PORTLAND — A Cumberland County Superior Court justice is being asked to require the state to conduct a formal appeal of bids for a new state office complex, now slated for construction on Jetport Drive in South Portland. Lawyers for developer Tom Toye of Cape Elizabeth, who owns Bayside buildings that were rejected by the […]
Portland Forecaster
City-wide news from The Forecaster.
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Boffa bows out: Seminal Maine musician bids goodbye to big-band command
FALMOUTH — One of Maine’s most prolific popular musicians is taking a final bow. Tony Boffa, a 63-year-old band leader and former music educator, is stepping down from his flagship nine-piece show-dance band, a Maine institution that has lit up weddings, corporate functions and private events for more than 30 years. “I look in the mirror […]
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Controversial Portland theater plan coming out of hibernation
PORTLAND — After a six-month hiatus, a much-debated proposal to add a 400-seat performance hall to the St. Lawrence Arts Center on Munjoy Hill may once again be in the public spotlight. The Friends of the St. Lawrence Church, the nonprofit group that owns and operates the center, wants to build the hall where the […]
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Portland Pirates, Civic Center to resume talks
PORTLAND — The Cumberland County Civic Center and its former anchor tenant, the Portland Pirates professional hockey team, may re-open lease negotiations after the team on Friday said it was dropping its lawsuit against the arena. The announcement came two days after a private meeting between Neal Pratt, chairman of the Civic Center board of trustees, and Ron […]
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Portland business owners put best face on facade updates
PORTLAND — Congress Street businesses are sprucing up their appearance, thanks to a city initiative that will result in nearly $600,000 of storefront improvements. But not everyone is happy with the work being done on building facades, signs and awnings between Forest Avenue and Oak Street. The city’s Facade Improvement Program, funded by a federal […]
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Portland ceremony adds 79 new U.S. citizens
PORTLAND — Seventy-nine new Mainers emerged from Portland Public Library as U.S. citizens after a naturalization ceremony on Friday, Dec. 20. The event, which occurs every month in Portland, featured a speech by gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine. Michaud urged the new Mainers to embrace their citizenship, get involved in local government […]
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Remembering the homeless who died in Portland
Bagpiper George Pulkkinen is illuminated by police lights as he leads a procession up Preble Street in Portland on Friday, Dec. 20, to honor 21 homeless men and women who died during the past year. The Homeless Persons’ Memorial Vigil, which is sponsored by the city Health and Human Services Department, Mercy Hospital, and Preble […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Community Calendar: Dec. 25-Jan. 7
Greater Portland Call for Volunteers The Freeport Community Services thrift shop and annex are experiencing growth, volunteers needed in either store, 865-3985 ext. 206. Ronald McDonald House, needs volunteers for at least two three-hour shifts per month, Ronald McDonald House, 250 Brackett St., Portland, 780-6282 ext. 316. Ongoing ActionBasedCare.org needs volunteers to expand organization, ABC […]
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The Universal Notebook: A holiday exhortation
The ethical and moral dilemmas of being part of a materialistic, consumer society surely occur to all of us to some degree, especially during the holiday season. As affluent Americans we are all complicit in an economy that has unintended consequences for those less fortunate and those left out. Some of us at least feel […]
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Short Relief: Humanity made Mandela different from us
As the world gathered to commemorate the life of Nelson Mandela, I thought about how I first became aware of him. In the late 1970s, one of the hottest topics on my college campus was divestiture. Some of my classmates wanted our trustees to divest our school’s investments in companies that did business in South […]