Augusta

Augusta city councilors approved a series of tax incentives and zoning changes late last week that will allow the project to move forward.

Tests conducted last year of the two wells were below the state limit of 20 parts per trillion, but last month new testing found levels of 23.3 parts per trillion.

Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner — along with many other riverfront communities — are are still dealing with high water levels. But business owners are starting to dig out and assess the damage after the worst flooding in decades.

The office will have six attorneys and is part of a multi-year push by the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services to open additional public defender offices around the state.

A group of activists met in Augusta today to march to city hall to call for more affordable housing.

The discussion occurred two days before a group of neo-Nazis held a roughly hour-long rally near the Blaine House. State lawmakers have denounced the presence of such hate groups in Maine and called for additional regulations.

The incident is, again, putting a spotlight on the lack of affordable housing and shelters in the Capital city.

A draft proposal would require landlords to pay an annual registration fee of $100 per rental unit to cover the costs of hiring more code enforcement officials and more frequent inspections.

The center will be open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and will initially have capacity for about 20 residents.