News in South Portland

South Portland City Council OKs budget, school iPads

SOUTH PORTLAND — A reversal on school spending preceded approval of municipal spending at Monday night's City Council meeting. Councilors also postponed indefinitely an order to declare two Wythburn Road properties public nuisances, after they were satisfied with an

David Harry • News •

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 2:40 pm

Tar sands ban, new public works HQ headed to South Portland ballot

SOUTH PORTLAND — Events in South Portland on Monday ensured the Nov. 5 ballot will be contentious and costly. On Monday morning, members of Concerned Citizens for South Portland submitted nearly 3,800 petition signatures to City Clerk Sue Mooney for a

David Harry • News •

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 2:00 pm

Group seeks donations for South Portland hot tub

SOUTH PORTLAND — With about $100,000 needed to buy a new hot tub at the Community Center, City Parks and Recreation Director Rick Towle announced last week that a new group will be seeking private donations. The SP Hot Tub Committee needs volunteers to raise money from businesse...

News •

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 10:10 am

Ted Hellier, award-winning South Portland volunteer and coach, succumbs to cancer

SOUTH PORTLAND — In a well-traveled and colorful life, three things stood out for Edward "Ted" Hellier. "If he wasn't talking about his kids, it was lacrosse and solar," Susan Hellier said Tuesday, one day after her husband died of cancer at age 57. After an itinerant youth th...

David Harry • News •

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 3:40 pm

Arts Calendar: June 19 to July 2

Greater Portland Auditions/Calls for Art Monday 6/24 “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” open casting, 6:30 p.m., Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland, celeste.m.green@gmail.com. ...

• Lifestyle •

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Out & About: Music festivals in Portland, Brunswick, New Gloucester

Three music festivals are slated for summer’s opening week. The first is the three-day International Piano Festival. Under the aegis of the Portland Conservatory of Music, IPF runs this weekend in the Port City. That's followed a few days later by the Maine Festival of American Music...

Scott Andrews • Lifestyle •

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 12:00 pm

The Universal Notebook: Is there hope for Obama?

Republicans tend to think that all Democrats love President Barack Obama and follow him blindly into the hopeful future. Not so. Especially not now. When then-Sen. Obama first announced that he was running for the presidency, my initial reaction was that he lacked the essential expe...

Edgar Allen Beem • Opinion •

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 11:10 am

Abby's Road: The challenges of gift giving

I like to give gifts that can be measured calorically. In my book, you haven’t really said thank you, or Happy Birthday, or sorry about your appendix, if you haven’t handed over a bottle of wine, or a cake made of cookies, or the gluten-free brownies you doubt are at all enjoyable.

Abby Diaz • Opinion •

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 11:00 am

Letter: Beem ignores Maine's active seminaries

Edgar Allen Beem recently lamented the loss of Bangor Theological Seminary as another blow to the Christian community in the ongoing drive towards secularism in our country. The fact is that Bangor Theological joined the secular movement years ago and its decline and ultimate closure is in some p...

• Opinion •

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 10:10 am

Letter: Maine should mandate full-day kindergarten

I encourage readers to support funding LD 1143, "An Act to Provide Full Day Kindergarten Programs,” to mandate full-day kindergarten in all districts in Maine. Early childhood is an incredibly formative time for children both academically and socio-emotionally, and school systems nee...

• Opinion •

Monday, June 17, 2013 at 10:10 am