Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What Mayor Dion’s tougher stance on addiction could mean for Portland.

Coming up: Cobble to Cobble on the Portland Patch calendar

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Hey there, Portland! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Mayor Dion's tougher stance on addiction could mean for Portland.
  • How Portland's Irish families can help write the next history book
  • How to get Portland's new cruise ship outbreak alerts on your phone

Also on today's calendar: Cobble to Cobble and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the fish say when she hit a wall? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Monday: Warmer; a morning shower, with a high of 73 and low of 50 degrees.
  • Tuesday: Increasing cloudiness, temps: high: 66, low: 54.
  • Wednesday: Partly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 70 and low of 57 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. 'The Addicts Have Taken Us Hostage': Portland Mayor Demands New Approach to Drugs and Crime (themainewire.com) — Portland Mayor Mark Dion is calling for a tougher, more accountability-focused response to addiction, homelessness, and public disorder, including stricter syringe exchange rules and a secure regional treatment facility. His remarks, delivered at the Portland Regional Chamber's State of the City breakfast, signal a major policy debate ahead that could reshape how neighborhoods, businesses, and vulnerable residents experience daily life.
   

2. This Portland historian's focus is on Irish Americans in Maine (pressherald.com) — Portland residents with Irish roots are being invited to share World War II family stories with local historian and genealogist Matthew Jude Barker, who's writing a new book. Barker, a longtime Portlander, has already published two massive volumes on the city's Irish American history, and his work with the Maine Irish Heritage Center is helping neighbors trace family connections and explore local Irish heritage.
   

3. Portland unveils first ever alert system for cruise ship outbreaks (statenews.net subscription) — Portland residents can now sign up for a new text alert system that warns of infectious disease outbreaks on cruise ships headed into the city's harbor. Local advocates say the tool will help downtown workers and neighbors make informed choices when large numbers of passengers arrive, and they're pushing city officials for stronger reporting and sanitation requirements around cruise traffic.
   

4. Former officer arrested on misconduct charges in Portland (newportdispatch.com) — A former Cumberland County law enforcement officer has been arrested on multiple misdemeanor charges tied to alleged misconduct while working as a polygraph examiner, and was booked at the county jail before being released on bail. The case, which includes falsification and records-tampering counts, will move forward in Portland court later this fall, drawing attention to oversight of specialized law-enforcement roles in the region.
   

5. Trip Report Portland, Maine Trip Report (fodors.com subscription) — A recent visitor describes a several-day stay in Portland with her son, highlighting local restaurants, museums, whale-watching, historic homes, and scenic walks like the Eastern Promenade and Portland Head Light. Her detailed impressions of lodging, food, and attractions offer practical tips and candid reviews that Portland residents can compare with their own experiences or share with visiting friends and family.
   

📸 Around Portland

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I want to recommend Coastal Curry, a new restaurant off of Gallery Blvd and attached to the TMobile store, by Walmart.
    It is clean, brightly lit, not overdecorated or incencsed. Many menu choices, including lots of vegetarian items. Extremely kind and efficient wait… (Nextdoor Holm Ave)
  • Wondering if anyone can recommend a skilled woodworker.
    I had some built-in shelves I need help with in East Deering. Thanks! (Nextdoor Backcove)
  • Manpower posted a job opening for Administrative Logistics Coordinator in Portland, Maine in Portland. Apply here.
  • Dollar Tree posted a job opening for Assistant Manager I in Portland. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portland here.

Ok Portland! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Dam! (Thank you George G. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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