Hannah LaClaire

Staff Writer

Hannah LaClaire is a business reporter at the Portland Press Herald, covering topics such as real estate and development, entrepreneurship and the cannabis industry among others. Before joining the Press Herald in January 2021, Hannah covered the town of Brunswick for The Times Record. She graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Journalism, and reported for The Cape Cod Times in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and The Telegraph in Nashua, N.H., before moving back to Maine. In her free time, Hannah enjoys reading, running, cooking (eating) and traveling. She lives in Saco with her husband, her dog Olive and her cat Fred.

Latest

Published
October 22, 2020

Brunswick receives $200K to help combat COVID-related election expenses

The $211,650 Center for Tech and Civic Life COVID-19 Response grant will cover any election-related expenses for the July primary and November election, but the funds “must be used exclusively for the public purpose of planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration in Brunswick Town in 2020,” according to the award letter.
Published
October 20, 2020

Brunswick council OKs trick-or-treating, encourages health and safety measures

While the town typically does not regulate Halloween activities beyond hosting the annual Goblins Parade, this year the council opted to designate trick-or-treat hours as 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.
Published
October 20, 2020

Fat Boy will be open this winter for the first time in the restaurant’s history

Plans for the winter season include regular car-side service, a heated tent serving alcohol and a new community ice rink.
Published
October 19, 2020

Brunswick council weighs downtown sidewalk options: all brick or brick and concrete

All brick is more expensive and presents some maintenance and safety concerns, but is also longer-lasting and more aesthetically pleasing for the historic downtown. “This is one of those decisions that councils make that will have decades of ramifications,” Councilor James Mason said.
Published
October 18, 2020

Brunswick police purchase Harley Davidson, form police motor unit

According to Chief Scott Stewart, the $22,000 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Police Edition FLHTP will be used, weather permitting, much the same as a regular patrol cruiser— assisting in traffic stops, crashes and calls, with the added benefit of increasing police visibility within the community.
Published
October 15, 2020

Freeport area schools decide not to reopen in ‘green,’ hope to bring back K-5 full-time

While the goal since August has been to bring all students back this month, Superintendent Beck Foley said that with the current space constraints of the schools and needing to keep kids at least 3 feet apart, bringing everyone back was not an option.
Published
October 14, 2020

Brunswick’s first retail pot shop gets planning board approval

The recreational marijuana retail store is set to open at 4 Business Parkway pending state and license approval.
Published
October 14, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak at L.L. Bean order fulfillment center in Freeport

According to a company spokesperson, six people have tested positive for the virus.
Published
October 13, 2020

As virus concerns cancel Halloween celebrations, local families look to socially distanced trick-or-treating

Traditional trick-or-treating is considered “higher risk” by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but officials say there are ways to celebrate Halloween with only “moderate” risk, including one-way or socially distanced trick-or-treating where candy is left out or lined up for kids to pick up without touching anyone else.
Published
October 12, 2020

Retail pot shop goes back before Brunswick Planning Board on Tuesday

The application is back for another shot after town officials corrected an earlier zoning oversight that made any retail marijuana virtually impossible, even in the places it was supposed to be allowed.