All Articles

By Chelsea Miller, Sr. Communications Manager, Saco & Biddeford Savings July 8, 2026, Saco & Biddeford Savings and Paquin & Carroll Insurance have each earned Gold honors in the inaugural Best of Biddeford + Saco Community Contest, a local awards program celebrating the businesses, organizations and services that make the Biddeford-Saco area a vibrant place to live, work and visit. Presented as a celebration of the “best” the area has to offer — from dining and shopping to ar

By Tammy Wells, York County Government Media, Contributing Writer July, 6, 2026, York County government is taking the concept of antiquated out of old – forging ahead with initiatives to meet today’s demands while keeping an eye on lessons from its 390-year history. Over the last several years, the county government – the oldest in Maine, dating to 1636 – has been examining needs and ways to make life better for its diverse population of 220,000-plus residents – providing a

June 30, 2026, Holy smokes folks, huge announcement. As this community demonstrates time and time again, when we come together, we achieve great things. With that being said, honored, ecstatic, humbled, and delighted to inform everyone of two recent milestones we, the community, have achieved through the Biddeford Buzz. First, the Biddeford Buzz has been accepted as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists; The nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, ded

By Joshua Wolfe, Biddeford Buzz, Contributing Writer “In addition to offering residential living space, the facility will include activity rooms, sensory spaces, a nurse's station, and a basketball court. “ June 26, 2026, Yesterday, Sweetser hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Saco to officially mark the start of construction on Maine’s very first Youth Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) - a facility that according to several elected officials and local busines

By Alan Bennett, University of New England, Office of Communications "Residents in Biddeford and Portland report the University's highest ratings for reputation, integrity, and community impact". View the full survey results June 22, 2026, The University of New England today released the results of a comprehensive public opinion survey conducted by Emerson College Polling, finding strong levels of support, trust, and confidence in the University across Maine. Ratings were esp

By Tammy Wells, York County Government Media, Contributing Writer June 4, 2026, They’ve learned how to respond to 911 calls for medical assistance, how to take a pulse, blood pressure, how to assess a patient’s condition, provide first aid or life support care to sick or injured patients, and a lot more. And on June 2, 17 newly minted Emergency Medical Technicians graduated from a 16-week program offered by York County Community College and held at York County Regional Traini

June 2, 2026, This evening, Biddeford City Councilors voted 6 to 3 to table a proposed Manufactured Housing Ordinance indefinitely. Councilors, Vadnais, Lessard, Pierson, Doughty, Boston, and Beaupre voted in favor Whereas, Councilors, Cote, Woods, and Kurtz opposed tabling the ordinance. There was quite of bit of discussion from the council as well as comments from members of the public on the ordinance. After listening to the council discuss the topic, it seems the reason f

By Loren McCready, Biddeford Buzz, Contributing Writer Biddeford is at a crucial point in its Comprehensive Plan process. This Wednesday, the Planning Board will review several major chapters, including Natural Resources, Water Resources, Existing Land Use, and Future Land Use. Soon after, the plan will move to the City Council for final approval before being sent back to the state. This matters because the Comprehensive Plan helps determine where growth happens, where public

May 27, 2026, Earlier this evening, community members, business leaders, local officals, and more, gathered at the historic City Theater in downtown Biddeford for a "Beginning of Summer Social Mixer". According to Biddeford+Saco Chamber Executive Director Alex MacPhail, the event was hosted collaboratively between Heart of Biddeford, Biddeford+Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and City Theater. MacPhail explained the purpose of the event was a "relaxed evening... featuri

May 26, 2026, For our readers both new and old, below is a great synopsis of the form of journalism the Biddeford Buzz utilizes to keep the community informed; Reciprocal Journalism. The concept of reciprocal journalism was first introduced in a 2014 paper by Seth C. Lewis, Avery E. Holton, and Mark Coddington titled "Reciprocal Journalism: A Concept of Mutual Exchange Between Journalists and Audiences". According to the article, "Reciprocal journalism is a conceptual framewo

BREAKING: CONFIRMED (our team spoke with an employee on the phone who confirmed), Mulligans will be closing their doors for good this coming Sunday, May 31, 2026. Mulligan's now joins what is becoming a growing list of local businesses who have closed their doors in the City of Biddeford. We will be publishing a story covering this topic more in-depth in the near future. WANT US TO SHARE YOUR STORIES, TIPS, NEWS, EVENTS, AND MORE? ---Biddeford's trusted news source; SHORT ● S

May 26, 2026, According to University of New England’s Associate Vice President of Communications, Sarah Delage, "University of New England (UNE) today announced it has filed an appeal in Maine Superior Court after a series of actions by the City of Biddeford that have disrupted approved projects, undermined established regulatory processes, and jeopardized significant investments in the community." The legal action follows the Biddeford Zoning Board of Appeals’ decision to u

“Our findings tell us something really significant. Maine businesses want to be here, Maine investors want to be part of the Maine economy,” By Katie Clark, MSCCMDF, Contributing Writer May 12, 2026, The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Development Foundation today released Maine Economic Vision 2035, a new long-term economic roadmap outlining key goals and policy priorities to strengthen Maine’s competitiveness, support workforce and wage growth, increase investment

By Alex MacPhail, Executive Director BSCC, Contributing Writer Local Businesses are Stepping up—Who Will Join The Hope Challenge with us? May 12, 2026, The Biddeford+Saco Chamber of Commerce (BSCC) is proud to partner with Sweetser to launch The Hope Challenge—a community‑wide effort inviting local businesses to support the development of Sweetser’s new Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) for Maine youth. Promotional Poster This new PRTF will fill a critical ga

By Victoria Foley, Contributing Writer The proposed increase is approximately 26%, far outpacing inflation May 8, 2026, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), Senator Henry Ingwersen (D-York), and Representative Marc Malon (D-Biddeford), today issued the following statements in opposition to a 26% rate increase proposed by Maine Water: “This request could not come at a worse time for ratepayers who are facing strained household budgets just about everywhere they turn. This

By: Jason Litalien, Contributing Writer, Independent Candidate Maine Senate 32 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a program from the State that allows us to retain additional tax money received from that district without having to share it with the County or the State. When structured properly, TIFs can be a great tool for redevelopment. Unfortunately, that is where part of the problem begins. Another part of the problem is the Credit Enhancement Agreement, which is a public su

"If the proposed rate increase is approved it could go into effect by May 12, 2027" May 6, 2026, Residents from Saco, Biddeford, and Old Orchard Beach, met this evening at Saco City Hall to testify in front of State of Maine Public Utilities Commissioners and representives from Maine Water, regarding a recent proposed increase of approximately 26% for water bills of residents in the Saco-Biddeford area. L-R: Commissioner Carolyn Gilbert, Comissioner Philip Bartlett Utilities

By Chelsea Miller, SBSI, Contributing Writer May 6, 2026, Saco & Biddeford Savings (SBSI) is pleased to announce that Micah Smart has joined the organization as Senior Vice President and Director of Legal. Micah Smart Smart brings more than a decade of legal experience to SBSI. Most recently, he served as a partner at Murray, Plumb & Murray, where he worked in the firm’s Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization and Litigation practice groups, representing businesses, lenders and

"...in an effort to involve community members, Stantec will be hosting "public engagement feedback sessions, during the planning process". May 5, 2026, This past February we published a story announcing the City of Biddeford was "accepting proposals for the 5-Points intersection" located in the area of 392 Elm Street. The previous article about the proposal announcment can be viewed here: https://www.biddefordbuzz.com/post/biddeford-city-accepting-proposals-for-5-points-inte

"My belief is that.... the moratorium was in effect" - ZBA Board Member May 4, 2026, A big win for those who have expressed opposition to the University of New England building a new pier along the Saco River - at tonight's Biddeford Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) hearing, the ZBA voted to uphold the City's recent application denials issued to the University of New England pertaining to trees being "cleared" along the waterway, as well as the demolition of a building (Leonard