NEWSLETTER | Oh, the Places You’ll Go

What a week!

Considering it was the first birthday I was dreading; it turned to be the best birthday week I can remember.

As we age, we are all reminded to focus on friends, family and doing what we love.

Because I love writing news about Biddeford, I was able to accomplish all three of those goals this week.

The Gazette featured some pretty interesting and exclusive content this week, including our in-depth examination about a so-called buffer zone that has found the city of Biddeford and the University of New England battling in York County Superior Court.

UNE President Dr, James Herbert and City Councilor Pat Boston listen to several angry residents who expressed frustration during Monday’s public hearing about development at UNE;s Biddeford campus (Seaver photo)

Our contributing writer Jim Krause also offered Gazette readers a carefully researched story that explains what you need to know when a door-to-door solicitor comes knocking on your door.

We were also very pleased to share the great news that the York/Biddeford/OOB boys’ hockey team won the state championship Saturday, edging Hampden Academy, 3-2 in a thrilling game at the Cross Arena in Portland. Way to go, guys!

Celebration photo by Eric Parent

As an added treat, we had a blast providing video and print reporting of the first Coffee With A Cop event that was held Wednesday at the Community Center in Biddeford. Nice work by the Biddeford Recreation Department in organizing the event!

Joy to sorrow

The very best part of my week was being invited back to the Biddeford Primary School to read to some second-grade students in Jillian Palladino’s class on Monday. The kids surprised me with a special rendition of Happy Birthday to celebrate both my birthday and that of Dr. Seuss (also Jon Bon Jovi and writer John Irving).

For obvious reasons, I chose to read Oh The Places You’ll Go to the kids.

But this week ended on a bittersweet note when I learned of Curtis Robinson’s passing while working on this week’s local obituaries.

I did not know Curtis. He was only a few years older than me, but he was a notable, old-school journalist who got to hang around with my idol Hunter S. Thompson.

‘One of the last great newspapermen” | Curtis Robinson (Aspen Daily News photo)

According to a recent feature story in the Aspen Daily News, Robinson was a journalist’s journalist: “dogged and irreverent kind of journalist — the type who wouldn’t take BS if it was served on a silver platter and knew a government meeting was good material if you could write about it with verve.”

Robinson’s sister lives in South Portland. Our condolences to his family and friends

And that’s a wrap for this week! Some good stuff on the horizon, so keep reading and checking back for the latest updates.

Better yet, subscribe to the Biddeford Gazette today! It’s free and certainly worth it.

CORRECTION | In the first photo caption above, one of our readers alerted us that we mistakenly identified Biddeford City Councilor Pat Boston as “Bat’ Boston. It was a typographical error, and we apologize for the mistake.

THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE | A Legacy of Trusted, Independent Journalism

Our editorial standards and policies: Biddeford Gazette | Standards & Policies

© 2026 Biddeford Gazette, Inc. All Rights Reserved

BPS kids give editor birthday greeting

Students at Biddeford Primary School wish the Gazette’s editor a happy birthday.

What a truly awesome way to celebrate your birthday!

I used to be a second grader in Biddeford — a long, long time ago, And that — along with the fact that today is also the birthday of Dr. Seuss, I thought it was fitting to read “Oh the Places You’ll Go’ as part of the Read Across America initiative.

Thanks, kids! You made me cry!

Randy Seaver reads “Oh the Places You’ll Go” to some second graders at Biddeford Primary School

______________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

Never miss an update! Subscribe for free today!

THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE | A Legacy of Trusted, Independent Journalism

Our editorial standards and policies: Biddeford Gazette | Standards & Policies

© 2026 Biddeford Gazette, Inc. All Rights Reserved

NEWSLETTER | Paradise City

It’s been an interesting, busy and somewhat exhausting week here at the Biddeford Gazette.

In fact, I was moving in some many directions that I forgot to send out this newsletter on Saturday.

My former boss David Flood always used to say there’s a lot more to running a newspaper than just writing and publishing news stories. I never appreciated that fact until I decided to launch my own publication.

Spreadsheets, meeting with our attorney, tracking expenses, insurance, content distribution, reviewing analytics and coordinating other people’s work.

It’s a lot. And I’m not getting any younger. More about that in a moment.

Running a news organization involves a lot more than writing news,

Beyond all the tedious business stuff (all of which is well outside of my comfort zone), our news and editorial content is growing by leaps and bounds.

Consider this: In February 2025 – about three months after the Gazette was created – we published 14 items on our website, not including our weekly obituaries.

Flash forward one year, and we have seen an increase of more than 300 percent! During the month of February 2026, we published 49 items on the Gazette’s site.

The good news is that nearly 40 percent of that material was generated by the community, not by us.

These community contributions include several letters to the editor, guest columns and high-quality news and feature pieces, such as last week’s story from Tammy Wells about a new partnership between the Catholic Church and the York County Jail, allowing inmates to celebrate weekly Mass.

When Rep. Ryan Fecteau – Speaker of the Maine House — wanted to share his thoughts about recent ICE enforcement efforts in Maine, he asked the Gazette to publish his column.

State Rep. Marc Malon and State Sen. Henry Ingweresen also publish their regular monthly columns in the Gazette. Former mayor Marty Grohman submitted his own op-ed last month in the Gazette.

We are honored that so many people in the community regard the Gazette as a reliable and trusted source for community news and information.

Getting older; Biddeford Primary School Fun

On a personal note, this is my last day of being 61, and tomorrow (March 2) will be the first birthday that I wanted to avoid.

Every Sunday morning for the past 14 months, I spend a few hours editing, formatting and publishing local obituary notifications.

With increasing frequency, I am posting the obituaries of people who were younger than me at the time of their passing.

Statistically speaking, the average life expectancy of an American man is 76 years.

That means I likely have only 14 years or fewer remaining — for the rest of my life.

I remember clearly where I was 14 years ago today. It goes by really fast. Really fast.

All the advice from my friends, family and the expert gurus suggests that you should live each day to its fullest and focus on the things that make you happy.

So, I am pleased to announce that I have once again been invited to read to students in Ms. Jillian Palladino’s second-grade class at Biddeford Primary School. It’s the one part of my upcoming birthday that I am actually excited about.

Coincidentally, March 2 is also the birthday of Theodore Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss . . . what a wonderful confluence of events!

Quick recap and preview

Ward Five City Councilor David Kurtz (Seaver photo)

My favorite story this week comes from my thoroughly enjoyable interview with City Councilor David Kurtz. I will be doing similar interviews with each member of the city council over the next few weeks. (Chatting with City Councilors)

Our goal is to peel back the perfunctory layers to give our readers some deeper context about the men and women running our city.

Our most popular story this week – by far –was our exclusive coverage and tour of the Adams Point Family Housing project that is scheduled to open in April. That story blew up our email and social media accounts, underscoring Biddeford’s pressing need for more affordable housing.

What’s coming up?

I will cap off my birthday celebration tomorrow (March 2) by attending the first public hearing for the Institutional Zone Review Committee, which will be making recommendations about ongoing development at the University of New England’s Biddeford campus.

That meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at Biddeford City Hall.

Hope to see you there! Have a great week!

_________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He has been covering Biddeford news and politics for nearly three decades. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com

Never miss an update! Subscribe for free today!

THE BIDDEFORD GAZETTE | A Legacy of Trusted, Independent Journalism

Our editorial standards and policies: Biddeford Gazette | Standards & Policies

© 2026 Biddeford Gazette, Inc. All Rights Reserved