PORTLAND — On Dec. 16, much of Soleil Dufour’s attention was focused on the ice skating rink and snow tube run at Thompson’s Point. In a little more than three months, his attention will be coming back indoors, when an events center opens at the Brick South building. “Portland has been in need of a larger event […]

PORTLAND — A federal grant funding HIV and AIDS treatment in the city was successfully transferred to the nonprofit Greater Portland Health. The $356,000 Ryan White Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will shift Jan. 1, the city announced Dec. 22. HIV and AIDS treatment […]

PORTLAND — Opponents were expected to renew their call for a scaled-back project Tuesday night when the Planning Board was scheduled to vote on the master plan for the former Portland Co. property on Fore Street. Opponents of the master plan have formed the nonprofit Portlanders for Responsible Development, which includes attorney Barbara Vestal. Vestal wrote […]

PORTLAND — Registration is still open for the annual New Year’s Eve Polar Bear Dip and 5K to benefit the Natural Resources Council of Maine. NRCM spokeswoman Judy Berk said events begin at 11 a.m. Dec. 31 with the 5K walk/run from Back Cove to East End Beach. The dip into Casco Bay is scheduled for […]

PORTLAND — The show will go on at the Maine State Pier in 2017, city councilors decided Monday. The final City Council meeting of 2016 took four hours. Councilors also approved changes to the city’s General Assistance and minimum wage ordinances to conform with state laws, and to create a city office to help connect immigrants and […]

PORTLAND — The leaders of an ad hoc committee determining the best way to address elementary school facility needs this week said they are committed to a four-school bond. However, whether the rest of the panel agrees with School Board member Marnie Morrione and Mayor Ethan Strimling – and would be willing to support a nearly […]

PORTLAND — It could be greener, larger, and maybe wetter. The potential future of Congress Square was revealed Dec. 15 to a crowd of about 100 people at the Portland Westin Harborview Hotel in a presentation detailing the layout and ideas for public art. “When you look at this site, there is something missing: the steps,” […]

PORTLAND — Under a new program, L.L. Bean has funded 18 different classroom grants in schools across the city. The goal of the grants is to introduce students to the outdoors and to the ideals of conservation and caring for the environment. The grants, totaling $16,000, were recently awarded through the Portland Education Foundation, according […]

PORTLAND — Parishioners at Our Lady of Hope Parish, which includes two downtown churches, banded together recently to provide a little holiday cheer for those who regularly rely on the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen. At a special Christmas luncheon held Dec. 16, clients of the soup kitchen received new or gently used backpacks donated […]

Arrests 12/11 at 4:31 p.m. Bon Leoun, 30, of Portland, was arrested on Grant Street by Officer Graham Hults on an outstanding warrant from another agency. 12/12 at 12:21 a.m. Sheryl J. Menard, 56, of Portland, was arrested on Preble Street by Officer Heather Brown on a charge of criminal trespass. 12/12 at 2:09 a.m. Kevin P. Finn, 26, of […]