PORTLAND — Ahead of any formal budget discussions, City Manager Jon Jennings had a message Monday night for city councilors. “When we are looking at (new) spending, I will be asking you ‘what do you want to cut?’” he said in a workshop where details of a proposed revaluation of city properties were presented. The current […]

PORTLAND — The American Red Cross issued an urgent call for blood and platelet donors to help alleviate a shortage. “Severe winter weather has had a tremendous impact on blood donations already this year, with more than 150 blood drives forced to cancel, causing over 5,500 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected,” the Northern New […]

PORTLAND — It took six weeks to determine who would lead and staff City Council committees in 2018. It took more than two years to pass an ordinance regulating pesticide use in the city. Both were accomplished at the first council meeting of the year on Jan. 3. Committee appointments were accepted late in the meeting, […]

PORTLAND — With tight budgets, school districts across Maine have turned to pay-to-play policies in recent years to support their extracurricular programs. But in the Portland Public Schools no fee is charged for participation. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeanne Crocker this week said, “We are committed to continuing that.” “We are proud of our co-curricular program […]

PORTLAND — With tight budgets, school districts across Maine have turned to pay-to-play policies in recent years to support their extracurricular programs. But in the Portland Public Schools no fee is charged for participation. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jeanne Crocker this week said, “We are committed to continuing that.” “We are proud of our co-curricular program […]

PORTLAND — Parent engagement is still one of the most important factors in a child’s ability to succeed in school, and a reason the Portland Public Schools is launching a new initiative called Parent University. “Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in the development of habits of work, character traits, and academic success,” according to […]

PORTLAND — Developers are hoping to get the go-ahead Tuesday for a project planned around the former St. Joseph’s Convent on Stevens Avenue. “We hope to get approval,” Kevin Bunker said in a Jan. 5 email. “At (a) workshop there was very little comment and the consensus seemed to be that it was ready to go.” […]

PORTLAND — The legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 50th anniversary of his assassination will be observed at events in Portland and Freeport. Martin Luther King Day is Monday, Jan. 15. King was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.  On Friday, Jan. 12, a reading and question-and-answer session called “The […]