Portland Press Herald

09/28/2025

Saturday was a day to celebrate the completion of the latest phase in UMaine’s athletic facilities makeover. Along with the soccer field, the renovated Alfond Arena opened.

The home of the Black Bears men’s and women’s hockey teams now features a new entryway for fans coming to games, with a new team store and concession stands. For the athletes, there are new locker rooms, meeting rooms, video rooms, training space and team lounges.

Saturday’s ribbon cuttings at Alfond Arena and the new soccer field marked an end to a construction phase, with more on the way.

09/28/2025

The letter, sent by free speech advocate Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, alleges the Augusta Board of Education is violating the First Amendment by putting limits on allowed comments.

The letter, sent by free speech advocate Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, alleges the Augusta Board of Education is violating the First Amendment by putting limits on allowed commen…

09/28/2025

State rules could prevent Cumberland County leaders from taking action to stop immigration officials from using the jail to house detainees, even if commissioners moved to end a federal contract, as protesters have demanded.

Protesters have called on the county commissioners to end the jail’s contract with the federal government.

09/28/2025

More fairs are accepting digital payments, but processing fees and shoddy internet access make some vendors hesitant to change cash-only policies that have served them well for decades.

09/28/2025

Mainers got a taste of Germany at the third annual Biddeford Oktoberfest on Saturday. Three local breweries kept the Pilsners and lagers flowing. A dozen food booths provided the grub, including pretzels with beer cheese. And the Oom Pa Pas, a Boston-based Bavarian band, played polkas, waltzes and marches, thanking the crowd with a “danke schön” between tunes.

The city’s third annual festival featured beer, food, Bavarian music and games.

09/28/2025

The contract dispute between Northern Light Health and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield heated up on Friday, with the hospital system’s president responding to accusations from the insurer about the status of the talks.

Anthem accused Northern Light of walking away from mediation, but the hospital system disputes the claim and says the insurer is misrepresenting the negotiations.

09/28/2025

With one of the largest soft-shell clam gardens in the world, the Passamaquoddy tribe is confronting invasive crabs and human-caused ecological damage. Over 1 million soft-shell clams are growing at the Sipayik Community Clam Garden, but a single invasive European green crab can consume 40 juvenile clams in a day. They are a threat so great that regulators are merely striving to reduce their population.

With one of the largest soft-shell clam gardens in the world, the tribe is confronting invasive crabs and human-caused ecological damage.

09/28/2025

Projected to heat up by as much as 10 degrees by the year 2100, Maine's landscape is changing in ways that scientists are only just starting to understand. There is already a phenological disconnect in some areas — the dwarf bilberry shrub, for example, is flowering before the bumblebee and flies are ready to pollinate it.

Experts say these are powerful indicators of a biological rhythm thrown out of sync by rising temperatures.

The Portland Press Herald spoke to 2 dozen experts this summer about the ways increasing heat is affecting Maine’s environment.

09/28/2025

The Portland City Council is eyeing ways to ease the burden of rising property taxes in the city.

The council’s Finance Committee met last week to discuss a possible expansion of the Portland Senior Tax Equity Program, which was approved by the council in 2016.

Many residents have been complaining about their skyrocketing tax bills in the wake of the city’s recent revaluation finalized in August.

09/27/2025

Australian scientists tested the strength of bite-resistant wetsuits by allowing sharks to chomp the materials at sea and found that the suits can help keep swimmers safe.

The bites from large sharks can still cause internal and crushing injuries, but the materials showed effectiveness beyond a standard neoprene wetsuit, the researchers say.

09/27/2025

At an early town hall event, Maine’s buzziest senatorial hopeful addressed a group that probably didn’t need all that much persuading.

09/27/2025

A man has been found guilty of murder for a shooting on St. John Street last year.

Abdirahman Mahmoud, 38, was arrested and charged with intentional or knowing murder after he shot 30-year-old Raoul Tshiyuka outside of a bar just after 1 a.m. on March 2, 2024.

A jury finds Abdirahman Mahmoud, 38, guilty in the 2024 slaying of Raoul Tshiyuka in Portland.