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.
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PublishedJuly 29, 2020
Portland mayor listens to protesters’ stories of homelessness
The testimony of several individuals who struggle with homelessness had an impact on Mayor Kate Snyder, who sat with the city’s fire chief and several city councilors to listen to the protesters.
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PublishedJuly 28, 2020
Portland mayor will meet with City Hall campers who have a host of demands
Portland Mayor Kate Snyder wants to listen, but protesters want action, and they say they plan to stay in the plaza until their demands are met.
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PublishedJuly 27, 2020
City Hall campers vow to stay until demands are met
Portland closed the building Monday, and discussed the encampment during a workshop Monday night.
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PublishedJuly 21, 2020
Wave of evictions expected as courts reopen, assistance and protections expire
Thousands of evictions could be filed when hearings resume Aug. 3, and the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition is building a database to help inform policymakers.
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PublishedJuly 12, 2020
For thousands of unemployed Mainers, the system isn’t working
A historic wave of unemployment claims and a flood of fraudulent filings conspired with technology problems and staffing woes to create delays and headaches for people seeking benefits.
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PublishedJuly 12, 2020
Unemployment snafus leave three lives in limbo
Three personal tales reveal serious flaws in Maine’s system for filing and paying claims.
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PublishedJune 11, 2020
Police say they intercepted armed counterprotesters in Portland last week
The disclosure comes after a resident questions why officers were stationed on rooftops during last week’s protests and a police official says they were there to protect demonstrators.
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PublishedJune 5, 2020
Trump praises Guilford workers, jabs at Mills in visit that draws supporters, protesters
The governor fired back in a statement, accusing Trump of stoking divisions and questioning the value of his efforts to help Maine’s fishing industry by lifting restrictions in a conservation area far from the Maine coast.
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PublishedJune 4, 2020
Pandemic drives planning to revamp shelter system for Maine’s homeless
The health threat posed by crowded shelters has shown that ‘we simply can’t go back to the way things were,’ says MaineHousing Executive Director Dan Brennan.
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PublishedMay 27, 2020
Milestone shelter in Portland reports 5 cases of COVID-19
Milestone Recovery, which serves people who are using alcohol and drugs, appears to be the site of Cumberland County’s latest COVID-19 outbreak.
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