An overlay zone proposed for certain flood-prone areas would allow developers to build taller buildings if they prove the additional height is being used to prepare for sea level rise and storm surges.
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, News
Deferment of deportation order makes Portland man ‘feel like a dead person who came back to life’
Abdigani Faisal Hussein of Portland had been detained for 9 months and was about to board a plane returning him to Somalia when his attorneys won a last-minute delay in a deportation order.
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Posted inElections, Local & State, News, Politics
Clean elections, ranked choice won’t be on Portland ballot in November
While an initiative to expand ranked-choice voting failed to get enough signatures, the proposal for a municipal clean elections program is deemed too big a change to be made by referendum.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Portland accepts, allocates donations for asylum seekers
The city received more than $900,000 to help cover shelter and basic needs of more than 400 asylum seekers who arrived over the summer.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Fledgling Portland parks group outlines priorities, begins raising money
The Portland Parks Conservancy is looking to establish a Portland Youth Corps for the city parks, while raising money to increase access and enjoyment of a playground and planned trail system in the Riverton neighborhood.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Driver charged with manslaughter in rollover crash that killed 3 in Acadia
According to a National Park Service officer, the man had been drinking and was driving too fast.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Great Diamond Island residents’ bid to secede from Portland falls short
City Clerk Katherine Jones says the Great Diamond Island Exploratory Committee fell 3 signatures short of the 50 needed to formally begin the secession process.
Posted inLocal & State, Local Elections, News, Politics
Advocates fail again to get expansion of ranked-choice voting on Portland ballot
City officials reviewed 300 contested signatures and say Fair Elections Portland still fell 76 short, even after the city lowered the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Group pushing ranked-choice voting challenges city’s rejection of petition
Its petition effort to expand the voting system to citywide races fell short, but Fair Elections Portland is challenging signatures that were disqualified.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Petition seeking ranked-choice voting for more Portland offices falls short
But Fair Elections Portland did gather enough signatures on a separate petition to ask voters to create a local program to provide public financing to political campaigns.