Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been covering Portland City Hall for the Press Herald since 2012. His beat touches on a wide range of topics, including immigration, homelessness, education, tourism, real estate development and the economy in Maine’s largest city. He has been a Portland-based journalist since 2005. A life-long Mainer who loves the outdoors, Randy is also a bassist who brews his own beer at his North Yarmouth home, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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PublishedMay 21, 2013
Portland street artists pleased with modest rules
City councilors scale back a task force’s tough approach, but those who perform with fire face new safety scrutiny.
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PublishedMay 21, 2013
Officials plan to act on Maine restaurant oversight
Legislators will look into fixes after the Sunday Telegram reported that the state’s inspection program is one of the least rigorous in America.
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Accessing, crunching the state’s results ultimately frustrate bid to create database
PORTLAND – Unlike in most other states, there is no easily accessible way for diners in Maine to look up the inspection history of their favorite restaurant. The inspection reports maintained by the state’s Health Inspection Program are accessible only through a time-consuming and costly manual process. Last fall, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram […]
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Why do failure rates vary across the state?
Insiders say a code is applied uniformly to inspect eateries, but using ‘common sense’ can still make results subjective.
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PublishedMay 19, 2013
Oversight of Maine restaurants diminishes, just as complaints rise
Maine’s guidelines for overseeing restaurant safety were quietly scaled back last year, even as the number of health-related complaints about Maine restaurants has been on the rise. An investigation by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has found that restaurant kitchens in Maine are subject to fewer inspections and less transparency than restaurants in much […]
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PublishedMay 15, 2013
Update on Portland fire staffing has ‘no magic pill’
But the city’s fire chief says he expects to have a plan in August to implement changes.
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PublishedMay 14, 2013
Local voters to rule on 3 school budgets
Portland, Scarborough and Cape request small increases, and the city seeks to cut jobs.
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PublishedMay 13, 2013
Portland mayor, school superintendent urge passage of $96.4M budget
The proposed budget would increase property taxes by 3 percent from the schools alone, from $9.57 to $9.86 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, while cutting dozens of positions.
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PublishedMay 13, 2013
East Bayside businesses pursue links to neighbors
They seek city approval to sell goods and hold more events in the fast-developing area.
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PublishedMay 11, 2013
Vacancies plague Portland waterfront
Pier owners can’t fill space for marine uses, and an updated inventory of tenants could have an impact on the way space is allotted.
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