West End March Held Despite Big Snowstorm

About 30 people, mostly members of the Irish American Club and the West End Neighborhood Association, held the traditional St. Patrick’s Day march on March17th from St. Dominic’s Church on Gray Street to Harborview Park, despite a late winter storm that brought as much as a foot of snow to the city. Governor John Baldacci, who is usually in attendance at the event, was prevented from coming by the weather.

The march kicked off just after 12 noon from the steps of the historic church which now serves as the Maine Irish Heritage Center. The marchers, complete with flags and banners, went down State Street, west on Danforth, and down Tate Street to the park, where they held a flag-raising and a ceremony honoring the late neighborhood activist Eddie Murphy. Many of the marchers then went across York Street to Popeye’s Ice House, where they continued to celebrate.

City Councilors David Marshall and Kevin Donoghue attended the event, as well as West End School Committee member Robert O’Brien, who helped organize it. A parade that was scheduled to go along Commercial Street to the Maine State Pier was cancelled because of the weather.

That’s My Purse!

At 11:40 PM on March 4, police were called to the Iguana, in the Old Port, after a purse was reported stolen from a customer.
Maria Bryce, 21, was arrested for theft and violation of bail conditions. Her companion Michael Mitchell, 24, was arrested for disorderly conduct, refusal to submit to arrest, and probation violation. The victim’s purse was recovered. -Marge Niblock