The South Portlander

Chuck Igo—deejay, author and youth hockey booster—forwarded the following the press release:
To parents of hockey-playing South Portland students: The South Portland Ice Hockey Boosters invite you to discover the possibilities for young players here in South Portland. Along with supporting our South Portland High School Red Riots Hockey program, we provide opportunities for younger players to enjoy an extra chance to play hockey with their classmates here in the city.
The South Portland Middle School Hockey team is open to skaters in grades 5-8 who attend any school in South Portland (Public, Holy Cross, Greater Portland Christian). Our middle school team players use this hockey program as an extra chance to get on the ice as part of the Southern Maine Middle School Hockey League, which consists of teams from all over southern Maine.
This is in addition to their recreational youth league hockey teams.  The SP Hockey Boosters have volunteer options, which can make much of your skater’s hockey experience cost-free.  For full
details - please visit our website - http://www.southportlandhockey.info
And for our much younger skaters in grades 1 through 5, there is a pre-season hockey clinic opportunity available.  This tune-up session will be run on three Sunday mornings in September to help young skaters refresh skills before the youth hockey season. For details, please visit the South Portland Hockey Boosters website: http://www.southportlandhockey.info
For newer skaters to the sport, the South Portland Hockey boosters recommend enrollment in Casco Bay Hockey Association’s Initiation program, or a similar program for helping newer skaters learn the game’s basics and safety aspects.  http://www.cascobayhockey.com

The South Portland Police issued a press release today announcing that the department just won a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  Harley-Davidson has a long and vaulted history of outfitting police departments with their motorcycles, dating back to 1908. Today more than 3,200 police agencies use Harleys. Police value the bikes for their design and durability. They also have a high resale value and they are a good PR tool since the motorcycles are popular with the public.
Here is the press release: “The South Portland Police Department has won a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Lt. Todd Bernard and Officer Peter MacVane were participating in the 8th Annual America’s 911 Foundation Ride this past week.  This ride acts as a tribute to the victims of 9/11 and a fundraiser for scholarships for the children of first responders.  Approximately 80 police officers escorted between 800 and 1000 motorcycles as they visited all three crash sites from the September 11, 2001 attacks.
To show appreciation for the agencies allowing officers to escort the ride, a drawing was held for a Harley Davidson police motorcycle to be given to a participating agency.  Lt. Bernard and Officer MacVane were present in New York City when the department was drawn for the grand prize.  The motorcycle will be delivered in mid September and formally presented to the department at that time.
After being outfitted with emergency equipment and city council approval the bike will be placed into service in the department’s motor unit.
More information about America’s 911 ride and the foundation can be found at: http://www.americas911foundation.org/”

The Transportation Department plans to erect tall “sound barriers” along I295, near the Maine Mall exit, later this year to buffer an abutting SoPo neighborhood from traffic noise. More than 50 households are affected by loud noises from the busy highway, according to the DOT.
City Councilor Jim Hughes, who lives on Broadway and advocated for the barrier, said everyone he talks to welcomes the idea.
In this video, Diane Jamieson stands in her Hobart Street backyard, where she hears the constant cacophony of cars rushing by. This video was taken on Saturday morning. Turn up the sound on your computer to hear the traffic noise. Jamieson said the noise is much worse at rush hour.
The barrier, unusual for Maine, is expected to significantly decrease the sounds. A public hearing will be held this fall by the state.

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Attorney Thomas Coward—a 30-year lawyer, real estate agent and long-time resident—has taken out papers to enter the District 1 City Council race.
If the candidate gets the required 100 signatures from registered voters in order to run, he is likely to face incumbent Claude Morgan, who said he will seek a second term. At this early stage in the Council campaigns, it appears that there will be competition for all three open seats this fall—in Districts 1, 2 and 5.
Coward is a self-employed attorney who focuses on estate planning, real estate and small-business planning. He also works as a real-estate agent with his wife, Deborah, at Keller Williams in Portland. The couple makes up the Tru Brit team at Keller Williams. “We do mostly residential real estate,” Coward said.
The Cowards, who own a house on Woodbury Street, have lived in South Portland for 25 years and have three grown children who graduated from South Portland schools.
Coward, 53, has never before run for city office. But he has served on the Board of Appeals for 11 years.
Coward said he feels the city is at a crossroads, which prompted him to run.
“South Portland needs more forward planning. I get the sense the city does not have a vision of where it is going,” Coward said. “I thought that now is the time to run. I can keep sitting on the fence or jump in and try to do something. We may be in danger of drifting, if we don’t seize the opportunities we have at the moment with an eye to the future.”