Randy Billings

Portland Press Herald

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.

Latest

Published
November 21, 2023

Top state officials see a long road to recovery after Lewiston shooting

The Governor’s Children’s Cabinet convened a special meeting Tuesday to discuss efforts to provide resources to students and teachers coping with the state’s worst mass shooting.
Published
November 20, 2023

Former Gov. Paul LePage hopes to raise $500,000 for families of Lewiston shooting victims

The former Republican governor and Lewiston native hopes to distribute the money to the families of the 18 people killed and 13 survivors before Christmas.
Published
November 16, 2023

Lawmakers will take up bills to increase shelter funding, but won’t ban encampment sweeps

Legislative leaders decided Thursday to allow lawmakers to move forward with bills to shore up the state’s emergency shelters amid rising numbers of homeless people.
Published
November 15, 2023

Watchdog finds ‘errors on top of errors’ in death of 6-week-old Jaden Harding

A state watchdog agency submitted the critical report to a legislative committee Wednesday.
Published
November 10, 2023

Support for federal workers affected by government shutdowns makes list of new bills going before lawmakers

Nearly 60 new bills have so far been teed up for the upcoming legislative session, and more are expected to come forward in the wake of the Oct. 25 mass shootings in Lewiston.
Published
November 9, 2023

State workers vote no confidence in director of child development services

The union representing agency workers called on the Maine Department of Education to replace Director Roberta Lucas, citing a ‘toxic work environment’ and her ‘apparent support’ for dissolving the agency.
Published
November 8, 2023

Maine’s child protection staff: ‘We work within a broken system’

Lawmakers reviewing the state’s child protective agency hear testimony from front-line workers for the first time Wednesday, and their message is sobering.
Published
November 7, 2023

Voters pass ban on foreign spending on referendum campaigns

Question 2 bans foreign governments and affiliated organizations from spending on Maine referendum campaigns.
Published
November 5, 2023

Will Lewiston massacre lead to new gun control laws in Maine?

Gun safety is certain to dominate debate in the State House when lawmakers return in January, but options may be limited – members of both parties voted to block gun safety bills this year.
Published
November 2, 2023

Should Maine’s yellow flag law have been used to prevent Lewiston shootings? Its sponsor thinks so

Sen. Lisa Keim, R-Dixfield, says that it appears the state’s so-called yellow flag law could have been used to take away Robert Card’s guns, but others say the law includes too many obstacles.