Kate Irish Collins

The Forecaster

Kate Irish Collins has been doing community journalism around southern Maine since 1997, with a couple breaks here and there. Kate writes for The Forecaster group of weekly newspapers. Her beat includes the Portland schools and the towns of Falmouth and Yarmouth. Kate grew up in Gorham and now lives near the beach, where she walks her dog as much as possible. She always has a book on hand and always enjoys watching a good movie.

Latest

Published
May 22, 2019

5 candidates seek 3 seats on Falmouth Town Council

FALMOUTH — Voters on June 11 will have a choice between five candidates for three seats on the Town Council. The candidates are Jim Chaousis, Janice de Lima, Tommy Johnson, Valentine Sheldon and Jay Trickett. Only two of them – Chaousis and de Lima – have previously sought elected office, and neither one was elected. Councilor Claudia King is […]
Published
May 22, 2019

Yarmouth community center could get green light in June

YARMOUTH — Three years after the idea was first floated, a community center is close to getting final approval to take over the Masonic Lodge on Mill Street. The idea, according to Horace Horton, who co-chairs the Yarmouth Community Center Steering Committee with his wife Barbara, is to consolidate many of Yarmouth’s social services and other […]
Published
May 22, 2019

Yarmouth voters face 2 decisions on school budget

YARMOUTH — Residents will get two opportunities in June to vote on the proposed $26.6 million school budget, which would add 65 cents per $1,000 of valuation to the tax rate. The fiscal year 2020 combined muncipal and school budget now pending before the Town Council totals $40.9 million. The municipal portion represents $14.3 million. Under […]
Published
May 21, 2019

Portland council restores social services funding, reduces school budget

PORTLAND — After a long night of public comment and several significant amendments, the City Council passed a combined municipal and school budget Monday that will increase property taxes by 83 cents per $1,000 of valuation. The tax rate is expected to increase from the current $22.48 per $1,000 to $23.31 under the new spending package, […]
Published
May 21, 2019

Pleas fail to save Engine 1 on Portland’s Munjoy Hill

PORTLAND — The City Council Monday rejected a proposal by Mayor Ethan Strimling to add $400,000 to the municipal budget to cover the cost of hiring nine new firefighters. The 6-3 vote to decommission Engine 1 came after several firefighters urged councilors to restore funding for the Munjoy Hill unit, arguing that retiring the truck would […]
Published
May 20, 2019

Portland kindergarten students raise money for well at Kenyan school

PORTLAND — After they learned about a school in Kenya that didn’t have ready access to clean drinking water, kindergarten students at Lyseth Elementary School decided they had to help. They raided their piggy banks and donated their tooth fairy money. One enterprising student set up a lemonade and cupcake stand in her neighborhood. In all, […]
Published
May 15, 2019

Falmouth council urged to roll back zoning to pre-2016

FALMOUTH — Residents at a public hearing Monday made it clear they want a rollback to the dimensional standards that were in place in the Residential A districts prior to a 2016 rezoning. That means, they argued, starting with a clean slate as the Town Council deliberates the best way to address growth and density concerns […]
Published
May 14, 2019

Yarmouth seeks volunteers for senior programs

YARMOUTH — The town hopes to make Yarmouth a more age-friendly community by introducing several new programs for senior citizens. Yarmouth Community Services is working with Aging in Place, a program of Yarmouth Cares About Neighbors, or YCAN, and the Southern Maine Agency on Aging to provide opportunities for seniors to stay in their homes longer. […]
Published
May 14, 2019

Yarmouth trail seeks boost from online funding contest

YARMOUTH — The West Side Trail already connects neighborhoods, office parks and public beaches, but the town has an opportunity to win funding from Summit Natural Gas to expand the trail even farther. An online vote could help the West Side Trail Committee earn $4,000 to extend the multi-use trail toward the School Department campus, while interconnecting the […]
Published
May 14, 2019

Algae at Falmouth Town Landing not an issue (yet)

FALMOUTH — The appearance of several pockets of green algae at Town Landing is not too concerning – at least for now. But Ivy Frignoca, baykeeper for Friends of Casco Bay, said she hopes residents will help the organization keep an eye on the area and alert her if the algae continues to spread and becomes […]

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