AUGUSTA — A bill that’s being heralded as “first-of-its-kind” legislation aimed at closing the state’s so-called “skills gap” easily cleared the Maine Senate on Wednesday. The bill, LD 90 — the work of a special committee of the Legislature — was rolled out last week and broadly praised as a bipartisan solution to a problem […]
economy
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
After near-stall in late 2012, economy picking up momentum
WASHINGTON — After nearly stalling in late 2012, the American economy quickened its pace early this year despite deep government cutbacks. The strongest consumer spending in two years fueled a 2.5 percent annual growth rate in the January-March quarter. The question is: Can it last? Federal spending cuts, higher Social Security taxes and cautious businesses […]
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Posted inOp-Eds
Maine’s economic doldrums may be behind LePage turnabout
Consistency, we are learning, is not something one can expect from Gov. Paul LePage. The Republican governor came into office as the scourge of debt. He argued against borrowing in all its forms, whether bonds issued by state agencies or approved by the voters. He backed up his point by vetoing bond issues and refusing […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Expanding Medicaid would give state boost, report says
AUGUSTA — Expanding Medicaid in Maine would stimulate $350 million in economic activity, create more than 3,100 jobs and generate as much as $18 million in state and local taxes annually, according to a policy report released Tuesday. But if Maine decides against expanding Medicaid, it stands to lose to other states the $256 million […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Businesses in military towns brace for budget hit
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Like many who make their living in the commercial strip outside the gates of Fort Bragg, Mike Thomas is confident the $85 billion in automatic military spending cuts will hurt sales at his used car lot and rim shop. The vast majority of his customers work on the base, and smaller […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
After summer glut, Maine mulls helping lobster biz
PORTLAND — Lawmakers are looking to boost Maine’s troubled lobster industry with proposals that would pump more money into marketing the state’s signature seafood and offer tax breaks to encourage more lobster processing. The moves follow last year’s chaotic fishing season that saw a lobster glut, a crash in wholesale prices and tensions boil over. […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Hannaford parent company lays off 350 corporate employees; Scarborough affected
Delhaize America, owner of Hannaford, is laying off 350 corporate employees, including an unspecified number at the supermarket chain’s headquarters in Scarborough. Michael Norton, a Hannaford spokesman, wouldn’t confirm how many of the 350 layoffs would take place in Scarborough, where the company employs roughly 1,000 people in corporate, back-office functions. “We’re not parsing it […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage declines liquor operator’s plea to keep state contract
AUGUSTA — The company that has operated Maine’s wholesale liquor business since 2004 pledged Wednesday to help the state repay the $186 million it owes its hospitals while guaranteeing the state at least $32 million in annual revenue in exchange for continuing to operate the business for another 10 years. But swiftly declined the offer […]
Posted inOur View
Politics slows economy that wants to grow
There has been constant disagreement throughout this long economic slump about what the government should be doing to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. But we may have finally reached the point where the best thing Washington can do is simply get off the front page and out of the way. Many experts now agree […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage swears, storms out of meeting with independent House members, lawmakers say
AUGUSTA — swore, pounded a table and stormed out of a meeting with three independent House members last week, according to the lawmakers. The trio said they hoped to talk to the governor about alternate approaches to balancing the state budget. Instead, the lawmakers said the governor called them “idiots” and again railed against Maine’s […]