With more places to stay and stop, it’s easier to explore fall foliage in more remote parts of Maine, where forecasters predict brighter colors.
Ray Routhier
Staff Writer
Ray Routhier has written about pop culture, movies, TV, music and lifestyle trends for the Portland Press Herald since 1993. He is continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of Maine’s people and places. He’s written about why so many businesses use the made-up word “Mainely” in their names, how you can trace Portland’s history through its various smells and why Mainers lament the loss of Portland-made B&M baked beans. He’s interviewed a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, musicians and authors, including Patrick Dempsey, Tony Shalhoub, Richard Russo, Tess Gerritsen, Tony Bennett, Anna Kendrick, and Stephen King. His passions, besides writing, include baseball history, old movies and “Jeopardy!” A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, he graduated with a degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He lives in South Portland with his wife and two children.
Maine storyteller and radio host John McDonald facing medical challenges
His children have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help pay health care costs for McDonald, 77, who had heart surgery in March, suffered a bad fall last week and has experienced memory loss.
Portland has changed and you can really smell the difference
A generation ago the city’s signature smells included J.J. Nissen Bakery, Jordan’s Meats and the soon-to-close B&M Baked Beans plant. Today the city’s aroma includes whiffs of coffee roasting, food trucks, breweries and oil tanks.
Writers for ‘Rugrats’ reboot have roots in Windham
The new version of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series from the ’90s features two Windham High School grads in crucial roles, Kate Boutilier as executive producer and Sam Clarke as script coordinator.
Brandi Carlile concert at Thompson’s Point postponed until Aug. 27
Friday night’s show was rescheduled because the singer was sick.
Major Portland music venues adopt vaccine requirements
The State Theatre and Thompson’s Point in Portland will require vaccination proof or a negative test starting this weekend, while the Portland House of Music will do the same starting Aug. 26.
Maine concert venues consider requiring proof of vaccination
The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor and Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield have policies, while others are following the lead of concert giant Live Nation, which says it will start similar requirements in October.
Spectrum launches local news app for Maine customers
The Spectrum News App will feature Maine news gathered by local journalists, as well as content from the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News.
Author tells an upbeat story about girls Down East
The nonfiction book ‘Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America’ by part-time Southwest Harbor resident Gigi Georges has garnered national attention since its release.
Over 25 years, Umbrella Cover Museum showered with love
The quirky Peaks Island attraction marks the anniversary with a fashion show. Guess the material.