Freeport - Public Works is working with Maine Department of Transportation to restore automatic mode capabilities to the traffic lights at Mallett Drive and Route 1. This process is expected to take 2 - 3 weeks to complete. In the meantime, the lights are on timed mode, which may increase wait time for drivers and crossing pedestrians. Public Works thanks the community for your patience and understanding during this time
Press Herald - After the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school board decided not to review the district’s cost-sharing agreement last spring — following opposing requests from each town about whether to do so — a petition will now force talks about the decades-old agreement.
“When you explained it to people, it wasn’t hard to get their signature,” said Shirley Storey-King, a Cumberland resident who organized the petition.
The cost-sharing formula for Maine School Administrative District 51 calculates how much each town contributes. The agreement has been a topic of discussion in recent years as both towns consider what would account for a fair financial distribution of the school’s growing budget and look to reduce residents’ rising tax burdens.
The current formula, created in 1966, is based on the overall property taxes each town generates. Currently, Cumberland pays for 73% of the municipal contribution to the school budget and North Yarmouth pays 27%.
Advocates for reconsidering the agreement say it should be more dependent on how many students each town sends to the district. In recent years, 68% of MSAD 51 students have come from Cumberland and 32% from North Yarmouth. Others argue that a 60-year-old formula should be regularly reviewed as a matter of practice.
Press Herald - Harpswell voters continued the town’s recent trend, backing Democratic candidates by lopsided margins across the ballot on Tuesday. State Rep. Cheryl Golek, a second-term Democrat who lives on Harpswell Neck, received 2,229 votes to 1,313 for political newcomer Braeden Webber, a Republican who lives on Great Island. Golek’s House District 99 also includes part of Brunswick. With results from the neighboring town, Golek swept to victory with 64.1% of the vote.
State Sen. Matthea “Mattie” Daughtry, D-Brunswick, gained Harpswell’s support on her way to a fourth consecutive term. Daughtry, who currently serves as president of the Senate, received 2,139 Harpswell votes to 1,375 for challenger Bernard “Ben” Porter, a Republican who lives on Orr’s Island.
Maine Mornring Star - The bolstered Democratic majority of the Maine House of Representatives re-selected Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford to serve as speaker on Thursday.
The Democratic caucus also kept Rep. Matt Moonen of Portland as majority leader. With former Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Lori Gramlich termed out, Democrats selected Rep. Ambureen Rana of Bangor to assume the role.
Maine Morning Star - After Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a temporary statewide data center moratorium earlier this year, voters in several Maine towns approved local ordinances this week.
Voters in Peru, a town in Oxford County, approved a 180-day moratorium on data center development and permitting. The local ballot question received 578 votes in support and 182 against, according to local results on the town website.
Wiscasset voters also approved a measure to temporarily stop the town from accepting, processing, reviewing or approving applications for new or expanded data centers. Unless lifted earlier or extended, it would expire six months after enactment.
The Wiscasset moratorium got 1,363 votes in favor and 713 against.
In York County, voters in Wells were asked if they want a 180-day moratorium on development of data centers 100,000 square feet or larger. Residents were resoundingly in favor of the measure, with 5,818 yes votes and 1,282 no votes.
But not every moratorium was successful. In North Berwick, a ballot question that would have created an outright ban on data centers larger than 25,000 square feet failed. The measure got 738 votes in support and 1,698 votes against.
UPCOMING
Town of Freeport Calendar
NOV 6
Family Fun Friday - An evening of fun and free pizza at the Landing YMCA, featuring bounce houses, gym games, and open swimming. 5PM - 7PM 24 Venture Avenue, Brunswick, ME. Check the event website for the most up-to-date info.
NOV 7
NOV 10
Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur,
