SCARBOROUGH — For the first time, the town will contribute to a regional bus system that makes stops along Route 1 every day.  Scarborough is bordered to the north and south by towns with public transit systems, but has no such transportation ecology of its own.  The $25,000 contribution approved Wednesday represents a good-faith gesture to Shuttlebus-Zoom, […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — Among other things in a May 14 meeting, town councilors and the public will talk about how the town should regulate open space. The municipal and school budgets are scheduled for a council vote in the meeting, and the long-term plans for Fort Williams will be discussed at a public hearing. The […]

SCARBOROUGH — Despite an eleventh-hour effort to trim the budget by $300,000, town councilors on Wednesday approved a $69 million spending plan for fiscal 2013. The budget includes a $1.84 million reduction recommended by the Finance Committee. About $49.9 million must be raised by taxes, a 7.3 percent increase over the current year. That means the […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council on Monday gave tacit approval to a School Board budget reduced by about $138,000 from a $39.6 million proposal councilors had deemed too high. “What we’re seeing tonight is a really positive thing,” Councilor Rosemarie De Angelis said. “There was movement, and that’s what we asked for.” The school budget, […]

BATH — The City Council on Wednesday discussed options for dealing with a potentially significant increase in the city’s cost of education, including possible withdrawal from Regional School Unit 1. The discussion came after the Regional School Unit 1 Board of Directors voted unanimously April 23 to change its cost-sharing formula so that a law […]

CAPE ELIZABETH — Police said an Internet relationship that turned violent has led to several charges against a South Portland man. Jose L. Pinto-Zarate, 30, of 696 Westbrook St., was charged with unlawful sexual contact, criminal restraint and assault Sunday morning, April 29. Clerks at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland said Pinto-Zarate was released […]

HARPSWELL — The total cost to make Mitchell Field safe and ready for business would be more than $2.8 million, a team of engineers reported last week. Rob Roark, chairman of the Mitchell Field Committee, said he was happy with the work by the engineers, and believes the estimate is reasonable. “I think that to […]

BRUNSWICK — Constituents who wish to have a word with state Sen. Stan Gerzofsky will have a chance on Saturday. The Brunswick Democrat will be holding office hours from 10 a.m. to noon at the Little Dog Coffee Shop on Maine Street. Gerzofsky represents Brunswick, Harpswell, Freeport and Pownal.

HARPSWELL — The town became a little safer on Monday, thanks to the new presence of an emergency vehicle and a card-carrying paramedic at the Town Office. The long-awaited switch to contracted emergency services with Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick came after about a year of planning that culminated with a Town Meeting vote for […]

BRUNSWICK — Voters will be asked to pay more for less under a $33.5 million budget passed by the School Board. The amount represents an increase of almost 0.6 percent over the current budget, but a loss of federal funding means that the town appropriation will increase by 14.1 percent. There will be a net […]