13 Apr Midcoast News April 13, 2015

Injected Drug Use On The Rise In Maine

But at the same time, there is a greater response to this problem. A new report from the state department of health and human services finds the number of those enrolled in Maine’s needle exchange programs increasing by more than 200 percent in recent years–from 1238 in 2010 to over four thousand last year, with more than half of those clients in Portland. The statewide total actually declined by about seven percent from 2013 to last year, but state officials believe that was an aberration.

Beware: Brunswick Road Construction

With the weather warming, road repair and construction season is beginning. Starting today, Coffin Street will be closed in Brunswick from Longfellow Avenue to South Street in order ot make repairs to the streamline facilities in that area for Bowdoin College. The street will be closed overnight and may be closed for up to five days. If you are in your vehicle, you may run into delays and you are asked to consider alternate routes.

Tight Budgets

Communities such as Brunswick and Topsham are by no means alone in facing tight budget situations. A survey by the Portland Press Herald finds similar situations throughout the state, with many town managers presenting status quo budget proposals that would hike spending two to four percent in order to cover existing operations and rising costs.