West End NEWS Archive for June,
2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Political Storm Brewing
on Munjoy Hill
Gorham Re-Elected Neighborhood Prez
By ED KING
Former Portland City Councilor Will Gorham was re-
elected to the board of the Munjoy Hill
Neighborhood Organization at the group’s annual
meeting on June 29th, and was then elected the
group’s president when he was the only candidate
to accept a nomination to the post.
“I’m as surprised as anybody,” Gorham said later.
Gorham failed to gain election to the board two
years ago, and several months later, lost his City
Council seat to current councilor Kevin Donoghue.
Gorham plans to run against Donoghue when the
East End seat on the City Council comes up for
election in 2009.
In seeking nomination to the board, Gorham said
that he was coming back because he was concerned
about the organization. In an interview, he said that
one of his top priorities would be dealing with
problems at the MHNO’s neighborhood newspaper,
The Munjoy Hill Observer. Heather Curtis, the editor
of the paper, was the only candidate for re-election
to fail to be re-elected to the MHNO board. She may
still be part of the newspaper’s production team, but
can no longer head the MHNO’s newspaper
committee.
Donoghue, who writes a monthly column for the
Observer concerning issues before the City Council,
said that he hopes to be able to continue to do that.
Curtis has been at the center of several
controversies involving the newspaper in the past
year, including questions about editorial content and
the paper’s policy on printing letters to the editor.
The MHNO was threatened with a lawsuit by a local
developer over comments that Curtis added to one
story.
Other issues that Gorham listed as concerns were
the fact that the MHNO lost half of its funding from
the Housing and Community Development funds
that the City gets from the federal government,
because of the organization’s failure to file the
proper paperwork in time.
Gorham also echoed concerns expressed at the
annual meeting about the fact that there has been a
75% drop in the organization’s membership, which
has decreased to fewer than 100 members.
Gorham was nominated for the MHNO presidency
by Randee Bucknell, who recently began a petition
drive to recall Donoghue from office. Bucknell says
that they do not yet have the required five hundred
signatures on the petition, but she said that six
volunteers are circulating the petition and they will
be collecting signatures during the Fourth of July
festivities on the Eastern Prom. She declined to say
how many signatures the group has collected so far.
Gorham said that he is not involved in the recall
petition and knows nothing about its status. Bucknell
was also nominated to serve as the MHNO vice-
president, but was defeated in that vote by Katie
Brown.
One of the other issues that the MHNO is grappling
with is the disposition of the Adams School.
Gorham was on the City Council when it appointed
a re-use committee for the school and issued a
Request for Proposals. He is in favor of replacing
the school building with housing. At the June 29th
meeting, former president Markos Miller accused
the Observer of misrepresenting the Adams issue in
the paper, and failing to print a critical letter he
submitted to the paper. He also questioned the
accuracy of the minutes printed in the paper,
forcing the board to reconsider them and revise
them before they can be OK’d by the general
membership.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Man Who Fled Police
Sentenced in Bank Robbery
Charles Michael Limanni, 36, of Westbrook, was
sentenced on June 27th to 11 years and seven
months in federal prison for the November 16, 2007
robbery of the TD Banknorth at 883 Forest Avenue.
Limanni pleaded guilty to the robbery in March.
Limanni was captured four days after the robbery,
after a car chase through downtown Portland.
Police, who had surveillance pictures from the bank,
spotted him in a rented car on Congress Street,
which sped away and was abandoned at Park and
Spring Streets. In the course of the pursuit, the car
also struck a van parked on Congress Street.
Limanni ran about two blocks to the Holiday Inn,
where he was arrested. Other passengers in the car
were cleared of any involvement in the incident.
MECA Grad’s Public Art
Project Installed
Maine College of Art graduate Vivian Beer oversaw
the installation of her two sculptures Cloud Bench
and Rustle, in Winslow Park near Baxter Boulevard
on June 26th. The two works were recently
acquired by the Portland Public Art Committee for
the City's collection.
Cloud Bench, a flowing metal structure, will serve
as an intimate seating area with a view of Back
Cove. The two painted metal structures that make
up the piece Rustle were designed to evoke a
waving flag or the movement of the wind. In the fall
of 2007, Cloud Bench and Rustle were featured in
an alumni exhibit at the ICA at the Maine College of
Art.
The two pieces were selected through an open
proposal process by a selection committee made up
of local residents, artists, and business owners, as
well as members of the Public Art Committee. The
site was selected by the Public Art Committee when
Milkweed Pod, a temporary sculpture in that
location for several years, was blown down in a
storm two years ago.
Various site work, stonework and planting projects
will be ongoing for the next month. The work
should be completed over the summer and an
opening event will be held in late summer.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Police Chief Takes Texas Job
Portland Chief of Police Timothy Burton has
accepted the Odessa Police Chief position in
Odessa, Texas..
Burton is a 26-year veteran of the Portland Police
Department, and was named its Chief in November,
2005. .
Burton is expected to begin his duties as Odessa
Police Chief on August 31st.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Police Looking for
West End Burglar
The West End was the
target of five residential
burglaries or attempted
burglaries on Tuesday
night, between 11 PM
on June 24th and 1:30
AM on June 25th.
Rear windows of
basements or first-floor
windows of the
residences were tried,
or used to gain entry,
including two places on
the 400 block of
Cumberland Avenue,
Deering Street, Walker
Street, and Neal Street.
The description given
to police of a suspect in
one attempted burglary
was white male, five
foot eight to five foot
ten, 160 to 170 pounds,
with dark curly hair
and an angular-shaped
face. The man was
wearing a dark T-shirt,
tan cargo pants,
holding a dark, hooded
sweatshirt and a dark
backpack.
Anyone with
information about this
person should contact
the Detective Bureau at
8874-8533.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hadlock Area Traffic
Congestion Today
From 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, today, heavy traffic is
likely on Congress Street inbound from 295 to
Bramhall Street and on Forest Street outbound
from Park Avenue to Bedford Street due to the
opening event of the 2008 US Youth Soccer
Region 1 Championships at Hadlock Field and
Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Commuters may want to avoid these routes. Guests
attending the US Youth Soccer Event should exit
INTERSTATE 295 at EXIT 5 and proceed towards
the Congress Street Bus Terminal. Parking is
available in the Maine Medical Center parking lots
and garages on Congress Street. The only parking
available at Hadlock Field and Fitzpatrick
Stadium is for vehicles with state-issued
handicapped plates or placards.
Man Hangs on to Culprit
Portland police officer Ray Ruby was dispatched to
the area of Romasco Lane and Cumberland
Avenue, at the bottom of Munjoy Hill, on June
18th at 1:45 AM in reference to a call stating that
six individuals were fighting.
The group had dispersed before Ruby’s arrival, but
Darin Hoyt, 20, of Portland, was being held by a
man who was hanging out a first-floor window.
Hoyt was drunk and agitated, and as Ruby began
to question him, he became more agitated,
pushing the officer in the chest. He was arrested
and charged with assault.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
SIGNATURES COLLECTED TO
KEEP POLLING PLACES OPEN
A press conference will be held at Portland City
Hall at 12 noon today in State of Maine Room.
A citizen group, Save Our Neighborhood Polling
Places, plans to submit nearly 2,500 signatures
of Portland voters to the City Clerk’s Office,
about 1,000 more than the required amount,
calling on the Portland City Council to preserve
16 neighborhood polling places for all major
state and federal elections. If the Council does
not approve the petition, it would be placed on
the November ballot for the voters to decide.
The group is concerned that a drastic reduction
in polling places will reduce turnout and make
voting inconvenient for thousands of city
residents for the November Presidential Election.
Man Assaulted While Leaving
Parking Space
A man who was trying to move his car out of a
parking space at 2PM on June 13th asked David
Heiser, 39, of Portland, if he and his companion
could please move their legs. The couple were
sitting on the curb in front of the Dry Dock
restaurant on Commercial Street with their legs
extending into the street.
According to police, Heiser became verbally
confrontational when the request was made, and
proceeded to punch the driver. He was arrested and
charged with assault.
His companion, Kaycie Raymond, 26, of Portland,
was also arrested and charged with assault after
joining in the fray. Police say the couple was visibly
drunk.
-Marge Niblock
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Man Shot During Old
Port Fight
Patrol units of the Portland Police Department
responded to the area of 416 Fore Street for a
report of shots fired.at approximately 1AM on
Tuesday, June 24th. The caller reported that a
man had been shot and was bleeding.
Responding officers found James Sanders, 27,of
Portland, with a gunshot wound to his torso.
Medical personnel responded to the scene and
provided attention to Sanders, who was transported
to Maine Medical Center. Sanders, who is in stable
condition, is currently undergoing treatment at
MMC for serious injuries.
The alleged assailant, Brandon Brown, 21, was
detained at the scene by an employee of a business
in the area. Officers took him into custody. Brown,
who lives in Portland, has been charged with
elevated aggravated assault and reckless conduct
with a dangerous weapon. He was also charged
with two outstanding warrants from Cape
Elizabeth and South Portland, respectively.
The investigation into the origins of the
confrontation is ongoing. It has been reported that
Sanders was involved in an altercation with
another man and that Brown joined that fray
before producing a handgun and firing one round
at Sanders. The bullet struck Sanders and then a
wall, nearly hitting a bystander.
Police Arrest One Suspect in
Monument Square Assault
Portland police say that Paul Peterson, of Oxford
Street, reported that he was beaten and robbed
while in Monument Square on Monday, June 23rd.
Peterson told responding officers that, at about 9
PM, he was in the Square when he was
approached by a male and female. He was
engaged in conversation with the two and
attempted to walk away from them. The couple
was joined by four other males who confronted
and surrounded Peterson. Peterson reported that
he was punched several times and that his
backpack was forcibly taken from him.
Peterson went to a pay phone in Monument
Square to call police. He was told by another
subject that his backpack had been dumped in the
area. Peterson recovered the backpack but most of
its contents were missing.
Responding officers placed Peterson in a police
vehicle and drove him through the area. In the
area of Tommy’s Park at Middle and Exchange
Streets, Peterson pointed out a male as one of
those who had robbed him.
Officers stopped and identified Michael Lowberg,
20, of Portland. Lowberg was found to be in
possession of items taken from Peterson, including
a copy of his birth certificate.
Lowberg has been charged with robbery and
assault. The investigation into the incident is now
focused on identifying the remaining assailants.
Friends of Casco Bay to Hold
Cleanup of Back Cove
Friends of Casco Bay is organizing a cleanup of
Back Cove on Saturday, June 28th from 9 a.m. to
noon, in conjunction with Whole Foods, Tom’s of
Maine, and radio station WCLZ.
Peter Milholland, volunteer coordinator for the
environmental group will supply gloves and bags
for the volunteers. Participating volunteers will be
entered to win an overnight rafting trip with Three
Rivers Whitewater.
Contact Peter Milholland at
pmilholland@cascobay.org or 207-799-8574 for
more information or come to the parking lot on
Back Cove (across from Hannaford) on Saturday
morning, June 28th.
FMI, visit www.cascobay.org.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Maine Med Garage to Open
Maine Medical Center's new $22 million, 480-car
garage at Congress and Gilman Street is scheduled
to open today. The hospital opened a new helipad
atop its existing garage several months ago, and its
new birthing center is scheduled to open in
September.
Household Hazardous Waste
Collection to Resume
The City of Portland Public Services Department
will resume the Household Hazardous Waste
Collection at Riverside Recycling Facility, at 910
Riverside Street on Saturday, July 5. Paints, stains,
and other household chemicals are included in the
program. However, latex paint does not need to be
processed as hazardous waste because it can be
incinerated.
The program, which was discontinued last fall
because of budgetary reasons, will continue every
Saturday through Nov. 22 at Riverside Recycling
from 7 AM - 4 PM.
For more information, contact Riverside Recycling
at 797-6200.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Portland Taxi Fares to
Increase July 1st
New guidelines to become a licensed taxi
driver will also go into effect
Beginning July 1st, Portland's taxi fare will
increase for the first 1/10 of a mile to $1.90
and to a rate of $0.30 for each additional
1/10 of a mile. The fare from the Portland
Jetport will increase to a minimum of $5.00,
or the amount on the meter at the end of the
trip, whichever is greater. Taxi fares were
last increased four years ago.
In a press release, City officials urged riders
to use licensed taxis. All licensed vehicles
must have a meter, a taxi light on the roof,
fares painted on the doors, their driver's
license with photo prominently displayed,
and as of July 1st, a blue taxi license sticker
in the rear window. The public can be
assured that these taxis have been inspected,
have proof of insurance and have passed the
City's standards for operating. Licensed taxi
drivers undergo driving and criminal
background checks.
Vehicles with magnetic signs on their doors,
no light or a light that says "shuttle" and
no sticker or meter, are not licensed as taxis
by the City. The absence of a taxi driver
license means that the driver has not
undergone the required background checks.
The city has designated taxi lines at the
Portland Jetport, the Portland
Transportation Center - which houses Concord
Trailways and the Downeaster - and the Greyhound
Bus Station.
Passengers seeking to use a particular taxi company
can call and arrange for pick up at any location in
the city. The driver of the taxi or livery service must
have an order with the passenger's name and time of
expected arrival available for checking by taxi
authorities. Pre-arranged taxis do not have to wait in
the taxi line but must go to assigned pick-up
locations.
Passengers with problems should call the taxi hot
line at 756-8185. If possible, have the name and
number of the cab and driver available.
Saturday, June 21st
City Manager to Take Leave
for Cancer Treatment
Portland City Manager Joe
Gray will be on medical
leave for a four or five week
duration, beginning on June
23rd. Gray, 63, has been
diagnosed with early stage
prostate cancer and will
begin medical treatment
Monday at Mercy Hospital.
Gray has served as the City
Manager since the sudden
death of his predecessor,
Bob Ganley, in 2000.
Assistant City Manager Pat
Finnigan will serve as Acting
City Manager while Gray is
out.
Friday, June 20th, 2008
Portland Fire Museum Open
Fridays
The Portland Fire Museum located
at 157 Spring Street contains a
collection of fire-fighting history
that is unsurpassed. You can see
the horse stalls, paintings,
photographs of the Great Fire of
Portland (1866), lithographs, hand
made folk art and much more.
There are over seven rooms to view.
Please consider a visit.
The Portland Fire Museum hours
of operation for the summer and
fall are Friday, noon to eight PM.
Adults $5.00 children 7 & over
$2.00.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Main Library to Close
for Two Weeks
The Portland Public Library has announced that
the Main Branch will be closed from June 30th to
July 11th. Due to budget constraints, the library is
relocating some of its materials and service desks
within the 5 Monument Square location. They are
in dire need of volunteers to help with packing,
unpacking, and moving materials between July 1st
and July 11th. Anyone interested in helping may
contact Linda Albert, Director of Human
Resources, at albert@portland.lib.me.us or 871-
1700 ext. 768.
WENA wants to be at the Library table
Some members of the West End Neighborhood
Association would like Library’s Board of Director’
s to hold open meetings attended by all the
neighborhood groups involved in the board’s plans
for the next year. The members expressed
concerns at the group’s June 11th meeting
because board members have been meeting
privately with individual neighborhood groups.
Some members are also questioning the Library’s
plan to move children’s books from the Main
Branch to the East End School, saying that some
of the books could be taken to the Reiche branch.
The library board is in the process of restructuring
the City’s library system to fall in line with new
budget restraints. The board proposed the closing
of the Reiche Branch library in April because of
budget concerns, but the neighborhood association
rallied the community in protest, and funds were
restored to keep the branch open for another year.
Book Sale & Benefit Show Today
w/ D. Gross, Houseboat and More!
Doors and Book Sale 6:00pm, Music at 7pm. Meg
Perry Center 644 Congress St. Cheap books, bake
sale and great music by: D. Gross-rootsy, bluesy,
folky, homegrown music Houseboat- rocking out
the classics and other performances!
Get some great deals on great books! Enjoy some
delicious baked goods! Groove to some incredible
music!
$3-10 suggested donation (no one turned away for
lack of money) Benefits the Foglight Collective
www.megperrycenter.com
foglightcollective@riseup.net
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Linnell Asks for Recount in
County Race
Captain William Linnell has asked for a partial
recount of write-in ballots for Cumberland County
Commissioner, for the 1st District race held on
June 10th. Linnell is seeking the Green
Independent Party's nomination.
Linnell says he got more votes in Falmouth than
in Yarmouth, where he campaigned heavily but
was told he got no votes at all, and where he is
seeking the recount. Linnell got 30 write-in votes
in the City of Portland. He needed to get 100 write-
in votes from Green Independents to be on the
ballot in November.
The District represents Portland, Falmouth,
Yarmouth, Cumberland, and the Casco Bay Islands,
including Chebeague, Long Island, Peaks, Cushing,
and Great Diamond.
If Linnnell receives enough votes, he will run against
former Portland mayor and city councilor Jim
Cloutier in November. He ran for the District 3 seat
on the Portland City Council last November, coming
in second out of four contenders.
Historic Mast to be Restored
Plans are underway to restore
the mast of the USS Portland
on the Eastern Prom. The
project is being undertaken by
Bill Whitten, the Assistant
County Manager of
Cumberland County, who says
the project should take two or
three weeks to complete and
will cost about $125,000.
Whitten is raising the money
for the project and hopes to
have it done by Labor Day.
The metal mast, which stands
about 75 feet high, will be
sandblasted and repainted. It
will need to be encapsulated
because it is painted with lead-
based paint. The labor for the
project will be donated by the
Cianbro Corporation. The
repainting will require about
50 gallons of paint, at $80 per
gallon. Other repair work will
also be done at the base of the
mast.
The USS Portland was one of
the most highly-decorated navy
ships of World War II. Its
mast was resurrected from a
scrap heap and installed on the
Eastern Prom. A new plaque
was installed at its base last
fall.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dog Rescued from
Winter Street Roof
A dog who wandered onto the pitched roof of a
Winter Street residence through an open attic
window was rescued by the quick actions of a
neighbor and a local contractor on June 2nd.
Barbara Ward, owner of The Danforth Inn,
spotted the dog on the roof's edge, about 25 feet
above the ground, at about 10:30 AM. Ward and
a housekeeper at the inn dragged a mattress off
a bed, down the stairs and across the street, in
the event that the dog, named Tuck Tuck,
slipped off the roof. 911 was called but police
policy does not allow them to respond to dog
rescues, and the animal control officer was not
available till noon.
Ward also alerted Bob Graham, owner of Bob's
Coastal Contracting, whose company is doing
remodeling work on a house at Winter and Gray
Street. The contractor, whose arm is in a brace
because of a broken wrist, grabbed an extension
ladder and rushed across the street.
The dog was eventually coaxed to the side of the
roof where he could be reached from the ladder.
Before being rescued, Tuck Tuck reportedly
completed the business that compelled him to
climb out on the roof in the first place.
Community Kitchen to Open
at Market House
The Local Sprouts Community Supported
Kitchen (CSK) will provide local and organic
prepared food year-round to their members in
Portland starting on July 16th at the Public
Market House in Monument Square.
Each week the CSK will have a new menu
featuring seasonal dishes aspiring to provide
100% local food. They will also feature food
from different cultures and create opportunities
for the diverse cultures in Portland to share
food together.
The CSK is applying the CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) model to prepared food
by involving people as members of the kitchen
and connecting them to the farms that grow
their food. Members and others are encouraged
to come and help in the kitchen and learn about
cooking with whole local foods and cooking
seasonally. They are a worker-owned
cooperative. For more information, call 207-615-
9970 or check out
www.localsproutscooperative.com.<http://www.
localsproutscooperative.com/>
*food@localsproutscooperative.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Loud Party Ends in Arrest
Police received a complaint
regarding a loud party at 24
Loring Street at 1 AM on
May 31st. When they arrived
at the scene, they saw lights
in the garage and in the
residence. They observed
beer on a table in the garage
and loud music was coming
from the house.
After investigating, they
discovered underage people
consuming alcohol at the
location. According to police,
Roswell Y. Furman, 20, of
Falmouth, was the person
responsible for the party. He
would not comply with
officers’ requests and resisted
being handcuffed.
Furman was arrested and
charged with refusing to
submit to arrest and criminal
mischief.
-Marge Niblock
Man Attacks Car With Shopping
Cart
Police responded to a call from the Hannaford
store at 295 Forest Avenue at 12:30 AM June 9th
regarding a man who was smashing a shopping
cart into a car.
Everett Adams, 30, of Freeport, was arrested and
charged with aggravated criminal mischief.
The elevated charge was due to the amount of
damage sustained by the vehicle. Adams was out
on bail at the time for a burglary to a motor
vehicle.
-Marge Niblock
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hundreds of Portlanders Due
Insurance Rebates
Parkside/Bayside State
Representative Herb Adams is
urging Portlanders to apply for
refunds due them under a multi-
million dollar settlement
reached between the State of
Maine and the MEGA Life and
Health Insurance Company.
Last month the Maine State
Bureau of Insurance reached a
court-ordered settlement for rate
over-charges to Mainers who
had individual health insurance
policies with MEGA between
2004 to 2007. The total
settlement due Mainers is about
$5.5 million, said Adams.
MEGA is required to help
locate the hundreds of policy
holders and potential rebate
claimants statewide.
Adams has located almost 100
Portland people and families
owed rate rebates, plus interest,
in the Parkside, Bayside, and
East Bayside neighborhoods
alone. The state list of possible
claimants in Portland citywide
totals about 500 names.
To protect privacy, Adams is not
releasing the West End list at
this time, but will be contacting
individuals listed, and
encourages all Portlanders who
think they may be owed a rebate
to contact the State Bureau of
Insurance directly at
1-800-300-5000.
The amount of each refund will
depend on the length of time a
person held a MEGA policy
between 2004- 2007 and the
kind of coverage held.
MEGA Life and Health
Insurance Company specialized
in coverage for small business
and the self-employed.
. Adams may be contacted at
772-2565 for help, and the State
claims help line is 1-800-300-
5000 toll- free.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Opposing Groups Meet at Polls
Equality Maine sent 105 volunteers to 35 polling
locations in eight counties statewide on Election
Day, and gathered nearly 4,000 signatures in an
effort to counter the Maine Christian Civic League’
s efforts to place a pro-family referendum on the
ballot in 2009.
Equality Maine officials called the primary day
effort its “biggest single-day action to date.”
The League had petition gatherers at a number of
polls, but it is not known how many signatures it
collected.
Both groups plan to be at the polls for the general
election on November 4th.
Kiwanis Pool Opens June 23rd
The Kiwanis Pool will open on June 23rd, for the
next ten weeks of summer. Swim classes are
scheduled to begin June 30th.
The pool's open swim hours are Monday-Friday 6:
00 - 7:30 PM and Saturday -Sunday 1:30 - 4:30
PM. Adult lap swim times include Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday 6:00 - 8:00 AM and 12:00
- 1:30 PM, and Saturday - Sunday, 4:30 - 6:00
PM. Pool access fees are $4 for adults and $1 for
children.
Swim lessons offered by Portland's Recreation and
Facilities Management Department are available
for all ages. People can register for classes at the
pool beginning June 23rd or earlier at the Riverton
Pool office. For more detailed information about
the city's Aquatic Program, call 874-8793 or visit
www.portlandmaine.gov/rec/rec.asp.
Built in partnership with the Kiwanis Club in the
early 1960's, the L-shaped pool is 25 meters long
and has six lanes. Recent upgrades to the facility
include a renovation of the pool house and the
addition of a children's splash pad and picnic
area. This year, the Kiwanis Club increased its
contribution for operations costs by $5,000.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Riverside Recycling Afire
Portland firefighters are at the scene of a major
fire that started at about 10PM Thursday night at
the Riverside Recycling plant.
West End Laundry Robbed
Police are conducting an investigation into a
robbery on June 11th at The Washboard, 201
Danforth Street. They were called at 6:24 PM after
a male wearing a hooded sweatshirt - who showed
a knife - demanded money. An undisclosed
amount of cash was taken.
A witness who lives on a nearby street stated that
he saw “a guy running. It looked like he was trying
not to run too fast. He had wads of money in both
hands; it looked like pom-poms.”
The suspect was described by this witness as a
white man with an athletic build who appeared to
be in his mid-twenties. He was cutting through
various backyards as he ran away from the
location of the robbery.
-Marge Niblock
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
Your Money and Your Beer
On May 30th, three men were walking from the 7-
Eleven on Congress Street at about 1 AM with a
purchase of beer, when two unknown males began
following them. The two men approached them
outside Binga’s Wingas and said “Give us your
beer and your money.”
The victims didn’t think the two men were serious,
until one of the males started punching them. One
of the victims had a visible black eye, according to
police.
Officer Zachary Finley had stopped in front of the
Bramhall Street fire station and observed the
developing altercation. When Finley tried to
question the men accused of the attack, one began
to run. Shane Hall, 20, of Portland was caught
after a pursuit. He was arrested and charged with
assault and robbery. It was discovered that he also
had outstanding warrants for theft, burglary of a
motor vehicle, and criminal mischief.
-Marge Niblock
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Photo by The Honorable Kevin Donoghue
Candidates Sandy Amborn (Green), Diane
Russell (Democrat) and Peter Doyle
(Republican) toast each other at the east
End Community School on Election Day,
June 10th. The three will face off in the
general election for the District 120 seat in
the Maine State Legislature. The district
includes Munjoy Hill, East Bayside, and
Downtown Portland.
City Election Results
U.S. CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
Democratic Primary
Citywide Results
Brennan, Michael F. 1,858 23.14%
Cote, Adam Roland 1,441 17.95%
Lawrence, Mark W. 123 1.53%
Meister, Stephen J. 39 0.49%
Pingree, Chellie 2,811 35.01%
Strimling, Ethan King 1,757 21.88%
District-wide Results
Chellie Pingree 19,545 44 %
Adam Cote 12,706 29 %
Michael Brennan 4,9234 11 %
Ethan Strimling 4,755 11 %
Mark Lawrence 2,049 5 %
Stephen Meister 456 1 %
Republican Primary (District)
Charlie Summers 16,162 60 %
Dean Scontras 10,940 40 %
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 8
Democratic Primary (Portland)
Justin Alfond 1,966 45%
Anne Rand 1,618 37%
Cliff Ginn 771 18%
District 120 (Munjoy Hill, East
Bayside, Downtown Portland)
Democratic Primary
Democracy, Edward J. 319 36.05%
Russell-Natera, Diane 566 63.95%
County Commissioner
Cloutier, James F 3,163 47.89%
Gurney, Diane Lee 1,877 28.42%
Hirshon, Stephen E. 1,175 17.79%
Simpson, John P 390 5.90%
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ocean Avenue Elementary
School Bond on Ballot
Voters will decide the future of the Ocean
Avenue School as well as other issues today.
Portland voters will be asked to approve $19
million in bonds to be reimbursed by the State of
Maine for the construction of the Ocean Avenue
Elementary School. The bond must be approved by
a majority of voters in order to secure the state
funding.
Detailed information about the school bond may
be found on the Portland Public Schools Web site
at www.portlandschools.org .
Voters will also receive a state ballot for bonds and
those enrolled in a political party will receive a
ballot for primaries.
All residents of the City of Portland are
encouraged to vote. Absentee ballots are available
upon request and absentee voting is ongoing at the
City Clerk's office in City Hall from 8:00 AM to 4:
30 PM. Residents can register to vote and enroll in
a political party in person at the City Clerk's office
before Election Day or at their polling place the
day of the election. Unrolled voters can chose to
enroll in a political party at their polling place on
Election Day.
All local polling places will be open from 7:00 AM
to 8:00 PM. For more detailed information about
where or how to vote, visit www.portlandvoters.com.
Adult Ed Grads Overcame
Huge Hurdles
Nine students were awarded high school diplomas,
and 29 others received GED credentials at Portland
Adult Education’s graduation ceremony on June
4th. at Merrill Auditorium.
Two students who overcame big challenges to
complete their degrees spoke at the ceremony.
Jennifer Sinclair Talbot, 25, says she is living a
life that once seemed to her like a fairy tale. After
years of addiction, failure in school and time in
jail, she completed her high school diploma and
started a new job this year. She will attend
Andover College in the fall and hopes to get a
degree in business administration.
Mahamed Yusuf, 26, attended formal school for
only two years in Somalia before war forced him
to leave his homeland. He came to the U.S. in
2002, and began attending Portland Adult
Education (PAE) with the goal of learning basic
conversational English. While working full-time,
he earned his high school diploma in five years.
He now plans to enroll in PAE’s College
Transitions program.
Monday, June 9, 2008
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Political Pandering to the Petulant
Dear Editor -
Questions I've wanted to ask Maine politicians I've
heard lately on public radio include: Where do you
get your information? How do you keep informed?
I still wondered after listening recently to the very
capable Jennifer Rooks questioning an array of
persons seeking Tom Allen's Congressional seat.
In spite of the feeling that much of what they said
was determined by their feel for the way the
political wind was blowing, many answers made
sense. However, one thing I find most irritating are
the candidates who pretend that as freshmen they
will march into the halls of Congress and instantly
spread the light. Anyone who has paid any
attention to the workings of Washington knows
that it takes time to learn the ropes and become
effective. (A simple fact, by the way, that shoots
down the anti- government term limits idea.)
And yet Adam Cote will say he will become "a
leader in Congress immediately on the energy
issue." And he will tout his "real world
experience."
I suggest he give credit for experience to people like
Chuck Hagel, Ted Kennedy and Arlen Spector, to
mention just a few knowledgeable and
accomplished Washingtonians.
Dissing Congress doesn't get my vote Mr.
Strimling. You're pandering to the petulant and
uninformed when you say "We need people down
in Washington who understand about struggling
families." Those "people" have been in
Washington since before, during, and since
Franklin Roosevelt.
Perhaps Michael Brennan struck one of the more
original notes when he said "The Berlin Wall was
a symbol of everything that was wrong with the
world." Now, he went on to say, there are walls in
Iraq, Israel and on the US-Mexico border, and he
called for building bridges. But Brennan, too,
spoke of going to Washington to "break that
gridlock." I do hope you go down to Washington,
Mr. Brennan, but leave the Superman costume in
the phone booth and be prepared to be an attentive
and effective student of government.
Sincerely,
Robert Solotaire
Brackett St.
PHS ESL Student Writers
Featured in New Book
Nine students in Christina Mitchell’s English as a
Second Language (ESL) intermediate classes at
Portland High School will have their writing
featured in a new anthology titled Carry It
Everywhere. Photos and quotes from two
additional students also appear in the book.
The Telling Room in Portland will publish Carry
It Everywhere. The student writers will be honored
at a book release party on June 12 at 7 p.m. at
Space Gallery, 538 Congress Street. Some of the
students will read their stories at the event.
Volunteer writers from the Telling Room worked
all year with Mitchell’s students on the project.
Only 18 of the 400 pieces submitted by area high
school students will be included in the anthology,
and half of those come from the Portland High
ESL classes.
Portland High senior Zaki Hassan won first place
in the Telling Room's writing contest. Other
students whose writing appears include Mohamed
Omar, Mohamed Ali, Ilhan Hilowle, Halima
Abdille, Zemarai Hassanzada, Samakab Jama,
Nestor Gaitan and Hala Ishag.
Two other Portland High students, Mahamed
Mohamed and Jamilshah Sayed, have their photos
and statements featured in the book.
Some of the students’ writing may be found at
www.tellingroom.org.
The work also will be shown at the Bayside World
Market and Fair at Portland High on June 21.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Fundraising Campaign for New
Skate Park
Momentum Campaign for Doughtery Field
Skateboard and Bike Park receives $50,000
matching grant
The City of Portland's Skatepark Planning
Committee has kicked off its fundraising
campaign, Momentum, for a new skateboard and
bike park. The Committee has also unveiled its
fundraising logo, designed by the winner of a
citywide contest, Meaghan Maurice, a student
from Deering High School.
The Committee has also announced its "Buy A
Brick" initiative. Residents,businesses and
supporters of the skatepark will be able to purchase
a brick that will be used for the construction of the
park for $50 (for tax purposes, the purchase is
considered a charitable donation). Each brick can
be inscribed by the donor and will become a
permanent part of the park. For more information
on how to purchase a brick, visit www.
portlandmaine.gov/skatepark.
To date, Portland has donated 28,000 square feet
of land at the Doughtery Field Complex valued at
$75,000 and allocated $75,000 of capital
investment funds for the $325,000 skatepark
design and construction budget.
Most recently, the Committee received a dollar-for-
dollar matching grant of $50,000 from the Ollie
Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The
Committee hopes to have design proposals this fall
and with a successful fundraising campaign,
construction is expected to begin next spring.
Friends of Casco Bay
Pumpout Service Begins
Friends of Casco Bay’s pumpout boat that services
recreational boats between Cape Elizabeth and
Freeport has started its season. Helen Mattsson is
returning for her third year as captain of the
Baykeeper II, which removes raw sewage from the
marine toilets of recreational boats and transports
them to shoreside sewage treatment facilities.
To schedule a pumpout, call (207) 776-0136 or
HMattsson@cascobay.org. She will complete the
pumpout within a few days of your request and
contact you when it is complete.
Pumpouts are $5.00 per 20 gallon tank
capacity. Mattsson asks boaters to seek out
shoreside pumpout facilities as well. She is
available to help boaters find and learn how to use
a shoreside facility.
The Department of Environmental Protection
funds and maintains the 21 pumpout stations in
Casco Bay . If a local shoreside facility is not
working or inaccessible, contact Pam Parker at the
DEP at (207) 287-7905 or by email at Pamela.D.
Parker@maine.gov. Reporting such incidences will
help provide local marinas with the mechanical
services and funds required to ensure pumpout
stations are functional and easy-to-use.
Since 1995, Friends of Casco Bay’s pumpout boat
has kept over 100,000 gallons of raw sewage from
being dumped into coastal waters.
Saturday, June 7,2008
PCCC: Drill for Oil off Maine
Coast
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
favors tapping local energy reserves, including oil
and gas reserves off the coast of Maine. The group
says that revenues and royalties from the sale of
these resources should be used to ameliorate the
high price of oil and gas in Maine and additional
monies should be used to fund the development of
alternative energy sources.
The PCCC believes that there are many
contributing causes to the current energy crisis,
including unreasonable restrictions on domestic
production. They say that that the short-term
solution to the crisis is to increase domestic
production, including allowing the exploration of
domestic reserves and the development of more
refining capacity.
In the long term, the PCCC believes in developing
alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind,
and nuclear power. This type of planning will
remove uncertainty and volatility from the market
for energy and stabilize the price of gas and oil,
says the group.
Developer Donates Boulders for
Trail
Real estate developer Greg Shinberg is teaming up
with the Portland Trails and the City of Portland
to connect Fort Sumner Park with the existing
trail network on Munjoy Hill. The proposed
connecting trail is currently a little-known dirt
path, winding its way behind a new 21-unit
condominium development on 135 Sheridan Street.
Shinberg wants to see more trails in the heart of
Portland and has donated a large pile of boulders
to the project in order to help with structural
improve-ments for the trail.
Jaime Parker of Portland Trails says he expects to
begin working with neighborhood volunteers later
this month to start the process with a cleanup and
planting effort, and then work with City Public
Services crews in July. The trail should be fully
operational by mid-summer.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
POLICE LOOKING FOR
HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER
The Portland Police Department is investigating a
hit-and-run accident and is seeking the assistance
of the public in identifying the driver of the
suspect vehicle.
Officers responded to a report of a traffic accident
in the area of 134 Washington Avenue at 1:40 am
on May 31st. A BMW motorcycle, operated by
Charles Kane, 27, of Portland, had been struck,
and Kane was injured. Medical personnel
transported Kane to the Maine Medical Center
where he was treated for a compound fracture of
the leg.
Evidence at the scene indicates that Kane was
struck by a white 1994-1997
Helipad Had Only Three
Complaints Says Maine Med
For the first three months the new helipad at the
Maine Medical Center was operational (December
through February), the hospital received 48
flights. During this same time, they received only
three complaints, say hospital officials, two of
them regarding Coast Guard arrivals, and the
hospital says that they have followed up with the
complaints regarding use of approved flight paths.
The contact information to register
complaints/concerns is:
phone: 662-6699
email: helipad@mmc.org
The hospital asks callers to provide the following
information:
- the date and exact time of what happened
- where it happened
- how long it lasted
- the type of problem (noise, lights, other)
Linnell Joins Commissioners’
Race as a Green
Captain William Linnell has announced that he
will be a write-in candidate for the Green
Independent Party's nomination for Cumberland
County Commissioner for the 1st District.
Linnell would need to get 150 write-in votes from
Green Independents on June 10th to be on the
ballot in November. Portland City Councilors
David Marshall and Kevin Donoghue asked him to
accept the Green Independent Party’s nomination
to run for County Commissioner, said Linnell.
The District represents Portland, Falmouth,
Yarmouth, Cumberland, and Casco Bay Islands,
including Chebeague, Long Island, Peaks,
Cushing, and Great Diamond.
Linnnell ran for the District 3 seat on the Portland
City Council last November, coming in second out
of four contenders.
He was involved in the successful battle to close
the Maine Yankee nuclear plant, and in helping
Katrina victims while working for FEMA in 200.
He was a Cape Elizabeth Town Councilor in the
1990s, which included representing Maine on the
Energy and Environment Committee at the
National League of Cities. He also serves as a
substitute teacher working at Longcreek Youth
Development Center for the Department of
Corrections, and as a fisherman working on the
waterfront from Cape Elizabeth to Yarmouth. He
lives in the Stroudwater neighborhood.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Waxman to Challenge Suslovic
for City Council Seat
Portland Democratic activist Dory Waxman will
mount a campaign to replace Portland Mayor Ed
Suslovic on the Portland City Council in this fall’s
election.
The City Council races are officially non-partisan,
but Suslovic, a Democrat, has made local party
activists unhappy with his votes on the Council,
especially his vote on the Maine State Pier, in
which he sided with the Council’s three Green
Party members. Suslovic voted for the City to
negotiate with the Olympia Company while other
local Dems sided with Ocean Properties, which was
headed by Bob Baldacci, the brother of Governor
John Baldacci. Former Senator George Mitchell
was also part of the Ocean Properties team.
Waxman is a former Portland School Committee
member and served as the Bayside Community
organizer. She is also the treasurer for the current
State Senate candidacy of Portland attorney Cliff
Ginn.
Former City Councilor Will Gorham has also been
rumored to be a potential candidate for the at-
large Council seat, but when asked about it, said
“No comment at this time.” The local Green
Independent Party may also run a candidate in the
race.
Man Charged with Witness
Tampering
Frederick Johnson, 30, of Portland, was arrested
on May 23rd and charged with tampering with a
witness and violation of conditional release.
Portland police say the victim was stopped in
traffic with his three-year-old son, a little before 4:
30 in the afternoon, when Johnson approached
him and threatened to do bodily harm.
The previous week, the victim, who knew that
Johnson was a habitual offender and wasn’t
supposed to be driving, had notified police that
Johnson had been driving. –Marge Niblock
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Candidates to Debate
on Munjoy Hill Tonight
In preparation for the June 10th Primary Election,
the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization will
sponsor a debate tonight at the St. Lawrence Arts
Center on Congress Street, between the Democratic
candidates running for the State House and
Senate.
The debate between candidates for the House of
Representatives, Ed Democracy and Diane Russell-
Natera, will begin at 7. Senate candidates Anne
Rand, Justin Alfond and Cliff Ginn will begin
debating the issues at about 7:45.
Send any questions for the candidates to
mhno@yahoogroups.com. Coffee and
refreshments will be served.
Peace Action Maine Releases
Peace Voter Guide
Peace Action Maine, the state's largest peace
organization, has released their 2008 Peace Voter
Guide. The 2008 Peace Voter Guide features 1st
Congressional District and Senatorial Candidates'
responses to thirty-three questions relating to
peace, militarism and foreign policy issues. The
Peace Voter Guide may be accessed online at
Peace Action Maine's website: www.peaceactionme.
org.
Topics covered in the Peace Voter Guide include,
but aren't limited to, the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, U.S. arms sales and military aid,
human rights and civil liberties and nuclear
proliferation.
Opposition Forms to Beverage
Petition
Doctors, seniors, and other individuals and
organizations gathered near Maine Medical Center
last week to oppose a petition drive currently
underway that would eliminate new health care
funding
In order to get the question placed on the ballot,
gatherers would need to collect a little more than
55,000 valid signatures over the next month and a
half.
If the petition gatherers succeed, the new law
providing health care funding through a state
beverage tax will be frozen until the November
election.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Public Invited To Comment On
Proposed Pedestrian Sign System
On Wednesday, June 4 at 5 PM, at the Merrill
Auditorium Rehearsal Hall, a public meeting on
the proposed design, location and criteria for a
new pedestrian wayfinding system for downtown
Portland will be held.
“An update to our pedestrian sign system is long
overdue. For downtown visitors, improved signage
is key to reinforcing a block-by-block curiosity for
our great city,” said Councilor Kevin Donoghue,
Chair of the Transportation Committee of
Portland City Council.
At the meeting, the wayfinding consultant, Wilbur
Smith Associates of Portland, will present the
proposed sign criteria and design for public input.
“It is extremely important to the committee that
the public have an opportunity to understand why
good signage is so important, and to comment on
the proposed new system," said Jan Beitzer,
Executive Director of Portland’s Downtown
District (PDD). "A pedestrian sign system is
critical to supporting not only our number one
industry, tourism, but also to enhance downtown’s
livability,”
Conservative Candidates Oppose
Convict Right to Vote
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
has announced that it opposes allowing
incarcerated felons to vote. Current Maine law
allows convicted felons to vote even while they are
in jail. Maine and Vermont are the only two states
in the nation that allow convicted felons to vote.
Many states prohibit felons from voting for life
and some prohibit convicts from voting during the
term of their sentence.
The Maine Civil Liberties Union recently
conducted a voter registration drive at the Maine
State Prison. The PCCC says that it is opposed to
rights without responsibilities, and that people who
have been convicted of felony offenses have
demonstrated their lack of respect for the social
contract that binds law-abiding citizens, and
should not be given a hand in writing the laws that
they have been convicted of breaking.
The PCCC believes that such convicts should be
precluded from voting for at least as long as the
term of their sentence.
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
consists of the Republican candidates for the state
legislative districts that represent the City of
Portland.
2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Political Storm Brewing
on Munjoy Hill
Gorham Re-Elected Neighborhood Prez
By ED KING
Former Portland City Councilor Will Gorham was re-
elected to the board of the Munjoy Hill
Neighborhood Organization at the group’s annual
meeting on June 29th, and was then elected the
group’s president when he was the only candidate
to accept a nomination to the post.
“I’m as surprised as anybody,” Gorham said later.
Gorham failed to gain election to the board two
years ago, and several months later, lost his City
Council seat to current councilor Kevin Donoghue.
Gorham plans to run against Donoghue when the
East End seat on the City Council comes up for
election in 2009.
In seeking nomination to the board, Gorham said
that he was coming back because he was concerned
about the organization. In an interview, he said that
one of his top priorities would be dealing with
problems at the MHNO’s neighborhood newspaper,
The Munjoy Hill Observer. Heather Curtis, the editor
of the paper, was the only candidate for re-election
to fail to be re-elected to the MHNO board. She may
still be part of the newspaper’s production team, but
can no longer head the MHNO’s newspaper
committee.
Donoghue, who writes a monthly column for the
Observer concerning issues before the City Council,
said that he hopes to be able to continue to do that.
Curtis has been at the center of several
controversies involving the newspaper in the past
year, including questions about editorial content and
the paper’s policy on printing letters to the editor.
The MHNO was threatened with a lawsuit by a local
developer over comments that Curtis added to one
story.
Other issues that Gorham listed as concerns were
the fact that the MHNO lost half of its funding from
the Housing and Community Development funds
that the City gets from the federal government,
because of the organization’s failure to file the
proper paperwork in time.
Gorham also echoed concerns expressed at the
annual meeting about the fact that there has been a
75% drop in the organization’s membership, which
has decreased to fewer than 100 members.
Gorham was nominated for the MHNO presidency
by Randee Bucknell, who recently began a petition
drive to recall Donoghue from office. Bucknell says
that they do not yet have the required five hundred
signatures on the petition, but she said that six
volunteers are circulating the petition and they will
be collecting signatures during the Fourth of July
festivities on the Eastern Prom. She declined to say
how many signatures the group has collected so far.
Gorham said that he is not involved in the recall
petition and knows nothing about its status. Bucknell
was also nominated to serve as the MHNO vice-
president, but was defeated in that vote by Katie
Brown.
One of the other issues that the MHNO is grappling
with is the disposition of the Adams School.
Gorham was on the City Council when it appointed
a re-use committee for the school and issued a
Request for Proposals. He is in favor of replacing
the school building with housing. At the June 29th
meeting, former president Markos Miller accused
the Observer of misrepresenting the Adams issue in
the paper, and failing to print a critical letter he
submitted to the paper. He also questioned the
accuracy of the minutes printed in the paper,
forcing the board to reconsider them and revise
them before they can be OK’d by the general
membership.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Man Who Fled Police
Sentenced in Bank Robbery
Charles Michael Limanni, 36, of Westbrook, was
sentenced on June 27th to 11 years and seven
months in federal prison for the November 16, 2007
robbery of the TD Banknorth at 883 Forest Avenue.
Limanni pleaded guilty to the robbery in March.
Limanni was captured four days after the robbery,
after a car chase through downtown Portland.
Police, who had surveillance pictures from the bank,
spotted him in a rented car on Congress Street,
which sped away and was abandoned at Park and
Spring Streets. In the course of the pursuit, the car
also struck a van parked on Congress Street.
Limanni ran about two blocks to the Holiday Inn,
where he was arrested. Other passengers in the car
were cleared of any involvement in the incident.
MECA Grad’s Public Art
Project Installed
Maine College of Art graduate Vivian Beer oversaw
the installation of her two sculptures Cloud Bench
and Rustle, in Winslow Park near Baxter Boulevard
on June 26th. The two works were recently
acquired by the Portland Public Art Committee for
the City's collection.
Cloud Bench, a flowing metal structure, will serve
as an intimate seating area with a view of Back
Cove. The two painted metal structures that make
up the piece Rustle were designed to evoke a
waving flag or the movement of the wind. In the fall
of 2007, Cloud Bench and Rustle were featured in
an alumni exhibit at the ICA at the Maine College of
Art.
The two pieces were selected through an open
proposal process by a selection committee made up
of local residents, artists, and business owners, as
well as members of the Public Art Committee. The
site was selected by the Public Art Committee when
Milkweed Pod, a temporary sculpture in that
location for several years, was blown down in a
storm two years ago.
Various site work, stonework and planting projects
will be ongoing for the next month. The work
should be completed over the summer and an
opening event will be held in late summer.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Police Chief Takes Texas Job
Portland Chief of Police Timothy Burton has
accepted the Odessa Police Chief position in
Odessa, Texas..
Burton is a 26-year veteran of the Portland Police
Department, and was named its Chief in November,
2005. .
Burton is expected to begin his duties as Odessa
Police Chief on August 31st.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Police Looking for
West End Burglar
The West End was the
target of five residential
burglaries or attempted
burglaries on Tuesday
night, between 11 PM
on June 24th and 1:30
AM on June 25th.
Rear windows of
basements or first-floor
windows of the
residences were tried,
or used to gain entry,
including two places on
the 400 block of
Cumberland Avenue,
Deering Street, Walker
Street, and Neal Street.
The description given
to police of a suspect in
one attempted burglary
was white male, five
foot eight to five foot
ten, 160 to 170 pounds,
with dark curly hair
and an angular-shaped
face. The man was
wearing a dark T-shirt,
tan cargo pants,
holding a dark, hooded
sweatshirt and a dark
backpack.
Anyone with
information about this
person should contact
the Detective Bureau at
8874-8533.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hadlock Area Traffic
Congestion Today
From 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, today, heavy traffic is
likely on Congress Street inbound from 295 to
Bramhall Street and on Forest Street outbound
from Park Avenue to Bedford Street due to the
opening event of the 2008 US Youth Soccer
Region 1 Championships at Hadlock Field and
Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Commuters may want to avoid these routes. Guests
attending the US Youth Soccer Event should exit
INTERSTATE 295 at EXIT 5 and proceed towards
the Congress Street Bus Terminal. Parking is
available in the Maine Medical Center parking lots
and garages on Congress Street. The only parking
available at Hadlock Field and Fitzpatrick
Stadium is for vehicles with state-issued
handicapped plates or placards.
Man Hangs on to Culprit
Portland police officer Ray Ruby was dispatched to
the area of Romasco Lane and Cumberland
Avenue, at the bottom of Munjoy Hill, on June
18th at 1:45 AM in reference to a call stating that
six individuals were fighting.
The group had dispersed before Ruby’s arrival, but
Darin Hoyt, 20, of Portland, was being held by a
man who was hanging out a first-floor window.
Hoyt was drunk and agitated, and as Ruby began
to question him, he became more agitated,
pushing the officer in the chest. He was arrested
and charged with assault.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
SIGNATURES COLLECTED TO
KEEP POLLING PLACES OPEN
A press conference will be held at Portland City
Hall at 12 noon today in State of Maine Room.
A citizen group, Save Our Neighborhood Polling
Places, plans to submit nearly 2,500 signatures
of Portland voters to the City Clerk’s Office,
about 1,000 more than the required amount,
calling on the Portland City Council to preserve
16 neighborhood polling places for all major
state and federal elections. If the Council does
not approve the petition, it would be placed on
the November ballot for the voters to decide.
The group is concerned that a drastic reduction
in polling places will reduce turnout and make
voting inconvenient for thousands of city
residents for the November Presidential Election.
Man Assaulted While Leaving
Parking Space
A man who was trying to move his car out of a
parking space at 2PM on June 13th asked David
Heiser, 39, of Portland, if he and his companion
could please move their legs. The couple were
sitting on the curb in front of the Dry Dock
restaurant on Commercial Street with their legs
extending into the street.
According to police, Heiser became verbally
confrontational when the request was made, and
proceeded to punch the driver. He was arrested and
charged with assault.
His companion, Kaycie Raymond, 26, of Portland,
was also arrested and charged with assault after
joining in the fray. Police say the couple was visibly
drunk.
-Marge Niblock
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Man Shot During Old
Port Fight
Patrol units of the Portland Police Department
responded to the area of 416 Fore Street for a
report of shots fired.at approximately 1AM on
Tuesday, June 24th. The caller reported that a
man had been shot and was bleeding.
Responding officers found James Sanders, 27,of
Portland, with a gunshot wound to his torso.
Medical personnel responded to the scene and
provided attention to Sanders, who was transported
to Maine Medical Center. Sanders, who is in stable
condition, is currently undergoing treatment at
MMC for serious injuries.
The alleged assailant, Brandon Brown, 21, was
detained at the scene by an employee of a business
in the area. Officers took him into custody. Brown,
who lives in Portland, has been charged with
elevated aggravated assault and reckless conduct
with a dangerous weapon. He was also charged
with two outstanding warrants from Cape
Elizabeth and South Portland, respectively.
The investigation into the origins of the
confrontation is ongoing. It has been reported that
Sanders was involved in an altercation with
another man and that Brown joined that fray
before producing a handgun and firing one round
at Sanders. The bullet struck Sanders and then a
wall, nearly hitting a bystander.
Police Arrest One Suspect in
Monument Square Assault
Portland police say that Paul Peterson, of Oxford
Street, reported that he was beaten and robbed
while in Monument Square on Monday, June 23rd.
Peterson told responding officers that, at about 9
PM, he was in the Square when he was
approached by a male and female. He was
engaged in conversation with the two and
attempted to walk away from them. The couple
was joined by four other males who confronted
and surrounded Peterson. Peterson reported that
he was punched several times and that his
backpack was forcibly taken from him.
Peterson went to a pay phone in Monument
Square to call police. He was told by another
subject that his backpack had been dumped in the
area. Peterson recovered the backpack but most of
its contents were missing.
Responding officers placed Peterson in a police
vehicle and drove him through the area. In the
area of Tommy’s Park at Middle and Exchange
Streets, Peterson pointed out a male as one of
those who had robbed him.
Officers stopped and identified Michael Lowberg,
20, of Portland. Lowberg was found to be in
possession of items taken from Peterson, including
a copy of his birth certificate.
Lowberg has been charged with robbery and
assault. The investigation into the incident is now
focused on identifying the remaining assailants.
Friends of Casco Bay to Hold
Cleanup of Back Cove
Friends of Casco Bay is organizing a cleanup of
Back Cove on Saturday, June 28th from 9 a.m. to
noon, in conjunction with Whole Foods, Tom’s of
Maine, and radio station WCLZ.
Peter Milholland, volunteer coordinator for the
environmental group will supply gloves and bags
for the volunteers. Participating volunteers will be
entered to win an overnight rafting trip with Three
Rivers Whitewater.
Contact Peter Milholland at
pmilholland@cascobay.org or 207-799-8574 for
more information or come to the parking lot on
Back Cove (across from Hannaford) on Saturday
morning, June 28th.
FMI, visit www.cascobay.org.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Maine Med Garage to Open
Maine Medical Center's new $22 million, 480-car
garage at Congress and Gilman Street is scheduled
to open today. The hospital opened a new helipad
atop its existing garage several months ago, and its
new birthing center is scheduled to open in
September.
Household Hazardous Waste
Collection to Resume
The City of Portland Public Services Department
will resume the Household Hazardous Waste
Collection at Riverside Recycling Facility, at 910
Riverside Street on Saturday, July 5. Paints, stains,
and other household chemicals are included in the
program. However, latex paint does not need to be
processed as hazardous waste because it can be
incinerated.
The program, which was discontinued last fall
because of budgetary reasons, will continue every
Saturday through Nov. 22 at Riverside Recycling
from 7 AM - 4 PM.
For more information, contact Riverside Recycling
at 797-6200.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Portland Taxi Fares to
Increase July 1st
New guidelines to become a licensed taxi
driver will also go into effect
Beginning July 1st, Portland's taxi fare will
increase for the first 1/10 of a mile to $1.90
and to a rate of $0.30 for each additional
1/10 of a mile. The fare from the Portland
Jetport will increase to a minimum of $5.00,
or the amount on the meter at the end of the
trip, whichever is greater. Taxi fares were
last increased four years ago.
In a press release, City officials urged riders
to use licensed taxis. All licensed vehicles
must have a meter, a taxi light on the roof,
fares painted on the doors, their driver's
license with photo prominently displayed,
and as of July 1st, a blue taxi license sticker
in the rear window. The public can be
assured that these taxis have been inspected,
have proof of insurance and have passed the
City's standards for operating. Licensed taxi
drivers undergo driving and criminal
background checks.
Vehicles with magnetic signs on their doors,
no light or a light that says "shuttle" and
no sticker or meter, are not licensed as taxis
by the City. The absence of a taxi driver
license means that the driver has not
undergone the required background checks.
The city has designated taxi lines at the
Portland Jetport, the Portland
Transportation Center - which houses Concord
Trailways and the Downeaster - and the Greyhound
Bus Station.
Passengers seeking to use a particular taxi company
can call and arrange for pick up at any location in
the city. The driver of the taxi or livery service must
have an order with the passenger's name and time of
expected arrival available for checking by taxi
authorities. Pre-arranged taxis do not have to wait in
the taxi line but must go to assigned pick-up
locations.
Passengers with problems should call the taxi hot
line at 756-8185. If possible, have the name and
number of the cab and driver available.
Saturday, June 21st
City Manager to Take Leave
for Cancer Treatment
Portland City Manager Joe
Gray will be on medical
leave for a four or five week
duration, beginning on June
23rd. Gray, 63, has been
diagnosed with early stage
prostate cancer and will
begin medical treatment
Monday at Mercy Hospital.
Gray has served as the City
Manager since the sudden
death of his predecessor,
Bob Ganley, in 2000.
Assistant City Manager Pat
Finnigan will serve as Acting
City Manager while Gray is
out.
Friday, June 20th, 2008
Portland Fire Museum Open
Fridays
The Portland Fire Museum located
at 157 Spring Street contains a
collection of fire-fighting history
that is unsurpassed. You can see
the horse stalls, paintings,
photographs of the Great Fire of
Portland (1866), lithographs, hand
made folk art and much more.
There are over seven rooms to view.
Please consider a visit.
The Portland Fire Museum hours
of operation for the summer and
fall are Friday, noon to eight PM.
Adults $5.00 children 7 & over
$2.00.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Main Library to Close
for Two Weeks
The Portland Public Library has announced that
the Main Branch will be closed from June 30th to
July 11th. Due to budget constraints, the library is
relocating some of its materials and service desks
within the 5 Monument Square location. They are
in dire need of volunteers to help with packing,
unpacking, and moving materials between July 1st
and July 11th. Anyone interested in helping may
contact Linda Albert, Director of Human
Resources, at albert@portland.lib.me.us or 871-
1700 ext. 768.
WENA wants to be at the Library table
Some members of the West End Neighborhood
Association would like Library’s Board of Director’
s to hold open meetings attended by all the
neighborhood groups involved in the board’s plans
for the next year. The members expressed
concerns at the group’s June 11th meeting
because board members have been meeting
privately with individual neighborhood groups.
Some members are also questioning the Library’s
plan to move children’s books from the Main
Branch to the East End School, saying that some
of the books could be taken to the Reiche branch.
The library board is in the process of restructuring
the City’s library system to fall in line with new
budget restraints. The board proposed the closing
of the Reiche Branch library in April because of
budget concerns, but the neighborhood association
rallied the community in protest, and funds were
restored to keep the branch open for another year.
Book Sale & Benefit Show Today
w/ D. Gross, Houseboat and More!
Doors and Book Sale 6:00pm, Music at 7pm. Meg
Perry Center 644 Congress St. Cheap books, bake
sale and great music by: D. Gross-rootsy, bluesy,
folky, homegrown music Houseboat- rocking out
the classics and other performances!
Get some great deals on great books! Enjoy some
delicious baked goods! Groove to some incredible
music!
$3-10 suggested donation (no one turned away for
lack of money) Benefits the Foglight Collective
www.megperrycenter.com
foglightcollective@riseup.net
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Linnell Asks for Recount in
County Race
Captain William Linnell has asked for a partial
recount of write-in ballots for Cumberland County
Commissioner, for the 1st District race held on
June 10th. Linnell is seeking the Green
Independent Party's nomination.
Linnell says he got more votes in Falmouth than
in Yarmouth, where he campaigned heavily but
was told he got no votes at all, and where he is
seeking the recount. Linnell got 30 write-in votes
in the City of Portland. He needed to get 100 write-
in votes from Green Independents to be on the
ballot in November.
The District represents Portland, Falmouth,
Yarmouth, Cumberland, and the Casco Bay Islands,
including Chebeague, Long Island, Peaks, Cushing,
and Great Diamond.
If Linnnell receives enough votes, he will run against
former Portland mayor and city councilor Jim
Cloutier in November. He ran for the District 3 seat
on the Portland City Council last November, coming
in second out of four contenders.
Historic Mast to be Restored
Plans are underway to restore
the mast of the USS Portland
on the Eastern Prom. The
project is being undertaken by
Bill Whitten, the Assistant
County Manager of
Cumberland County, who says
the project should take two or
three weeks to complete and
will cost about $125,000.
Whitten is raising the money
for the project and hopes to
have it done by Labor Day.
The metal mast, which stands
about 75 feet high, will be
sandblasted and repainted. It
will need to be encapsulated
because it is painted with lead-
based paint. The labor for the
project will be donated by the
Cianbro Corporation. The
repainting will require about
50 gallons of paint, at $80 per
gallon. Other repair work will
also be done at the base of the
mast.
The USS Portland was one of
the most highly-decorated navy
ships of World War II. Its
mast was resurrected from a
scrap heap and installed on the
Eastern Prom. A new plaque
was installed at its base last
fall.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Dog Rescued from
Winter Street Roof
A dog who wandered onto the pitched roof of a
Winter Street residence through an open attic
window was rescued by the quick actions of a
neighbor and a local contractor on June 2nd.
Barbara Ward, owner of The Danforth Inn,
spotted the dog on the roof's edge, about 25 feet
above the ground, at about 10:30 AM. Ward and
a housekeeper at the inn dragged a mattress off
a bed, down the stairs and across the street, in
the event that the dog, named Tuck Tuck,
slipped off the roof. 911 was called but police
policy does not allow them to respond to dog
rescues, and the animal control officer was not
available till noon.
Ward also alerted Bob Graham, owner of Bob's
Coastal Contracting, whose company is doing
remodeling work on a house at Winter and Gray
Street. The contractor, whose arm is in a brace
because of a broken wrist, grabbed an extension
ladder and rushed across the street.
The dog was eventually coaxed to the side of the
roof where he could be reached from the ladder.
Before being rescued, Tuck Tuck reportedly
completed the business that compelled him to
climb out on the roof in the first place.
Community Kitchen to Open
at Market House
The Local Sprouts Community Supported
Kitchen (CSK) will provide local and organic
prepared food year-round to their members in
Portland starting on July 16th at the Public
Market House in Monument Square.
Each week the CSK will have a new menu
featuring seasonal dishes aspiring to provide
100% local food. They will also feature food
from different cultures and create opportunities
for the diverse cultures in Portland to share
food together.
The CSK is applying the CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) model to prepared food
by involving people as members of the kitchen
and connecting them to the farms that grow
their food. Members and others are encouraged
to come and help in the kitchen and learn about
cooking with whole local foods and cooking
seasonally. They are a worker-owned
cooperative. For more information, call 207-615-
9970 or check out
www.localsproutscooperative.com.<http://www.
localsproutscooperative.com/>
*food@localsproutscooperative.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Loud Party Ends in Arrest
Police received a complaint
regarding a loud party at 24
Loring Street at 1 AM on
May 31st. When they arrived
at the scene, they saw lights
in the garage and in the
residence. They observed
beer on a table in the garage
and loud music was coming
from the house.
After investigating, they
discovered underage people
consuming alcohol at the
location. According to police,
Roswell Y. Furman, 20, of
Falmouth, was the person
responsible for the party. He
would not comply with
officers’ requests and resisted
being handcuffed.
Furman was arrested and
charged with refusing to
submit to arrest and criminal
mischief.
-Marge Niblock
Man Attacks Car With Shopping
Cart
Police responded to a call from the Hannaford
store at 295 Forest Avenue at 12:30 AM June 9th
regarding a man who was smashing a shopping
cart into a car.
Everett Adams, 30, of Freeport, was arrested and
charged with aggravated criminal mischief.
The elevated charge was due to the amount of
damage sustained by the vehicle. Adams was out
on bail at the time for a burglary to a motor
vehicle.
-Marge Niblock
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hundreds of Portlanders Due
Insurance Rebates
Parkside/Bayside State
Representative Herb Adams is
urging Portlanders to apply for
refunds due them under a multi-
million dollar settlement
reached between the State of
Maine and the MEGA Life and
Health Insurance Company.
Last month the Maine State
Bureau of Insurance reached a
court-ordered settlement for rate
over-charges to Mainers who
had individual health insurance
policies with MEGA between
2004 to 2007. The total
settlement due Mainers is about
$5.5 million, said Adams.
MEGA is required to help
locate the hundreds of policy
holders and potential rebate
claimants statewide.
Adams has located almost 100
Portland people and families
owed rate rebates, plus interest,
in the Parkside, Bayside, and
East Bayside neighborhoods
alone. The state list of possible
claimants in Portland citywide
totals about 500 names.
To protect privacy, Adams is not
releasing the West End list at
this time, but will be contacting
individuals listed, and
encourages all Portlanders who
think they may be owed a rebate
to contact the State Bureau of
Insurance directly at
1-800-300-5000.
The amount of each refund will
depend on the length of time a
person held a MEGA policy
between 2004- 2007 and the
kind of coverage held.
MEGA Life and Health
Insurance Company specialized
in coverage for small business
and the self-employed.
. Adams may be contacted at
772-2565 for help, and the State
claims help line is 1-800-300-
5000 toll- free.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Opposing Groups Meet at Polls
Equality Maine sent 105 volunteers to 35 polling
locations in eight counties statewide on Election
Day, and gathered nearly 4,000 signatures in an
effort to counter the Maine Christian Civic League’
s efforts to place a pro-family referendum on the
ballot in 2009.
Equality Maine officials called the primary day
effort its “biggest single-day action to date.”
The League had petition gatherers at a number of
polls, but it is not known how many signatures it
collected.
Both groups plan to be at the polls for the general
election on November 4th.
Kiwanis Pool Opens June 23rd
The Kiwanis Pool will open on June 23rd, for the
next ten weeks of summer. Swim classes are
scheduled to begin June 30th.
The pool's open swim hours are Monday-Friday 6:
00 - 7:30 PM and Saturday -Sunday 1:30 - 4:30
PM. Adult lap swim times include Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday 6:00 - 8:00 AM and 12:00
- 1:30 PM, and Saturday - Sunday, 4:30 - 6:00
PM. Pool access fees are $4 for adults and $1 for
children.
Swim lessons offered by Portland's Recreation and
Facilities Management Department are available
for all ages. People can register for classes at the
pool beginning June 23rd or earlier at the Riverton
Pool office. For more detailed information about
the city's Aquatic Program, call 874-8793 or visit
www.portlandmaine.gov/rec/rec.asp.
Built in partnership with the Kiwanis Club in the
early 1960's, the L-shaped pool is 25 meters long
and has six lanes. Recent upgrades to the facility
include a renovation of the pool house and the
addition of a children's splash pad and picnic
area. This year, the Kiwanis Club increased its
contribution for operations costs by $5,000.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Riverside Recycling Afire
Portland firefighters are at the scene of a major
fire that started at about 10PM Thursday night at
the Riverside Recycling plant.
West End Laundry Robbed
Police are conducting an investigation into a
robbery on June 11th at The Washboard, 201
Danforth Street. They were called at 6:24 PM after
a male wearing a hooded sweatshirt - who showed
a knife - demanded money. An undisclosed
amount of cash was taken.
A witness who lives on a nearby street stated that
he saw “a guy running. It looked like he was trying
not to run too fast. He had wads of money in both
hands; it looked like pom-poms.”
The suspect was described by this witness as a
white man with an athletic build who appeared to
be in his mid-twenties. He was cutting through
various backyards as he ran away from the
location of the robbery.
-Marge Niblock
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
Your Money and Your Beer
On May 30th, three men were walking from the 7-
Eleven on Congress Street at about 1 AM with a
purchase of beer, when two unknown males began
following them. The two men approached them
outside Binga’s Wingas and said “Give us your
beer and your money.”
The victims didn’t think the two men were serious,
until one of the males started punching them. One
of the victims had a visible black eye, according to
police.
Officer Zachary Finley had stopped in front of the
Bramhall Street fire station and observed the
developing altercation. When Finley tried to
question the men accused of the attack, one began
to run. Shane Hall, 20, of Portland was caught
after a pursuit. He was arrested and charged with
assault and robbery. It was discovered that he also
had outstanding warrants for theft, burglary of a
motor vehicle, and criminal mischief.
-Marge Niblock
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Photo by The Honorable Kevin Donoghue
Candidates Sandy Amborn (Green), Diane
Russell (Democrat) and Peter Doyle
(Republican) toast each other at the east
End Community School on Election Day,
June 10th. The three will face off in the
general election for the District 120 seat in
the Maine State Legislature. The district
includes Munjoy Hill, East Bayside, and
Downtown Portland.
City Election Results
U.S. CONGRESS DISTRICT 1
Democratic Primary
Citywide Results
Brennan, Michael F. 1,858 23.14%
Cote, Adam Roland 1,441 17.95%
Lawrence, Mark W. 123 1.53%
Meister, Stephen J. 39 0.49%
Pingree, Chellie 2,811 35.01%
Strimling, Ethan King 1,757 21.88%
District-wide Results
Chellie Pingree 19,545 44 %
Adam Cote 12,706 29 %
Michael Brennan 4,9234 11 %
Ethan Strimling 4,755 11 %
Mark Lawrence 2,049 5 %
Stephen Meister 456 1 %
Republican Primary (District)
Charlie Summers 16,162 60 %
Dean Scontras 10,940 40 %
STATE SENATE DISTRICT 8
Democratic Primary (Portland)
Justin Alfond 1,966 45%
Anne Rand 1,618 37%
Cliff Ginn 771 18%
District 120 (Munjoy Hill, East
Bayside, Downtown Portland)
Democratic Primary
Democracy, Edward J. 319 36.05%
Russell-Natera, Diane 566 63.95%
County Commissioner
Cloutier, James F 3,163 47.89%
Gurney, Diane Lee 1,877 28.42%
Hirshon, Stephen E. 1,175 17.79%
Simpson, John P 390 5.90%
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ocean Avenue Elementary
School Bond on Ballot
Voters will decide the future of the Ocean
Avenue School as well as other issues today.
Portland voters will be asked to approve $19
million in bonds to be reimbursed by the State of
Maine for the construction of the Ocean Avenue
Elementary School. The bond must be approved by
a majority of voters in order to secure the state
funding.
Detailed information about the school bond may
be found on the Portland Public Schools Web site
at www.portlandschools.org .
Voters will also receive a state ballot for bonds and
those enrolled in a political party will receive a
ballot for primaries.
All residents of the City of Portland are
encouraged to vote. Absentee ballots are available
upon request and absentee voting is ongoing at the
City Clerk's office in City Hall from 8:00 AM to 4:
30 PM. Residents can register to vote and enroll in
a political party in person at the City Clerk's office
before Election Day or at their polling place the
day of the election. Unrolled voters can chose to
enroll in a political party at their polling place on
Election Day.
All local polling places will be open from 7:00 AM
to 8:00 PM. For more detailed information about
where or how to vote, visit www.portlandvoters.com.
Adult Ed Grads Overcame
Huge Hurdles
Nine students were awarded high school diplomas,
and 29 others received GED credentials at Portland
Adult Education’s graduation ceremony on June
4th. at Merrill Auditorium.
Two students who overcame big challenges to
complete their degrees spoke at the ceremony.
Jennifer Sinclair Talbot, 25, says she is living a
life that once seemed to her like a fairy tale. After
years of addiction, failure in school and time in
jail, she completed her high school diploma and
started a new job this year. She will attend
Andover College in the fall and hopes to get a
degree in business administration.
Mahamed Yusuf, 26, attended formal school for
only two years in Somalia before war forced him
to leave his homeland. He came to the U.S. in
2002, and began attending Portland Adult
Education (PAE) with the goal of learning basic
conversational English. While working full-time,
he earned his high school diploma in five years.
He now plans to enroll in PAE’s College
Transitions program.
Monday, June 9, 2008
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Political Pandering to the Petulant
Dear Editor -
Questions I've wanted to ask Maine politicians I've
heard lately on public radio include: Where do you
get your information? How do you keep informed?
I still wondered after listening recently to the very
capable Jennifer Rooks questioning an array of
persons seeking Tom Allen's Congressional seat.
In spite of the feeling that much of what they said
was determined by their feel for the way the
political wind was blowing, many answers made
sense. However, one thing I find most irritating are
the candidates who pretend that as freshmen they
will march into the halls of Congress and instantly
spread the light. Anyone who has paid any
attention to the workings of Washington knows
that it takes time to learn the ropes and become
effective. (A simple fact, by the way, that shoots
down the anti- government term limits idea.)
And yet Adam Cote will say he will become "a
leader in Congress immediately on the energy
issue." And he will tout his "real world
experience."
I suggest he give credit for experience to people like
Chuck Hagel, Ted Kennedy and Arlen Spector, to
mention just a few knowledgeable and
accomplished Washingtonians.
Dissing Congress doesn't get my vote Mr.
Strimling. You're pandering to the petulant and
uninformed when you say "We need people down
in Washington who understand about struggling
families." Those "people" have been in
Washington since before, during, and since
Franklin Roosevelt.
Perhaps Michael Brennan struck one of the more
original notes when he said "The Berlin Wall was
a symbol of everything that was wrong with the
world." Now, he went on to say, there are walls in
Iraq, Israel and on the US-Mexico border, and he
called for building bridges. But Brennan, too,
spoke of going to Washington to "break that
gridlock." I do hope you go down to Washington,
Mr. Brennan, but leave the Superman costume in
the phone booth and be prepared to be an attentive
and effective student of government.
Sincerely,
Robert Solotaire
Brackett St.
PHS ESL Student Writers
Featured in New Book
Nine students in Christina Mitchell’s English as a
Second Language (ESL) intermediate classes at
Portland High School will have their writing
featured in a new anthology titled Carry It
Everywhere. Photos and quotes from two
additional students also appear in the book.
The Telling Room in Portland will publish Carry
It Everywhere. The student writers will be honored
at a book release party on June 12 at 7 p.m. at
Space Gallery, 538 Congress Street. Some of the
students will read their stories at the event.
Volunteer writers from the Telling Room worked
all year with Mitchell’s students on the project.
Only 18 of the 400 pieces submitted by area high
school students will be included in the anthology,
and half of those come from the Portland High
ESL classes.
Portland High senior Zaki Hassan won first place
in the Telling Room's writing contest. Other
students whose writing appears include Mohamed
Omar, Mohamed Ali, Ilhan Hilowle, Halima
Abdille, Zemarai Hassanzada, Samakab Jama,
Nestor Gaitan and Hala Ishag.
Two other Portland High students, Mahamed
Mohamed and Jamilshah Sayed, have their photos
and statements featured in the book.
Some of the students’ writing may be found at
www.tellingroom.org.
The work also will be shown at the Bayside World
Market and Fair at Portland High on June 21.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Fundraising Campaign for New
Skate Park
Momentum Campaign for Doughtery Field
Skateboard and Bike Park receives $50,000
matching grant
The City of Portland's Skatepark Planning
Committee has kicked off its fundraising
campaign, Momentum, for a new skateboard and
bike park. The Committee has also unveiled its
fundraising logo, designed by the winner of a
citywide contest, Meaghan Maurice, a student
from Deering High School.
The Committee has also announced its "Buy A
Brick" initiative. Residents,businesses and
supporters of the skatepark will be able to purchase
a brick that will be used for the construction of the
park for $50 (for tax purposes, the purchase is
considered a charitable donation). Each brick can
be inscribed by the donor and will become a
permanent part of the park. For more information
on how to purchase a brick, visit www.
portlandmaine.gov/skatepark.
To date, Portland has donated 28,000 square feet
of land at the Doughtery Field Complex valued at
$75,000 and allocated $75,000 of capital
investment funds for the $325,000 skatepark
design and construction budget.
Most recently, the Committee received a dollar-for-
dollar matching grant of $50,000 from the Ollie
Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The
Committee hopes to have design proposals this fall
and with a successful fundraising campaign,
construction is expected to begin next spring.
Friends of Casco Bay
Pumpout Service Begins
Friends of Casco Bay’s pumpout boat that services
recreational boats between Cape Elizabeth and
Freeport has started its season. Helen Mattsson is
returning for her third year as captain of the
Baykeeper II, which removes raw sewage from the
marine toilets of recreational boats and transports
them to shoreside sewage treatment facilities.
To schedule a pumpout, call (207) 776-0136 or
HMattsson@cascobay.org. She will complete the
pumpout within a few days of your request and
contact you when it is complete.
Pumpouts are $5.00 per 20 gallon tank
capacity. Mattsson asks boaters to seek out
shoreside pumpout facilities as well. She is
available to help boaters find and learn how to use
a shoreside facility.
The Department of Environmental Protection
funds and maintains the 21 pumpout stations in
Casco Bay . If a local shoreside facility is not
working or inaccessible, contact Pam Parker at the
DEP at (207) 287-7905 or by email at Pamela.D.
Parker@maine.gov. Reporting such incidences will
help provide local marinas with the mechanical
services and funds required to ensure pumpout
stations are functional and easy-to-use.
Since 1995, Friends of Casco Bay’s pumpout boat
has kept over 100,000 gallons of raw sewage from
being dumped into coastal waters.
Saturday, June 7,2008
PCCC: Drill for Oil off Maine
Coast
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
favors tapping local energy reserves, including oil
and gas reserves off the coast of Maine. The group
says that revenues and royalties from the sale of
these resources should be used to ameliorate the
high price of oil and gas in Maine and additional
monies should be used to fund the development of
alternative energy sources.
The PCCC believes that there are many
contributing causes to the current energy crisis,
including unreasonable restrictions on domestic
production. They say that that the short-term
solution to the crisis is to increase domestic
production, including allowing the exploration of
domestic reserves and the development of more
refining capacity.
In the long term, the PCCC believes in developing
alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind,
and nuclear power. This type of planning will
remove uncertainty and volatility from the market
for energy and stabilize the price of gas and oil,
says the group.
Developer Donates Boulders for
Trail
Real estate developer Greg Shinberg is teaming up
with the Portland Trails and the City of Portland
to connect Fort Sumner Park with the existing
trail network on Munjoy Hill. The proposed
connecting trail is currently a little-known dirt
path, winding its way behind a new 21-unit
condominium development on 135 Sheridan Street.
Shinberg wants to see more trails in the heart of
Portland and has donated a large pile of boulders
to the project in order to help with structural
improve-ments for the trail.
Jaime Parker of Portland Trails says he expects to
begin working with neighborhood volunteers later
this month to start the process with a cleanup and
planting effort, and then work with City Public
Services crews in July. The trail should be fully
operational by mid-summer.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
POLICE LOOKING FOR
HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER
The Portland Police Department is investigating a
hit-and-run accident and is seeking the assistance
of the public in identifying the driver of the
suspect vehicle.
Officers responded to a report of a traffic accident
in the area of 134 Washington Avenue at 1:40 am
on May 31st. A BMW motorcycle, operated by
Charles Kane, 27, of Portland, had been struck,
and Kane was injured. Medical personnel
transported Kane to the Maine Medical Center
where he was treated for a compound fracture of
the leg.
Evidence at the scene indicates that Kane was
struck by a white 1994-1997
Helipad Had Only Three
Complaints Says Maine Med
For the first three months the new helipad at the
Maine Medical Center was operational (December
through February), the hospital received 48
flights. During this same time, they received only
three complaints, say hospital officials, two of
them regarding Coast Guard arrivals, and the
hospital says that they have followed up with the
complaints regarding use of approved flight paths.
The contact information to register
complaints/concerns is:
phone: 662-6699
email: helipad@mmc.org
The hospital asks callers to provide the following
information:
- the date and exact time of what happened
- where it happened
- how long it lasted
- the type of problem (noise, lights, other)
Linnell Joins Commissioners’
Race as a Green
Captain William Linnell has announced that he
will be a write-in candidate for the Green
Independent Party's nomination for Cumberland
County Commissioner for the 1st District.
Linnell would need to get 150 write-in votes from
Green Independents on June 10th to be on the
ballot in November. Portland City Councilors
David Marshall and Kevin Donoghue asked him to
accept the Green Independent Party’s nomination
to run for County Commissioner, said Linnell.
The District represents Portland, Falmouth,
Yarmouth, Cumberland, and Casco Bay Islands,
including Chebeague, Long Island, Peaks,
Cushing, and Great Diamond.
Linnnell ran for the District 3 seat on the Portland
City Council last November, coming in second out
of four contenders.
He was involved in the successful battle to close
the Maine Yankee nuclear plant, and in helping
Katrina victims while working for FEMA in 200.
He was a Cape Elizabeth Town Councilor in the
1990s, which included representing Maine on the
Energy and Environment Committee at the
National League of Cities. He also serves as a
substitute teacher working at Longcreek Youth
Development Center for the Department of
Corrections, and as a fisherman working on the
waterfront from Cape Elizabeth to Yarmouth. He
lives in the Stroudwater neighborhood.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Waxman to Challenge Suslovic
for City Council Seat
Portland Democratic activist Dory Waxman will
mount a campaign to replace Portland Mayor Ed
Suslovic on the Portland City Council in this fall’s
election.
The City Council races are officially non-partisan,
but Suslovic, a Democrat, has made local party
activists unhappy with his votes on the Council,
especially his vote on the Maine State Pier, in
which he sided with the Council’s three Green
Party members. Suslovic voted for the City to
negotiate with the Olympia Company while other
local Dems sided with Ocean Properties, which was
headed by Bob Baldacci, the brother of Governor
John Baldacci. Former Senator George Mitchell
was also part of the Ocean Properties team.
Waxman is a former Portland School Committee
member and served as the Bayside Community
organizer. She is also the treasurer for the current
State Senate candidacy of Portland attorney Cliff
Ginn.
Former City Councilor Will Gorham has also been
rumored to be a potential candidate for the at-
large Council seat, but when asked about it, said
“No comment at this time.” The local Green
Independent Party may also run a candidate in the
race.
Man Charged with Witness
Tampering
Frederick Johnson, 30, of Portland, was arrested
on May 23rd and charged with tampering with a
witness and violation of conditional release.
Portland police say the victim was stopped in
traffic with his three-year-old son, a little before 4:
30 in the afternoon, when Johnson approached
him and threatened to do bodily harm.
The previous week, the victim, who knew that
Johnson was a habitual offender and wasn’t
supposed to be driving, had notified police that
Johnson had been driving. –Marge Niblock
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Candidates to Debate
on Munjoy Hill Tonight
In preparation for the June 10th Primary Election,
the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization will
sponsor a debate tonight at the St. Lawrence Arts
Center on Congress Street, between the Democratic
candidates running for the State House and
Senate.
The debate between candidates for the House of
Representatives, Ed Democracy and Diane Russell-
Natera, will begin at 7. Senate candidates Anne
Rand, Justin Alfond and Cliff Ginn will begin
debating the issues at about 7:45.
Send any questions for the candidates to
mhno@yahoogroups.com. Coffee and
refreshments will be served.
Peace Action Maine Releases
Peace Voter Guide
Peace Action Maine, the state's largest peace
organization, has released their 2008 Peace Voter
Guide. The 2008 Peace Voter Guide features 1st
Congressional District and Senatorial Candidates'
responses to thirty-three questions relating to
peace, militarism and foreign policy issues. The
Peace Voter Guide may be accessed online at
Peace Action Maine's website: www.peaceactionme.
org.
Topics covered in the Peace Voter Guide include,
but aren't limited to, the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, U.S. arms sales and military aid,
human rights and civil liberties and nuclear
proliferation.
Opposition Forms to Beverage
Petition
Doctors, seniors, and other individuals and
organizations gathered near Maine Medical Center
last week to oppose a petition drive currently
underway that would eliminate new health care
funding
In order to get the question placed on the ballot,
gatherers would need to collect a little more than
55,000 valid signatures over the next month and a
half.
If the petition gatherers succeed, the new law
providing health care funding through a state
beverage tax will be frozen until the November
election.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Public Invited To Comment On
Proposed Pedestrian Sign System
On Wednesday, June 4 at 5 PM, at the Merrill
Auditorium Rehearsal Hall, a public meeting on
the proposed design, location and criteria for a
new pedestrian wayfinding system for downtown
Portland will be held.
“An update to our pedestrian sign system is long
overdue. For downtown visitors, improved signage
is key to reinforcing a block-by-block curiosity for
our great city,” said Councilor Kevin Donoghue,
Chair of the Transportation Committee of
Portland City Council.
At the meeting, the wayfinding consultant, Wilbur
Smith Associates of Portland, will present the
proposed sign criteria and design for public input.
“It is extremely important to the committee that
the public have an opportunity to understand why
good signage is so important, and to comment on
the proposed new system," said Jan Beitzer,
Executive Director of Portland’s Downtown
District (PDD). "A pedestrian sign system is
critical to supporting not only our number one
industry, tourism, but also to enhance downtown’s
livability,”
Conservative Candidates Oppose
Convict Right to Vote
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
has announced that it opposes allowing
incarcerated felons to vote. Current Maine law
allows convicted felons to vote even while they are
in jail. Maine and Vermont are the only two states
in the nation that allow convicted felons to vote.
Many states prohibit felons from voting for life
and some prohibit convicts from voting during the
term of their sentence.
The Maine Civil Liberties Union recently
conducted a voter registration drive at the Maine
State Prison. The PCCC says that it is opposed to
rights without responsibilities, and that people who
have been convicted of felony offenses have
demonstrated their lack of respect for the social
contract that binds law-abiding citizens, and
should not be given a hand in writing the laws that
they have been convicted of breaking.
The PCCC believes that such convicts should be
precluded from voting for at least as long as the
term of their sentence.
The Portland Conservative Candidates’ Caucus
consists of the Republican candidates for the state
legislative districts that represent the City of
Portland.
| Fix-It Man "Your Problem Solver" Repairs-Improvements- Maintenance 61 Sherman St. Portland www.fix-itman.com 771-0202 |
| “The Spin Stops Here!” COYNE’S LAUNDROMAT 88 DANFORTH STREET (AT HIGH & DANFORTH) OPEN 7DAYS 8AM to 8PM WASH & FOLD ‘Home of the 2 minute laundry- 1 minute dropoff- 1 minute pickup!’ 871-5744 |
| St. Lawrence Arts Center Announces We're having a Yard Sale! July 4th and 5th 10am - 3pm Antiques, Art, Furniture, Clothes, Costumes, Toys, Books, Games, Grab Bags, and Yard Sale knick-knacks up the wazoo! Come see what treasures we've unearthed for you! To donate items to our Yard Sale, please call us at 775-5568, ext. 102 All proceeds benefit The St. Lawrence Arts Center |
| Fresh Approach “The West End’s Meat Market” M-F 8-7 Sat. 9-7 Sun. 9- 5 155 Brackett Street 774-7250 WHOLESALE MEATS 774-7250 |