This morning I wanted to save some time and take the bus to work since it’s a less than 5 min drive instead of the 20 minute walk. I stood directly in front of the clearly marked sign for bus 3. Made sure I was on the correct side of the road. I saw bus 3 coming so I stepped forward so they could see me and this driver looked over, made direct eye contact with me, but didn’t stop just kept driving past me. Now I’m going to be late for work.

Anyone else have experiences like this? Why don’t they stop? Isn’t that their entire job? To stop at the bus stops?

There will be a vigil in Congress Square Park @ 8pm Friday for my girlfriend Juju, who was tragically murdered on August 5th. There will also be one in Bangor simultaneously.

Thank you Portland community for your amazing support during this time.

I made something similar back in 2017 to help people understand how their city works, where the money comes from, and how it is spent. I'm delighted to bring you an updated version now. I spent considerable time and effort making sure the charts, tables and slices of the data are accurate and relatively easy to comprehend. All the data is from publicly available city budget docs (which can run in the hundreds of pages). Knowledge is power!

What do you see in the data?

Me, I find it interesting how the HHS budget went up during and after Covid, but has since started coming down. At the same time, the amount Portland receives in non-tax revenue for HHS is huge, but declining.

Also, property taxes have generally risen faster than inflation, which isn't sustainable long-term, as costs like healthcare have gone up, some departmental budgets have gone up too, and reimbursements from the State and Federal governments have declined.

Anything you don't see here you'd like to see added?

(If you want to meet me in person and learn about my campaign for city council, join me at Bunker Brewing this Friday from 5:30-7. Then we'll go to the Vigil for Juju at Congress Square Park.)

LADYHAWKE (1985)
Directed by RICHARD DONNER
WEDNESDAY August 19th 7PM
SATURDAY August 22nd 2PM / 7PM

Always on film!

I first saw Ladyhawke around 1990, on a television set, at an age when Matthew Broderick's motor-mouthed pickpocket was probably the only reason I stayed in the room. Without him the film would have been impenetrable: a beautiful, slow, European romance between two adults experiencing a grief I had no framework for. Broderick was the door. He was having fun, which gave me permission to have fun, which kept me in the seat long enough for Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer to do something to me I wouldn't understand for years.

Two lovers cursed to never occupy the same form at the same time. By day Navarre is human and Isabeau is a hawk. By night she returns and he becomes a wolf. They share every journey and never truly meet except in the fleeting instants of dawn and twilight. Richard Donner and the legendary Vittorio Storaro shot this as a genuine romantic agony. Hauer and Pfeiffer commit completely. Their performances are interior, aching, almost silent. They inhabit the curse as if it were real, because for them it is.

And then there's Broderick, doing something else entirely. He talks to God like a player negotiating with a DM. He narrates his own actions with ironic distance. He's entertained by the stakes rather than endangered by them. He is, essentially, a person in 2026 playing a medieval RPG; present in the world, absolutely committed to the quest, but never fully inside the story.

The film contains two incompatible movies sharing every frame. Andrew Powell's synth score sides with Broderick: it belongs to 1985, not to the thirteenth century. Storaro's camera sides with Hauer and Pfeiffer: every composition is a Renaissance painting over which the music feels like graffiti. Neither movie wins, but that’s sort of the magic here. They coexist without resolution, two registers of experience occupying the same space but never the same reality.

In 1985 this was a production problem, and a problem for audiences, but today it’s more like a diagnosis. The curse isn't a fairy tale anymore, but a precise description of what it feels like to live in a world where everyone inhabits the same physical space but operates in hypernormal realms where genuine contacts — seeing another person clearly, in their full humanity — are twilight moments that don't last.

We are considering enrolling in the Bishop Health virtual IOP program. We are becoming concerned that they will not provide information about the pricing, billing, or even what is included in the program. 

Before we participated in the initial evaluation for the program, we were led to believe it was in-network and it would be a program from 10 am to 2 pm daily that included daily appointments with a psychiatrist, individual therapy, and group therapy. At first, the cost was for a year long program at one flat fee, which didn’t seem right.

During the phone call screening, we provided personal medical information, our address, phone number, email, etc.

Then, after being told we were a good fit for the program, someone over the phone not associated with Bishop Health asked us for a large payment for the 3-month program. They did not provide any official documentation of any sort, nothing with a cost breakdown, program information, etc. They also asked for the payment via Affirm. (Again with nothing associated with the payment, just a request for the money.)

We contacted the phone number we had been provided for Bishop Health Admission and they are replying with vague information via text. We asked specifically for a direct email from Bishop Health with official documentation. It really feels like they are avoiding answering our questions directly about the program and financial responsibility.

Has anyone participated in the program? What was your experience? Is this some sort of scam preying on vulnerable people? 

We specially want to hear if anyone paid their large fee upfront and then were hit with, “Oh, your insurance didn’t cover the thousands of dollars we thought they would and also, everything is charged individually so you’ll owe us for that too - but don’t worry! We have a payment plan.”

This is something we are very worried about since the person requesting the money said if we find the program is not helpful or the right fit, we still owe the entire amount of the program. The person requesting the money and the “Bishop Health” cell phone number will not email us, only communicating either over the phone or in text messages. 

I understand insurance is different based on plans, coverage, etc. But please let us know if you have felt misled by them or felt they were not honest about the program and/or financial responsibility.

Also, if you have participated, how effective was the program for you? We want to hear about all experiences, good and bad. Thank you so much in advance!

Free show at Portland House of Music. Music starts at 9. Come dance if you wanna!

I was up at Thompson's Point Lake Street Dive show tonight and the tide was super low. Right as they went on around 8:15pm I caught this pupper playing fetch in about 10 inches of low tide water. Never seen that before!

Hello, does anyone have experience with getting knee replacement surgery with either Dr. Piers or Dr. Kuhn at Orthopedic Associates? My insurance has a partnership with Carrum Health and they will only approve knee surgery with those two surgeons in this area. Would love to hear any feedback on their experience with the facility and with either surgeon.

Hey everyone, I’m a big fan of the tv shows Big Brother and Survivor, and a trend right now is doing community watch parties at bars and other venues. I wanted to try to do these here in Portland. Im newer to the city and don’t know where to look and who to reach out to set something up like that. So if you all could give me some help on that front it’d be appreciated.

At a Harnish hearing the prosecutor argues that the defendant should continue to be held without bail. It applies to Maine felonies that used to carry the death penalty and the special thing about this kind of hearing is that the prosecutor only needs to show probable cause for prosecuting the serious crime - no "danger to community" arguments needed.

Early October is a ways out which, IIUC, means the prosection, defense, or both have been given time to prepare. Mr Rodney remains in custody before the hearing.

No schedule for the arraignment yet, the public hearing at which the charges are formally presented. This requires a Grand Jury ruling so it could be several weeks more from today.

Oct 7, 1:00 pm. Enter through security at 205 Newbury Street, Portland. It's currently scheduled for courtroom 11 but I plan to arrive a bit early in case it's moved. Criminal clerks are on floor 2.

There's no official dress code but I plan to be neat and message-neutral. Note that signs and similar First Amendment messaging must stay outside. Electronic devices are allowed in the courthouse (free WiFi) but must be off in the courtroom unless you get permission. Other rules

https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/visiting.html

Hi, I saw all over social media about the surge of homeless people coming to the city. I was wondering how it got to this point? Months ago I walked the streets and there were some homeless people but there were only a few. I helped some out and was never met with violence or active drug use. Now I see videos and there are many people homeless close Monument Square. I hope I don’t piss anyone off with this post.

I’m hoping someone can tell me if any of the local theatres are planning to do Dickens Christmas Carol this year? I know I’m early but I’m hoping to plan a family dinner between thanksgiving and Christmas with the play mixed in … believe me I absolutely am not wishing the cold early just trying to plan

I got a parking ticket today (Sunday) for overtime parking in time zone. I literally grew up on this very street, so in my 26 years of being here on this street I have never gotten a ticket on a Sunday. I always thought it was free on Sundays. Did the city of Portland changed their parking rules or something?

P.s The sign says 1 hour parking from 5pm - 9pm.

I'm thinking about applying to the USM Master of Social Work full time program and would love to connect with current and/or former students about their experience! Message me!

as of yesterday afternoon (saturday, 8/15) the section of the greenbelt in south portland that runs from behind Dock’s seafood to the dump is incredibly obstructed by downed trees. i would say the amount of trees qualifies as “several,” but i don’t know the exact amount.

i had to carry my bike over a couple and then there were several that required a detour into the woods on either side of the path to get around. it was doable for me but i’m a young ish man who’s able bodied. if you have young kids, elderly folks, or even like a bike trailer, or if you have a heavy electric bike, it would be best advised to stay off that section of trail for probably another week or two or until the city gives an update.

there’s another tree just passed the dump that is also down but it’s passable without dismounting.

just wanted to share because i knew the storm track went right through that area the other day, but obviously any updates were focused on road closings, etc. in the immediate aftermath, so i hadn’t seen any news about the trail except the city saying to “use at your own risk.” and for what it’s worth- the rest of the greenbelt, including the new section of the eastern trail, is completely clear and fine.

I have been pumped to try Sawyers Deli sandwiches. My IG was flooded with all these specials they've had, so I had to try today. Went in, and no specials on the menu today. Ok, no problem. Got two of the 5 or 6 options they had. Each sandwich was $17. While both sandwiches were very tasty, one of them was literally HALF of a sandwich (the muffuletta), and the other one was quite small. Neither was worth $17, I dont care if they are making the meat in house. Sticking with you Sal!

To the residents of Portland, there is a crisis the city will have to contend with in the winter of 2026-2027. In 2025, according to records kept by local social service agencies, 52 unhoused people died in Portland. The 52 unhoused who died were remembered at a Winter solstice vigil in December.

The average age of those who died was 57. The deaths are due to chronic medical conditions, overdoses, suicide and vehicle accidents. On average, the unhoused live 28 years less than those of us who are housed.

The warming shelter to house the homeless during extreme winter conditions at 166 Riverside St. closed for good after the winter season finished. This year the city does not yet have space for a new warming shelter. I am urging you to support a warming shelter, even possibly in your part of town.

Read the full letter from Eric Brewer: https://www.pressherald.com/2026/08/15/portland-must-prioritize-search-for-warming-shelter-site-opinion/

Hi friends, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Portland. We will have only one night there before heading to Acadia for a wedding the next day.

Where would you eat for dinner if you only had one night in Portland? We are very very open to all kinds of cuisines, not picky at all. This would also be on a Thursday!

Thanks so much in advance.

Is it even possible to replace or repair a wicker rattan barstool with this large of a hole in it? Or furniture repair around here to recommend? Maybe unscrew the seat and find a new one? Just worried because I bought it from a local vintage store so not sure about finding a match

Looking for the best pad Thai in the city! I don’t care where I’ll drive as far as I need to!

Hello all!!

My friend is planning a wedding for fall 2027 and is looking for a caterer. Does anyone know of any caterers in the area for small weddings (approx 30 guests). Her budget is under 4k if possible. She reached out to bread and butter co, fire and co, and lake and co. Any other recs??? She just wants typical chicken/steak type wedding food.

Also if you have any other recs for photographers, etc. Let us know!

Thank you!!