All Articles

April 26, 2026, below is a statement from Vassie Fowler, Executive Director for Seeds of Hope Neighborhood Center, pertaining to recent public dialog regarding the center and 2027 city budget propsoal - please see below: By Vassie Fowler, Executive Director, Seeds of Hope THE TRUTH ABOUT BIDDEFORD’S OVERNIGHT PROGRAM, AND WHAT NO ONE HAS BEEN SAYING For weeks, Seeds of Hope has remained quiet while misinformation, assumptions, and personal attacks have circulated online and i

April 23, 2026, In case you missed it, similarly to Portland, the City of Biddeford adopted a "Vacant Building Registration and Fee Ordinance" on April 1, 2025. City officials cited the purpose of the ordinance as a remedy to address what they deem as "negative impacts" from vacant buildings in Biddeford. According to the ordinance, A "vacant building" is a building or structure, regardless of its zoning designation, that meets either of the following criteria: Unoccupied or

April 23, 2026, A big change was made earlier today to federal cannabis policy by the Trump Administration when Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, officially reclassified cannabis from a Schedule 1, to a Schedule 3 Substance. A release from the Justice Department explains that the reclassification "Places FDA-Approved Marijuana Products and Products Containing Marijuana Subject to a Qualifying State-issued License in Schedule III, Strengthening Medical Research While Ma

"If approved, CMP filings will lower bills by approximately $4 per month" April 22, 2026, According to officials from Central Maine Power (CMP), a new proposal from the company would lower monthly electric bills for Mainers. The release from the company reads: Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., has submitted a one‑year rate proposal to the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). This filing follows CMP’s recent request for the MPUC to review its 2025

April 22, 2026, It's official, starting 30 days from today, Biddeford residents will be limited to 2 orange city overflow trash bags per weekly pickup, per residence (with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas). At last night’s City Council meeting, councilors voted unanimously to approve the proposed updated language change in the City’s Household Waste Ordinance, as well as the implementation of a "2 bag overflow limit per week". We first reported on this back in Marc

By Chelsea Miller, Contributed Story “At the heart of this is a simple belief: Maine’s kids deserve to be safe, seen and supported, right here at home,” says Mark Jones, CEO of Saco & Biddeford Savings. April 21 2026, Saco & Biddeford Savings and Paquin & Carroll Insurance are proud to announce their $20,000 donation to Sweetser in support of the construction of Maine’s first Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) on Sweetser’s Saco campus.​This transformative proj

April 20, 2026, below is a letter from Ward 6 City Councilor Jake Pierson. In the letter, Councilor Pierson explains to Biddeford residents why City Council is unable to "tax different properties at different rates". Please see the Councilor's letter below: The city of Biddeford is currently in the time of the year affectionately known as ‘budget season.’ Hard decisions and complex discussions are the name of the game during this season. As I’ve sat on the dais during our de

By Danica Lamontagne, Contributing Writer April 20, 2026, We are pleased to share that the City Hall Clock Tower has received an Honor Award from Maine Preservation. Biddeford's original city hall was lost to a catastrophic fire on New Years Day in 1895 Architect John Calvin Stevens was commissioned to design its replacement. Using primarily brick and granite, Stevens executed the building in the Renaissance Revival stvle. The 135-foot clock tower (pictured below) was outfitt

April 15, 2026, As budget discussions continue in the City of Biddeford, residents continue to voice their concerns to city leaders both in-person and by email. With that being said, former Biddeford City Councilor Bobby Mills asked us to share a letter that he sent to the City Council pertaining to the "social service budget" and funding essential services. Mills letter reads: "Let’s talk about the social service budget. I am not discounting any organization or member at all

"We can't be the nucleus for York County for the homelessness situation... we can't do it for every city" April 14, 2026, At last night's Budget Committee meeting, At-large Councilor Lisa Vadnais addressed fellow councilors outlining hey concerns contrasting cuts to essential services and municipal city funding requests. "All these people, the essential services in our city, taking the amount of cuts that we're doing, it just doesn't seem right to give a million dollars to th

"The future of our workforce depends on exactly the type of training offered at Maine's community colleges," said House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford). "It's not just an opportunity for students to learn -- it's an opportunity for our economy to thrive." April 12, 2026, this past Friday (April 10), Governor Janet Mills signed Maine's Fiscal Year 2026--2027 supplemental budget (LD 2212) that was enacted by the legislature earlier this week. The signing took place at Easter

April 10, 2026, this coming Monday (April 13th), Gorham Sand & Gravel will begin construction on the Alfred Street Sewer Separation Project to combine sewer lines on Alfred Street (between Summer Street and Porter Street), as well as Mt. Vernon Street, Birch Street, and Porter Street. The project is expected to run from approximately April 13, 2026 to October, 23, 2026, and will take place in 6 phases, each phase lasting approximately 1 month. For your convenience, the Biddef

By Loren McCready, Contributing Writer April 9, 2026, The City of Biddeford is asking the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to take up a case centered on environmental protection along the Saco River, emphasizing in its public messaging the importance of environmental standards and the need for those standards to be reviewed on their merits. That position comes after the City recently spent two years before the Superior Court actively working to ensure that violations of environ

April 8, 2026, Earlier today we shared comments made by Ward 7 Councilor Brad Cote pertaining to rising taxes and resident's participating in city council meetings. Brad Cote Since sharing Councilor Cote's earlier comments, he has publicly issued the following apology: "I would like to apologize for my earlier comment regarding getting people to attend meetings and get involved. I was frustrated that I spend a bunch of time working on different City issues and what I read onl

April 8, 2026, the University of New England sent the following statement to the Biddeford Buzz regarding the City of Biddeford’s recent decision to appeal the "Saco River Corridor Commission Case ", please see below: "UNE has learned that the City of Biddeford plans to appeal a York County court’s decision to dismiss the city’s lawsuit against the Saco River Corridor Commission. We strongly believe this appeal is frivolous, without any merit, and an unfortunate waste of taxp

By Danica Lamontagne, Contributing Writer April 8, 2026, The City of Biddeford today filed an appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court following the Superior Court’s dismissal of the City’s challenge to a permit issued by the Saco River Corridor Commission (SRCC). The City is seeking a legal determination on whether the Commission acted within its authority when it issued a 2024 permit for the construction of a pier within the Saco River Corridor that ignored a longstandin

By Deirdre Fleming Stires, Contributing Writer April 7, 2026, The University of New England hosted its bi-annual President's Forum Monday, April 6, at the Harold Alfond Forum in Biddeford bringing together faculty, staff students, and members of the larger Biddeford community to examine how American higher education became a flashpoint in the nation's culture wars — and what it might take to reclaim its footing. The discussion took place at a charged moment. Recent headlines

"An Act to Strengthen Consumer Protections by Prohibiting Liens on Principal Residences and Wage Garnishments for Medical Debt, was sponsored by Sen. Donna Bailey of Saco, a cancer survivor who has championed Legislative efforts to safeguard Maine people from harmful impacts of medical debt." April 6, 2026, According to a press release sent directly to the Biddeford Buzz earlier today, Governor Janet Mills announced the signing of "LD 2129, legislation to protect Maine people

🗣ATTENTION! YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! *THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO CITY COUNCILORS AND STAFF* April 6, 2026, The next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7 at 6 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers and via Microsoft Teams. At the meeting, there will be a Public Hearing on the City of Biddeford's City Government Budget as presented by the City Manager. In addition, the 2nd Reading (which includes a vote) on the amended Household Waste De

By Brian Lee, Contributed Story April 3, 2026, Today, Gov. Janet Mills signed into law a measure sponsored by Rep. Marc Malon, D-Biddeford, that will help safeguard Mainers from gambling addiction by prohibiting the use of credit cards in online wagers. As amended, LD 2080 will prevent gambling operators or management services with licenses in the state from accepting credit cards to fund both sports wagering and Internet gaming (iGaming). The latter has been operational in