Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Why Portland keeps denying Maine Public’s tax-exempt status downtown
Make time for Art & Storytime for Elementary on the Portland Patch calendar
Morning Portland! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- Why Portland keeps denying Maine Public's tax-exempt status downtown
- Why a California man is facing serious trafficking charges in Portland
- Friends honor Portland stabbing victim with memorials and a future namesake bar
Also on today's calendar: Art & Storytime for Elementary and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the Buffalo say when his son left? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Sunday: Cloudy, showers around; humid, with a high of 70 and low of 65 degrees.
- Monday: Sunshine and some clouds, temps: high: 76, low: 59.
- Tuesday: A passing shower or two, with a high of 76 and low of 59 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Portland tells Maine Public it is once again not tax exempt (newenglandnewspress.com) — Portland's Assessor's Office has again denied Maine Public's request for tax-exempt status on its new downtown headquarters, leaving the nonprofit with an annual tax bill of about $197,000. The decision comes amid broader scrutiny of how Portland taxes nonprofits, with several arts and cultural organizations also losing exemptions and scrambling to cover new costs. 
2. Man accused of sex trafficking several women in Maine faces federal judge (wmtw.com) — A man from California has been brought before a federal judge in Portland, accused of trafficking several adult women for commercial sex in Maine over multiple years. Prosecutors say he also ran an online fraud scheme by posing as a cancer patient. If convicted, he faces at least 15 years in prison and potentially a life sentence, with federal investigators still seeking information from the public.
3. Friends and family remember Juju Nadeau, who died from a stabbing in Portland (newscentermaine.com) — A young woman who spent her final months in Portland is being remembered by loved ones after she was fatally stabbed near Tukey's Bridge and Back Cove. Friends and family are honoring her life with memorials under the bridge and plans for a future LGBTQ-focused bar named in her memory, while also urging each other to celebrate life as she did.
4. Maine woman redistributing 'Raising Readers' to next generation (wmtw.com) — A Portland-based literacy effort is giving retired Raising Readers books a second life by redistributing them to Maine kids through food pantries, including Wayside Food Programs in Portland. Organizer Pam Leo is setting up drop-off sites and seeking more local partners, from businesses to libraries. She's also looking for volunteer drivers to move donated books into communities, especially in rural areas.
5. I Use the Music to Use Me: The Visual Improvisation of M P Landis (freejazzblog.org) — Portland's Apohadion Theater is the setting for an unusual collaboration where painter M P Landis creates large abstract works live onstage alongside drummer Michael Sarin. A recent June 2026 performance continued their evolving Paint & Drums project, blending free improvisation in sound and image. The piece explores how their Portland shows capture creative risk, uncertainty, and the physical act of making art in real time.
📸 Around Portland
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Portland
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- Art & Storytime for Elementary →
Art Play Lear n Zo,
4:30 pm
Wednesday September 16
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Longfellow Open House
Longfellow School-Portland Portland, ME 04103
4:00 pm - Longfellow Popsicle Social
Longfellow School-Portland Portland, ME 04103
4:30 pm - Early Release / Staff PD Students Released at 1:10
Ocean Avenue Portland, ME 04103
5:15 pm - BACK TO SCHOOL POPSICLE PARTY
Riverton School Portland, ME 04103
8:00 pm - OAES Open House and Watermelon Welcome
Ocean Avenue Portland, ME 04103
8:00 pm - Popsicle Party with Rowe Families
Amanda C Rowe School Portland, ME 04102
4:30 pm - Popsicle Party
Amanda C Rowe School Portland, ME 04102
4:30 pm - Good Together; Akwaaba Table Beer Dinner →
The Cellars at Allagash Brewing Company, 100 Industrial Wy, Portland
6:00 pm - Learn The Truth About Getting Rid Of Your Stuff →
The Clarion Hotel, 1230 Congress St, Portland
10:00 am - Ghostland Beer Release and Merch Pop-Up, feat. Ghost of Paul Revere →
Allagash Brewing Company, 50 Industrial Wy, Portland
1:00 pm - Gimme Gimme Disco →
Aura 121 Center Street Portland, ME 04101
9:00 pm
Wednesday August 26
Thursday August 27
Tuesday September 1
Saturday September 5
Saturday September 12
📣 Portland Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Portland PatchAM possible:
- Insurcomm Restoration — (866) 708-5357
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Because it is so dry out now, there are very few sources of water available to all wildlife.
Please put out a bowl or any suitable container with water in your yard, if possible! Thank you! (Nextdoor Rosemont) - Homemade IceCream Sandwiches tonight (Friday Aug 21st) the Fifth Maine 5:30 - 8 .
Come enjoy Québécois Fiddle Music, concert starts at 7, picnic on the porch beforehand. Support our immigrant community (Nextdoor Peaks Island)
- Arkansas Best Corporation posted a job opening for CDL-A Local Driver / Forklift Operator, Part Time in Portland. Apply here.
- ServiceMaster Clean posted a job opening for Cleaner / Janitor in Portland. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Portland here.
Ok Portland! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Bison! (Thank you Judy M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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