Kennebunkport officials gave residents the OK to toss recyclables, including paper, aluminum, glass and plastics, in the same blue bin. Recycle bins will be emptied by Oceanside Rubbish and transferred to Scarborough-based FCR Goodman, whose parent company is Casella Waste Systems of Burlington, Vt.<< MORE >>

Officials at the Maine Healthy Beach Program are preparing for their sixth summer testing the waters at beaches throughout the state and need volunteers to help with the effort. Southern Maine Field Coordinator Sarah Mosley said volunteers test beaches from Memorial Day to Labor Day for enterococci bacteria, which is water borne and can cause illness. The program is funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and is overseen by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.<< MORE >>

Kennebunk residents who kept their eye on the sky brought umbrellas to the annual May Day celebration as others ducked into doorways or sat in their car waiting for the rain to let up. << MORE >>

By now, most people are aware Maine has tightened the seatbelt law to make failing to buckle up a reason to get pulled over. Maine Bureau of Highway Safety DirectorLauren Stewart said for a number of years the seatbelt law was considered a secondary violation, meaning law enforcement officials had to pull a motorist over for something else in order to cite them for a seatbelt violation. << MORE >>

These are lean times in Maine. Economic recession, high municipal taxes and gas prices have combined to batter our paychecks and lay siege on a person’s ability to go out and spend a day on the town. With that in mind, the staff at Mainely Media has created this six part series where our intrepid reporters head into our towns armed with only a $20 bill and a fierce desire to get the most bang for our bucks. We’ve found with a little planning and some knowledge of the local scene, $20 can buy a whole lot more fun than people may imagine. Last week, Renee Worthing took us on a tour of the Sanford-Springvale region. This week Molly Lovell spends a sunny Friday checking out the happenings in Scarborough. << MORE >>

Kennebunk High School students aim to inspire<< MORE >>

Does anyone else in Kennebunk “get” the apparent disconnect between financial reality, and the wish-lists at both Kennebunk Town Hall, and the Central Offices at MSAD 71?<< MORE >>

We are writing in response to the recent letters from concerned taxpayers regarding the proposed school budget for MSAD71. In the letters, it was suggested that due to tough economic times, the budget should be further pared down. Some of the suggestions included the closing of a school and future cuts in teachers’ pay and benefits as appropriate solutions.<< MORE >>

Kennebunk Inn. Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m. That’s when and where I urge local citizens to drop in and listen to the man I hope will become our next Congressman, York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence. << MORE >>

After several months of searching, Kennebunk has a new police chief. Family and friends filled town hall April 22 to witness Kennebunk Police Lt. Robert McKenzie accept his role as the newest Kennebunk Police Department chief. After being sworn in by Town Clerk Joanna Moran, McKenzie’s wife Nancy replaced the lieutenant badge with a gold chief’s badge.<< MORE >>

Quieter nights are in the forecast for the York Street (Route 1) and Friend Street neighborhood of Kennebunk. Kennebunk Selectmen suspended Stefano’s Bistro’s special amusement permit April 22 after officials said owner Chris Kinnard failed to remedy the noise level emanating from his restaurant and bar. Kinnard can reapply for the special amusement permit after a consultation with a sound engineer and has a plan in place to reduce the sound from bands performing, selectmen said.<< MORE >>

The snow banks are gone at Dock Square. The sidewalks, swept clear of sand, are dotted with sandwich boards declaring shops are open. Although Memorial Day weekend will officially kick off summer for the beachside community, spring is a time of reawakening for the seaside village of Kennebunkport.<< MORE >>

Cars lined up along Long Sands Beach in Kennebunk as temperatures reached the high 70s last week. Visitors from Kennebunk and nearby towns gathered to walk, play, surf and sunbathe in the unseasonably warm temperatures before the recent weather pattern dampened the ground and local spirits. << MORE >>

These are lean times in Maine. Economic recession, high municipal taxes and gas prices have combined to batter our paychecks and lay siege on a person’s ability to go out and spend a day on the town. With that in mind, the staff at Mainely Media has created this six part series where our intrepid reporters head into our towns armed with only a $20 bill and a fierce desire to get the most bang for our bucks. We’ve found with a little planning and some knowledge of the local scene, $20 can buy a whole lot more fun than people may imagine. Last week, Cliff White took us on a 12-hour tour of his beat through Gorham, Buxton, Hollis, Limington and Standish. This week Renee Worthing spends a Saturday spinning through Sanford and Springvale.<< MORE >>

Damp weather last weekend and a mid-week deluge are expected to give firefighters a reprieve from what was shaping up to be a busy brushfire season. However, those dangers may reemerge if fluctuating weather patterns bring another wave of dry air to the region.<< MORE >>

Habitat for humanity builds strong foundations on more than homes<< MORE >>

Recently, my husband found out a friend of his committed suicide. The man wasn’t a friend who came to our house and the two didn’t go hunting or play darts together or work on their cars until well past midnight. But, they talked nearly every day and drank an occasional beer together. I met the man a few times a couple of years ago and though we only exchanged a few pleasantries, I remember his face. His charisma made an impression on me.<< MORE >>

The Kennebunk/Kennebunkport Alumni Association recently sent out its annual letter with an invitation and reservation form for the annual dinner meeting on Friday, June 13 at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport. It also included a space to pay dues and make a donation to the scholarship fund.<< MORE >>

As more people become more environmentally aware and health conscious, many are turning to organic foods and locally grown produce. Wildroot Farm in Kennebunk offers an alternative to grocery store produce. The organic, horse-powered produce farm recently began its second growing season.<< MORE >>

tudents at the School Around Us will perform a comedic version of “Jack and the Giant Beanstalk” written by playwright Linda Daugherty. In preparation, students spent several hours last week rehearsing. << MORE >>

A date with Andrew Jackson<< MORE >>

‘Jumping on and never looking back’ – saddles, sidewalkers, smiles at Equest<< MORE >>

If we were to issue a report card to the school board, they would receive a failing grade, failure in planning and the ability to make appropriate change, wasting precious resources that cause the cost to operate our schools to increase at a rate faster than that of inflation, results that short-change both the taxpayer and more importantly our children’s education. Our opportunity to speak out on these issues can best be done at the school budget referendum. << MORE >>

I agree with your “Off the Record” editorial 100 percent. I attended that MSAD71 “summit” meeting, and I saw no reason for your reporter to be turned away. An advertised public meeting should be just that – open to all, including your reporter. I was the only non-parent attending, certainly not what I expected, so I’m sure my remarks, expressed as a concerned taxpayer, were not what they wanted to hear and probably will not be included in any report. << MORE >>

Anyone can call a board member on the phone or collar one in the grocery store, and there’s no record that the conversation ever occurred. The law doesn’t require board members to take notes and file them at the district office. A summit is an efficient way to facilitate the same open communication, and it’s a lot more public than a phone call.<< MORE >>

        

ach year volunteers in York County work to make the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days a great success! On behalf of the American Cancer Society I would like to thank the many local individuals, businesses, and organizations for their eagerness to help. In particular, thanks go to the many volunteers who wrapped, delivered, and sold flowers in the community. << MORE >>

Kennebunkport Selectmen recently approved nine questions and 65 articles voters will have a chance to vote upon at the annual Town Meeting June 10 and 14. << MORE >>

You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you why – Santa Claus is coming to Kennebunk’s May Day Parade.<< MORE >>

Kennebunk resident Danie Connolly said when she met Jonathan Meath, she “just knew” he had to portray Santa in the Norman Rockwell Famous Saturday Evening Post Illustrations’ Plays to be performed Aug. 16 at Kennebunk Town Hall. She also enlisted him to portray Santa on the May Day Parade float on which a Norman Rockwell illustration of Santa will be recreated.<< MORE >>

While Citizens for Electrical Equity in Kennebunk (CEEK) were encouraged when Gov. John Baldacci signed LD1221, a bill which allows about 1,500 Lower Village residents to be included in Kennebunk Light and Power District’s (KLPD) service area, Central Maine Power (CMP) Spokesman John Carroll said CMP is not willing to sell its assets.<< MORE >>

The newly formed Arundel Historical Society already has two orders of business. Arundel Selectman Dana Peck, who serves on the historical society, said the society would like to find a permanent home to meet and display memorabilia and create a veterans’ memorial.<< MORE >>

Gleeful cries from children playing at the Mahoney Middle School playground mingled with the quiet sobs from former prisoners of war (POWs) and their families gathered at the old electrical building and future home of the Maine Military Museum and Learning Center, on Broadway in South Portland on April 9. In observance of POW/ MIA remembrance day, Gov. John Baldacci admitted neglecting legislative duties in order to award 12 State of Maine Silver Star Honorable Service medals to former prisoners of war from all over the state.<< MORE >>

There is a predatory species lurking offshore and its population is increasing faster than anyone had predicted. “The spiny dogfish is a unique species to this area,” said James Sulikowski of the University of New England. << MORE >>

Not only will Sanford’s domestic abuse resource program, Caring Unlimited, remain open, but its work continues with a July 13 walk/run in memory of domestic abuse victim Nicole Oliver, a Wells resident who police said was killed by her husband in a murder-suicide in 2007.<< MORE >>

Scientist's quest for ice comes to Saco<< MORE >>

We’d love to tell you what was said by taxpayers at a recent Maine School Administrative District 71 (MSAD 71) taxpayer “summit.” But we can’t. Last week MSAD 71 members hosted the “public” meeting in a public location with members of the public – and then promptly closed its doors to the Kennebunk Post. << MORE >>

The focus was elder abuse and exploitation in our state. Attorney General Steven Rowe opened the meeting with compelling statistics. He defined “elders” as people 65 and older, of which there are around 185,000 in Maine, or more than 14 percent of our state’s population. He said 60 percent of our elders are women and 30 percent of our elders live alone, and three out of four living alone are women. Maine also has a much higher percentage of elders living in rural areas, as compared to 22 percent nationally.<< MORE >>

After seven months of study, Sea Roads School, Consolidated School and Kennebunk Elementary School, will all remain open to students for at least three years. Ten of the 12 members of the facilities reorganization committee, established after an October 2007 public meeting to discuss possible school closures due to low enrollment rates, voted to keep all the schools open<< MORE >>

Paper lamps hung, spinning slowly. Wok-smoke ferrying ginger, scallions and garlic curled through the Middle School of the Kennebunks while everywhere girls, dressed in the shiny traditional Chinese one-piece cheongsams and boys in long, chang-pao garments, stood by their China Connections Night projects – writing calligraphy, raking “Zen gardens” and frying spicy Chinese cuisine.<< MORE >>

“The company had referred this customer to itself,” Lund said. “The case is illustrative of some of the pernicious practices that contributed to the current foreclosure crisis. Mortgage companies should not steer consumers who do not qualify for mortgages to more risky products lacking consumer protections.”<< MORE >>

Practicing life-saving skills on one dummy at at time<< MORE >>

Dr. Paul Mayewski has led more than 45 expeditions to locales such as the Himalayas and Antarctica, said former Mayor Bill Johnson. Director and Professor of the Climate Change Institute and Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Maine, Mayewski uses ice core samples – long tubular cuts of ice taken from glaciers that scientists can use to study the history of the polar regions – to research what he calls “rapid climate change.”<< MORE >>

Luck of the pup: Dogs find new homes<< MORE >>

I frantically called my son and told him to get to me now – right now! I was able to put the van in neutral and began to push and steer into a nearby parking lot. It nearly glided uphill into the parking lot. I thought I was either stronger than I thought or the van was lighter than I thought. It wasn’t until the van was safely out of the road that I realized my son and his friend were pushing, too. I have no idea how they got there in less than 15 seconds.<< MORE >>

I would like to extend my thanks to all of you in York County who helped kick off our Pinwheels for Prevention campaign. April is Child Abuse Prevention month and our staff at the council, the students and teachers in the area, and members of the Maine State Police came together in a public appeal to stop the abuse of children. They are to all be applauded for their service.<< MORE >>

I have read about Pauline Aikman’s diaries with much interest, and can identify with many of her experiences. I began writing diaries during the war in 1942. Mine are definitely not as interesting! As a child of 8, I didn’t fully understand the war, and accepted that it was a normal way of life to spend hundreds of nights in our air-raid shelter. My diary entries seem to be mostly about food! Perhaps our strict rationing in England was the reason for my obsession about what we ate each day! Other entries were about playing with friends or about school. There is little mention of the war.<< MORE >>

Kennebunkport Town Manager Larry Mead said the town may borrow $1.5 million to tackle major road projects in addition to the selectmen-approved $6.3 million budget proposal.<< MORE >>

The Sayer family of Kennebunk is facing a daily drive to and from Boston for six weeks in order for 5-year-old Olivia to undergo radiation therapy for a recurring brain tumor. Beginning April 3, Olivia will undergo proton radiation every day for six weeks at Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. “It’s [proton radiation] only done in five places in the country,” Olivia’s mother, Ryan Sayer, said. “For pediatrics, it’s even fewer.” Olivia will get a reprieve on weekends.<< MORE >>

The transformation of Cousens School to Cousens School Apartments in Kennebunk is nearly complete.<< MORE >>