Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been covering Portland City Hall for the Press Herald since 2012. His beat touches on a wide range of topics, including immigration, homelessness, education, tourism, real estate development and the economy in Maine’s largest city. He has been a Portland-based journalist since 2005. A life-long Mainer who loves the outdoors, Randy is also a bassist who brews his own beer at his North Yarmouth home, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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PublishedJanuary 11, 2020
Saturday’s warmth sets high-temperature record in Portland
Mainers were making the most of the warm weather, and the Eastern Promenade Trail was buzzing with activity.
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PublishedJanuary 6, 2020
Portland officials highlight potential uses of face-scanning technology
Four city department heads downplay flaws and potential misuse ahead of a scheduled City Council vote on a proposed ban.
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PublishedJanuary 2, 2020
Portland has plans to smooth Old Port streets’ rough edges
Wharf and Dana streets in the Old Port could be facing a makeover to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and local businesses.
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PublishedDecember 20, 2019
Developer’s request would lay groundwork for Portland’s tallest building
Tim Soley wants city planners to double the heights allowed for new building projects in the Old Port that create and preserve publicly accessible open space.
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PublishedDecember 16, 2019
Influx of asylum seekers has Portland scrambling to find daytime shelter
The City Council is seeking a place where asylum seekers can get out of the cold, and City Manager Jon Jennings hopes Gov. Janet Mills’ administration will take the lead in what he says is a regional issue.
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PublishedDecember 15, 2019
This year’s Christmas tree has surprisingly deep roots
The Norway spruce that graces Portland’s Monument Square for the holiday season was planted three decades ago by a young city arborist in his first year on the job.
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PublishedDecember 13, 2019
Susan Collins introduces bill to let asylum seekers work sooner, bucking Donald Trump’s plan
The bipartisan measure runs counter to a White House proposal to double the waiting period, and is similar to one proposed by Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree and supported by independent Sen. Angus King.
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PublishedDecember 12, 2019
Influx of asylum seekers fills Portland’s overflow shelters
Nearly 170 people, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have arrived in Portland in the past three weeks and city officials say they’ve run out of space to shelter them.
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PublishedDecember 2, 2019
Inauguration of Portland mayor reflects historic shift in local, national politics
Portland has had eight women serve as mayor in its 233-year history, but none had been elected mayor in a citywide vote until Kate Snyder’s victory last month.
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PublishedNovember 21, 2019
About 70 more asylum seekers expected to arrive in Portland this week
The African families released at the border in Texas will be offered overnight shelter in local gymnasiums, and city officials are making contingency plans in case the influx is larger than expected.
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