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.
Pine Tree Curling Club in Portland is looking to build its own rink and clubhouse, which would allow the club to expand and give the team better playing conditions.
Referendums include pushes for an increased minimize wage, ban on facial surveillance technology, Green New Deal implementation, short-term rental restrictions, rent relief and no cap on cannabis businesses.
The school year will open for most students with in-person instruction, but that would change if there is an outbreak in a school or if there are not enough teachers in the buildings.
The proposed fiscal year 2021 budget reduces police expenditures by more than half a million dollars, eliminates three positions and defers the hiring of another seven positions.
Due to a projected loss of revenue due to the coronavirus, the no-tax-increase city budget is projected to decrease by $4.2 million and include the elimination of 65 jobs.
The new vessel, expected by the end of 2022, will be one of the first of its kind to have a hybrid diesel electric propulsion system that dramatically cuts carbon dioxide emissions.
Milestone Recovery's Bob Fowler will lead the city's public health division, which oversees substance abuse treatment and prevention services, chronic and infectious disease response, as well as health equity and family health.
The first three members of the charter commission will be appointed Aug. 10, but the remaining members likely won't be elected for nearly another year.
The effort aims to raise $100,000 to help English language learners, offer a more culturally appropriate curriculum and offer professional development and mentoring for staff.
Bristol Seafoods has launched a mentoring program at the New England Ocean Cluster's facility on Commercial Street for underrepresented populations in the seafood industry.
A digital archive will allow future historians to understand what "people on the ground were experiencing" and how their everyday lives were altered during the pandemic.
The city council also approved a third-party review of police action at the June 1 Black Lives Matter protest and a new system to deal with complaints from that night.
Inviting golfers to drive balls into painted targets in the outfield is one of the ways Sea Dogs staff is offering up Hadlock Field to fans in a different, but fun way during the coronavirus pandemic.
Without resource officers, the board will now examine how to maintain safety in the schools and its relationship with police as it relates to other school policies.
To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the University of Southern Maine will conduct regular testing, limit class sizes, increase cleaning and require masks to be worn outside on the Portland, Gorham and Lewiston campuses.
Voters will be casting ballots for local and state referendums, as well as party candidates for the November election. The election also includes the school budget validation vote.
SummerFest ME's Ending Hunger at Home will feature more than 20 local, regional and national acts to raise money for two Maine organizations fighting food insecurity.
With this month's Pride Portland Parade canceled because of social distancing restrictions, Pride organizations from around the state are coming together online to celebrate throughout the summer.
The Portland Board of Education is expected to act on a resolution that would end an agreement with the Portland Police Department to have officers in two city high schools.
Portland Police Monday presented a timeline of how the large Black Lives Matter protest unfolded and escalated and their response to it, but come city councilors say an outside perspective is still necessary.
The rally and march were organized by youth from around the area to commemorate the day the last slaves in the country were notified they were free and to also call attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
An independent review of Portland Police actions at two Black Lives Matter demonstrations is important "to show that our city leaders are listening to the calls for change and demonstrate our respect for all voices," Councilor Kimberly Cook said.
Starting this week, city officials will begin discussing the police department's use of force policy, the role of the police citizen review board and other policy recommendations.
An online exhibit has images of hundreds of local signs thanking front line workers, honoring graduates and teachers and showing support during the COVID-19 pandemic
The measure, which will close off Wharf Street, Dana Street and sections of Milk Street and Exchange Street, is part of the city's emergency coronavirus order, which now expires July 13.
The Board of Education will have a preliminary vote May 19 on establishing cooperative golf, track and swimming teams between Portland and Deering, with a final vote June 2.
The loans, made available through funding from the Portland Development Corporation, will help businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic to hire or retain staff and reopen.
The elementary school operates the only Spanish immersion program in the state and was recently named the Spanish Embassy's 2020 Elementary School of the Year.
In an effort to open up the rental market to those in need, up to 25 short-term rental owners in Portland would receive $1,000 if they lease their units for at least a year.
Hundreds of students who have passed through Portland Adult Education's doors on their way to jobs in health care and are the "unsung heroes" during the coronavirus pandemic, PAE says.
Teachers with Catholic Charities' Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Children have been using a combination technology and specialized equipment to help their students with at-home learning.
Programming continues amid the coronavirus pandemic, but reduced daily structure and social interactions bring challenges, parents and administrators say.
The final draft of climate action plan is on the verge of completion, but Portland and South Portland's sustainability offices are looking for more public input.
Local public access stations are pleased with a recent ruling that will return their channels to familiar, low-number channels, but an appeal of the ruling is likely.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, individuals are ordered to stay at home for five days starting Wednesday, March 25, unless they are getting outdoor exercise or patronizing an essential business such as a food provider or pharmacy.
The City Council also prohibits short term rentals in Portland and asks landlords not to evict tenants for late rent payments during the emergency period.
Girl Scout Cadettes from Troop 1547 want the public to know that the safety of pedestrians are at risk when people fail to remove ice and snow from walkways,
Residents also overwhelmingly reject Question 1 to repeal an immunization law, and Democrats in Portland choose U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to face Donald Trump in November.
Elected officials and veterans are concerned about the impact of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on the Portland Veterans Center, which is also moving into the Manson Libby Road building.
The building committee's final recommendation, expected later this month, will include a just a subset of what was laid out in the Building For Our Future vision.
The annual dip at East End Beach raised more than $34,400 for Camp Sunshine, which provides free camp sessions to children with life-threatening illnesses.
The district advisory building committee will discuss options to pare down three school projects to meet the budget approved by voters at the polls in 2017.
Portland Arts and Technology High School and Westbrook Regional Vocational Center want to make some changes, including making it easier for students to take classes there while fulfilling core requirements at their high schools.
The Boulos Company's 2020 Market Outlook says the commercial space vacancy rate in greater Portland increased for the first time in six years, but vacancy rates in downtown Portland dropped.
The once-in-a-lifetime experience for Stella Hang, 12, included tickets to the Super Bowl game, the chance to meet NFL players – and the opportunity to take to the field as part of an NFL commercial.
A proposal to cut costs for Portland Schools would restructure eight elementary schools, resulting in the transfer of students from neighborhood schools.
There were 18 pedestrian fatalities in 2019, three times as many as in 2018, and safety groups hope a combination of increased education and enforcement reverses that trend.
City Councilor Kimberly Cook wants the city to find new revenue sources to fund a higher financial contribution to the bus service, rather than rely on taxpayers.
An Avesta Housing proposal for a facility on Brighton Avenue could help get the chronically homeless aged 55 and up get back on their feet, its development officer says.
Funding from the latest coronavirus relief package would help keep the arena operating until it can host large live events again.
