SCARBOROUGH — After an hour-long closed-door meeting Wednesday, town councilors dropped ethics charges against Councilor Richard Sullivan. Sullivan was accused of failing to disclose a conflict of interest. “I’m glad to have my good name cleared,” Sullivan said after the meeting. “The Sullivan name got dragged through the mud.” The charges were made by Councilors […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — While members of a recently formed property owners association asked for more time and less regulation, the Planning Board on Tuesday scheduled a full public hearing on a possible short-term rental ordinance. The move hear more about regulating short-term rentals came after board members listened to about an hour of comments, almost […]

SCARBOROUGH — The final piece of Elsie – the stump of what was one of the town’s last giant elms – was pulled Wednesday, erasing from the Oak Hill landscape all that remained of the beloved tree that stood for about 150 years. Meanwhile, most of Elsie – sliced and diced last year into boards […]

TOPSHAM — Voters approved next year’s $8.1 million municipal budget at Town Meeting Wednesday evening. The 50-minute meeting, held at Mt. Ararat High School, drew 251 registered voters and ended with a round of applause. The fiscal 2013 spending plan is up slightly more than 1.8 percent from the current year. Town Manager Cornell Knight […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — Town Councilor David Sherman on Monday said he is not accustomed to voting against his own council motions. Though still opposed to a town referendum about spending for renovations and reconstruction of Thomas Memorial Library, Sherman made the motion accepted 5-2 by councilors that shifts the decision back to a popular vote. […]

TOPSHAM — A routine safety inspection on a bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham is expected to detour traffic next week. The Frank J. Wood Bridge inspection is scheduled 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday, May 21, to Wednesday, May 23, the Maine Department of Transportation announced. Northbound vehicles on Routes 201 and 24 will […]

BRUNSWICK — A $54.8 million town budget that would result in a 6.2 percent increase in property taxes was discussed by the Town Council during a budget workshop Monday. Councilors reviewed plans to dip into the town’s $8.5 million undesignated fund balance for $1 million to mitigate the impact on taxpayers. Town Manager Gary Brown […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — People looking for fresh-from-the-farm products will have another shopping option this summer if the Maine Mall’s plan to open a farmers market are approved next Tuesday. The mall applied to the city’s Planning Board for permission to open a farmers market on Tuesdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from May 29 […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — Bids to build the 2.2-mile Shore Road Path will be opened by Town Manager Michael McGovern on May 24 at 2 p.m. Approved by town councilors in 2010, the path will run from Fort Williams Park to the intersection of Shore and Ocean House roads. The 5-foot-wide asphalt path will be built […]

BRUNSWICK — Two state lawmakers-turned-lovers, Reps. Alex Cornell du Houx and Erin Herbig, have reached a private agreement to settle their legal differences. Both legislators declined to discuss the details of the pact, which was reached late on May 11. On Monday, May 14, Herbig, a Belfast Democrat, withdrew a request in Belfast District Court […]