FREEPORT — A Town Council discussion on train noise Tuesday night was briefly interrupted by train noise. Then, shortly after the clang and whistle of the 9:40 p.m. train subsided, the council voted 6-1 to implement railroad quiet zones in town. In 30 days or less, trains will no longer blow their horns while approaching […]
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Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Freeport leads local rebound in permits for new homes
FREEPORT — Construction of single-family homes is showing a slow, steady recovery in coastal towns north of Portland, which jibes with national statistics. The end of fiscal 2013 brought encouraging news for Freeport, a town of 7,900 residents. The code enforcement office issued 48 permits for single-family homes, which was the highest number since 2006, when […]
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Posted inCoastal Journal, The Forecaster
Harpswell Festival canceled due to lack of volunteers
HARPSWELL — After a nine-year run, the Harpswell Festival has been canceled this year and it’s unlikely the event will return. The festival would have happened July 28 at Mitchell Field. In its place, a smaller event with food, music and fireworks is planned for Labor Day weekend. Tom Allen, the festival’s executive director, said […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Freeport foundation awards $75K to Maine Audubon
FALMOUTH — A Freeport foundation has awarded Maine Audubon a $75,000 grant to help maintain and restore aquatic habitat connections throughout the state. The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation grant will help Audubon with aquatic restoration projects by funding surveys, technical help and professional workshops, according to an Audubon press release. Maine Audubon is the largest […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Donations sought for Lac-Megantic relief
FALMOUTH — The town’s Maine sister city, Farmington, is collecting donations to help residents in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, who were affected by the freight train crash and explosion on July 6. The train, carrying oil, ran off the tracks and exploded in a residential neighborhood, killing at least 37 people. Dozens are still missing among the […]
Posted inNorthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Gardening becomes elementary at Falmouth schools
FALMOUTH — Elementary school students might be eating their school work this fall. Falmouth Elementary School’s new Learning Garden is growing this summer, after donations of time and money helped create a garden that will be integrated into not only the curriculum, but also the students’ diets. School nurse Sue Raatikainen has been leading the […]
Posted inPortland Forecaster, The Forecaster
Prostitution rise puzzles Portland police, Parkside residents
PORTLAND — It’s called a victimless crime. The world’s oldest profession. And promoting it is now defined as a form of human trafficking, under a state law signed July 11. But for police and some city residents, prostitution in the city is simply a challenge of day-to-day life. The problem made headlines again recently after […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster, The Forecaster
Tri for a Cure returns Sunday to South Portland, Cape Elizabeth
SOUTH PORTLAND — The beaches and streets around South Portland Community College will be filled Sunday with swimmers, runners and bicyclists taking part in the sixth annual Tri for a Cure. Organizers hope the triathlon will raise $1 million for cancer research at the Maine Cancer Foundation. Beginning at 8 a.m. more than 1,000 women […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, The Forecaster
Topsham to adopt revenue adjustments
TOPSHAM — The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to vote Thursday on several budget adjustments to cope with a nearly $210,000 shortfall in revenue sharing from the state. The town estimated it would receive about $721,000 for fiscal 2014, but instead got an estimate of $512,000 from the state, Town Manager Cornell Knight said last […]
Posted inCoastal Journal, The Forecaster
Full steam ahead for Bath replica of colonial ship
BATH — Another summer of shipbuilding is underway, as the replica of a ship built more than 400 years ago on the shores of the Kennebec River coasts closer to its 2015 completion goal. The Maine’s First Ship group is replicating the Virginia, a 51-foot pinnace built in 1608 by the short-lived Popham Colony, and […]