Portland and Westbrook want DHHS to make long-overdue payments during their lawsuit over a new policy on ‘undocumented’ immigrants.
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.
Fire safety task force in Portland considers array of changes
Among them are a database of building inspection records and a more effective system of responding to complaints.
DHHS goes silent after city disputes General Assistance audit
Eight months later, Portland still hasn’t heard whether some of the program practices it had used for decades are now improper.
Portland considers ‘workforce housing’ project in Bayside
The homes on land now occupied by the public works department would be sold for below-market prices so many working families could afford them.
More asylum seekers getting financial help in Portland
More undocumented immigrants have received general assistance from the city since July 1 than in the entire previous year.
Maine’s aid-to-immigrants dispute will stay in state court
A federal judge has rejected a request by the LePage administration to move the lawsuit to federal court.
Badly burned victim of Portland fire remained conscious for four days before he died, court filing says
Steven Summers of Rockland, a Navy veteran with a wife and two young children, was engulfed in flames when he jumped from the second story of the burning apartment house.
Portland fireboat crews complete enhanced training program
The higher level of navigation training, to U.S. Coast Guard standards, comes after two accidents that did a total of $140,000 in damage.
Cape Elizabeth site was subject of concern before Monday fatality
The Town Council had been asked in September to review safety at the transfer station, where an SUV hit a man and pushed him into a trash compactor.
Obama immigration action has unclear effect on Portland’s illegal aliens
A city spokeswoman estimated that 10,000 foreigners live in Portland, and that 15 percent of them might be newly eligible to stay in the U.S. because of the president’s announcement.