A spokeswoman says the city welcomes micro homes if they’re properly zoned and permitted, but Brent Adler says ‘temporary living quarters’ on wheels don’t have to meet municipal building codes.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
Posted inLocal & State
Interpretive dancer pretends to vomit, among other things, at Portland council meeting
A man being appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals became an unwitting prop in Sara Juli’s performance of an excerpt from ‘Shadow Artist.’
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Posted inLocal & State, News
To Portland panhandlers, program may offer welcome change: Jobs
Using Albuquerque as a model, Portland would pay $10.68 per hour to those willing and able to work.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Attorneys clash as landlord in deadly Portland fire seeks new trial
Testimony conflicts over whether the defense was given an item of evidence before the conviction of Gregory Nisbet, who has been sentenced to three months in jail for a code violation.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Protesters disrupt ceremony honoring Portland police chief
Activists chanting ‘black lives matter’ disrupt the ceremony shortly after city councilors voice support for Chief Michael Sauschuck and his approach to equipping officers with body cameras.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Would Portland, South Portland solar farms turn a profit? Maybe not, analysis says
But leaders from both communities downplay the likelihood that the worst-case scenario would play out and say that solar farms are likely to break even or be profitable.
Posted inLocal & State, News
The homeless seem to feel more at home at new Portland clinic
Hospital and nonprofit open a facility to ‘fill the void’ in services created when a city clinic closed in 2014.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Portland isn’t as progressive as you think, advocacy group says
Progressive Portland releases a scorecard ranking the liberalism of city councilors according to their votes on certain issues.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Hotel complex proposed for Portland wharf would challenge city’s zoning rules
The project would be next to a condo development that decades ago sparked a referendum to prevent waterfront development from pushing out commercial fishing and other marine uses.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
USM student Hamdia Ahmed inspires others to rally behind American dream
In an era of disquiet, the 19-year-old Muslim emerges as a formidable voice for the community.