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January 27, 2026, in a statement released yesterday from the leadership at the First Parish Congregational Church UCC located at 12 Beach St, Saco, the church informed the public of what they are claiming to be an illegal abduction by ICE of one of the members of their congregation. The statement from the church reads as follows: "This past Sunday, a member of our First Parish Congregational Church of Saco family, Makengo, welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. She is

January 24, 2026, below is the updated statement we have received from Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain regarding ICE operating in Biddeford: "One week ago, I released a statement as information about federal enforcement activity and its local impacts were still evolving. Since then, conditions have changed and daily life in Biddeford is being affected. Families are staying home. Workers with valid documentation are calling out of their jobs. School absenteeism is rising. Staf

By Loren McCready, Biddeford Resident January 21, 2026, Last night, Biddeford’s City Council passed a development moratorium affecting the Institutional Zone, making this a moment worth paying attention to. Moratoria are not everyday planning tools. They are typically used when growth is moving faster than infrastructure, land-use regulations, or long-term planning can keep up. State law sets clear limits on when a moratorium may be used. Under Maine statute, a municipality

January 21, 2026, We have recieved video confirmation from a local resident (who asked to remain anonymous) of ICE personnel at a house located on Porter Street. According to a local resident, "I saw at least 8 agents" approaching the home. The resident did not personally see anyone removed from the property but expressed frustration with the agents activity stating, "this is so scary and heartbreaking... go away ICE... leave them alone."

"because if we don't come in, now your kids are going with us". January 21, 2026, We have recieved a video that shows that while conducting offical ICE activity in Biddeford, an ICE officer stated to an individual, "because if we don't come in, now your kids are going with us". This is the first instance any behavior such as this has been reported to our team.

“Ward 7 Councilor Brad Cote spoke from a very different perspective and even sounded a bit frustrated with some of his peers while stating, “If we can't support a 90 day moratorium… then how on god's green earth are we going to tackle affordable housing”. January 20, 2026, At this evening’s Biddeford City Council Meeting, councilors voted 6 to 3 against instituting a 90 Day Moratorium on Mobile Home Lot Fee Increases in the city of Biddeford… and City hall was packed with con

📰BIDDEFORD | Opinion: We deserve a Mayor who Communicates Cory Labrie, Biddeford Resident “...since the election, we haven’t heard anything from our new mayor, Liam LaFountain. I find it very hard to believe that nothing news-worthy has happened in our zip code since he was elected… As a long-time citizen of Biddeford, born and raised, I am looking to hear more from our mayor.” January 19, 2026, The last two mayors of Biddeford believed in communication and keeping the resid

January 16, 2026, Below is the statement we just received from Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain regarding reports of potential Federal Immigration Enforcement: "In recent days, reports of possible federal immigration enforcement activity in Maine have raised understandable anxiety, questions, and fear for some residents, families, and businesses in Biddeford. We recognize that uncertainty of this nature can be deeply unsettling, particularly when information is incomplete or e

January 16, 2026, today, we will begin a new series highlighting fun facts and information we have learned about our newly elected Mayor Liam Lafountain. Today's fact: Did you know that Mayor Liam LaFountain testified before state legislators in support of LD 724; a bill which would recognize two muslim holidays (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha) as state holidays. We have included LaFountain’s testimony below. We also included LaFountain’s congratulation "plaque" received from th

📰BIDDEFORD | Mayor moves to limit UNE Development January 15, 2026, According to reports and a memo sent to city council, newely elected Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain is proposing a "temporary moratorium" on development projects at the University of New England. Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain Reports also indicate that LaFountain is looking to nominate the University’s president (James Hebert) to serve on the City’s newly established ad hoc Institutional Zone Review commi

📰BIDDEFORD | When ICE comes to Biddeford “What action will you take to protect the safety, dignity, and the rights of the residents of Biddeford if the federal government conducts raids and or actions against community members such as the actions we've seen take place in other cities?” January 15, 2026, Yesterday Governor Janet Mills issued a public statement addressing what her administration believes is about to be an increased presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enfo

“…good neighbors, they've been anything but… they've been acting like they’re above the law, which is really disappointing for the judicial branch of our state, to be treating our community and our code enforcement officer so poorly… they should be getting fined like any other business or private residence that would violate a contract zone… that fine would range from $100 to $2500 per day…” Sterling Roop, Ward 7 Resident January 13, 2026, During each Biddeford City Council m

“In all likelihood we are looking at another 5% to 6% [tax] increase”. - Marc Lessard, City Councilor At-Large At-Large Councilor Marc Lessard (Biddeford) January 9, 2026, City Councilor At-Large Marc Lessard was first elected to the Biddeford City Council in 1993 and has since been reelected for 11 terms. With his family having lived in Biddeford for 6 generations, it’s safe to say that he has deep roots in the community. Throughout Councilor Lessard’s tenure on the City Cou

📰BIDDEFORD | Councilors Praise Police Chief for Partnering with City of Saco | Council Approves Contract “We miss too many opportunities to work with our neighbors from Saco… I offer praise to you and your team for working with them.” Jacob Pierson, Ward 6 Councilor January 6, 2026, At tonight's city council meeting, Biddeford Police Chief JoAnne Fisk asked City Councilors to approve a contract between the City of Saco and City of Biddeford pertaining to the purchase of new

December 19, 2025, The City of Biddeford will receive sealed bids for the Alfred Street Sewer Separation Phase 3 Project until 2:00 p.m. prevailing local time on January 22nd, 2026 at the Biddeford City Hall, 205 Main Street, 3rd floor – Engineering Dept., Biddeford, Maine 04005. Bid documents shall be in clearly marked sealed envelopes titled Alfred Street Sewer Separation Phase 3 Project. All bids will be opened and read aloud at the Biddeford City Hall at 2:00 pm on Janu

Please note, some local sources are incorrectly referring to this committee - THIS IS A INSTITUTIONAL ZONE REVIEW COMMITTEE, NOT A "UNE REVIEW COMMITTEE". December 18, 2025, On Tuesday, the City Council authorized the creation of an ad hoc Institutional Zone Review Committee. This committee was formed for the purpose of reviewing all Institutional Zone provisions of the Biddeford Zoning Ordinance, including but not limited to the Institutional Zone and the Institutional Maste

December 17, 2025, Biddeford wastewater customers can now expect to receive their wastewater bills reliably and predictably from Maine Water. Recently, the city transitioned to leveraging Maine Water's billing and customer service expertise to stabilize the administrative processes for sewer billing. The city contracted Maine Water Company to handle all billing, collection and customer service inquiries for the city’s wastewater operations. The complex changeover required mig

December 4, 2025, The Saco School Department and City of Saco marked a historic milestone today as families, city officials, students, educators, and construction partners gathered for the official groundbreaking of its transformative new PreK–5 school campus, representing the long-awaited transformation of the district’s elementary learning environments. (L-R) Saco School Department Assistant Superintendent Meg Parkhurst, City of Saco’s City Council member Jeffrey Onnen, Cou

📰BIDDEFORD | UNE Responds to City’s Litigation December, 4, 2025, The following message was recieved from the University of New England regarding the City of Biddeford’s litigation pertaining to the UNE Pier. "The University of New England is aware of the City's litigation against the Saco River Corridor Commission. UNE respectfully disagrees with the City's position. As the Saco River Corridor Commission confirmed after seeking counsel from their lawyer at the Maine Attorne

📰BIDDEFORD | City of Biddeford Files Court Challenge for UNE Pier Approval BIDDEFORD, Maine (December 4, 2025) — The City of Biddeford has filed a Complaint for Review of Final Agency Action in Maine Superior Court seeking a judicial determination that the Saco River Corridor Commission's (SRCC) 2024 approval of a new pier at the University of New England (UNE) is unlawful and invalid. The filing asserts that the SRCC did not apply a binding 2001 permit condition requiring a