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By Alan Bennett, Assistant Director of Communications, UNE March 20, 2026, The University of New England announced today that 166 graduating physicians have matched to residencies in Maine, New England, and beyond, with over 50% heading to primary care posts amid a national shortage of primary care providers. The Match Day celebration was held at UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, which is home to Maine’s only medical school located in the recently inaugurated Har

BIDDEFORD | Somebody Messed Up | 60k and a Story with Two Titles TITLE 1: CITY MESSES UP BIG TITLE 2: ICE ARENA MESSES UP BIG March 18, 2026, Bare with us… we feel the easiest way to accurately paint this picture, is to present it in 4 short, but pointed “parts”. Let’s begin. Part 1: The Whistleblower During this past Tuesday’s Finance Committee Meeting, Biddeford’s Finance Director Gerry Matherne, informed committee members that the City has not received payments from the Bi

"I, Liam LaFountain, Mayor of the City of Biddeford, do hereby recognize Friday, March 19, 2026 as Eid al-Fitr in our City and encourage residents to join in recognizing the significance of this celebration." March 17, 2026, at tonight's City Council Meeting, Mayor Liam LaFountain read a proclamation formally recognizing March 19, 2026 as Eid al-Fitr in the City of Biddeford. According to sources online, Eid al-Fitr, or the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," is a major three-da

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer March 9, 2026, Students at CK Burns School came together last week to promote kindness, respect, and inclusion through a school-wide “Spread the Word” Cookie Walk, organized by the school’s Best Buddies program. During the event on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, students learned about the power of words and how choosing respectful language helps build a school community where everyone feels valued, included, and supported. As part of the activ

-LD 2122 would ensure funding for SNAP benefits in the event of a federal shutdown- March 5, 2026, Maine House Speaker Ryan D. Fecteau (D-Biddeford) today introduced LD 2122, An Act to Prevent Negative Impacts from Federal Funding Changes to and Fund Eligibility Determinations and Outreach for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which will make sure our state gets the federal food assistance funds we were expected to receive before Congress passed Trump’s “Big Bad

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer March 5, 2026, athe Biddeford High School (BHS) Drama Club is proud to announce its upcoming production of Mean Girls: High School Version, a bold, high-energy musical that brings humor, heart, and sharp social commentary to the stage. Show times are Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 20, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Biddeford Middle School Performing Arts Center. B

By Deirdre Stires, Contributing Writer March 5, 2026, For the second year in a row, University of New England students will help the Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust plant dune grass along a section of beach in Biddeford Pool to help make the beaches more climate resilient. On Tuesday, March 10, from 11:30 to about 1:40 p.m. about 16 students from Assistant Professor Will Kochtitzky’s Geographic Information System (GIS) course will aid Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust Presi

The event, part of UNE’s enhanced workforce-ready initiatives, left many students with newfound confidence in breaking the ice By Deirdre Fleming Stires, Contributing Writer UNE February 25, 2026, In a crowded communal area in the University of New England’s Ripich Commons on the evening of Feb. 18, the University's first Career Connections Mixer got off to a rousing start. And the impromptu conversations between employers, alumni, local civic leaders, entrepreneurs, faculty,

“The community center, long neglected with a band-aid approach, is the true Jewel of Biddeford.. I think it's time to really give this building the TLC it deserves…” February 22, 2026, Below is an op-ed that we received from Biddeford resident Diane Cyr pertaining to the discussion of which projects city leaders should prioritize when allocating the recreational bond funds approved by voters in the November 2025 election. REMINDER - In addition to submitting op-eds, residents

"This is about more than concrete and ramps. It is about trust. It is about accountability. And it is about showing this community — especially its young people — that when they show up and speak, their government listens." February 17, 2026, at tonight's City Council meeting, former Biddeford City Councilor Neva Lance and her wife Samanntha Lance, advocated passionately to the Biddeford City Council in support of spending recreation bond funds on a new skate park for the cit

February 17, 2026, At this evening’s Biddeford City Council Meeting, with a tied vote of 4 to 4 that was broke by Mayor LaFountain, councilors voted AGAINST approving a resolution in support of LD 2124, an “Act to Support Emergency Shelter Funding using Real Estate Transfer Tax Revenue” Meeting materials state that under current law, 90% of the revenue from the real estate transfer tax is submitted to the State and 10% is retained by the counties, except that, for fiscal year

By Tammy Wells, Contributing Writer February 16, 2026, York County Commissioners understand the need to support the unhoused through shelter subsidies and are urging legislators to seek ways to support them within the state’s coffers, not the counties’ far slimmer purse. In testimony to the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee at a public hearing Feb. 10, they urged committee members to vote “ought not to pass,” on L.D. 2124, a bill that would further dip

By Deirdre Fleming Stires, Contributing Writer February 14, 2026, The University of New England’s dining service provider, Parkhurst Dining, set out to raise $10,000 last fall for Maine's only full-service children's hospital through a fund-raising campaign that culminated in a holiday lunch served on UNE”s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences. UNE's Parkhurst Dining team more than doubled last year's fund-raising effort in the Caring for Kids campaign. In the end, UNE’s P

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer February 13, 2026, In the months since receiving $275,000 through the Maine Housing Student Homelessness Prevention Pilot, Biddeford School Department has emerged as a regional leader in addressing student housing instability—coordinating a multi-district effort that is already surpassing expectations. As the lead applicant and consortium coordinator, Biddeford School Department brought together five school departments, including Biddefor

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer February 12, 2026 – Leadership doesn’t always come with a title—and that message is resonating loudly with eighth-grade students at Saco Middle School (SMS), thanks to the real-world experiences of Jackson Howard, a senior at Thornton Academy and an EMS student at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology (BRCOT). Howard is currently enrolled in BRCOT’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program and previously completed the Intro to Medi

By Mackenzie Schors, Biddeford Buzz Contributing Writer Now celebrating their 10 year anniversary, UNE has been hosting their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” (TBT) game every year since 2017 - Here’s a glimpse into what TBT weekend looks like for the community and the UNE Nor’easters: February 11, 2026, What began as a small, community-focused initiative in 2017 has grown into one of the University of New England’s most beloved traditions. This year marked the 10th anniversary of

By Karen Garnett, Contributing Writer February 10, 2026, Dayton Consolidated School (DCS) officially launched its new composting program last Friday with a school-wide assembly, marking an important step forward in the school’s commitment to sustainability, hands-on learning, and environmental responsibility. Dayton Consolidated School students participate in an interactive recycling and composting presentation during a school-wide assembly by EcoMaine, learning how to proper

📰YORK COUNTY | Former Biddeford City Councilor Launches Campaign for York County Commission February 9, 2026, According a public statement from previous Biddeford At-Large City Councilor Doris Ortiz, Doris has announced she will be launching her campaign to run for York County Commission to represent District 2. Doris Ortiz Formally a Biddeford At-Large City Councilor, Doris Ortiz resigned from the Biddeford City Council in September of 2025 and cited a "recent opportunity f

February 6, 2026, Student providers from the University of New England’s doctoral College of Dental Medicine and undergraduate Department of Dental Hygiene welcomed 85 elementary- and secondary-age students from Maine Regional School District (RSU) 23, serving the community of Old Orchard Beach, to the University’s Oral Health Center on Friday, Feb. 6, for UNE’s fifth annual “Give Kids a Smile” event. Eighty-eight students from RSU 23 received a full slate of preventive denta

February 2, 2026, Two Biddeford High School (BHS) students are being recognized for their award-winning artwork in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards at the Maine College of Art & Design (MECA) in Portland next month. BHS Junior Brynn Wilkinson earned a Silver Key Award for her "Drawn by Light", an 8-by-10 acrylic still-life painting, and BHS Sophomore Shayleigh Kennedy earned an Honorable Mention for her "Chromatic Shades of Me", an 18-by-24 portrait. The prog