FALMOUTH — The 10-screen Regal Cinemas has closed and will be torn down, paving the way for an expanded Walmart store. Ben Devine, owner of the Falmouth Plaza at 206 Route 1, said Regal closed at the end of March. He said he negotiated an agreement with Regal to terminate the theater’s lease, which will […]

FALMOUTH — The  youngest students at Falmouth Elementary School may not be quite ready for kindergarten, but they’ve quickly carved out their own space in the school community. Those students – ages 18 months to 5 years – spend their days learning in brightly decorated classrooms in a quiet wing of the new school. Their […]

FALMOUTH — Town councilors on Monday got a look at updated plans for the former Plummer-Motz and Lunt school properties during a presentation by representatives of OceanView at Falmouth. OceanView and town officials in January signed a purchase-and-sale agreement for most of the former school properties. The neighboring retirement community plans to buy nearly all […]

YARMOUTH — A construction bond for a new Public Works depot will not be on the June ballot after the Town Council decided not to proceed with a broad expansion plan. Instead, councilors will vote April 19 on measures to begin a phased-in project to expand the North Street facility, but without a definitive timetable […]

FREEPORT — A February traffic stop will lead to an April 25 court appearance in Portland for a local man indicted on drug charges. Seth Dipietrantonio, 33, a Picnic Hill Road resident, was indicted by a Cumberland County grand jury last week on two Class A charges of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs. Dipietrantonio was […]

YARMOUTH — Before councilors discuss municipal spending at their meeting April 19, they will take time to honor one of their own. Councilor Erving Bickford has been nominated to receive this year’s Latchstring Award, established in 1980 to laud public service and leadership. The award name is a reference to the town motto: “Our latchstring […]

FREEPORT — Speaking up about local affairs is now a couple of clicks away with the launch of a new website in town. Freeporttalks.org, operated by Omaha-based MindMixer, is in a trial stage for several months. It is a forum to get opinions and input from residents on a variety of quality of life issues, […]

CUMBERLAND — The Town Council on Monday unanimously approved the fiscal 2013 municipal budget and an amended impact fee ordinance. The nearly $8 million fiscal 2012 spending plan will increase to $8.7 million beginning July 1. Most of the nearly $782,000 increase is in the capital side of the budget, which will see a climb […]

PORTLAND — The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the city manager’s plan to distribute $1.8 million in federal Community Development Block Grants. The big winners include the Abyssinian Meeting House and the Maine Irish Heritage Center, organizations dedicated to preserving Portland’s cultural history, which were at risk of not receiving funding under one of […]

PORTLAND — Less than a week after receiving City Manager Mark Rees’ budget proposal for fiscal 2013, members of the City Council finance committee were already convinced it wouldn’t get their recommendation. On Thursday, April 5, the committee conferenced on the overall budget proposal after a meeting to parse out Rees’ specific recommendations for the […]