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Vigils Held in Maine to Remember Homeless

PORTLAND, Maine - A vigil is being held today in Portland to remember homeless people who have died.  The annual observance  takes place on the the longest night of the year. 

Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann says the vigils are becoming sadder and more frustrating every year. "We've got to do some things different," he says. "It's not just tragic; it's just ridiculous, at this point, that we've got people dying."

Swann says during the vigil the names of 40 people who have died on the street or in shelters in Portland will be read. A similar vigil will also be held in Lewiston this afternoon at 4:30.
 

 

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.