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
July 17, 2017

Evicted without cause and forced to live in shabby room, Portland woman dies alone

Margaret Peters, who was 56, couldn’t find an affordable apartment in the city and ended up in a condemned building that she was desperate to leave.
Published
July 12, 2017

Portland seeks donations for program that puts panhandlers to work

Public contributions are needed to further the effort, which pays $10.68 an hour for cleaning up parks and public spaces.
Published
July 8, 2017

Interactive ‘wall’ sculpture in Old Port park raises doubts, but wins city approval

Portland officials approve a temporary art installation with pieces the public can move around and transform.
Published
July 4, 2017

Portland stormwater project will disrupt State Street traffic for months

The construction project will snarl traffic on a major thoroughfare in the city throughout the summer.
Published
July 3, 2017

Cruise ship arrives in Portland with 4 passengers needing medical help

The passengers aboard the Celebrity Summit had unrelated injuries and medical conditions requiring a trip to a hospital.
Published
July 1, 2017

Tornadoes likely touched down in western Maine

The National Weather Service says there likely were two or three in the Bridgton-Sebago Lake area.
Published
July 1, 2017

Shutdown puts some multistate lottery games out of reach

The Maine State Lottery office is closed, and four draw games – Powerball, Mega Millions, Hot Lotto and Lucky for Life – won’t be available until the shutdown ends.
Published
June 26, 2017

Portland condemns apartment building because of frequent police visits

It’s the first time the city has taken such an extreme measure to get a landlord to address issues under its disorderly houses ordinance.
Published
June 26, 2017

Portland’s tight housing market puts low-income renter in bind

Margaret Peters scrambled to find housing in 2015 after her landlord evicted her to make renovations. Now she’s facing eviction – and poor prospects – again.
Published
June 19, 2017

Mainland parking near ferry, vital to island life, drying up in Portland

As development and other activity eat up spaces, city officials try to help those who need to park vehicles on the waterfront before the crossing home.