BAR HARBOR – Carriages of Acadia, a corporation based in Aroostook County, has been selected to provide horse drawn carriage tours, horse boarding services, day use facilities, and services for visiting equestrians at Wildwood Stables in Acadia National Park. The new 10-year contract is scheduled to begin in… Read More
    Heating fuel prices for week of September 29 Area prices averaged from reports of local dealers. Statewide price of oil from Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security. Price of kerosene from MaineOil.com. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    BAILEYVILLE – A deal for a Kennebunk waste-to-energy company to occupy the former Louisiana-Pacific mill appears to be up in the air. Damar Dore, who holds the option on the former L-P mill, said Tuesday that negotiations with Baetel Corp. have “ceased.” googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    SACO – The Army has awarded two contracts worth $66 million to General Dynamics for MK19 grenade launchers to be built in Saco. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products says deliveries of the weapons are expected to begin next year and extend through late 2012. Read More
    ORONO – The Maine State Chamber of Commerce will hold a Northern Maine Strictly Social networking reception from 5 to 7 tonight at the Foster Student Innovation Center at the University of Maine. The Chamber’s annual series of statewide receptions is intended as a way… Read More
    BANGOR – Tarren Bragdon, chief executive officer of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, will speak at a “Maine Prosperity Luncheon” scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sea Dog Brewing Co. Banquet Center, 26 Front St., Bangor. For more information, contact Heather Noyes… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Fewer courthouses, delays in getting cases heard and larger workloads for staff are the likely results of cutting the budget for state courts by 10 percent, said Chief Justice Leigh Saufley. “It’s going to dramatically reduce people’s ability to get into the courthouse,”… Read More
    EAST MILLINOCKET – Fraser Papers Chief Executive Officer Peter Gordon and other top-level executives will visit the Katahdin Paper Co. LLC mill today to discuss the mill’s future, company officials said Monday. “They will be going over the business plan for East Millinocket with the… Read More
    INDIAN ISLAND – The Wal-Mart Foundation has awarded the Penobscot Nation Boys and Girls Club a $25,000 grant to sustain and enhance its after-school homework help program. “We are extremely grateful to be receiving this gift,” said Carla Fearon, the executive director of the nation’s… Read More
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud on Monday encouraged Mainers who haven’t already filed for their rebate checks to do so before the Internal Revenue Service’s Oct. 15 deadline. Last February, a law enacted by Congress provided millions of eligible Americans with tax relief, but,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Monday fined Northern Utilities $2 million for a series of safety problems including a pair of home explosions. It also approved the Portland company’s acquisition by a New Hampshire utility. Chairman Sharon Reishus cited numerous probable violations… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Heating oil prices continue to go down in Maine. According to the state energy office, the average cash price for heating oil on Monday was $3.62 a gallon. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    Q. When I was a kid, I made money by mowing lawns and shoveling snow. Now that I’m old enough to want to hire some kid to do the same for me, my wife says we can’t, that we have to hire professional services with their own insurance,… Read More
    The schemes have been around for half a dozen years, in various flavors. Their targets, as always, are unwary consumers. They masquerade as some of our historically reliable financial institutions – banks. They operate in the manner of most online phishing scams: an e-mail arrives,… Read More
    OXFORD – The town of Oxford, home to Maine’s best-known stock car racetrack, is putting out the welcome mat for a proposed $150 million resort and casino that a Las Vegas developer is promoting in a Nov. 4 statewide referendum. After a presentation Thursday from… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Municipal Bond Bank decided Friday to go to market with $90 million in bonds that will raise money for roads, capital improvements and other local projects around the state. The rates offered Friday would result in loan interest rates of 5.25… Read More
    Every year, once Labor Day hits, we all get serious about winter. Of course, everyone and anyone involved in heating or energy is right out straight this year. This is especially true with energy auditors. They are running from house to house with their imaging cameras and blower… Read More
    For the first time in its complicated history in Maine, Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy has become the first brand of alcohol to sell more than 1 million bottles in the state in a year. According to 2007 sales figures released by the state Bureau of… Read More
    BANGOR – Bangor Savings Bank warned Mainers on Friday that they are being targeted by a phone scam. Twenty people have reported receiving automated messages on their cell phones that purport to be from Bangor Savings Bank, bank spokesman and senior vice president Yellow Light… Read More
    A group of Fort Kent residents is proposing a moratorium on industrial wind turbines within town limits until local officials can develop ordinances governing the enormous structures. The group has gathered roughly 220 signatures on a petition seeking a 180-day moratorium on construction of commercial… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – A “nightmare” of technical problems has forced G&G Marketing LLC to suspend temporarily its Spring Street call center operations and not pay its workers for at least two weeks, a company owner said Thursday. Mel Gould III conceded that the company’s 22 workers… Read More
    LINCOLN – As First Wind of Massachusetts finishes building a wind farm on Stetson Mountain and prepares applications for another on Rollins Mountain, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo continues probing allegations that the company dealt improperly with public officials in upstate New York. Read More
    BANGOR – Jeff Lucas donned a nice blue suit Thursday morning and readied his resume. Some attendees at the Fall Job Fair wore jeans and casually loped around the Spectacular Event Center, scoping out the area’s available jobs. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    TRENTON – Hinckley Yachts is laying off 49 people at the company’s luxury picnic jet boat production facility on Route 3, a company official said Thursday. Ed Roberts, Hinckley’s vice president for marketing and product development, said employees were told about the decision on Wednesday,… Read More
    PORTLAND – Organizations that provide financial education are seeing an increased demand for services as the nation remains in economic distress. The Institute for Financial Literacy in Portland is considering expanding its call center hours and the number of walk-in clients has increased. Inquiries rose… Read More
    Maureen O’Brien has been named news director for TV stations WLBZ 2 in Bangor and WCSH 6 in Portland. Before coming to Gannett’s Maine stations in September 2003, she served as executive producer at WPTZ-TV in Burlington, Vt. She was a newscast and special projects producer at WGME-TV… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Homeowners stuck with costly mortgages and facing foreclosure will be able to refinance into more affordable loans with the assistance of the Federal Housing Authority under the HOPE for Homeowners program that took effect Wednesday. “The turbulent economy has reached a boiling point,… Read More
    The dispute between two local companies over a patent used to make air source heat pumps has been settled. Nyle Special Products LLC of Brewer and Hallowell International LLC of Bangor were in court battling over technology used to make similar heating systems that can… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The Maine Lobstermen’s Association hosted a meeting Tuesday to educate midcoast state legislative candidates on issues facing the industry. Gathering at Rockland City Hall, the candidates were given a primer on lobster fishing reduction, lobster economics and industry conservation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    BREWER – The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health has announced the appointment of two new biomedical researchers. Both scientists will have faculty appointments with the University of Maine Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Roger Phipps will be the first department head named at… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine’s minimum wage earners are getting a raise. Starting Wednesday, the state’s minimum wage will be $7.25 an hour – a quarter more than the current rate. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Ascendant Energy, a local energy solutions and solar company, said it has introduced a management program called Encompass that maps and puts into practice energy improvement projects, specifically for multiunit housing properties. “Multiunit properties in Maine are eligible for low-rate loans for efficiency… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Rachel Hawes, a senior teller with Camden National Bank’s branch in Bucksport, has recognized the Children’s Tumor Foundation with a donation made in her name from Camden National Corp. in recognition of her service efforts in the Bucksport branch, the bank said. Hawes… Read More
    HERMON – Maine’s governor, whose family runs the Italian restaurant formerly known as Momma Baldacci’s, posed at a press conference Tuesday in front of a freezer stacked with boxes of Tony’s frozen pizza. Momma might not have vouched for the Italian authenticity, but in this… Read More
    RICHMOND, Va. – The federal government is chipping in nearly $30 million for 15 passenger rail projects across the country as Americans continue to drive less and take the train more, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Tuesday. Peters announced the funding Tuesday at the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine energy officials say the average cash price for No. 2 heating oil is $3.74 a gallon, 8 cents less than it was when the last survey was taken. Two weeks ago, average prices were $3.82 a gallon. The director of the Governor’s… Read More
    MILFORD – U.S. Cellular announced that it recently completed construction of an additional cell site in Milford. The site will increase U.S. Cellular’s coverage and network capacity in the town of Milford and Old Town and along Routes 2 and 43. The new site complements U.S. Cellular’s statewide… Read More
    LOCKPORT, La. – Bollinger Shipyards says the U.S. Coast Guard has selected the Lockport-based company to design and build up to 34 patrol boats. The Coast Guard says the deal announced Friday could be worth up to $1.5 billion over six to eight years, if… Read More
    BANGOR – It seemed like a reputable company. The free lunch investment seminar in Florida was packed with people and staffed by sophisticated advisers. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
    Our topic comes from an issue brought to our attention just last week from someone in the Millinocket area. It’s worth noting that our consumer did a lot of things right, including noting several written tip-offs, in order not to become a victim. The case… Read More
    The U.S. Department of Energy has just published (on Sept. 17) the mix of energy sources to generate U.S. electricity: coal, 49.5 percent; nuclear, 19.6 percent; natural gas, 19.2 percent; oil, 1.8 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    PORTLAND – The turmoil in the nation’s financial markets hit close to home for Mainers as the state found no takers on Wall Street for a $50 million transportation bond. State officials hope the financial crisis will soon stabilize so the state can access capital… Read More
    There are some things that are trade secrets that people use in their day-to-day life and business. Mine is physics. Not the Albert Einstein, E=mc2 type of theoretical, lots-of-math-and-calculus physics, but rather the observed day-to-day stuff that we all tend to take for granted. One… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Bath Iron Works has notified union officials that it plans to lay off 90 production workers next month. The shipyard employs about 5,900 people in all. The production force can rise and fall depending on fluctuations in workload. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    “Economic crisis.” “$700 billion bailout.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – Fewer homes sold in Maine last month and for less money than in August 2007, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. The median home sales price in Maine dropped by 7.69 percent in August and sales were down by nearly 33… Read More
    BANGOR – Winter is coming and Mainers are worried. Helping people get ready for the heating season was the point of Bangor Hydro Electric Co.’s Maine Winter Expo, headlined “Weathering the Storm.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    FRENCHVILLE – Maine’s newest airline took flight Thursday with media events at the Northern Aroostook Regional Airport and at the Portland International Jetport. While its first passengers were largely on board for the Portland to Frenchville flight for public relations purposes, New England Air Transport… Read More
    BANGOR – Customers of Bangor Hydro Electric Co. may have noticed a slight hike in their electric bills. That’s because the company implemented a 4 percent electric transmission rate increase at the beginning of July. The increase will affect all Bangor Hydro residential, commercial and… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Three public meetings this week in Ellsworth, Rockland and Portland on sustainable lobster fishing practices and market certification produced the support organizers had wanted. “We had a lot of good ideas and very positive support,” said John Hathaway, chairman of the Governor’s Working… Read More
    Former MBNA customer service representative Cate Colombo of Camden can’t forget the abandoned wife she persuaded to take on $40,000 of credit card debt. Or the many military spouses she wasn’t allowed to offer the lower interest rate to which they were legally entitled. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    NEWPORT – The largest food service equipment supplier north of Portland said this week that he has two warehouses full of supplies and gets daily calls to buy more. The country’s shaky economy is both a blessing and a curse for Hollis Edwards, owner of… Read More
    BREWER – Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems has been honored for its employee-friendly workplace policies. Modern Healthcare, a national health care publication, recently named EMHS one of 100 companies designated in 2008 as a Best Place to Work based on input from employees and managers. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    DAMARISCOTTA – The board of directors of the First Bancorp has declared a quarterly dividend of 19.5 cents per share. The third-quarter dividend, which is payable Oct. 31 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 6, represents an increase of 11.4 percent or 2 cents per share over… Read More
    BANGOR – Maine’s Office of Securities will host a statewide “Wise and Safe Investing Conference” from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Spectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road, Bangor. Gov. John E. Baldacci will give opening remarks. The free investor protection… Read More
    BANGOR – Within the past couple of years, wood pellet stoves have emerged as a cheaper alternative to No. 2 heating oil and a less labor-intensive option than regular firewood. But, while it’s still early in the season, finding pellets to feed these stoves is… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The state Labor Department said Maine’s minimum wage will increase by a quarter an hour to $7.25 as of Oct. 1. The increase from $7 will be the first in a two-step increase that will lift Maine’s minimum wage to $7.50 per hour… Read More
    FORT KENT – Getting a pulse on the economy of the region is crucial to helping the area sustain and expand its current infrastructure, and a recent visit to Aroostook County by the Finance Authority of Maine helped board members, business officials and state and local leaders better… Read More
    CAMDEN – In leaving his position as economic development specialist for the Knox-Waldo Regional Economic Development Council, Alan Hinsey is broadening his target area from midcoast Maine to the whole state. At age 54, Hinsey is resigning from his post, effective Oct. 15, to start… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – Gifford’s Ice Cream announced that it has added several new high-profile distribution locations for its product, including the United Nations. Gifford’s said its new accounts also include Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Rutgers and Columbia universities, and New York City’s Del Frisco’s Steakhouse locations. Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate was unchanged in August at 5.5 percent, but state Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman says labor market conditions continued to weaken. Fortman said the number of Maine residents who are employed has been slowly declining from a peak reached earlier this… Read More
    BETHEL, Vt. – Vermont Castings wood stove maker and metal fabricator New England Precision are expected to add up to 88 jobs in Bethel and Randolph in the next several years. Key to that development is the decision by Monessen Hearth Systems Corp. to move… Read More
    The fourth quarter of each year is the time when charitable donations are traditionally the greatest. With that season of giving fast approaching, it’s time to take a look at the groups that ask for our money and ask them what they do with it. Read More
    The following petitions for bankruptcy were filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor during March 2008: Donna M. Stuart, office assistant, no dependents, Clifton: assets, $61,846; debts, $127,742. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
    ALBANY, N.Y. – As outdoor wood furnaces catch on with homeowners looking to escape high heating bills, they’re running afoul with more town and village officials worried about smoked-out neighbors. The units, also called outdoor wood boilers, are becoming a common sight along rural roads. Read More
    FORT KENT – For more than 35 years whenever a news story about the St. John Valley and northern Aroostook County appeared in the Bangor Daily News, it was a safe bet whose byline accompanied it. This weekend longtime reporter Beurmond Banville will be honored… Read More
    Denmark is often cited for its 25 percent use of wind energy. This can be misunderstood. The great bulk of wind energy generated in Denmark is sold to its Scandinavian neighbors: Sweden, Norway and Finland. They have strong hydroelectric systems that can buffer the uncertain energy from the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The board of directors of the Finance Authority of Maine has approved loans and loan insurance to assist two Maine businesses, Prime Tanning Co. Inc. of Hartland and Apothecary by Design LLC of Portland. The FAME board took the action Thursday in Fort… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The state’s business leaders were advised that investing in early child care was one of the most important steps that can be taken to ensure strong economic growth and development. Harvard professor Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff told the more than 150 men and… Read More
    BREWER – Hurricane Ike, which hit the Motive refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, on Saturday with 110-mph winds, shut down the plant and caused damage, but it’s not expected to slow an expansion that Cianbro’s Eastern Manufacturing Facility is helping to build. “The facility is… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – The cost of health care and health insurance in Maine will be the focus of a conference on Oct. 1 sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Maine Health Management Coalition. “Health Care Costs: Maine’s Burning Platform – Can… Read More
    WATERVILLE – A statewide TV business show, “Jacobson & Katz: Inside Maine Business,” will premiere Saturday, Oct. 4. The show will be co-hosted by Roger Katz, mayor of Augusta, and Matt Jacobson, president and CEO of Maine and Co. of Portland. The first guest will… Read More
    FREEPORT – L.L. Bean is ready to open the first of five stores in China this month. The Beijing store in the Solana Mall, which opens on Sept. 27, will be operated through a joint venture between the Maine outdoors outfitter and Youngone Corp. of… Read More
    The cost of heating a home this winter is expected to be higher than at any time in recent memory. In preparation, many Mainers have tightened their homes through energy audits, and others have started using alternative heating methods, but the reality is that prices… Read More
    BANGOR – Though the groundwork and utility work have been completed since late spring, construction on a new Shaw’s Supermarket on Stillwater Avenue has yet to begin. Attempts last week and this week to determine when construction will start proved unsuccessful. Telephone calls to public… Read More
    CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The threat of ever-rising energy costs in New England brought consumer advocates from around the region together Wednesday for a summit designed to collaborate on ways to fight the high prices. More than 120 advocates for commercial and industrial energy customers, as… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Another nine workers will be laid off by Friday at the paper mill on Katahdin Avenue as management continues the mill mothballing process, officials said Tuesday. “It keeps shifting on us,” said Glenn Saucier, the mill’s Personnel Department director. “We keep finding more… Read More
    BREWER – Maine businesses are targets for criminals and scam artists just as the state’s residents are, Attorney General Steven Rowe told a group of local business owners and managers on Tuesday. Rowe spoke to about 100 people at the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce’s… Read More
    ALBANY, N.Y. – Iberdrola’s $4.6 billion buyout of Energy East is a done deal. Lawyers for Energy East – which owns power companies in New York, Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts – told federal regulators in a letter that they closed the transaction Tuesday. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    Plum Creek Timber Co. plans to expand its land holdings in New England. The Seattle-based company has signed a purchase and sale agreement on more than 86,200 acres in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. If completed, the deal would be Plum Creek’s first purchase in Vermont but… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Heating oil prices continue to go down in Maine. According to a state energy office survey released Monday, the average cash price of heating oil has fallen to $3.82 a gallon. That’s down 16 cents from the previous survey two weeks ago. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    The Down East Business Alliance will offer a free 18-part NxLevel-certified Incubator Without Walls small-business planning and education series for entrepreneurs in Washington and Hancock counties. The sessions begin in October and will be held Wednesday evenings in Machias and Tuesday evenings in Ellsworth. Pre-registration… Read More