Win a 42 inch TV!

The Marsh Agency Insurance, located at 560 Brighton Avenue, has donated a 42″ HD LCD Vizio Flatscreen TV for Portland Buy Local to give away. Raffle tickets are available for $5 each or 5 tickets for $20. Purchase your tickets at the following member businesses:

Longfellow Books
Marsh Agency
Planet Dog
University Credit Union 
Videoport

Raffle tickets are also available from any Buy Local Board Member or by contacting Mary Marsh at marym@marshagency.com.

The drawing will be held at our next Buy Local Mixer, which will be held on Wednesday, December 14th at the Portland Museum of Art.

Please note that the winner does not need to be present for the drawing (but you won’t want to miss the chance to make a room full of other people jealous!).

Purchase your tickets now for a chance to win!

Go-Go friday

Each December, the Bakery Photographic Collective hosts its annual fundraiser, Photo-A-Go-Go. One of Southern Maine’s most anticipated events, Photo-A-Go-Go is a silent auction featuring works from established and emerging photographers at incredible prices. Members, interns and photographers from all over the country donate framed photographic prints that are displayed for viewing and sold via the silent auction. Arguably the largest photo exhibition in the state of Maine, the fundraiser has continued to be a huge success and has allowed the collective to thrive and provide a reliable photographic resource to its members, interns and the Southern Maine photographic community.

Go-Go Party and Auction: Friday, December 9th, 6pm-8pm, Free

© Elliott Teel

Council rejects Occupy Maine permit

As expected, the City Council has rejected Occupy Maine's request for a permit for Lincoln Park.  The next question is when and how to clear the park out.

At issue was whether the city should allow the group to stay in Portland’s oldest park despite an ordinance that forbids people from being there between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The council’s Public Safety Committee voted 3-0 last week to recommend that the council reject the permit request.

After the vote, John Branson, an attorney for the protesters, said the group will seek a court order to allow it to remain in the park.  Press Herald

Public Safety Committee Votes Against Occupy Maine

The City Council's Public Safety Committee voted 3-0 Thursday night to recommend that the council reject Occupy Maine's request for a permit that would allow it to continue its encampment in Lincoln Park.   The vote came after a five-hour meeting that included more than two hours of public testimony in the packed City Council chambers.  The council will vote on the permit at a special meeting Wednesday.  - PressHerald

More background on Munjoy Hill News

Yes on Civic Center Bond

The Civic Center needs to be renovated to bring it up to modern standards.  As an economic engine to Portland and the County, it is well worth the money to improve it.  civiccenterforme.com:

Voters will be asked to approve a $33 million bond on November 8th. Two leading national economic research companies agree there will be substantial revenue increases if the renovations to the CCCC are implemented. These revenue projections show there will be no new net taxes for residents of Cumberland County. The enhancements will allow the Civic Center to attract new shows which would currently not come to the Cumberland County Civic Center. The enhancements will also provide a much better experience for people who attend events at the civic center. The overall experience will be greatly enhanced by improvements and increase in restrooms; the expansion of the concourse; new seating including premium seating; increase in concession stands; major improvements for handicap access and seating and numerous other necessary upgrades. The loading dock on Center Street will also be upgraded providing better service to acts that perform at the civic center and enable the Civic Center to attract new acts. This will be the first renovation since the Civic Center opened 34 years ago.

Yes on One

The new voter registration law is simply undemocratic, and causes many more problems that it solves.   Protect Maine Votes:

We have had same-day voter registration for almost 40 years now, and it works well.  We have one of the highest voter participation rates in the country, and no significant problems with voter fraud.  The politicians in Augusta should not be trying to get rid of it – Vote YES to keep same-day registration. 

Election fraud in Maine is rare. There have been only two cases of prosecuted election fraud during the past 38 years.

A lot of people in Maine have to work two or even three jobs to make ends meet, which can make it difficult for them to take time off to go register. Same-day registration makes it possible for many working Mainers to vote. Without same-day registration, these hardworking people could be shut out.

The Bollard's rundown on the Mayoral Candidates .

To help you make your picks on Nov. 8, we’ve provided brief profiles of all 15 candidates and their answers to our voters’ guide questions. We asked the contenders what they would do to lower property taxes and whether they think the city’s been too generous (or not generous enough) giving tax breaks to wealthy developers and lawyers who want waterfront offices. The candidates were asked for their thoughts on the idea of limiting the spread of chain and franchise businesses and the prospect of putting the publicly owned Maine State Pier back on the market for private development. Waterfront zoning, the future of the Cumberland County Civic Center, and other issues were also discussed.

Indie Biz Awards - voting open

Vote here

We’ll be celebrating the winners – and all of the organizations who make Portland such a great place to live – at the 2011 Indie Biz Awards! Organizations must be located in Portland, be locally owned and independent.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
6:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress

FREE for Portland Buy Local Members and their employees!
$5 suggested donation requested from all others.

More Booze

When beer and mead are not enough. Mainebiz

Wight intends to make gin, whiskey and rum in a gleaming 250-gallon copper still he had custom made in Portugal. Last spring, he moved into a 3,000-square-foot facility in an industrial area off Forest Avenue, where his neighbors include microbrewers Geary's Brewing Co., Allagash Brewing Co., Rising Tide Brewing Co., Bull Jagger Brewing Co. and Maine Beer Co. It's fitting that Wight's located here, because experts predict artisanal liquor will follow a similar trajectory to microbrews, which have grown in popularity over the last two decades.