News
Local
- The South Portland City Council is considering a rent control proposal next month. Acknowledging “The council is very concerned overall with the unintended consequences of rent control,” South Portland Mayor Kate Lewis said the proposed rent control amount would be moderate. Read more…
In commemoration of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, scores of people attended a memorial vigil in downtown Lewiston last Wednesday to raise awareness of the issue. “There are people and resources that want to help,” said Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline. Read more…
- Two months after Samuel Mugisha disappeared from his Portland home, his family is reiterating the need to find him. “What can you say when you have a missing person and you don’t know where they are and if they’re dead or alive,” asked his uncle, Claude Rwaganje. “It’s hard.” According to the Press Herald report, “Anyone with information can call the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8479 or the Westbrook Police Department at 207-854-0644.” Read more…
- A new study found the Bangor area needs $5 million annually in housing investments in order to keep pace with demand. Said Jason Bird, a housing expert with Penquis and the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition: “The reality is we as a state and as a nation really have underfunded housing for decades, and now that issue is really coming home to roost.” Read more…
- The Brewer School Committee adopted a new policy of celebrating diversity and acknowledging the need for equitable access to resources. “We welcome everyone, period,” said Brewer Superintendent Gregg Palmer, “and research indicates that people learn better when they feel valued.” Read more…
- WMTW‘s James Corrigan reported on how Pine Tree Legal Assistance has been working with people facing eviction from hotels this month, which his colleague Terry Stackhouse covered. “The challenge for people who are staying in hotels and people who are month-to-month tenants,” said PTLA attorney Chris Marot, “is that there is this anxiety about what’s going to happen in the long term.”
- Andy O’Brien continued his history of immigration in Maine series for Amjambo Africa, with this installment focused on the Black community of maritime workers in Portland of the early 1800s. Read more…
- The Penobscot Bay Language School in Rockland is hosting a Ukrainian Cuisine Family Day from 4:00pm-7:00pm on Saturday, February 4. Registration is available online or by calling 207.594.1084 and proceeds benefit the organization’s “ESL for New Mainers program.”