medical mission trips and its largest fundraiser, but it's still shipping out medical supplies and equipment.
The property between Stevens and Forest avenues was deeded to the city by Gov. Percival Baxter to forever be a place for recreation and education programs and a sanctuary for birds.
The online exhibit, stemming from a "secret" message passed to one one artist and then spread worldwide through art, will go live April 10 and feature the work of a dozen Maine artists.
Terry Swett wrote "My Sweet Maine" in celebration of the state's bicentennial, and a bill to make it "Maine's Song of the 21st Century" was adopted by the Maine House.
Supporters argue a union is needed because nurses are overworked, underpaid and too much is demanded of them, but opponents say organizing is unnecessary and would hinder the 'shared governance' that exists now.
Rep. Kyle Bailey wants to ask voters to weigh in on a bond question this November to build a $110 million convention center in the city 'to invest in our future.'
A group led by former Director of State Planning Richard Barringer calls for adding plazas, gardens, a playground and a public landing to the more than 10 acres between the Maine State Pier and the former Portland Company property.
Sierra Club Maine will host a series of discussions ranging from waste reduction to the intersection of racism, economics and climate change, and Maine Audubon and the Maine Outdoor Film Festival team up for a special night of showings.
COVID-19 vaccinations, an easing of travel restrictions and another round of federal relief funding will aid in the rebound of the Portland International Jetport, Paul Bradbury says.
Hockey players turn out to see how they match up in the Armstrong Skills Competition, an event to raise money for small business pandemic relief spearheaded by Maine Mariners coach Riley Armstrong.
The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland says interest in pet adoption is 'three times higher' than pre-pandemic days, but adoptions were down by about 28% because of a lack of available animals.
The school district, which has doubled the number of educators of color since 2016, is coming up with a plan based on findings of an Educators of Color study conducted with Bowdoin College.
A decade after a residential/commercial plan upset neighbors, the new owner of the Williston-West Church is seeking permission to add six more residences and no commercial space.
Parents will be surveyed on the prospective change to a later start time for middle and high school students and an earlier start time for elementary students.
The Portland Housing Authority's Foster Youth Independence program has helped 30 young adults find housing since last June and it continues to assist them in setting and achieving goals.
Recommendations include setting up a city racial equity department and giving more power to the citizens panel that reviews internal investigations at the police department.
The recommendation includes barring traffic on Dana and Wharf streets and parts of Milk and Middle streets for a year, while leaving Exchange Street open to vehicles.
Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca and marine geologist Peter Slovinsky will hold a public conversation on how coastal communities can be more resilient to climate change.
The use of a third-party arbiter to address student complaints and giving students more voice in the culture and climate at their schools are two vital components of the district's plan, they say.
A new initiative trains high school students in radio broadcasting while they create content on climate and other environmental topics important to them.
More than a dozen teachers and supporters ran into the frigid water off East End Beach Sunday and raised money for 400 books about perseverance and overcoming obstacles.
With the potential for state funding for the $10M project off the table, the city considers a private-public partnership for the proposed homeless services center on Riverside Street.
Board members, spurred by a string of hate mail in the area, are working on a resolution to encourage age-appropriate conversations about the incidents and the display of pride images in schools.
The Portland, South Portland and Westbrook districts decided not to administer the federally mandated end-of-year proficiency test for English Language Learners.
Work in Portland and South Portland includes groups looking into racial inequities in the two cities, and Falmouth is holding racial awareness classes to its employees.
The leader of the campaign to bring a United Soccer League franchise to Portland says the Forest City collection "is a fun way to engage the community" as their work moves forward.
Portland Youth Corps will allow teenagers to explore careers in conservation and environmental stewardship while working on city park projects and learning from pros.
For the second year in a row, a lawmaker is working to replace the blue flag bearing the state seal with a flag that represented Maine in the early 1900s.
The vote was held this month, but the Portland Museum of Art has asked the National Labor Relations Board to review its decision allowing gallery ambassadors to decide whether to unionize.
The after-school and remote day programs will be in place through January while the Portland school district awaits word on its share of new federal funding.
Members of the Sacred Heart/Saint Dominic Parish in Portland have donated cards to inmates at Cumberland County Jail to send to their loved ones for more than 30 years.
The Police Citizen Review Subcommittee doubles down on its recommendation to add two residents to the Portland Police Department's use of force committee.
Chabad of Maine's car-top menorah parade from Rosemont section to City Hall was one of the innovative way members of Maine's Jewish community took to celebrating Hanukkah this year.
The money will help Portland Public Schools recruit educators of color from other states and better support educators of color already employed in Portland schools.
With a combined 43 years of public service, Jill Duson, Justin Costa and Marnie Morrione will be replaced next week by three individuals making their first foray into local politics.
Managers of two long-time restaurants, Becky's and DiMillo's on the Water, will continue to follow CDC guidelines with the hope business will get closer to normal after the winter.
A museum spokesperson said management is not trying to prevent a vote on unionization, but rather making sure employees knows the pros and cons of forming a union.
Portland City Council postponed until February action on a recommendation from the Planning Board and Historic Preservation Board to designate a section of Munjoy Hill as a historic district.
All proceeds from sales from the brewery's Black is Beautiful beer will go to two local organizations "that help create an inclusive, equitable and empowering system for all.”
Aside from an error with the unofficial results that did not change the outcome of any races, Portland City Clerk Kathy Jones is pleased with the Nov. 3 election process.
The top priority of the plan is the relocation of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from Biddeford into a new building behind the old armory on Stevens Avenue.
Justin Costa, April Fournier, Ronald Gan and Laura Kelley are running to fill the City Council seat that has been held by Jill Duson for close to 20 years.
Councilors feel Reiche School staff's need to use parking lots on Brackett and Clark Street outweigh the potential of marketing the land for possible housing developments.
Through the first two weeks of school, four in every 10 students were not having their symptom screening reported to school officials before arriving at school.
The incumbent Democrat is being challenged by Republican Susan Abercrombie and Green/Independent Carolyn Silvius for his third term representing East Deering in the statehouse.
Coronavirus relief funding goes away at year's end and the district would be short $2.8 million if additional funding is not found or school-reopening investments are not scaled back.
A model train show Saturday in Westbrook displays a number of specialties within the hobby.
