Business and Economy

Maine's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is opening an investigation into Central Maine Power’s (CMP) winter disconnection policies.

According to federal data released earlier this month, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maine dropped by more than 15 percent from 2018 to last year. But housing advocates say those numbers are misleading — and that decline actually reflects the fact that fewer people received some state services.

Maine, like the nation, has now seen economic growth that's gone on unbroken for over a decade. That growth has been reflected in real estate development around the state. Will it continue? The question will be explored Thursday at an annual conference of the Maine Real Estate and Development Association, known as MEREDA.

The Maine Department of Transportation released a three-year work plan that includes more than 2,000 projects worth nearly $2.6 billion. It also contains something else: a plea to state lawmakers to help the department fill a project backlog spurred by higher construction costs, workforce shortages and chronic underfunding.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins is claiming a victory for lobstermen in President Trump's just-announced trade deal with China. But after taking a big hit during the height of the trade war, some in the industry are being cautious about the latest developments.