Posted inFranklin, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley

Reason to worry, reason to hope

Some say the worst is over. Others worry more paper mill closings will follow last week’s Bucksport announcement. A look at what the future could hold for Jay and Rumford. When news broke 10 days ago that Bucksport’s paper mill would close, Ron Hemingway took to Facebook. “This could be us and we know that,” […]

Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web

LePage helps celebrate groundbreaking for new tissue mill in Baileyville

BAILEYVILLE — Gov. Paul LePage basked in the glow of a bright spot in Maine’s struggling pulp and paper industry Friday, participating in a ceremony marking construction at Woodland Pulp for a new tissue manufacturing plant. Woodland Pulp held a groundbreaking ceremony at its plant to showcase construction of the St. Croix Tissue mill, which […]

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Posted inBusiness, sj-web

Bucksport wrestles with what to do next

BUCKSPORT — While there are many questions and few solid answers now swirling about the future of the Verso paper mill and the 500-plus people employed there, lots of folks in Bucksport can agree that their community is at a crossroads. Many vacant storefronts dotted the business block of Bucksport long before last week’s announcement […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Cutler says state should buy Verso’s energy plant at Bucksport

PORTLAND, Maine — Eliot Cutler has called and written to the CEO of Memphis-based Verso Paper, asking for the company to sell its Bucksport mill to a buyer that would continue to make paper there. If not, the independent gubernatorial candidate said that as governor he would promote the state purchasing the energy assets to […]

Posted inBusiness, sj-web

Analysis: Why Maine paper mills are closing

There’s no one explanation for why three mills closed this year — East Millinocket, Old Town and Bucksport each supply, or supplied, different markets — but they share the common challenge of relatively high costs for energy and wood while demand for their products has declined. The three mills that closed were in tough markets. […]

Posted inBusiness, sj-web

Proposed Verso, NewPage merger changes game in Maine paper industry

The proposed merger of Verso Paper and NewPage Holdings, announced on Jan. 6, sent shockwaves through the local and global paper industries. Verso’s stock shot up more than 570 percent, analysts started chattering about implications for the global paper market, and millworkers in Maine expressed hope the deal would improve circumstances for the more than […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

East Millinocket mill to halt production for up to 16 weeks

EAST MILLINOCKET — High production costs and plummeting market prices have forced Great Northern Paper Co. LLC to halt production at its Main Street mill for as many as 16 weeks as the company creates a new business plan. The temporary shutdown commenced when the afternoon shift finished Thursday, GNP spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne said. The […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Pink paper glitch triggers accidental mailing of 1,000 bogus tax collection letters to Mainers

AUGUSTA — If you received a letter from Maine Revenue Services in the past week saying you owed back taxes or other money to the state, don’t panic. An error in the finance department’s central printing service resulted in 1,000 tax collection letters sent that were never meant to be delivered. Maine Revenue Services was […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Portland considering shopping bag fee

PORTLAND (AP) — Advocates in Portland who want to see a reduction in single-use plastic and paper grocery bags are favoring a per-bag fee to help shoppers switch to reusable totes, instead. A group is meeting Monday to review other U.S. communities’ efforts to discourage single-use bags and consider an ordinance in Portland that would […]