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.
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PublishedAugust 4, 2020
Portland officials try to help City Hall campers get shelter as storm bears down
The remnants of a hurricane highlight the need to address the encampment at City Hall, which has grown since a few people first pitched tents last month.
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PublishedJuly 29, 2020
Portland mayor listens to protesters’ stories of homelessness
The testimony of several individuals who struggle with homelessness had an impact on Mayor Kate Snyder, who sat with the city’s fire chief and several city councilors to listen to the protesters.
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PublishedJuly 27, 2020
City Hall campers vow to stay until demands are met
Portland closed the building Monday, and discussed the encampment during a workshop Monday night.
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PublishedJuly 21, 2020
Wave of evictions expected as courts reopen, assistance and protections expire
Thousands of evictions could be filed when hearings resume Aug. 3, and the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition is building a database to help inform policymakers.
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PublishedJuly 12, 2020
For thousands of unemployed Mainers, the system isn’t working
A historic wave of unemployment claims and a flood of fraudulent filings conspired with technology problems and staffing woes to create delays and headaches for people seeking benefits.
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PublishedJuly 12, 2020
Unemployment snafus leave three lives in limbo
Three personal tales reveal serious flaws in Maine’s system for filing and paying claims.
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PublishedJuly 2, 2020
Pandemic leads Preble Street to plan new approach to helping the poor and homeless
The social service agency in Portland wants to eliminate some programs and convert its Resource Center into a 40-bed shelter. The Bayside neighborhood may not go for it.
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PublishedJune 11, 2020
Police say they intercepted armed counterprotesters in Portland last week
The disclosure comes after a resident questions why officers were stationed on rooftops during last week’s protests and a police official says they were there to protect demonstrators.
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PublishedJune 5, 2020
Trump praises Guilford workers, jabs at Mills in visit that draws supporters, protesters
The governor fired back in a statement, accusing Trump of stoking divisions and questioning the value of his efforts to help Maine’s fishing industry by lifting restrictions in a conservation area far from the Maine coast.
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PublishedJune 4, 2020
Pandemic drives planning to revamp shelter system for Maine’s homeless
The health threat posed by crowded shelters has shown that ‘we simply can’t go back to the way things were,’ says MaineHousing Executive Director Dan Brennan.
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