YARMOUTH — A former town councilor and trustee of the Cumberland County Civic Center was suspended indefinitely from practicing law on Feb. 10 by Maine Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Joseph J. Jabar. Warren M. Turner, who practiced at a Portland Street office, was suspended because of grievances regarding his failure to appear at scheduled […]

CUMBERLAND — A new shellfish license fee for clammers in their 60s elicited criticism at Monday’s Town Council meeting. People 62 or older had been able to obtain shellfish licenses for free until Jan. 1, when changes in the town’s Shellfish Conservation Ordinance increased the minimum age for the benefit to 70. The Shellfish Conservation […]

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — A Falmouth man was injured and a family dog killed after the car they were riding in collided with another vehicle Sunday on Route 27, police Chief Scott Nichols said Monday. The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. one-quarter mile north of the Kingfield line, Nichols said. A 2005 Honda Accord driven […]

AUGUSTA — A decision by the state means Gov. Baxter School for the Deaf in Falmouth must figure out how to cover transportation costs not previously included in its budget. The additional expense is expected to total approximately $500,000. The school’s current budget includes $5.6 million from the Maine Department of Education and $840,000 from […]

AUGUSTA — The Department of Marine Resources on Feb. 8 granted a three-year lease of 3.03 acres off Chebeague Island to Ocean Approved LLC. The Portland company plans to use the plot as an experimental kelp farm. Ocean Approved must pay the annual $100 per acre lease fee, post a $5,000 bond, and notify the […]

PORTLAND — A patchwork effort by municipal general assistance, nonprofit groups and churches is increasingly unable to assist the city’s growing population of asylum seekers. “I wish there was more assistance we could give,” said Doug Gardner, director of Portland’s Health and Human Services Department. “Frankly, this is a real emerging issue for the city.” […]

PORTLAND — It’s 7 p.m. on a weekday, and in various town or city halls throughout greater Portland, the same scene is unfolding. A group of men and women will say the pledge of allegiance and take their seats around a U-shaped table. For the next few hours, they will listen as their neighbors blast […]

PORTLAND — Fort Allen Park, on the southeastern tip of the Eastern Promenade, is an inviting place, the sort where people come to sun and fly kites in summer and to run their dogs, off-leash, as winter dusk settles over the harbor islands. “This is the jewel of the city,” Diane Davison said. But the […]

PORTLAND — An audit of city finances found no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in financial controls used by city and school officials. Results of an audit of the year that ended June 30, 2011, were presented to city and school officials during a Feb. 9 joint meeting of the city and school finance committees. […]

PORTLAND — The state and federal government should do more to promote the use of alternative energy by the general public, according to proposals by a group of high school students. Juniors from Casco Bay High School last week presented proposals to address the nation’s energy and environmental issues during a two-day “In the Black” […]