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Names of 18 arrested in Portland protest released Most of those charged with obstructing a public way for blocking Commercial Street are in their 20s and from Portland. BY BETH QUIMBY STAFF WRITER The 18 people arrested in Friday night’s protest against police shootings of black men that blocked off a busy portion of Commercial Street in Portland for hours were mostly residents of the city in their 20s. Portland police released a list of the names of those arrested Saturday afternoon. A 16-year-old minor was not identified. All were charged with obstructing a public way. They Portland residents were...

A group of BLM protesters have formed a circle in the middle of the very busy "Commercial Street" in the heart of the "Old Port District". Police have blocked off all traffic on the street, which is normally jammed to capacity with cars and pedestrians on a typical Summer weekend night. The protesters have declared they don't care if they are arrested.

PORTLAND Maine (Reuters) - Maine's largest city has begun clamping down on spending as newly re-elected Republican Governor Paul LePage makes good on a campaign promise to cut funding to cities and towns that give aid to undocumented immigrants. In an internal memo released on Wednesday, Portland city officials said they had frozen hiring and cut travel and overtime spending after their requests for reimbursement from the state for assistance provided to families with children in emergencies had gone unanswered since July. The budget shortfall could grow to as much as $3 million this year, city officials said, a hefty...

School Bans Coca-Cola at Football Games Posted in Top Stories | 22 comments School Bans Coca-Cola at Football Games Aug 20, 2012 By Todd Starnes Attention high school football fans in Maine: B.Y.O.C. – Bring your own Coke. The Portland Public School system will no longer allow soft drinks to be sold on school property – including at high school football games. School officials are also banning the sale of gridiron staples like buttered popcorn and potato chips. Instead, football fans will be encouraged to nosh on baked tortilla chips, reduced fat string cheese and hummus. The total ban on...

One little girl was distinctly unimpressed with all the excitement when President Barack Obama came to town. Many supporters in the crowd in Portland, Massachusetts queued up for hours for the chance to meet the president. Some even camped out overnight in torrential rain to be first in line for a front row place. Unimpressed: A young girl (right) looks bored as Mr Obama greets adoring fans at a big rally in Portland, Maine Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1263165/Barack-Obama-Not-bothered--Schoolboy-left-wondering-fuss-meeting-president-amid-crowd-frenzy.html#ixzz0k08OWNQQ

Thousands lined Portland's Congress Street on Friday to cheer for the state's servicemen, its emergency workers and the NFL champion New England Patriots. Billed as the city's biggest ticker-tape parade, the event featured hundreds of soldiers, sailors and other members of the military marching in front of an enthusiastic crowd, estimated at 30,000. Onlookers bellowed excitedly as each contingent of soldiers paraded into view. The marchers were met by shredded paper, a multitude of small U.S. flags and signs that read: "Welcome Home Heroes" and "America Rocks!" Soldiers said they were overwhelmed by the response, calling it a tremendous show...

Portland children would celebrate "Indigenous People's Day" rather than Columbus Day if the three Green Party members on the Portland School Committee had their way. But other committee members say the board lacks authority over federal holidays and shouldn't even consider the issue. Committee member Jason Toothaker is leading the effort to change the holiday's name. He says Christopher Columbus exploited Native American people and robbed and enslaved them. Many Native Americans view Columbus's 1492 voyage as a tragic event that launched the European colonization of the New World, he says. Toothaker describes himself as one-sixteenth Indian. His father's grandmother...

PLANE EMERGENCY A cracked window in a plane causes chaos at the Portland Jetport, and Senator Snowe was on board. A tense situation at the Portland Jetport Thursday night, because of a plane approaching the runway with a crack in the windshield. There were 37 passengers on board the United Express flight coming in from Washington, DC, including Maine Senator Olympia Snowe. Rescue crews were called in and waited on the runway as the plane tried to approach, not once, but twice. Snow plow drivers also worked quickly to clear the runway of snow. Jetport Manager Jeff Schultes says the...

Texas Democrats life of the party; From coast to coast, the quorum-busting lawmakers' move inspires others and makes them fund-raiser attractions In Case You Missed It: October 20, 2003 By PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News Monday, October 20, 2003 CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine – It was a cool clear fall night – perfect for baseball – with New England's beloved Boston Red Sox in a televised pennant fight. But, the tube was shut off at one stately oceanside home, with the conversation focused on the guests of honor and their Mother's Day journey to Ardmore, Okla. – or, in...