Business and Economy

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With Holiday Shipping Ramping Up, Maine Union President Calls For USPS To Reverse Course On Changes

By • Nov 17, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press

As Postmaster General Louis DeJoy calls for reform, postal workers in Maine and around the country held a day of action on Tuesday to protest recent changes they say have delayed the mail and threatened an American institution.

Businesses Don't Know Whether To Delay Hazard Pay Under Portland's New Provision

By • Nov 17, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press

Portland employers face a costly dilemma in a dispute over the effective date of a “hazard-pay” boost in the city’s minimum wage. And rather than risk an expensive legal fight they might lose, some are already deciding to pare back staff or hike prices for customers.

Portland Voters OK'd Hazard Pay Ordinance, But It's Unclear When It Goes Into Effect

By • Nov 13, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press

Portland businesses say it’s not clear whether a voter-approved minimum wage ordinance will require them to offer minimum “hazard pay” of $18 an hour for in-person workers starting next month.

Allagash Joins Nationwide Racial Equity Effort With Its Black Is Beautiful Release

By • Nov 12, 2020
Black Owned Maine via Allagash Brewing

A Maine brewery putting its skills towards supporting racial equity and justice in the state.

Portland Officials Say Minimum Wage Law Won't Go Into Effect Until 2022

By • Nov 11, 2020

Portland Mayor Kate Snyder says the city’s new wage law and its additional hazard pay provision for workers in times of emergency — such as COVID-19 — won’t go into effect until Jan. 2022.

Airbnb Bookings Show Bar Harbor Is A Popular Thanksgiving Destination

By • Nov 10, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press file

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Maine, the short-term rental company Airbnb says Bar Harbor is a top trending destination for those looking to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Maine Weekly Unemployment Filings Tick Up To 1,685

By • Nov 5, 2020

More Mainers applied for state unemployment benefits last week.

CMP Transmission Project Wins Army Corps Permit

By • Nov 4, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded Central Maine Power a permit for the controversial transmission line the company wants to build through Maine’s western woods.

The 145-mile line would carry hydro-electricity from Canadian dams through western Maine and into the regional power grid, to serve a contract with Massachusetts utilities. The corps permit requires mitigation for wetland and other ecological impacts, and it is one of the last approvals the project needs.

With Reopening Delayed, Maine Bars And Tasting Rooms Fear For Their Survival

By • Nov 2, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press file

Industry groups say that some bars and tasting rooms in Maine may not be able to survive, as many must continue to stay closed while COVID-19 numbers surge in the state.

Union Officials: Rumford Mill Restructuring Could Lead To Over 120 Layoffs

By • Nov 2, 2020
Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press

Union officials at Rumford's ND Paper Mill are concerned about a new restructuring plan that they say could lead to hundreds of layoffs.

Refinery Plans To Produce Fuel From Paper, Lumber Mill Waste

By • Oct 30, 2020

PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine research company has announced a partnership with a New Hampshire wholesale energy supplier to produce and market a patented zero-emission biofuel.

Unemployment Claims Tick Upward In Maine

By • Oct 29, 2020

First-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose last week, after falling the previous two weeks.

Out-Of-State Demand Pushes Maine Real Estate Prices Sky High

By • Oct 23, 2020

Maine’s red-hot real estate market got a little hotter last month. The latest data from the Maine Association of Realtors show the median sale price of a home rose nearly 20 percent over Sept. 2019 levels, to more than $270,000.

Maine Economic Forecasters Raise Flags As Federal Pandemic Stimulus Dries Up

By • Oct 23, 2020

So far this budget year, Maine state revenues have been above estimates that were made after the pandemic forced many business closures. But state Labor Department economists warn that the federal stimulus programs that pumped billions into the state economy are almost exhausted.

Hazardous Materials Force Evacuation Of Skowhegan New Balance Factory

By • Oct 22, 2020
Jay Field / Maine Public file

The New Balance factory in Skowhegan has been evacuated due to a hazardous materials incident.

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