Page 9 - Mark Cayer News Today

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal LEWISTON — City officials say two portable restrooms placed at downtown locations are seeing heavy use, but are meant as only a temporary measure within the city’s larger response to homelessness. Officials said the restrooms, placed in Kennedy Park and the “PUG” park on Bartlett Street, will help the city evaluate the potential use of more permanent bathroom facilities as the city considers a range of options. Offering public bathrooms, as well as other day...

Read Article A vulgar political flag flies in front of a Sabattus Street home in Lewiston. The city received a number of complaints about it, but city officials declined to ask the couple renting an apartment there to take the flag down, citing free speech protections. When the building owner learned about the flag Friday, he asked the couple to take it down. This image has been altered to conceal profanity. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Editor’s note: The story you are about to read contains of...

Read Article LEWISTON — City officials are planning an overhaul of the Recreation Department, which was hit with budget cuts and saw staff turnover due to COVID-19. Heading into budget discussions this year, city staff is developing a strategic plan for the department, which officials hope will result in better programs and better utilization of Lewiston’s athletic facilities. During a workshop discussion with the City Council on Tuesday, Public Works Director Mary Ann Brenchick, who overs...

Read Article LEWISTON — Get more people here working. Get more people who already work here living here. Open more second- and third-shift child care centers. Lift regional spending, perception and wages. Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Submitted photo The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce released its Blueprint for Economic Growth in the LA Metropolitan Region on Thursday, a slate of goals and short- and long-term ideas ...

A Maine CDC official said a timeline for opening depends on the state's vaccine supply.

Read Article Bill Grant, director of adult education in Lewiston, and Farwell Elementary School Principal Amanda Winslow speak during a session with Harlem Children’s Zone executives in 2020. Steve Collins/Sun Journal file photo LEWISTON — After two years of study, Lewiston’s leaders unveiled a preliminary plan Monday to tackle the poverty that has thwarted the dreams of many families for generations by focusing first on the city’s youngest residents. In a report delivered to the Sch...

Read Article Nurse practitioner Patricia Hutchins peers out of the COVID-19 testing tent in April 2020 in the parking lot of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal It’s that time of year when the Sun Journal presents readers with what we consider the top 10 news stories of the year. Typically, we’d introduce the list with a nice introduction, pointing out the highs and lows of the year in a clear and balanced way.  SunJournal.com Top 10 Fears of a cult...

“Everybody wants it to be gone,” Poliquin said. “Everybody wants to forget about it.” True. And yet, while nearly everyone feels sadness at what’s been lost, especially the death of more than 330,000 Americans from COVID-19 since March, some also look back on these strange, lonely months and see glimmers of something valuable, even comforting. “A warm aura of strength continued to preside” even during this “year of turbulence,” said Fowsia Musse, executive director of Maine Co...

I wish to commend Mayor Mark Cayer, who with City Council support created the “Mayoral Ad Hoc Committee on Equity and Diversity.” The committee appointed by the mayor had a good mix of diverse residents and city officials. The many committee meetings were made available to the public via Zoom presentations. I had the opportunity […]

Read Article Dottie Perham-Whittier, center, coordinator of community relation in Lewiston, and Lewiston City Council President Michel Lajoie deliver 24 Christmas cards and 24 bells to Cynthia Scott on Dec. 11 at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The bells and cards will be given to children at the hospital this month. Mayor Mark Cayer is encouraging people to go outside at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and ring a bell during the worldwide “Christmas Eve Jingle.” Daryn Slover/Sun Journal ...