NORTH YARMOUTH — Next year’s municipal budget could drop 9.5 percent, but reduced revenues could cause town taxes to increase 4 percent. Those numbers are based on a Board of Selectmen recommendation to spend $2.4 million in fiscal 2014, an approximately $253,000 reduction from the current budget. A loss in municipal income, from $1.8 million […]
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Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland school budget raises taxes 3.7%
PORTLAND — The City Council on Monday formally received a proposed $97.9 million budget for the School Department. The spending plan for fiscal 2014 is about $3.7 million more than this year’s budget, and is based on raising the portion of property taxes that fund the schools by 3.69 percent, from $9.57 to $9.92 per […]
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Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
3 candidates for 2 seats on North Yarmouth Board of Selectmen
NORTH YARMOUTH — Three candidates filed papers for election to the Board of Selectmen. There are two seats on the June ballot: Chairman Steve Palmer of Mountfort Road is running for another term, while fellow Selectman Rob Wood has chosen not to seek another term. Clark Whittier of Walnut Hill Road, a member of the […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Chebeague Island selectmen election draws 4 candidates for 2 seats
CHEBEAGUE ISLAND — Four residents filed nomination papers for two open seats on the Board of Selectmen, while only one person is running for the School Board, which has two vacancies. Election Day is June 11. Mark Dyer, who has been on the Board of Selectmen most of the time since Chebeague Island’s secession from […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Portland business brings composting to the masses
PORTLAND — Tyler Frank believes garbage bags may someday be obsolete. The Vesper Street resident is one of the founders of Garbage to Garden, a community-based curbside composting service that was launched last summer. For $11 a month, the service picks up food scraps from participating homes, works with an area farm to compost the […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Video game 'firefighters' rise to the 'Call of Duty' in Portland
PORTLAND — In a small waterfront office, two programmers are working on some of the biggest titles on the video game market. Wade Brainerd and Michael Vance work as a team for Activision, one of the world’s largest game publishers, in a state that is mostly alien to the industry. Their recent credentials include “Call […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Balancing act: Bikes, cars compete for Portland streets
PORTLAND — It’s a sure sign of spring: bicycle riders, from kids wobbling on their first two-wheelers to Spandex-clad athletes on high-tech racing machines, once again occupy city streets. This year, several initiatives are making Portland a more bike-friendly place for cyclists. But some wonder if it is becoming too friendly. In February, the city […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Schools get revised city history guide from landmarks group
PORTLAND — A new edition of “The City is a Classroom,” published by Greater Portland Landmarks, gives third-grade teachers a new way to explore the city for their Portland teaching units. Jen Pollick, the education program manager for Landmarks, said the organization worked with a graphic designer to create a full-color text book that outlines […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Man arrested after standoff with Portland police
PORTLAND — After a 4 1/2-hour standoff Monday in Bayside, police arrested a homeless man they believed was armed and was being sought in connection with a domestic violence incident earlier in the day. Kyle Upton, 28, surrendered to a SWAT team at 41 Alder St. shortly after 7 p.m. He was charged with criminal […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, Northern Forecaster, Portland Forecaster, Southern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Youth Court in Portland, Yarmouth aims to repair wrongs, not punish kids
YARMOUTH — A program in Maine is helping first-time juvenile offenders avoid the traditional justice system and repair any harm they’ve done to the community. The program, called Youth Court, is appearing around the country in an effort to provide what is known as “restorative” justice. In Maine’s system, two teams of volunteer students hear cases […]