Dozens of protesters, among them faith leaders and people who have experienced homelessness, formed a human chain to stop police from clearing a large encampment near the Casco Bay Bridge on Tuesday morning. They said city officials are criminalizing homelessness by enforcing a city-wide camping ban. “No one wants to be living outside in Portland…
As Portland Mayor Mark Dion and the Portland City Council begin their work, I pulled out for discussion below the best ideas of those most recently running around housing affordability and the environment. I do this in the hope that if we highlight their good ideas, they will feel even more empowered to pursue them.…
Many people believe the mayor of Portland holds little power. But that’s not true. The power of the office is not what it should be, to be sure. But the position provides ample tools for a mayor interested in making significant change for the people of Portland. As the official head of Portland’s policymaking body…
Portland officials will soon face a problem many saw coming from a great distance. In June, the city will lose access to two hotels it has been using to house people who fled conflict and war to seek asylum in the U.S. to make way for tourists. While the city council recently approved an additional…
Progressives scored victories on election night in a variety of municipal races in Maine, winning city council and school board contests along with multiple ballot initiatives. In Rockland, voters decisively approved a ballot measure to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. The initiative, which was proposed by first-year city councilor Nathan Davis,…
Two progressive candidates vying for three of the open spots on the Portland City Council this November say in order to meet the desire to change the status quo, residents directly impacted by policy decisions must have a seat at the table. April Fournier is running for the at-large seat currently held by Councilor Jill…
Members of the Maine Sheriffs’ Association and the Maine Medical Association on Monday voiced support for a bill that could significantly reform Maine’s drug sentencing laws. The Criminal Justice Committee is considering legislation, LD 1492, introduced last year by state Rep. Pinny Beebe-Center (D-Rockland), that would attempt to bring Maine in line with other states…
Update: This episode was updated to include an interview with District Attorney Maeghan Maloney. In this special episode of the Beacon podcast, Taryn Hallweaver interviews all four Democratic candidates running for Attorney General in Maine. This important position will be selected by members of the legislature later this week. Maine is the only state that…
One day before the primary election and with so many Democratic candidates to sift through, Beacon has compiled links to interviews with most of the Democrats running either for governor or Congress in Maine’s 2nd District. With the ranked choice ballot being used in the gubernatorial primary this year, Maine voters will not only be…
On Wednesday night, I attended one of the last forums for the Democrats running for governor. Jeremy Hiltz, in recovery from drug addiction, and Fowsia Musse, a prominent leader of Lewiston’s immigrant community, started the night by plainly stating: “The two of us have much more in common than Governor LePage wants you to think.”…