The Maine Economic Growth Council, which Democratic leaders praise as a fair and unbiased source, red flagged the state’s continued number one ranking in state and local tax burden and rising health care costs in its annual report card. In all, the state got four red flags and three gold stars on economic performance indicators […]

Use logo for “THE OTHER COLUMN” Talk about a marketing nightmare. Suppose you’d spent more than 10 years researching and writing a laudatory biography of a fascinating historical figure, one who’s mostly been overlooked by other writers. You send the finished product to a publisher, but even as it’s being considered, world events conspire to […]

Charest plays Inaugural Gala The Bob Charest Band entertained 140 people on Saturday at the inaugural gala at the Centurion Banquet Center on Larrabee Road. In addition to Mayor Bruce Chuluda, his wife, Victoria, and their daughter, Lisa, others who attended included members of the City Council and members of the School Committee. Chuluda spoke […]

A Cumberland County Superior Court jury acquitted three men of aggravated assault charges last week in connection with the death of a Westbrook man on Brown Street last July. Police had charged Alexander Layug, 18, of Massachusetts Avenue, Portland; Nicholas Lavigne, 19, of Pierce Street and Wade DePalma, 19, of Bridge Street with aggravated assault […]

As the Animal Refuge League has expanded from a shelter that served only dogs in the 1960s to one that also serves cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters, its building on Stroudwater Street has started to get a little cramped. The organization is now watching as Sandy River Health System, the operators of the […]