South Portland residents will cast their votes in an unprecedented school budget validation referendum Tuesday.<< MORE >>

Dyer Elementary School students participate in cultural diversity program<< MORE >>

These are lean times in Maine. Economic recession, higher municipal taxes and gas prices rising by the minute have combined to create a perfect storm of financial turmoil for Maine residents, laying siege to a person’s ability to go out and spend a fun day on the town. With that in mind, the staff of Mainely Media has created this six-part series, where our intrepid area reporters head out into our coverage areas armed only with a $20 bill and a fierce desire to get the most bang for our bucks. Here’s the first installment, covering The Gazette’s, coverage range of Gorham, Buxton, Hollis, Standish and Limington.<< MORE >>

Passengers bound for Nova Scotia via the high speed “Cat” ferry will no longer have to dodge containers being craned around the parking lot of Portland’s International Marine Terminal, as the new $20 million Ocean Gateway facility on Commercial Street was officially opened May 2.<< MORE >>

Officials at the Maine Healthy Beach Program are preparing for their sixth summer testing the waters at beaches throughout the state and need volunteers to help with the effort.<< MORE >>

Every picture tells a story – Nance Trueworthy will sign copies of her book, “Maine Coast Impressions,” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) at the Cape Cottage Gallery, located at 179 Cottage Road in South Portland. << MORE >>

Derailed by service providers and system administrators both at home and work, my life has been offline for the past 72 hours. Thrust backwards to a point where I had no online fantasy game identity, no email signature or the latest blog entry, I am coping with my purely three-dimensional existence in a variety of ways. << MORE >>

When calling for accountability from important social programs like education, no analogy should be off limits. Mrs. Hoy brings together facts as well as her strong opinion and calls for improvement in a system she feels has major flaws. By attacking her analogy he is missing the point, which is to hold school officials and teachers accountable. Taxpayers have a right to do this because they are the stockholders in this arrangement. Mrs. Hoy is clearly unhappy with her investment thus far, and has a right to speak up. The business analogy makes perfect sense, but it only takes us so far. These publicly funded programs are permitted to run by the taxpayers and the main goal is to raise capitol – social capital.<< MORE >>

Representative Bliss undoubtedly saw this proposal as one of the critical steps Maine should take to cut our state’s contribution to global warming. Many years from now, when we write the final chapters on global warming, Representative Bliss’ work to get this significant law enacted will be identified as the major transformation in this region away from the danger of global warming. I, for one, thank Representative Larry Bliss for his dedicated, untiring effort on behalf of South Portland and our region.<< MORE >>

Beachgoers from the greater Portland area flocked to Willard Beach in response to nearly record-high temperatures last week.<< MORE >>

For the last few years, complaints from property owners near Willard Beach in South Portland about the overwhelming presence of dogs in their neighborhood have become synonymous with the arrival of warmer weather.<< MORE >>

This summer the University of Maine’s Professor of Marine Studies and Quaternary and Climate Studies Dan Belknap will have his eye on the weather for a calm, quiet day to take a boat ride in Portland Harbor. Rather than packing lures or fishing rods, Belknap will bring nearly $250,000 in seismic reflection and side-scan sonar equipment to help him find possible locations to dig a hole up to 80-foot deep in the ocean floor. << MORE >>

Kimball said trebuchets were originally designed as siege weapons during medieval times. Medieval trebuchets, similar in function to Roman designed catapults, could be up to five times as large as the “Intimidator” and were capable of launching several thousand pound sandstone blocks to knock down castle walls, he said. << MORE >>

On Sunday, April 20, the day before Earth Day, South Portland resident Jeff Ingalls noticed a pile of freshly cut logs on Willard Beach.... A purchase and sale agreement for approximately 1.5 acres on Western Avenue was unanimously approved by the council on April 23..... The council also unanimously approved discontinuing a 250-foot portion of Park Avenue and a 270-foot section of Chambers Avenue to allow Hannaford Brothers to use the space for storage.<< MORE >>

History in the making: Visiting the past to teach to the future<< MORE >>

Disillusionment with government in general and concern that some among our city hall neighbors have yet to come to grips with the reality of the times, many South Portland natives are understandably restless. There is a growing rumble on the street that the city’s uncompromising excesses are real and, at least in one case, seen as an act of unabashed and unbridled folly.<< MORE >>

I have loved living in the Willard Beach neighborhood for nearly 11 years, although it isn’t always peaceful<< MORE >>

A few articles I have read in the local papers recently are very disturbing. Property owners at Willard Beach area have been having many problems with dogs going from the beach onto their private property and defecating on their lawns and also defecating on the beach. Then I read about a little girl and her dog being attacked by two pit bulls in Scarborough and ultimately killing the little dog in front of the girl. << MORE >>

But the school department gets a 4 percent raise for 36 weeks a year because they have strong union and control the cities and town. Some of these teachers are nothing but freeloaders and not doing their job and get their raises regularly every year.<< MORE >>

Although miniscule in area, the two Business “A” (BA) zones in Cape Elizabeth have been a topic for discussion for residents and town officials this month, as the planning board prepares to overhaul the ordinance. The update could include changes to setbacks, design standards, permitted uses and many other stipulations. A number of residents taking part in meetings have said they are strongly opposed to the development of anything resembling a bar or a fast food restaurant in Cape Elizabeth.<< MORE >>