Lowe’s is closing stores in Ellsworth and Biddeford as part of a wider decision to shut down 20 stores nationwide, according from a release from the home improvement chain. The Auburn location will remain open. In the statement, the Mooresville, N.C.-based company said that 10 of the “underperforming” stores closed at the end of the […]
economy
Posted inBusiness, New England, sj-web
TD Bank to transfer jobs to from New England to N.J.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) — TD Bank is transferring several dozen jobs from northern New England to New Jersey. A TD Bank spokeswoman told the Bennington Banner (http://bit.ly/pnFY7D ) that just under 40 jobs in Brattleboro, Vt., Concord, N.H. and Portland, Maine are being relocated to Cherry Hill, N.J., as the bank downsizes its TD Wealth […]
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Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Obama seeks votes on jobs, piece by piece
FLETCHER, N.C. (AP) — Railing against Republicans, President Barack Obama on Monday pushed for a jobs package that Congress is splintering into pieces, as Senate Democrats planned action first on a longshot plan to help states hire teachers, police and firefighters. In campaign mode on the road, Obama accused Republicans senators of saying no to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Barber Foods plant in Maine to lay off 71 workers
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A food-processing company known for its frozen stuffed chicken products says it’s cutting 71 jobs at its Portland processing plant because product lines are being moved to another plant owned by its parent company. Barber Foods was acquired by AdvancePierre Foods, of Cincinnati, last spring. A few weeks later, the company […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine gas prices keep going down; $3.50 on average
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s average gasoline prices are continuing their downward slide, but they’re still not as low as they were a year ago. MaineGasPrices.com says average retail gasoline prices in the state have fallen 0.8 cent per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.50 on Sunday. While that average is 23.2 cents per […]
Posted inBusiness
Friendly’s restaurant has closed in Lewiston
LEWISTON — Friendly’s parent company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has closed 63 restaurants nationwide, including the one on Sabattus Street. Two others in Maine — on Main Street in Freeport and High Street in Ellsworth — also closed Tuesday night. The restaurants each employed about 20 people, said Friendly’s spokesman Rich […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Reporter query: Are you dealing with hunger?
As the economy continues to flag, more people don’t know where their next meal will come from. The Sun Journal is working on a story about hunger in Maine, and we’re looking for people dealing with the issue. If you are struggling to get food on the table and would be willing to be interviewed […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
LePage: Plenty of jobs, not enough skills
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage gathered two dozen Maine employers from a broad cross-section of industries to the Blaine House on Friday to talk about strategies for improving the sluggish job market. The problem, the governor learned, is not a lack of jobs. The problem is that Maine’s labor force is not adequately skilled […]
Posted inNew England, sj-web
Fewer attending job sessions on N.H. federal prison
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — While residents in New Hampshire’s North Country await funding for the still-empty federal prison in Berlin, some are beginning to wonder if the prison and its much-needed jobs will ever become reality. Work on the 1,280-bed prison was completed last year and a warden has been hired. Officials had hoped to […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Dow plunges more than 634 points after downgrade; Tuesday starts with selling spree in Asia
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 634.76 points Monday, the first trading day since Standard & Poor’s downgraded American debt. It was the sixth-worst point decline for the Dow in the last 112 years and the worst drop since December 2008. Every stock in the S&P 500 index declined. But the S&P downgrade wasn’t the […]