After securing the green light from FEMA Region 1, the project to restore shorelines and beaches in Wells, Saco and Old Orchard Beach ripped bare of protective dunes in a pair of January 2024 storms is scheduled to begin early in the new year.

Family life can be difficult to maintain when a loved one is in jail, awaiting trial. Time passes without in-person contact – without a shared smile, without the chance to throw a ball around, without the opportunity to giggle and eat cupcakes together and hug. For three pre-trial inmates and their loved ones, all those things became possible on a recent weekend, when the folks at York County Jail teamed up with Volunteers of America to offer the precious gift of time spen

ALFRED, Maine – It is part of the job, but it is one that takes a toll, and  it can be a heavy one. If you are a first responder there are events you encounter you cannot unsee, unhear, or not smell. The first time you saw what is unimaginable to most people replays in your head. And given the nature of your life’s work, similar scenes repeat in real life with car crashes, medical emergencies, a deadly fire or a standoff with a bad outcome. At times it seems like it just does

York County Court House in Alfred remains in use but with the 2023 exit of the state superior court, there is more space than the county departments housed there need. County Commissioners Dec. 3 discussed an idea that would see Sanford Housing Authority acquire the building and create senior apartments inside in exchange for the SHA-owned former Springvale District Court. A public hearing may be forthcoming in the new year.

 First County Food Pantry volunteers distributed Thanksgiving food baskets –  including turkey, vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy and more  – to 715 families, representing about 2,145 people, over the three days leading up to what is considered by many as America’s most treasured holiday.

Kindness, humor, respect, adventure and leadership make an award winning combination, and leaders involved in Camp Postcard, where 100 young people attend a weeklong summer camp say Declan Titcomb, exhibits them all – and so earned the Luke Gross Award. The award, which came with a plaque – and a bright orange bicycle – is named for the late Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy who died in the line of duty in 2021.

Volunteers are the backbone of a community. Sometimes, they’re individuals, sometimes, they’re part of a committee – all doing their bit to make their town or city better.

First responders across more than two dozen York County municipal departments and within the county government are receiving an accounting of their health through diagnostic screenings. The screenings were made possible by a $311,000 award through the State Fire Marshal’s Office, an arm of the Maine Department of Public Safety, under the Public Safety and Wellness Reimbursement Fund.

There has been an increase in the number of people stopping at First County Food Pantry for food on Tuesdays and Fridays, when the pantry at the corner of Route 4 and Swett’s Bridge Road in Alfred is open from noon to 3 p.m.

ALFRED, Maine – Patricia Murray has always had an interest in civic engagement, helping people understand how government works – and being involved behind the scenes to make sure operations run smoothly. Murray, Town Clerk in Berwick for the past decade, and who previously served in various municipal roles in New Hampshire, is now putting her skills and interests together at  the next level of government, where she recently took up the role of Executive Assistant to York Coun

When Colton Sweeney was looking for work back in the early 2000s, what he found at York County Jail was stability, and a tight-knit work family. Now Sweeney, 48, who began his career at the county jail in Alfred as a reserve correctional officer in 2002, became fulltime in 2003, and has worked his way through the ranks, is now a captain.

While people drive by the 1806 York County Court House in Alfred every day, many may have never been inside, and fewer still may know how much history lives in this county-owned building.

Dredging operations and associated work to repair coastal dune devastation stemming from a pair of voracious storms in January 2024 are to begin sometime in November.

The Maine Sheriff’s Association Summer Retreat was hosted by the York County Sheriff’s Office. Attendees heard a number of presentations and spent time networking with each other. York County Sheriff William L. King said Sen Susan Collins was enthusiastic in her acceptance of the invitation to speak at the MSA event. “I am very pleased that Senator Collins took the time to meet with us,” said King. “She has always been a great ally to law enforcement."

York County Commissioners approved the hiring of correctional officers and other county personnel at their Sept 3 meeting, voted on a bid for six vehicles at York County Sheriff’s Office and heard a positive update on the York County Jail food services and commissary contracts.

“York County has a county-wide mutual aid agreement,” Clements said. “We all need to train together so we can operate together when a critical incident happens anywhere in the county. The training center will provide uniform training for all of us. This facility is exactly what we need in York County.”

The woods, fields and lawns in York County and beyond are far too dry, prompting fire officials in many of the 29 county municipalities to institute a burn ban. The fire danger in York County remains in the ‘very high,’ category on the scale, York County fire and emergency management officials say. The next category is ‘extreme.’

York County Commissioners recently approved a new food service vendor and a new commissary vendor for York County Jail, agreed to take part in two proposed opioid settlements that could result in about $600,000 coming into the county coffers, and made several hiring decisions.

York County’s $28.6 million budget for the fiscal year that began July 1 is now in effect following a unanimous July 2 vote to ratify by York County Commissioners. The York County Budget Committee voted 5-4 in favor of passage in a June vote.

Cindy Sanborn had been a stay-at-home parent and a foster mom. Over time, she began looking for a change. She applied for a job as a corrections officer at York County Jail 25 years ago after a family friend who worked there thought she’d be a good fit. As it turns out, she was indeed a good fit. And earlier this month Sanborn was promoted to Lieutenant of the Classifications department.