Saturday, January 31, 2009
Police Locate Alleged Hit-and-Run Driver
Michael Zawierucha, 36, of Buffalo, New York, was arrested and
charged with leaving the scene of an accident after a man plowing
snow from a lot at 35 Riverside Street called police at 8 AM on
January 11th to report a hit-and-run accident.
He told police his vehicle was struck by a Dodge Ram van with
New York plates. After he was hit, the van backed up and left, and
was last seen going north on I-95.
That evening police located the van at Motel 6 and were able to
identify the owner through records.
Friday, January 30,2009
Loughlin Takes Himself Out of Contention
for Police Chief Job
Portland’s Acting Chief of Police Joseph Loughlin has withdrawn
his name from consideration as the City’s permanent Police Chief.
In a letter to the Department on January 29th, Loughlin said that
the recent deaths of two close associates in the Department -
Mary McClaran, the Department’s Principal Financial Officer,and
Sergeant Richard Betters - caused him to reevaluate his future, and
he didn’t know if he could commit to the years of service that
would be expected of a new Chief.
Loughlin is a 28-year veteran of the Portland police force and is
the co-author of Finding Amy, the story of the murder of Amy St.
Laurent and the solving of that crime.
Loughlin has served as interim Chief since August, and said he
would continue in that post and make sure that the transition to a
new permanent Chief was as smooth as possible.
Tractor-trailer Takes Out Two Parked Cars
Portland police say that a Cumberland Farms delivery driver failed
to disengage a lift gate on the side of his tractor trailer on January
29th, resulting to damage to two parked cars on Brackett Street,
near the corner of Walker Street.
The truck was proceeding slowly on Brackett Street, according to
an eyewitness, after having just made a delivery at the Cumberland
Farms store at Pine and Brackett Streets. The metal lift gate hit the
cars, dragging and spinning one of them around. The two cars
were unoccupied and there were no injuries. Tow trucks removed
the two vehicles from the scene.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Governor Marks Next Step for Florence
House
Governor John E. Baldacci joined local housing advocates on
January 27th to mark the next step toward construction of
Florence House, which will provide permanent, supported housing
to chronically homeless women in Portland. The project is a
partnership between Avesta Housing and Preble Street.
Florence House will feature three types of housing to
accommodate 50 women, including 25 apartments, 15 safe haven
living spaces for women who are not yet ready to live
independently, and 10 emergency beds for temporarily homeless
women. The Florence House model is based on approaches to
homelessness and chronic mental illness that have emerged
nationally, as well as experience at the Preble Street Day Shelter
and in developing Logan Place.
The project was announced in January of 2007. The Governor
was joined at the ceremony by Mark Swann, Executive Director
of Preble Street; Dana Totman, Executive Director of Avesta
Housing; Elaine House, Chair of the Preble Street Board of
Directors; and about three dozen supporters of the project.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hinck Proposes ‘Right to Dry’ Law
West End Law Jon Hinck has presented to the Utilities and Energy
Committee a bill to protect the right of Maine people to install solar
collectors or other devices, including clotheslines, that use the sun’
s energy.
The bill, LD 73, would prohibit local governments, and
homeowner and condominium associations from adopting rules or
covenants that would prevent residents from installing solar
collectors and clotheslines or other equipment for the drying of
clothing outdoors. Provisions would be included in the law to
ensure that safe emergency egress and historic values were
maintained while allowing the use of solar energy.
At least 10 states, including Massachusetts and California , have
adopted similar laws protecting the right to install solar devices.
Hinck, who is chair of the committee, cited incidents in
Scarborough and Thomaston where residents had tried to use
solar energy but were prohibited due to deed covenants or
neighborhood association bylaws. Residents of Thomaston and
Portland , and the Public Utilities Commission’s Public Advocate
spoke in favor of the bill at the hearing.
The committee is expected to vote on the bill following a work
session at 1 p.m. February 3rd in Room 211 of the Cross State
Office Building .
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Trevorrow New State Green Party Chair
The Maine Green Independent Party Board of Directors has
appointed Portland resident and current MGIP Board Member
Anna Trevorrow as interim Chairperson, to hold the position until
the May, 2009 State Convention.
Trevorrow will replace Lynne Williams, who announced her
resignation in order to pursue a run for Governor in the 2010
gubernatorial race.
Trevorrow was appointed to fill an interim Board position in
March 2008, and was elected to serve a full two-year term in May
2008.
Trevorrow is also a Delegate to the Green Party National
Committee, and most recently, ran for an at-large seat on the
Portland School Committee.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Local Museums Looking for History Docents
Local historical organizations are recruiting for the Portland’s
History Docents program, a ten-week training class for people
who would like to become volunteer guides.
The Portland History Docents sessions will be held at the Maine
Historical Society every Thursday morning, 9AM to noon,
beginning February 19th and concluding April 23rd. Volunteers for
the free and stimulating course receive lectures on area history, art
and architecture, and training on good guiding techniques.
Graduation will take place at the Fifth Maine regiment Museum on
Peaks Island on May 7th.
Participating institutions include the Portland Observatory, Greater
Portland Landmarks walking tours, Portland Harbor Museum, Tate
House Museum, Victoria Mansion, and Wadsworth-Longfellow
House. Graduates of the training are asked to serve at least six
hours per month at site of their choosing from among these
institutions.
For more information, contact the program manager Bill Hall, at
253-6290, or leave a message for him at Greater Portland
Landmarks, 774-5561, extension 120.
Man Cleared of Murder Arrested on Drug
Charges
A Portland man who was cleared of murder charges in a fatal
shooting last spring has been arrested on drug charges.
Randel Phillips, 46, of Portland, was arrested at the 7-Eleven at 27
Washington Avenue at 10:57 PM on January 22nd. A warrant had
been issued for Phillips charging him with violation of probation.
At the time of his arrest, he was found to be in possession of
schedule W drugs.
Phillips had been arrested and charged with murder the day after
an incident at his Cumberland Avenue residence last April 20th,
when he shot and killed Lashawn Covington, a 25-year-old New
York City man.
Covington, accompanied by Klein Fernandes, 21, also from New
York, had entered the apartment at 73 Cumberland Avenue,
allegedly intending to rob the occupants. This led to a conflict that
extended outside to the sidewalk, culminating in the shooting.
The murder charge was dropped, and Phillips was released after
pleading guilty to reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, and
agreeing to a sentence of time served, after having spent several
months in jail.
-Marge Niblock
Portland Museum of Art Hires New Director
The Portland Museum of Art announced on January 15th that
Mark Bessire has been hired as the new Director of the Museum.
Since 2003, Bessire has been Director of the Bates College
Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine, best known for its Marsden
Hartley Memorial Collection. Bessire will begin his new position at
the Portland Museum of Art on March 2, 2009.
Previously, Bessire was Director of the Institute of Contemporary
Art at the Maine College of Art from 1998 to 2003. He organized
many exhibitions there, including The Photography of Ike Ude and
Eracism: William Pope.L, which traveled nationally and was
accompanied by an MIT Press Publication.
Bessire holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University, an M.A. in art
history from Hunter College, and a B.A. from New York
University.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
City Inspectors Pursuing Snow Removal
Violators
The City’s Inspections Department has sent notices to at least one
local business after receiving a complaint from a local group
calling itself Concerned West End Pedestrians.
That group referred to City ordinances requiring snow to be
removed from sidewalks within 12 hours after the snow has
stopped falling. The group notified City officials of violations at the
Cumberland Farms store at Pine and Brackett Street Streets,
where huge piles of snow blocked the sidewalk, causing
pedestrians to walk into the street. The group included photos of
the violations and copies of the ordinances in its complaint. The
snow piles have since been removed.
West End City Councilor David Marshall said he hasn’t gotten
many such complaints this winter, but that the Inspections
Department is actively pursuing violators.
Portland Trails’ 18th Annual Meeting
Walking the Walk in Bayside! Monday, January 26
6:00 - 8:00 pm SPACE GALLERY
538 Congress Street
Groundbreaking Work in Bayside
Neighborhood organizations, non-profits, and local businesses
have all been working with the City of Portland for the past ten
years, creating an innovative vision for Bayside as a vibrant,
walkable community with businesses, homes, and shopping, all
connected by a system of sidewalks, bike lanes, open spaces, and
a world-class trail.
These plans are now coming to fruition Come hear first-hand
accounts of how these partners are “walking the walk” of
neighborhood revitalization in Bayside! Light refreshments at 5:30
p.m.
· Door prizes!
To RSVP: 775-2411 or isabel@trails.org
For more information contact:
Isabel Aley, Outreach and Programming Manager, Portland Trails
305 Commercial Street
Portland, ME 04101 207-775-2411
isabel@trails.org www.trails.org
Friday, January 23, 2009
LINCOLN CLUB DINNER TO HONOR
CORA BROWN
Recent 2nd District Congressional Candidate John Frary will give
the keynote address at the Cumberland County Lincoln Club
Dinner on Saturday, February 7, 2009.
This year’s dinner, celebrating the 200th birthday of Abraham
Lincoln, will also honor longtime West End political and civic
activist Cora L. Brown.
A reception will be held at 6:00 pm, with dinner at 7:00 pm, at the
Italian Heritage Center , 40 Westmoreland Avenue (Behind Shaw’s
West Gate).Tickets: $25.00
For tickets contact President: Phyllis Bailey 854-2469 or Jim
Nicholas 767-3030 or JTNicholas@juno.com.
Franklin Street Arterial Committee Begins
Work
The Franklin Street Arterial Committee has begun the work of
developing three proposals for the redesign of the arterial, which
divides Portland's eastern neighborhoods from downtown.
The 15-person committee held its first two meetings at City Hall's
State of Maine Room on December 4th and December 17th The
committee was formed as a result of community dissatisfaction
over the City's peninsula traffic study. It will be presenting three
schemes to make Franklin more pedestrian friendly, better
integrated into surrounding neighborhoods, and more economically
viable. Its report is scheduled to be completed in June.
The committee is co-chaired by Miller and Boyd Marley, both
Munjoy Hill residents, and includes represent-atives from
government, the community, and local organizations. The
meetings are open to the public.
-Zachary Barowitz
Thursday, January 22, 2009
City to Consider Allowing Chickens in
Town
The Portland City Council’s Public Safety Committee has
approved a proposal that would allow city residents to raise
chickens.
The issue was brought forth by Councilor Kevin Donoghue at the
request of a fourteen-year-old Great Diamond Island resident who
would like to keep chickens.
Residents would be permitted to keep between four and six female
chickens per household. They would be required to obtain a permit
from the City, at about the same cost as a dog license, so that
enforcement officers could keep track of the number of chickens
in the city. No roosters would be allowed.
Chickens would have to be secured within a henhouse at night. A
requirement that a henhouse be at least 25 feet from any residential
structure would have to be amended in order to make the
ordinance workable in the city proper.
City Councilor Dan Skolnik, the Chair of the committee, voted
against the proposed ordinance, because he said it would require
additional City personnel to enforce.
City, Museum to Honor Bob Solotaire
Feb. 11th - ‘Bob Solotaire Day’
The Portland City Council will honor longtime Portland artist
Robert Solotaire by declaring February 11th ‘Bob Solotaire Day’ in
the city. Solotaire, who would have celebrated his 79th birthday on
that day, passed away in early October.
The Portland Museum of Art is also planning a special exhibition
of Solotaire’s paintings next month to honor the well-known local
artist and civic activist. Solotaire was nationally recognized for his
highly-detailed urban landscapes, many depicting scenes of his
native New York City.
WinteRush: New Event to Get Portlanders
Outside & Downtown
The Winter Season, post holidays, is often referred to as the
offseason or slow season but this year will mark the first of what
Portland officials hope will become an annual Portland winter
event.
WinteRush is series of mini-events promoting healthy activities,
and encouraging residents to spend winter days outside, no matter
their age.
There is something planned for everyone from ice sculptures to
skating to scavenger hunts, even downhill skiing right in
Monument Square. A full event schedule can be seen at
portlandwinterush.com. Events will occur over two weekends in
February, before and on the weekend of Valentines Day.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Hinck, Adams Named to New Energy
Committee
West End Representative Jon Hinck and Parkside Representative
Herb Adams have been tapped to serve on a new committee to
consider ways to make Maine more energy independent through
the creation of green jobs, alternative energy and energy
conservation.
Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree appointed the
representatives to the new 17-member Joint Standing Committee
on Maine ’s Energy Future. Hinck also serves as chair of the
Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee. Adams serves on the
Utilities and Energy Committee and the Governor’s new Ocean
Energy Task Force. The task force will look for strategies to
harness ocean-based energy.
The Joint Select Committee on Energy will consider legislation to
achieve energy sustainability, reduce consumption through energy
efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and promote economic
development through renewable energy resources in Maine.
In addition, the committee will make recommendations regarding
the funding necessary for large scale weatherization, energy
assistance, development of renewable energy sources, and energy-
based workforce development programs.
Sunday, January 18, 2008
Commission Elects Eder Outreach
Coordinator
Former West End Representative John Eder is taking on the task
of getting the public interested in county government, as the
outreach coordinator of the Cumberland County Charter
Commission.
The Charter Commission has also elected Claude Morgan, former
mayor of South Portland as chairperson, and Lisa Villa, Harrison
selectperson, as co-chair.
The public is encouraged to contact the charter commission via
the Cumberland County website www.cumberlandcounty.org
The Cumberland County Commissioners will hold their bi-weekly
meeting on Monday, January 26th at 5:30pm in the Feeney room
at the Cumberland County Courthouse.
-Pamela Craigin
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Police Arrest Alleged Park Avenue Arsonist
Portland Police detectives arrested Clinton French on January
15th in connection with the Big Apple arson that occurred four
days before. Mr. French, 34, of Portland, was arrested at 704
Congress Street and is charged with Arson (Class A).
At 10 PM on January 11th, a man entered the Big Apple at 2 Park
Avenue, attempting to buy alcoholic beverages. When the clerk
denied him the sale of alcohol, he became very upset before
leaving.
Approximately a half hour later, the man returned to the store with
a can of gasoline in his hand. He opened the door, and poured gas
into the interior and exterior of the building at the doorway. Then
he lit it on fire and fled on foot.
There was minimal or no damage to the building, as it burned off
quickly. The clerk called 911, summoning police and fire
personnel.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Waynflete Opens New Arts Center
Waynflete School in the West End opened its new $7.2 million,
7,000 square foot arts center and theater on January 14th.
The center features a 276-seat theater named after Joan
Sayward Franklin, a 1946 alumnus of the school who donated
one million dollars to the project.
It also includes music and drama classrooms and rehearsal
rooms, set-construction shops and a sound and light booth.
The arts center was built to conform to the highest
environmental standards, including "smart" heating and
cooling systems, carpet and floor tiles are made from recycled
content, and other environmentally-friendly building materials.
The building was designed by Portland architect Scott Simons
and built by Stroudwater Construction of South Portland.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Same Sex Marriage Bill Unveiled
At a State House press conference on January 13th,
EqualityMaine and several coalition partners unveiled a bill that
would extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in Maine.
The bill, titled “An Act to Prevent Discrimination in Civil
Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom,” is sponsored by Sen.
Dennis Damon (D-Hancock). Damon recently sponsored an
amendment to extend to domestic partners the protections
currently provided in Maine’s Family Medical Leave law.
EqualityMaine and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
(GLAD) convened the Maine Freedom to Marry Coalition to
carry out a coordinated plan for education and advocacy on
marriage equality.
Last November EqualityMaine set out to identify 10,000 voters
who support civil marriage equality. When the polls closed on
Election Day, volunteers had collected 33,190 signatures.
Since 1984, EqualityMaine has worked to secure full equality for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Maine. It is the
state's oldest and largest LGBT advocacy organization. For more
about marriage equality, please visit www.equalitymaine.org.
KING MIDDLE STUDENTS TO HOST
GREEN EXPO
The students in King Middle’s Windsor 8 House have studied
wind power in Maine in a 10-week learning expedition called
WINDsor in Motion., and will host a Green Expo at King Middle
School on January 22nd which will be the culminating event for
the expedition.
L.L.Bean Public Affairs Manager Carolyn Beem will deliver the
keynote address at 10 AM in the King library. Students will
present their work
to the public following the keynote address, and several
businesses that work with alternative energy products and energy
conservation will be on
hand to meet with the public and talk about what they do.
Students will display the videos that they made about the
expedition, as well as their wind turbine designs and models,
essays, lab and field
data and other products.
The Expo is open to the public from 11 AM – 12:20 PM.
Parents and vendors are invited to stay to see the “Voltage Wars”
competition, wherein teams of students will compete to see
whose model turbines will generate the most electricity.
The King Middle School is located at 92 Deering Avenue.For
more information, contact Hiram Sibley, the teaching strategist
at
King Middle, at sibleh@portlandschools.org, or by
calling (207) 874-8140.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Portland Police Sgt. Rick Betters Passes
Away
The Portland Police Department announced on January 14th
the unexpected passing of Sgt. Richard Betters, who was 52 years
old and passed away at his residence, from apparent natural
causes. Sergeant Betters was a 19-year veteran of the
department. He was assigned as a day shift sergeant in the
patrol division, and was a longtime member of the special
reaction team. He is survived by his wife Jessica and two
daughters, ages 12 and 2.
Sergeant Betters had received many honors during his career,
including unit and merit commendations. He was awarded the
department heroism medal and was the Portland police officer
of the year in 1998. He was also very active on the Special
Reaction Team. In April, 2008, Sergeant Betters accompanied
Portland Mayor Ed Suslovic and a delegation of Portland
officials on a two-week visit to one of Portland’s sister cities,
Archangel, Russia. He was a graduate of the Houston Texas
Police Department’s basic and advanced S.W.A.T. Academy.
Funeral arrangements are not yet finalized. Additional details
will follow as they become available.
Burglar Foiled by Involved Citizens
A Portland man was detained by three witnesses after he broke a
window in an Old Port store and stole a bottle of wine.
On January 5th at 10:33 PM, police received a report of a
burglary to the Old Port Merchants store at 432 Fore Street.
Upon their arrival they found three men who had detained
Jeremiah Gleason, 31, of Portland. The men told police they
saw Gleason break the window of the wine store using a brick,
after which he removed a bottle of wine and began to flee down
the street. They followed him and stopped him, waiting for the
arrival of police officers.
Gleason was arrested and charged with burglary, theft, criminal
mischief, and violation of probation.
-Marge Niblock
Tuesday, January 13, 2008
No Curbside Trash/Recycling on Martin
Luther King Jr. Day
Solid Waste crews will not collect trash or recycling on Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, January 19. Residents who normally
receive collection services on Monday will have their trash and
recycling collected this Saturday, January 17th.
All items should be out by 6:30 AM to ensure collection. If
residents have further questions about their trash/recycling
collection, they can contact the Recycling Hotline at 756-8189.
The Riverside Recycling Facility will be closed on MLK Day as
well, and will resume normal business hours on Tuesday,
January 20, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Police Search for Park Avenue Arsonist
Police are searching for a man they say tried to set a Bayside
convenience store on fire.
At 10 PM on January 11th, a man entered the Big Apple at 2
Park Avenue, attempting to buy alcoholic beverages. When the
clerk denied him the sale of alcohol, he became very upset
before leaving.
Approximately a half hour later, the man returned to the store
with a can of gasoline in his hand. He opened the door, and
poured gas into the interior and exterior of the building at the
doorway. Then he lit it on fire and fled on foot.
There was minimal or no damage to the building, as it burned
off quickly. The clerk called 911, summoning police and fire
personnel.
The suspect is described as a short, white male in his thirties,
with a beard, approximately 5’ to 5’5” tall. He was wearing
jeans and a green jacket with a furry hood.
Anyone with information as to the identity of this individual is
asked to call police at 874-8907 or 874-8596.
-Marge Niblock
Monday, January 12, 2009
Hinck’s Air Bag Bill Targets Dishonest
Mechanics
A bill sponsored by West End Representative Jon Hinck would
make it a crime to commit air bag fraud. Air bag fraud is
committed by some unscrupulous mechanics who take money
for, but do not actually replace, air bags that have been deployed
in a crash.
In some cases, mechanics have pushed the old air bags back into
their compartments. In others, the compartments have been left
empty or filled with other materials. The fraud leaves vehicle
owners vulnerable in the case of another crash.
The bill, LD 14, makes air bag fraud a Class C crime,
punishable by a fine of $5,000 and up to one year of
imprisonment.
Friday, January 9, 2008
Cops Solve Grant Street Pit Bull Theft
Portland police arrested Desmond Weathersby, 42, Gregory
Calhoun, 51, and David Walker, 27, all residents of Portland,
after being called by a resident of 176 Grant Street at 5:04 PM
on December 29th, regarding a threat report. Upon their arrival,
police observed the three men, who matched the description of
the people who were threatening, leaving the area. The men had
a brown, red-nosed pit bull with them.
Further investigation led officers to find that the dog had just
been stolen from an unoccupied apartment at the same address.
They were able to contact the resident of the burglarized
apartment and were told the pit bull had been there.
Weathersby was charged with burglary and theft; Calhoun was
charged with unlawful possession of schedule drugs, burglary,
and aggravated criminal mischief, charges existing on an
outstanding warrant; Walker also had an outstanding warrant
containing the charges of criminal mischief, carrying a
concealed weapon, and violation of conditional release.
-Marge Niblock
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Car Sharing Program Starts in City
The U Car Share program has begun operating in Portland. The
cars were scheduled to be put in place on Monday, January 5th,
slightly later than originally planned because of recent snow
storms.
Users of the service will book the car they want by the hour or by
the day, and pay only for what they use. Users will activate the
service by holding their membership cards up to the reader,
located on the windshield. The doors will unlock and the keys
are already inside the glove box.
Members have access to the entire fleet of cars - 24 hours a day,
7 days a week. When the reservation period is over, users return
the car to its assigned location. Charges are deducted from the
user’s credit card. The program is a division of the U-Haul
rental company. The company is also offering a promotion
that allows everyone to sign up for free, a $50 value. There is no
annual membership fee and users can choose a rate plan based
on their usage.
Anyone interested in using the program can apply to the
program online (www.ucarshare.com)
Five New Police Officers Sworn In
Five new officers were sworn in to the Portland Police
Department by City Clerk Linda Cohen at 3PM on January 5th.
City Manager Joe Gray offered words of congratulations to the
men and to their relatives and friends who were in attendance.
The five will be entering a training period at the Maine Criminal
Justice Academy before assuming their jobs.
After presenting badges to the new recruits, Acting Chief Joseph
K. Loughlin stressed “the importance of family support and
support of friends and associates,” then wished them well in
their new endeavor.
The new officers are: Evan Bomba; Robert Cunningham;
Matthew Dissell; Charles Hodgdon; and Joshua McDonald.
Four have Bachelors degrees and one has an Associates degree.
Cunningham and Hodgdon have served in the military, and
most have held jobs in the security industry.
Three other officers have also recently joined the Department, in
what are considered lateral moves. Gavin Hillard and Joseph
Bowen have come here after serving as police officers in
Virginia, and Matthew Davis, a former officer in Massachusetts,
is now serving in that capacity in Portland. Since these three
have already served in law enforcement in other states, the State
of Maine has a waiver process precluding their attendance at the
Academy.
Wednesday, January 7, 2008
Marshall Releases Second Annual Report
West End City Councilor David Marshall has released his second
annual report, detailing many of the issues he encountered in
the past year on the Portland City Council. The entire report
can be read here.
Among the topics discussed in the report are the following:
-Energy and Environmental Sustainability Committee
-Expanding passenger rail service instead of widening I-295
between exits 5 and 7 in Portland
-A regional crime lab at the Portland Police Headquarters.
-The 2008 City Budget (the most difficult the City has seen for
decades.)
-Reiche Branch Library
-Creative Economy Steering Committee
-Community Development Block Grant Funds.
Tuesday, January 6, 2008
Feral Felines to be Discussed at WENA
Meeting
Friends of Feral Felines will be making a presentation at the
next West End Neighborhood Association meeting on January
14th at 6:30 pm at the Reiche Community Center.
The group was asked to speak to the neighborhood organization
after a problem came to public attention of feral cats that live in
an abandoned barn near Brackett Street. Local people are
feeding the cats, which are becoming a nuisance to local
gardeners.
FoFF is an all-volunteer organization committed to helping
feral cats in southern Maine. Their mission is to humanely
reduce the number of feral cats in local communities through
trapping, neutering, and then releasing them back to their
colony sites (a method called Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR).
In time, the colonies' populations shrink due to lack of
reproduction. Board Member Lisa Flaim, along with other board
members, volunteers and members will be at the neighborhood
meeting to give a small informational presentation about the
work that FoFF does in the community. It will include a
question and answer part as well. Anyone interested is
encouraged to come and can visit FoFF's website at www.
feralfelines.net.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Man Suffers Head Cut, Broken Hand in
Assault
Portland police arrested Jedediah Wasilewski on December 22nd,
after he allegedly went to the residence of his ex-fiancées new
boyfriend at 243 High Street after midnight and assaulted the
man.
During the course of the altercation, the victim was able to
defend himself, but broke his hand in the process. He was
treated at Maine Medical Center for a laceration to his head and
the injury to his hand.
Wasilewski was arrested and charged with assault.
-Marge Niblock
Centro Latino Maine Comes to Congress
Street
Centro Latino Maine has a new home at the Meg Perry Center
at 644 Congress Street. The group has also partnered with
Maine Latino, a free, full color Spanish/English newspaper for
those interested in staying informed about the Latino
community both locally and statewide.
Centro Latino Maine has also joined with Cambalache, a
language and arts center, to offer a monthly film and discussion
group every third Thursday of the month. The inaugural
presentation of CineClub de Cambalache, Destroying
Communities for Coal, will be held at the Meg Perry Center on
January 15th at 7pm.
The group is also planning two other events at the North Star
Cafe on 225 Congress Street on the 17th and 21st of January.
Art, film, music, dancing and food: All free and open to the
public. Donations are welcome.
Blanca Santiago, President
Centro Latino Maine
PO Box 1242, Portland, Maine 04104
207.749.8823
centrolatinomaine@gmail.com
Oil Truck Slides into West End House
An oil delivery truck owned by Breggy Oil slid down an icy street
in the West End on December 30th and crashed into a residence
on Salem Street. No one was injured, though some occupants of
the house were awakened by the crash, which occurred just
before 8AM.
The truck was making its first delivery of the day at Orange and
Bond Street when the accident occurred. Portland Public Works
crews came soon afterward and salted the surrounding streets-
Briggs, Orange, and School- to prevent any further mishaps.
There are no damage estimates yet. The driver of the truck
reported that it was the first house he has hit in eighteen years of
driving an oil truck.