A Portland Boathouse Is Reopening As a Kid-Friendly Destination for Fish Sandwiches
In the mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. it'll be coffee and pastries, with grab-and-go items meant to provide what a grocery store might. Then a lunch and dinner-focused menu will be on throughout the afternoon until 10 p.m. This will be the only upscale outdoor restaurant on the island of about 4,000 people, including the houseboat residents.
That menu is seafood-forward as can be. There'll be Oregon albacore tuna salad, oversized fish sandwiches with the goods spilling out the side, and Oregon's own Bay shrimp on a local rendition of a lobster roll. The fish comes breaded in Panko and dusted in kettle chips, shoved between those comically tiny buns. Dungeness crab should make an appearance when it's in season. There's soft serve on deck, too.
Fellow business partner and cocktail wiz Sean Ford is behind the no-joke drinks program. He's got his own cocktail syrups company, was the Teardrop general manager, and is part-owner of various bars. He's rolling out classics including the Dark and Stormy alongside more inventive beverages like a Banoffee Bahama Mama riff served with Hamilton dark rum, banana liqueur, a shot of soft serve, and a spoon.
For his part, Kenney helped open the lakeside resort the Suttle Lake Lodge & Boathouse in Sisters back in 2015. The resort and restaurant sits by the 380-acre Suttle Lake in the Deschutes National Forest. The idea was to bring an egalitarian and approachable food option that kids would remember stopping at once they're older. Much of that same energy is brought to Pal's by Kenney and his team. The vibe is going for somewhere between the original Dairy Queen's and Maine's classic Bagaduce Lunch.
He's got the opportunity thanks to a friend who owns the Pal's space asked him if he'd be able to run that Suttle Lodge playbook on Hayden Island. The space is a some 40-year-old leasing office in the marina. The building and grounds are getting a facelift into a big lawn with space for kids and families to sit and enjoy the food. Kenney got this idea from his experiences working in Austin, Texas where he says it's much more common for wide open private spaces that are attached to a restaurant. Pistils Nursery is helping design the buildout and provide plant life.
The hope is for families to come here again and again, to spend warm days down by the water eating soft serve late into the night.'I see the kids running around throwing food for the geese to eat,' Kenney says, 'and people pulling their boats up for a bite to eat.'
Pal's (515 NE Tomahawk Island Drive, Portland) will open in early July. Opening hours are 7 to to 10 p.m. everyday. See More: Portland Restaurant Openings
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WNBA union rep calls league's CBA offer a ‘slap in the face' as feud intensifies
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Maine Legislature opts for status quo on campaign finance regulations
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Federal Election Commission, which overturned century-old campaign finance restrictions by allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on elections. 'The reality is,' Graham said, 'until Congress repeals Citizens United, we're faced with this dilemma.' The rejection of these bills comes at a time when there is a strong appetite for change among the public. Maine voters overwhelmingly passed laws in the past two general elections to place stricter regulations on money in politics, with both including measures aimed at overturning Citizens United in different ways. However, those changes have so far been blocked as legal battles play out in the courts. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit sided with the plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits against the 2023 law, which prohibited foreign government spending in elections. The judge ruled the law is likely unconstitutional and affirmed the district court's preliminary injunction. 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Who can spend and who knows about it In 2021, Maine passed a law that made several changes to campaign finance law, including banning direct corporate contributions to candidates and leadership PACs, which are controlled by legislators. But lawmakers repealed the law shortly after in 2023, with some supporters arguing it was unfair to businesses and others that the law lacked clarity. This year, LD 1350 attempted to reinstate the part of the law that banned corporate contributions, but it was unanimously rejected by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee and both chambers later followed suit. Currently, 23 states completely prohibit corporations from contributing to political campaigns, and federal law prohibits such direct contributions in connection to federal elections. Bennett reintroduced a bill to increase transparency regarding who spends money in elections, but it died again this year, also after being unanimously rejected by the committee. The bill, LD 951, would have required political action committees that receive contributions of at least $10,000 from a single contributor and spend more than $50,000 in Maine elections to disclose the original source of those funds. It was based on a similar law in Arizona. Donors frequently obscure their political activity by giving to a politically oriented nonprofit, which then donates money to a candidate. Ordinarily, campaign disclosure laws would only list the nonprofit as the source of the money. Maine Citizens for Clean Elections supported this measure, with attorney John Brautigam pointing the committee to polls that show Americans of all political persuasions overwhelmingly support disclosure of such donations. But the Maine Education Association, Maine Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood and other groups were opposed, arguing the requirements in LD 951 go too far and threaten the personal safety contributors. 'It seems like the one thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is keeping the current dysfunctional system in place,' Bennett told Maine Morning Star. 'Any one of these things by themselves won't do it, but we do need a different approach.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-07-2025
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'I Felt Like I Was Being Watched': 31 US Towns That Totally Freaked People Out
Do you love all things weird, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the mysterious, cult-like, bad-vibes towns they came across in the United States. And I'm not exaggerating when I say there were A LOT of responses. Here are the sketchiest ones: Note: Apologies if your hometown is on this everyone's experience is personal, and who knows, maybe you agree with what these people experienced? of Refuge/Miracle Village, Florida — "It's a community for registered sex offenders. Tucked away in the vast, quiet stretches of South Florida, Miracle Village stands out for reasons that make you blink twice. Built in the 1960s for people who worked on sugar cane fields, it now houses a population you won't find gathered anywhere else. Florida's hardline laws push people convicted of sexual offenses to the margins, and these margins lead straight to Miracle Village. It's a place where they're allowed to exist, one of the very few places that'll have them. Here's where it gets sticky, though. The town offers a shot at redemption, but at what cost? Some folks think cramming everyone with the same past into one place is a ticking time bomb. But life there? It's quiet. Almost too quiet. The village's isolation serves two purposes: keeping the residents out of sight and giving them some peace, a sanctuary of sorts. It's eerie and leery." —smellycowboy28 New Mexico — "Took a wrong turn going to Albuquerque on Christmas Eve. Google Maps said it was a straight line to the connecting highway, and it and through a mountain. The road had sharp turns and steep dropoffs with no rails. It was getting dark, and fog started to settle in — puddles on the road would soon be ice. We were very low on gas, and the hairpin roads were too small to turn around. Cell phone reception dropped off. Thank God we rolled into not. Nothing was open. Not a soul in sight. We found a cop car sitting under a lamp in the tiny town square. I got out of the car to approach him, and when I got close, I saw the cop was a mannequin! Oh, hell no. I ran to the car, and right then, two teenagers walked out of the fog. Out of desperation, we asked how to get to the main highway. They showed us a road and we coasted on empty away from that creepy town and down the mountain. The Hillsboro has eyes!" —Anonymous Related: Texas — "I was born in Beaumont, near Vidor, as was my father. Vidor has always been a sundown town, and we avoided it if at all possible. When we lived there (mid-1970s), they still had signs posted saying, 'N-word, don't let the sun set on your head in Vidor.' I'm sure they are still there." —mindymegasloucks A sundown town refers to a community in the United States that historically excluded nonwhite people — especially Black Americans — through formal laws, unofficial policies, intimidation, or violence. The term comes from signs that were often posted at town or city limits telling non-white people to leave by sundown. Oregon — "Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. He started a cult, tried to take over a town, poisoned the city (not the entire city), and had armed guards. Just Google the name. Too much BS to remember all the things he tried to get away with." —evilminion33 Popularized by the Netflix docuseries Wild Wild Country, the Rajneeshees (followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) founded a commune called Rajneeshpuram in central Oregon during the '80s. They fought with locals for many years, and there was even an internal assassination attempt on Bhagwan's personal doctor. Michigan — "It's a (not-so-former) Klan town. Not so much creepy in the background vibes, but blatant white supremacy and racist cult vibes for sure." —Anonymous Washington — "It's where the Ramtha School of Enlightenment 'cult' is headquartered. I visited a bookstore that was all new age and had Ramtha-related items, and I bought a bookmark with just a picture of the eyes of the leader, J. Z. Knight. Weird place. " —Anonymous, 43, Maine City, Iowa — "Everyone is Dutch and Christian, they don't accept you into the community unless you join the church. Main Street has fake fronts on all the buildings to make them look Dutch. When I lived there, I was in middle school, and they pumped canned music through the town on loudspeakers. You could be arrested for mowing your lawn on Sunday. It was freaky." —Anonymous Vermont — "A friend and I stopped at the Yellow Deli in Rutland before we had any idea who it was run by. We dealt with several people who were so ridiculously polite and friendly that it was actually kind of creepy; my friend and I joked that they must be in a cult. I got the 'Deli Rose' sandwich. I don't support the Twelve Tribes cult that runs the place, but that was hands-down the best sandwich I've ever had. I don't know what kind of secret ingredient they put in it, but I've tried over and over, and I can't replicate it. Now that I know who they are, I can't go back, but that was roughly fifteen years ago, and I STILL think about that delicious bastard two or three times a month." —srandlett25 Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona — "They're sister cities and Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints strongholds. Thirty years ago, it was like stepping into The Twilight Zone. People would watch you as you drove down the street by peeking out their windows, but as soon as you looked back, they would close the drapes. The police would come up and drive slowly behind you until you left town. Those who were out and about would look at you like you were the spawn of Satan himself. Children were never riding bikes, playing ball, or doing kid stuff. They looked like mini adults with worried looks on their faces." —Anonymous California — "I was there on a cloudy April day, and the vibe alone scared me despite being with a large group of people. When we went to a coffee shop, the people inside stared us down like we didn't belong. They were all pretty quiet and shady. There was unfinished construction on every block, and overall, the town had a ghost town feel, and strangers looked at you from what felt like every angle. I've never had such strong feelings about a place before, but I know I'm not going back there ever again." —sleepingtruck497 Related: USA — "The theme park founded by televangelist Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye. Also, it was not me, but my younger brother (no longer with us). In the mid-'80s, my brother returned to school as a journalism major at the University of South Carolina. One of his assignments was to write a story about the newly opened theme park. So, one weekend, off he went. He later told me that the whole time he was there, he felt like he had to keep looking over his shoulder because he felt like a couple of guys were going to come up behind him, grab him, and say, 'You don't belong here.' Wish he was still here to tell you himself.' —Anonymous Vernon, Washington — "Walked into a Christian bookstore in the early 1980s. In the back they had Nazi books and, being Hispanic, I got a very creepy feeling." —fancyghost473 Missouri — "Look up Ken Rex McElroy, read about his murder, and then go visit the town." —boringgamer763 Ken McElroy was known for "terrorizing" the town of Skidmore, Missouri, in the 1950s. Over many years, he was accused of several crimes, including assault, theft, rape, and others. He gained notoriety as the "town bully." He was eventually convicted of attempted murder in 1981 but released on bond not long after. It was reported that residents got so "fed up" with his crimes that they organized an "extrajudicial killing," shooting him to death as he exited a bar in July 1981. Washington — "My ex-boyfriend and I went camping at Hood Park, which is just right outside of Burbank. We went into town to get some beer and went to the only bar they had in town. There was not a soul out in the looked totally abandoned! We walked into the bar, and all three of the patrons turned around to stare at us. We felt so out of place. It was soooo creepy. We left a bit earlier than we had planned." —amariem_88 Salton Sea, California — "It's an inland lake in Imperial County that was formed when an irrigation canal burst in the 1920s, letting the Colorado River flow into the below sea level desert. It's smelly, fly-ridden, and slowly dying due to poor environmental management and farm irrigation regulations. It is so polluted that the area has the highest rates of asthma in the US. In the 1950s and '60s, there were resorts and casinos built, and it was full of fish, swimming, boating, and life. All the resorts and casinos are abandoned and crumbling now. Everything is salt crusted and the meth labs have taken over the area. In the winter, there are modern-day hippies and RVs camping on the abandoned concrete slabs in 'slab city,' left over from a World War 2 military training ground. If you drive through, people stop to look at you like you're an alien. The surrounding desert is filled with trash and coyotes. It's the weirdest area in Southern California." —purpletortoise186 Pennsylvania — "Racist. Racist! RACIST!!! Look up Worthington billboards and you'll see what I mean. The most racist guy owns a gas station that has cheaper gas than anyone else, so everyone goes to him, and he uses his profits to display the most vile things. He got in trouble for displaying Swastikas, but after a half-ass apology, went back to displaying them. The whole town excuses his antics." —Anonymous Related: Minnesota — "I grew up in a previously abandoned house in Wasioja. It is a tiny unincorporated town that fizzled out after the Civil War. The house I lived in was a boarding house for seminary students, who lived there for three years before they went off and were killed almost immediately in the war. All around the town were rings of trees planted in yards in honor of those men who had died. The railroad bypassed the little town, and with all the men gone, everyone moved away. All that was left in the '80s when I was a kid were a few old bristly pioneer types and a bunch of old buildings that were built in the 1860s. It was kind of like a time capsule that never wanted to be one. The whole village felt 'off.' I always felt like someone was watching me wherever I went. My parents ended up flattening the house I grew up in, and got out of there. I moved a few hours away." —sportypony353 18."Rhyolite, Nevada — Pulled into this ghost town in the early '90s with a friend to check it out. Someone who apparently had taken up residence immediately started shooting at us. We left as fast as we could." —Anonymous Texas — "It's the town that weed built. It has a river running through town, and you could see weed growing on the riverbanks as you float by. The community is just now starting to integrate. Fifteen years ago, you did not catch a person of color living in the town proper. It is common to see a man beating his wife or kids at the Dollar General or the gas station. People pick up and eat roadkill. The mayor of the town is rumored to be a Branch Davidian, and he brags about attending Trump events when he is not fighting on the internet with misspelled words and handmade memes." —Anonymous Iowa — "Super conservative, religious culty vibes. People here live in a bubble where they think their views are the same everywhere. They are stunned when opposing views are expressed. So much so that those who don't agree are afraid to speak out. Plus, there is a small 'members-only' church with guards at the door to prevent non-members from entering." —susans4176e6f6a Georgia — "I've been there twice (4 nights total) while on a drive to Disney, and it looks so creepy. Shit ton of gun stores, smoke shops, and strip clubs. And the highest rated hotel? Paint literally peeling off the walls." —Anonymous Mississippi — "Dated a girl from there, and aside from the inbreeding that went on, the whole town seemed 'too happy.' I can't describe it. False cheeriness, like the townspeople had something to hide. It felt very surreal. Years later I learned it was near where they had The Valley Of The Kings cult, where the leader and his son were sexually abusing minor-age members of the congregation." —thesettledpirate Francisville, Louisiana — "It has the honor of being named at least at one time, the most haunted place in America. I grew up there, and there are definitely creepy places there. There's Myrtle plantation, where I myself have seen some stuff. From apparitions in the windows to voices within walls and hallways, this place is definitely haunted. Also, the battle of Port Hudson, the longest battle of the Civil War, was fought nearby, and most of the current town served as a cemetery for the battle." —michaelcarlson New York — "I visited for work once. It's a legit decent-sized city, but the downtown area was completely devoid of life. No cars, no people on the streets. It had apocalypse vibes. Weird." —Anonymous Washington — "Stayed there a couple times, just a very odd movie set kinda vibe. You feel like you're being watched every minute." —Anonymous Related: St. Louis, Illinois — "This city has the worst vibes in the Midwest. You cross the Mississippi River over a bridge from the beautiful, modern metropolis of St. Louis, with its Gateway Arch welcoming all, to the lawless, burnt-down, post-apocalyptic remains of East St. Louis. It feels like the only businesses in town are strip clubs, maybe a few gas stations. The whole area feels like the US headquarters for human trafficking and drug/arms dealers to meet and exchange best practices. Not very 'cult like' but extremely sketchy nonetheless. It always felt like we were taking our lives into our hands when we crossed over that bridge to the East side. Apparently, it was a nice place to live until a little after WW2. " —Anonymous Wisconsin — "They provide you with all the amenities, but they own your soul. Plus, all the leaders there are swingers. You will love all the secrets you stumble upon there!" —Anonymous Kansas — "People have cult-like rituals. For example, there was a high school graduation involving people taking mushrooms and basically worshiping of oak leaves. Weird stuff. They also have a fear of outsiders, and many homes are proclaimed to be haunted." —Anonymous Palms, California — "It would be a great location for a David Lynch-esque vampire film if you catch my drift." —happybee333 Vermont — "My son and I were there for a college interview and tour. We went to dinner at a local restaurant. When we walked in, the whole place stopped talking and looked at us. I didn't want to seem nervous about it, so I said nothing. Halfway through dinner, my son said, 'Is it me, or is everyone staring at us?' They continued to stare throughout dinner. I don't know if it's because we were dressed up, brown, or outsiders. He ended up going to that college, and a woman who owned a B&B told me that it was like that for her for years when she first moved there. She was from Brazil." —Anonymous Maine (in general) — "'Town' is too broad a word, but if you ever drive through Maine at night, you suddenly understand why Stephen King sets all of his novels there. Maine is mostly dense evergreen forests dotted with farmland, even on the coast, and outside of the interstate, most major roads/highways have no streetlights. The darkness is all-consuming. It's a tangible, oppressive feeling that is just so unsettling. If you're lucky, you'll have the moon. If not, it's just you, the trees, an endless highway with maybe a house every 10 miles and another car every 20, and the beams of your headlights." —lobster_lemon_lime Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Is there a creepy US town you'd add to the list? Tell us about it in the comment or via the totally anonymous form below, and who knows, maybe there'll be a part two! Love this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Also in BuzzFeed: Also in BuzzFeed: Also in BuzzFeed:
