John Jabar, owner of Custom House Wharf and the Porthole restaurant, says that four businesses on the wharf were destroyed in Friday night’s fire and that he plans to start rebuilding as soon as the fire investigators have completed their job. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

In what has become an annual Portland tradition, couples will once again line up before dawn in downtown Portland at the start of the new year, hoping to snag a reservation at one of the city’s 200 public parks.

The smoke shop chain House of Pipes says they have been hit 14 times in 2025, with damages topping $80,000 in the latest break-in.

Crews knocked down flames on the roof of Maritime Antiques and checked neighboring businesses to ensure they were not occupied. The crews also ran hoses to the adjacent Sea Bags building. Eventually, firefighters were called off the roof, and it soon collapsed, sending a plume of smoke down the alley toward Commercial Street.

Portland’s wet holiday season appears to be coming to an end. As Christmas trees go out to the curb and decorations come down, the spell of heavy rain and snow that inundated the region in recent weeks is finally petering out,

Two people were taken to the hospital after a stabbing was reported in the area of Northeast 25th Avenue and Hancock Street. The suspect took off.