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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

📰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

📰BIDDEFORD | Sparrow brings musical alchemy to Biddeford and beyond January 13, 2026, What do you get when you combine a cello, banjo, harp, piano, guitar, and some passionate voices? The members of Sparrow call it “chamber folk” and they're eager to share their original take on modern and traditional folk music. Saco resident Bob Wiegers is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of Sparrow. Ever since moving back to Maine in 2024, Wiegers has been tryi

“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

January 6, 2026, In a press release sent to the Biddeford Buzz, York County Commissioner Justin Chenette has announced he will seek a second four-year term in the 2026 election for District 3 (Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Hollis, and Buxton). Justin Chenette (submitted photo) Chenette is the first millennial and first openly LGBTQ+ individual ever elected to the commission and was selected by his fellow commissioners to serve a term as vice chair. “Since taking office, county gov

-UNE medical students continue holiday giving tradition in partnership with Biddeford Primary School- December 19, 2025, Students from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Sigma Sigma Phi (SSP) KAPPA Chapter continued a longstanding holiday tradition on Friday, Dec. 12, hosting their annual Holiday Giving Tree toy drive on UNE’s Biddeford Campus to support local families through the Biddeford Primary School. Now in its seventh year, the drive ha

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

By Haley Thompson President, Biddeford and Saco Rotary Club BIDDEFORD/SACO/DAYTON, Maine – December 18, 2025 – This holiday season, the Biddeford Saco Rotary Club once again demonstrated the power of community through its annual Adopt-A-Family Program, ensuring that 200 local children experienced the joy of Christmas morning. Despite the growing need, Rotarians and their helpers remained undeterred—managing every aspect of the program, from shopping and wrapping to organizing

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 17, 2025, According to a press relase from the Biddeford Police Department, On December 16, 2025, at approximately 8:34 PM, Biddeford Police officers came in contact with Douglas King, 37, of Biddeford. King had seven (7) active warrants and was arrested without incident. Douglas King King’s warrants were for as follows: Warrant #1, NO BAIL Eluding an Officer (Class C) Violating Conditions of Release x2 (Class E) Driving to Endanger (Class E) Warrant #2, NO BAIL Dome

How shame, misinformation, and online “experts” make a medical crisis worse—and what real compassion looks like. By Sean Mckenna Every so often on Facebook, someone feels spiritually summoned to explain addiction to the masses. These are usually the same folks who believe WebMD diagnoses can be cured by “rubbing a little dirt on it.” And the most popular Facebook theory of all time? “Addiction is just a choice.” Now, don’t get me wrong— I once thought people chose their probl

December 7, 2025, This morning several members of the community, along with the daughter and granddaughter of Heather Hamilton, a cyclist killed two months ago after being struck by a UPS Truck on Foss Street, gathered at the crash site to pay their respects and install a “ghost bike” memorial. A ghost bike (also referred to as a ghostcycle or whiteCycle) is a bicycle roadside memorial, placed where a cyclist has been killed or severely injured, usually by the driver of a mot

📰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