PORTLAND — There was lots of clucking at Monday’s night City Council meeting, but not about a proposal to relax rules governing back-yard chickens. Those changes, which reduced the distance required between chicken coops and neighboring buildings from 25 feet to 10 feet, passed unanimously and with little discussion. Instead, councilors clashed over proposed changes […]

PORTLAND — Middle school math programs are generally not considered controversial. But as Portland begins to implement the new University of Chicago Mathematics program in all three of its middle schools, parents, teachers and math experts around the region are questioning whether the program’s goals add up. Some districts, like Scarborough, have moved away from […]

Owners plan to pay residents $2,500 per unit PORTLAND — The new owners of the Eastland Park Hotel will provide tenants $2,500 a unit to relocate and will donate old hotel furniture to area nonprofits. But it’s unclear when the estimated 10- to 14-month renovation will begin. Penny St. Louis, the city’s Planning and Urban […]

PORTLAND — The second Portland Maine Film Festival returns this week with a variety of films, from short works to full-length features and animated films, at venues all over the city from Oct. 6-9. For Tom Isler and his brother Jim, whose film “Two’s a Crowd” will be shown as part of a block of […]

PORTLAND — It’s only October, but the city is already looking forward to Christmas. The city is seeking a 40- to 60-foot tall, “well-rounded” tree to be decorated with hundreds of LED lights and displayed in Monument Square. A tree-lighting ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 25.  City Arborist Jeff Darling said […]

PORTLAND — For beer-drinkers around Maine, the arrival of Shipyard Brewery’s Pumpkinhead beer means it’s time to dig the fall sweaters out of the closet and put away the patio furniture. The nearly 20-year-old Portland brewery’s seasonal beer has become a staple for fall in Maine, but lately, the beer has taken off outside of […]

PORTLAND — North Deering residents on Thursday, Oct. 6, will hold an organizational meeting for a new neighborhood crime watch. The North Deering Neighborhood Association said in a press release it has been working on the anti-crime initiative with the Portland Police Department for several months. Neighborhood watch signs have been posted, and North Deering’s […]

PORTLAND — The Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization is seeking vendors for this month’s “We Love Munjoy Hill Festival.” The organization said in a press release openings are still available for food vendors, artists, street good vendors and nonprofit associations. Applications are available at MunjoyHill.org. The festival, presented by the MHNO in collaboration with the Munjoy […]

HARPSWELL — An 18-year-old driver was killed on Wednesday night when he swerved to avoid a deer on Route 123 in Harpswell. According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Cameron L. Van Vlack lost control of his vehicle when a deer ran into the roadway. Van Vlack’s car hit a tree, flipped over, and struck […]

SOUTH PORTLAND — If the City Council wants more public input on proposed changes to zoning rules in Willard Square, they can conduct hearings themselves. That was the message sent Tuesday by the Planning Board, whose members were defiant in the face of a new charge from councilors to once again revisit a contentious proposal […]