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.

The moratorium prevents the approval of any new homeless shelters in Bayside for up to 180 days, but won't impact those already operating.

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.

Personalized Pediatrics, working with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, will provide the service for donors and recipients, the first in the area.

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.

Working through a pandemic year of preparations, the new Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine opens June 24 at Thompson's Point.

The Maine Audubon event, held since 1983, is looking for volunteer counters, particularly on Sebago Lake and Naples' Long Lake.

The district has been reviewing and revising school rules that relate to police involvement since it ended the school resource officer program last year.

A proposed bill calls for a feasibility study to look into the potential of expanding the Mountain Division Rail Trail from Standish to Fryeburg.

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Ben Chipman, is set to be taken up Tuesday by the joint transportation committee.

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 New England Arab American Organization holds a drive-up Eid celebration in Westbrook for the second year in a row because of the pandemic.

Tim Winchester's new album 'Into the Open' was recorded and mixed at Acadia Recording Company in Portland.

Social services, public health and other health and human services staff will begin operating out of space at 39 Forest Ave. later this summer.

A book, written by Michelle Souliere, includes first-person accounts from those who say they have seen the cryptid in Maine.

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.

The city says consolidating the offices at 39 Forest Ave. is "the most affordable long-term option to house and deliver social services."

A measure to reduce the school district's tax request by $1.5 million was narrowly rejected.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens should sleep 8 to 10 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

Group rides will be held next week in seven communities across Maine.

Supporters say the time is right for a "critical investment to address the deep inequities in our schools."

A Woodfords Congregational Church task force recommends selling part of the building to Community Housing of Maine for senior housing.

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.

Mireille Tona is Boys & Girls Clubs Portland Clubhouse's Youth of the Year.

The group wants new shelters capped at 50 beds and is working to put a question before voters in November.

One of the proposals urges the city to rethink its plans for the Riverside Street site.

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 Stream Explorer Program will be chronicling aquatic insects in streams around Sebago Lake and southern Maine May through October.

The book puts a focus on the contributions New Mainers have made to the state.

The continuous monitoring stations will compile data from Cundys Harbor in Harpswell and Portland Harbor.

The Maine Behavioral Healthcare center will provide crucial services to adults and to children under 5.

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.

Officer Les Smith was credited with saving the life of a Portland fire captain during a potentially deadly structure fire on Peaks Island.

Joann Bautista, of Portland, has been hired for the newly created position of policy advisor to the secretary of state.

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.'

East End Community School celebrates the arrival of spring with a flower-ful fence.

The proposed fiscal year 2022 budget, up $5.9 million over the current year's, includes close to $3 million in equity investments.

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.

The 70 student nurses have been trained to help at vaccine clinics at the Maine Mall, York Hospital and Greater Portland Health.

The Gateway Community Services Maine group's primary goal is to improve communities for their peers in Portland and Lewiston.

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.

Fewer condominium units were sold, but those that did went fast and for higher prices.

Amy Canfield will lead the newsrooms at The Forecaster, Lakes Region Weekly and American Journal weekly newspapers.

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 new owner of the former Rite Aid/Walgreens building at Forest and Ocean avenues intends to subdivide the building.

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.

A former Cumberland resident will open the Cumberland Fairgrounds to racing in May, with plans to expand at a new venue permanently in southern Maine.

The plan to bring sophomores, juniors and seniors into school for 4-4½ hours a week is inequitable, Back to School Portland members say.

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.

The clinic will be open two days a week and serve 500 people a day to start.

The health and human services committee will hold a workshop on the program's 1-for-1 exchange model Thursday.

"It is important for us to remember many of these buildings were built off the backs of enslaved African labor," a marine historian says.

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 city is seeking ideas on how to improve the Riverton park.

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.

The pandemic has meant Rippleffect's Cow Island is off limits, forcing the Portland-based organization to shift its programming.

A new system will allow Maine Historical Society to expand the safe storage of its vast collection.

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.

After six years operating out of its founder's home, the organization is looking for a new site and a new executive director.

The $2.7 million purchase is the largest expense in the proposed $16.5 million fiscal year 2022 capital improvement plan.

The concert booker says he's working without a "playbook" during the pandemic and live music fans are disappointed.

The 19 construction and maintenance projects will take place over the next three years.

In-person visits have been suspended, but homebound seniors benefit from weekly wellness calls, The Opportunity Alliance says.

The City Council approved an agreement with LiveBarn to provide the service for next season.

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.

"It will be great to be up there offering this music of hope and inspiration in such a difficult year," the Classical Uprising artistic director says.

Five individual properties have been listed as historic landmarks, however.

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.

The CDC is investigating COVID-19 cases at the Barron Center, Oxford Street Shelter and Family Shelter.

Retail and office space vacancies in greater Portland went up in 2020, but the industrial space sector remained strong, brokers say.

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.

Funding from the latest coronavirus relief package would help keep the arena operating until it can host large live events again.

The institute, which got off the ground virtually, says it is well positioned to assist with post-pandemic economic recovery.

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.

Eamon White custom designed cleats for a New York Jets player as part of an NFL campaign to support players' causes.

Running out of space, the Portland cemetery looks to a parcel that includes the site of the historic Stevens Tavern.

The Portland Recovery Community Center on Forest Avenue hopes to more than double its space to better meet its expanding membership's needs.

Preble Street's 40-bed facility at the site of its former resource center will help shelter those who can't access other facilities.

As an Afterschool Alliance ambassador, Barrett Takesian will study ways to increase access to programs throughout the state.

The committee looking into systemic racism and inequity in the city now has until April 21 to make its recommendations to the City Council.

Overall, the city's commercial real estate market has fared "remarkably" well during the pandemic, according to the Boulos Company.

In words and with art, the new book provides a diverse look at the river's history, culture and science.

Police Police Chief Frank Clark expects 2020 data, still being finalized, will show a big decrease due in part to the pandemic.

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.

About 100 Portland Public Schools employees would see their pay rate bumped up to $18 per hour.

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.

Work is expected to begin this year to expand the lounge outside with room enough for 108 more customers.

Windham High School's choir director: "How do you teach choir when you can’t sing?"

The Racial Equity Steering Committee will have public comment next at its Jan. 14 meeting.

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.

Distribution logistics has led to a drastic drop in eligible students receiving the meals in Portland.

Painting for a Purpose has helped students start close to 100 community and school improvement projects since it began granting funds in 2010,

Construction could start as early as this spring with completion by fall 2023.

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.

Godfrey Wood is stepping down as executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland after close to eight years in the position.

Bangor Savings Bank, J.B. Brown & Sons, HM Payson and Springer's Jewelers were given the groups inaugural Legacy Business awards.

The combined Economic and Housing Committee will be chaired by Spencer Thibodeau and include Pious Ali, Tae Chong and Andrew Zarro.

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.

This year's 'A Victorian Nutcracker' will be televised on WCSH Saturday, Dec. 12.

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.

Together, Wayside Food Programs and Preble Street provided close to 2,000 precooked Thanksgiving dinners for those in need.

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.

Preston Haynes hopes his new design will help those who lip read.

Board members in an informal vote select Emily Figdor as their new chairperson.

Tina Nop wants to share the 'pockets of joy' her family and other refugees found in their traditional foods.

Rupal Shah joins the organization that improves healthcare in Haiti after years of work in public health internationally and domestically.

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.

Volunteers are chronicling the Victoria Mansion's history and how each room was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Planning Board could review a proposal to create a 21-site campground on the southern end of the island in Portland Harbor as early as next month.

Portland councilors will negotiate an agreement for more than 100 housing units at the site of the old West School.

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.”

Jon Jennings, Portland's city manager since 2015, intends to step down in 2022.

The One Climate Future plan, created in partnership with South Portland, lays out strategies to confront climate change over the next 30 years.

Nine cases have been reported at Portland Schools, but to date there has been no in-school spread.

The goal of the portrait series is to educate the public "on what our Black neighbors bring to the state" through their work, the artist says.

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.

Most Portland legislative races were uncontested.

Five of the six citizen referendums are approved by voters

The art can be found on banners along Congress Street and on buildings across the city.

The group, formed in September, is tasked with looking into how residents of color are impacted by the role law enforcement plays in the city.

Mark Dion won a four-way race for the District 5 council seat and Jeffrey Irish beat Anthony Emerson for the District 5 seat on the school board.

Andrew Zarro will replace Justin Costa on the City Council and Aura Russell-Bedder will replace Timothy Atkinson

Voter turnout is expected to far exceed the November 2016 presidential election, which included close to 39,000 voters.

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.

After close to eight years of renting 250 Anderson St., Running With Scissors has bought the building.

The city has already received more than 20,300 absentee ballots.

A new policy adopted Oct. 6 by the school board clarifies how library materials are selected and how challenges to that material can be made

COVID 19 has forced LearningWorks to offer its English language programming virtually after a 20-year history of in-person tutoring.

Eagle Scout Harrison Fream built a Little Free Library in Bayside's Kennedy Park to get books into the hands of students on the East End.

All qualified applicants will be awarded preliminary approval to open retail marijuana stores in the city.

In her State of the City address, Mayor Kate Snyder lauds the Portland City Council for progressing on goals in light of pandemic.

Kenneth Capron, John Coyne, Mark Dion and Kathryn Sykes are competing to represent North Deering, Riverton and Deering Center on the City Council.

The space that has housed the Cumberland County Jail's community correction program could help the city house homeless individuals through spring.

The Family Restored's Memorial Race will be held virtually next week.

Cindy Soule, a fourth grade teacher at Talbot Community School, has been named the Maine Teacher of the Year for 2021.

Ryan and Rachel Adams' Piece Together Project aims to make sure community advocates are not forgotten.

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.

Rosemary Mahoney and Andrew Zarro both cite public transportation and housing affordability among their key concerns.

Grayson Lookner, who won the Democratic primary, is being challenged by Green Independent John Safarik, who is mounting a write-in campaign.

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.

Bus operators hope new system will be easier for riders and bring in much-needed revenue.

Nyalat Biliew, Stacey Hang and Yusuf Yusuf have all set their sights on an at-large Portland school board seat being vacated by Mark Balfantz.

The Portland City Council continues to grapple with the process as it considers revising or eliminating the licensing system it has in place.

Bob Trail of Cape Elizabeth has been named a Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary's top honor, by the Portland club.

Anthony Emerson and Jeffrey Irish are looking to replace outgoing school board member Marnie Morrione as District 5 representative.

Aura Russell-Bedder and Christopher Vail are running to fill the school board seat of Timothy Atkinson, who is not running for reelection.

Eateries on closed-off Exchange Street are optimistic that the relative success of summer business during the pandemic will extend through October.

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.

Furniture Friends is hosting a virtual slumber party Oct. 3 in the hopes of raising up to $30,000.

With the availability of the Portland Expo ending next month the, city is looking elsewhere to find temporary shelter space.

Several of the applicants propose stores that are too close together, meaning those who score highest on the scoring rubric would get the license.

The group will begin its work next week and have final recommendations to the City Council by late January.

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.

Acting Director Ethan Hipple said fundraising could salvage the $20,000 Park and Play.

They want more money allocated in the proposed $202 million city budget for social services, sustainability and public works.

The Mass will be held once a month at St. Pius X Church on Ocean Avenue.

Federal art funding has allowed the works of Maine artists to adorn Portland bus shelters on Bedford, Congress and St. John streets.

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 Maine Port Authority says the 120,000-square-foot facility will keep the city's port competitive.

Work to get public input on police-related policies will begin next month.

Officials and local advocates are concerned about strains on services, calling for more longterm recovery options.

Candidates line up for November election, including four to replace At-Large Councilor Jill Duson, who has served for two decades.

Redstone intends to lease out the space as soon as October, providing much needed industrial space in the area.

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 business is up for sale, but the owner hopes the venue will continue to support local, regional and national musical acts in the future.

Ignatian Volunteer Corps started in Maine last year to help serve the poor and marginalized in the community.

Cody Curtis is donating at least 10% of the feature-length movie's proceeds to Greater Portland Health.

Residents say they have seen increased trash, feces and used needles at Deering Oaks.

Working class neighborhoods also have historic value and need to be preserved, they say.

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.

The fees are being eliminated in an attempt to ensure access for everyone and to encourage those with overdue items to return them without penalty.

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.

Portland's proposed hybrid model would mean many students would have a combination of in-person and remote learning this fall.

The remaining members would be elected by voters and represent each of the five voting districts.

Galen Hand, class of 2012, co-founded NOCA, a non-carbonated spiked water company, with two college friends from the University of New Hampshire.

Organizers hope the voluntary testing will offer "peace of mind" and shed light on how common the virus is in public housing properties.

The Deering High School outdoor ceremony at Ocean Gateway honored the 230 members of the Class of 2020.

The city, meanwhile, focuses on health concerns at the encampment and plans conversations with protesters about their demands.

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.

Dr. Daniel Figueiredo will donate a portion of proceeds from exams at his new dental studio to Maine Operation Game Thief.

The test can detect the presence of the virus in an area up to a week before individual clinical testing points to it.

In response to Julie Dimperio Holowach's July 27 death off Bailey Island in Harpswell, some beaches prohibited wading in past one's waist.

The group also held its first monthly anti-racism rally last Saturday at Coolidge Family Farms on Lewiston Road.

Organizers said the effort, which has helped to provide food, clothing and medical care for 200 people, will continue until their demands are met.

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 unit could be moved from place to place and serve as a hub to offer meals and other services.

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.

A number of organizations are reaching out to area seniors isolated by the pandemic with a simple message: We know you are there, and we care.

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.

In contested races, voters chose Lookner, Wood, Zager and Crockett to represent the Democratic party in November.

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.

Voters also overwhelmingly approve the formation of a charter commission and pass the school budget.

With no opposition in November, he's likely to win a second term in the general election.

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.

The City Council will vote next month on rules that discourage the removal of mature trees on public and private property.

Kathy St. Clair retired this year after close to 40 years as an elementary school teacher at Hall School/Rowe School.

Charlie Miller, a member of the Waynflete Class of 1965, was named the 2020 Klingenstein Award winner.

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.

Preble Street will set up a 40-bed shelter, deliver meals instead of serving them and provide services through an outreach program.

Two councilors, meanwhile, continue their call for an independent look at police response to a June 1 Black Lives Matter protest.

Jordan Parks uses art as a way to connect people with nature, winning her a new award from the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

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.

Nearly 30 communities have so far signed up for the July 10-11 weekend event.

Running through Aug. 31, the Beautiful Blackbird Children's Book Festival aims to inspire and entertain.

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.

The organization is looking to raise $100,000 to help make up for loss of revenue after closing to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

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.

The budget does not increase the tax rate, but is without many of the investments school leaders wanted to make.

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.

The school district expects to have a plan approved in early August.

Robert Mentzinger is challenging House 43 representative Edward Crockett, who is seeking his second term in Augusta.

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.

Three Democrats are in a runoff to replace Erik Jorgensen, who is being termed out of office.

Eamon White's depiction of George Floyd expresses his emotions over the black man's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

The mural serves to remind people "how urgent it is to take action," one of the artists says.

Less aid from the state means the 450-student school may drop its French, Spanish and health programs.

The Portland Observatory is closed now, but staff and volunteers of Greater Portland Landmarks are telling the building's story through online videos.

City Clerk Kathy Jones said consolidation is needed because of a shortage of staffing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats Michael Flaherty, Charles Skold and Barb Wood are seeking the Democratic nomination to run for House District 38.

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

This year ticks bearing disease will be out in force, experts say, and the owner of Wildwood Medicine says his leg wraps can repel them.

American Legion Harold T. Andrews Post No. 17 honors veterans with graveside flags at Evergreen Cemetery in Portland.

Jim Cloutier and Grayson Lookner are vying for the Democratic nomination while Jane Frey is running as a Republican.

Fair Elections Portland had hoped to set up a program to provide public campaign funds to individuals running for municipal and school positions.

Passenger traffic at the Portland International Jetport is down 90% and it is losing $1.6 million in revenue per month.

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.

Cindy Soule, a fourth-grade teacher at the Portland elementary school, is now in the running for the statewide teaching award.

The coronavirus has slashed revenues coming into the city and significant cuts in services will be required, the city's finance director says.

The firm, launched in March, can provide help with corporate communications, sales and marketing, and business strategy.

A seventh grader project takes on "special importance" during the coronavirus pandemic.

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 library has been closed since mid-March, but has been offering its books and programming virtually.

For the time being, the Greyhound Bus Line will continue to operate at 950 Congress St.

The center is set to open next summer and have the capacity to serve upwards of 800 children and adults with autism and developmental disorders.

Certain provisions, such as when dogs have to be leashed and the suspension of various municipal deadlines, remain in effect through June 1.

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.