PORTLAND — A long-planned hotel that is part of the redevelopment of Thompson’s Point is headed for a Planning Board workshop. The workshop was supposed to be held Tuesday, but the blizzard anticipated for Tuesday and into Wednesday postponed the meeting until March 22, city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin announced Monday. The five-story, 148-room hotel will […]

PORTLAND — The Maine Girls’ Academy has added the marine science and leadership-based curriculum developed by the former Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport. The Maine Girls’ Academy is investing in “strengthening (and) innovating our school,” Amy Jolly, head of the academy, said this week. With MGA’s commitment to science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM […]

PORTLAND — Superintendent of Schools Xavier Botana is not shy about saying that his proposed $113 million budget would “require a significant commitment from the Portland community.” During his fiscal 2019 budget presentation to the School Board last week, he said the spending measure, which represents an increase of more than $7 million, is needed to […]

PORTLAND — New adventures could be coming to Dougherty Field this fall. The planned North Woods Adventure Playground, part of the city’s Community Development Block Grant budget, will merge traditional and rugged settings. “I’d call it a hybrid playground, traditional equipment and hills and boulders,” city Parks Division Deputy Director Ethan Hipple said March 7. […]

PORTLAND — Patrons under 21 will have free, unlimited admission to the Portland Museum of Art starting April 11. The new Susie Konkel Pass program “is made possible through the vision and generosity of Susie Konkel, a philanthropist and advocate for youth in Maine and the region,” according to a museum press release. The Congress Square museum attracts […]

PORTLAND — Names are important. They can evoke strong feelings of reverence, nostalgia or a sense of place. That’s why the Portland Public Schools is now seeking input on whether the nearly $30 million Hall Elementary School on Orono Road should be renamed when the doors reopen this fall. The question, according to School Board member […]

PORTLAND — Assistant Fire Chief Keith Gautreau has been picked to succeed Fire Chief David Jackson on an interim basis next month. Jackson is retiring at the end of this month; Gautreau’s appointment was announced March 9 by City Manager Jon Jennings. Gautreau has been with the department since 1995, rising through the ranks to become […]

PORTLAND — Police on Wednesday identified Robert Belanger as the man killed early on March 10 after being struck on Congress Street by a city-owned dump truck. City spokeswoman Jessica Grondin said Belanger was hit at 2282 Congress St.. where it intersects Bluberry Road. The accident occurred around 3:45 a.m. Belanger was a Portland resident, […]

PORTLAND — Passenger traffic at the Portland International Jetport continues to take off, as a record year for use was recorded in 2017. “Spurred on by a strong summer tourism season, and its airline partners adding additional off-peak flights, the Jetport recorded 1,862,213 passengers. This is an increase of 4.2 percent over 2016, which saw […]

PORTLAND — The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade along Commercial Street will step off at noon on March 17. Bob Kearney of the Irish American Club of Maine said in a press release the parade begins at Commercial and Center streets and proceeds past the viewing stand at Bell Buoy Park near the Casco Bay […]