Maine group puts up money to fund college scholarships.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- A community group wants to help South Portland High School graduates to continue their education and will put up money to get the job done.

The South Portland Scholarship Committee has launched a fundraising effort with a longterm goal of providing $4,000 to each high school graduate--$2,000 for each of the first two years of postsecondary education. The first step is to raise $20,000 to get the program started.

Eventually, supporters want to provide the scholarships to students regardless of academic achievement or economic need.

A study released last month by the Sen. George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute …