Category: General News

The Portland Daily Sun has an update on the status of the Cactus Club. Four months ago the City Council revoked the bar’s liquor license but it’s still operating during the appeals process.

Portland Police, who recommended in February that the council not reissue the bar’s liquor license, said 64 disturbances took place inside or in the immediate vicinity of Cactus Club in 2008, including 19 fights, a shooting, and a bizarre incident where a sport-utility vehicle drove into the side of the building. In addition, the bar was found guilty of two liquor license violations.

Cold River Vodka made an appearance today in the Washington Post blog All We Can Eat.

Unlike Karlsson’s, Cold River is batch-distilled in a copper pot still. In the glass, it’s got a little sweeter taste than Karlsson’s, but it has an equally clean finish. Tasting Karlsson’s and Cold River side by side, you can understand that the idea of a potato vodka having “terroir” is actually not that far-fetched. In the right hands, a potato grown in northernmost Maine is going to make a different vodka from one grown on the southeastern coast of Sweden.

There’s a front page article in today’s Press Herald on how all this rain is impacting Maine farmers.

Last June, Ralph Turner harvested 6,000 peony stems at his Laughing Stock Farm in Freeport. This year, thanks to gray mold, he’ll be lucky to harvest half that number.

Tomato plants are turning black at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough.

Carrots and string beans have failed to sprout at Little River Flower Farm in Buxton.

O’Naturals made it on to the Mother Nature Network’s list of the Top 10 Organic Fast-Food Restaurants.

O’Naturals made it on to the Mother Nature Network’s list of the Top 10 Organic Fast-Food Restaurants.

Portland Psst! reports on Maine Mead Works appearance in the NYT’s The Moment blog.

When I visited in February, Cayer explained why his version tastes nothing like the usual bitter, boozey American meads. Maine Mead Works has imported and patented South African fermentation technology, which it uses to refine ancient mead recipes…Cayer and his partners want to produce more seasonal concoction, like maple mead, and to experiment with strawberries and rhubarb and even garlic and basil to make spiced mead for basting meats.

According to a post by Portland in a Snap, two local restaurant owners have kicked-off a campaign to eliminate flouride from the Portland water supply.

Read more about the West End Neighborhood Association’s attempt to set a new world record for the world’s longest lobster roll in today’s Press Herald. Mayor Duson judged the roll to be 61 feet 9½ inches. Official recognition from the Guinness organization is still pending.

Citing quotes from Benjamin Franklin and historical precedents, the Portland Daily Sun has published an editorial promoting the role beer has to play in the city’s upcoming Charter Commission.

If we’re going to re-write what amounts to the city’s constitution — and with the charter election next Tuesday, we seem on the way — then we’re gonna need to engage Portland’s biggest untapped good-government asset: The brewers.

Mainebiz has a report on a new partnership between Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium that “will allow The Stadium’s owner, Michael Harris, to focus on the bar business and other operations, while offering diners a full Binga’s menu”.