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Portland orders OccupyMaine to clear out of Lincoln Park by Monday morning

Feb 02, 2012 12:00 am

PORTLAND — City Manager Mark Rees has ordered OccupyMaine to leave Lincoln Park by 8 a.m. Monday.  The eviction notice was posted at the Pearl Street entrance to the park early Thursday afternoon. The city extended the protesters' notice by about a day after a meeting with John Branson, OccupyMaine's attorney. City spokeswoman Nicole Clegg was hopeful the protesters will meet the deadline. Rumors circulated around Lincoln Park on Thursday that several activists intended to stay until they are arrested.

UPDATE: After judge's ruling, OccupyMaine to get eviction order from Portland on Thursday

Feb 01, 2012 12:40 pm

PORTLAND — OccupyMaine protesters were dealt a major setback Wednesday when a Maine Superior Court judge ruled that their tent city in Lincoln Park is not a form of constitutionally protected speech. In a press release Wednesday afternoon, the city said it would serve the group Thursday with an eviction notice that will give the occupiers at least two days to vacate the park.

School seeks parents' input on principal search

Jan 31, 2012 12:10 pm

PORTLAND — Lyman Moore Middle School has invited parents to give their input on the search for the school's new principal at a Feb. 1 meeting. School officials hope that parents who attend will take the opportunity to discuss the characteristics they hope to see in the new principal. The meeting begins at 7 p.m., and will be held in the school library.

Marley announces bid for county commissioner

Jan 31, 2012 12:10 pm

SOUTH PORTLAND — Former Portland state Rep. Boyd Marley announced he intends to run for the new District 4 seat on the Cumberland County Commission. Marley chaired the Legislature's Transportation Committee during his four terms in the House of Representatives. He is a special education teacher in South Portland, and worked on the Portland International Jetport Terminal Building Committee. The district includes South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook and part of Portland.

Cool carving

Feb 01, 2012 12:00 am

Portland Fire Department receives $80K grant

Jan 31, 2012 11:40 am

PORTLAND — The Fire Department will receive more than $80,000 in grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced Monday.  The grant, which will cover training, equipment, wellness, fitness, and facility modifications, is awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.  The program has given more than $54 million to Maine fire departments, said Collins, who is a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.

Acting chief gets top Portland police post

Jan 31, 2012 11:40 am

PORTLAND — The five-month search for a new police chief ended Tuesday when City Manager Mark Rees announced acting Chief Michael Sauschuck will head the department in a permanent capacity. The appointment must be confirmed by the City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting. Sauschuck will be the city's 19th police chief, Rees said in a press release.

Maine municipal heating funds pick up where LIHEAP leaves off

Jan 31, 2012 11:20 am

FREEPORT — Johanna Hanselman knows first-hand how cuts to the federal Low Income Heating Assistance Program are hurting Mainers. As the general assistance administrator for Freeport and Yarmouth, Hanselmen has heard from people who barely received enough money from LIHEAP to cover the bottoms of their oil tanks. "I've never heard of so many people saying, 'Oh I got like $105,'" she said, "It's so little that some people aren't even getting 50 gallons."

Casco Bay kelp-farming site gets go-ahead from Maine

Jan 31, 2012 10:50 am

PORTLAND — A company in the not-yet-competitive domestic kelp farming industry has received approval for an experimental aquaculture lease in Casco Bay. Ocean Approved LLC, which owners say created the first kelp farm in America in 2009, also in Casco Bay, received approval Jan. 24 from the Department of Marine Resources for a three-year lease for 3.03 acres off of Jewell Island. Ocean Approved co-owner Paul Dobbins said the company is still awaiting approval for a second site of the same size off Chebeague Island.

Produced by the people: Mainers crowd-fund their creative endeavors

Jan 31, 2012 10:30 am

PORTLAND — Last year, when talk of a double-dip recession was in the air, Alex Steed got nervous. He and his partners were looking to fund "Food Coma TV," a Web-based show about the untold food stories from "the rest of Maine" – places outside the foodie destinations of Portland or Mount Desert Island. Imagine a Pine Tree State version of "No Reservations." While fundraising for another project in 2008, the recession created a great belt-tightening, Steed said. No one was giving.

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