PORTLAND – Up to 35 full- and part-time positions are being cut at the Portland Press Herald and MaineToday.com in the latest response to the weakening economy.

An internal communication obtained by WGME-TV indicates efforts to cut operating costs have failed to make up for a steep decline in advertising. The cuts go into effect July 1.

The Portland Press Herald announced in March it was eliminating 27 jobs, resulting in 15 layoffs. Unlike those, the latest cuts all involve members of the Portland Newspaper Guild and will include newsroom jobs.

The Press Herald and its sister papers in Augusta and Waterville are all up for sale by the Seattle Times Co., which has owned the newspaper group for the past decade.