If you listen to Gov. Paul LePage and his Republican allies, they’ll tell you Maine’s economy has turned a corner. Businesses are creating jobs, more people are working and fewer people are living below the poverty threshold. Fewer Mainers are dependent on government programs to get by. Sounds like Maine’s economy has recovered, right? But listen to […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine unemployment rate rises — barely
Maine’s unemployment rate went up a little to 7 percent in Augusta. It was reported at 6.9 percent in July. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 50,000 were unemployed in Maine, down 1,700 over the year. Also, there were 602,600 nonfarm payroll jobs in August. That too has barely changed since July. The unemployment rate […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
LePage: Three out-of-state companies to visit Maine
AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage said three out-of-state companies are visiting Maine this month because they’re interested in doing business here. The Republican governor said on Tuesday that the visits came out of meetings he had with companies at the U.S. Manufacturing Summit last month hosted by Walmart and the National Retail Federation in […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Jet overhaul company to relocate operations to Brunswick
BRUNSWICK — A retired Navy pilot is relocating part of his business from Virginia to the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. It took less than a month to seal the deal with Tempus Jets, said Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. The company’s CEO, Scott Terry, was familiar with the base because […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
BIW to lay off 40 shipyard workers
BATH — Bath Iron Works on Thursday confirmed that the company would lay off 40 employees effective Sept. 6. The layoffs — 15 pipe coverers and 25 insulators — are due to a lack of work for those particular trades, BIW spokesman Jim DeMartini said. Specific employees will be notified next week. “The layoffs (Thursday) […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
New jobs disproportionately low-pay or part-time
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 162,000 jobs the economy added in July were a disappointment. The quality of the jobs was even worse. A disproportionate number of the added jobs were part-time or low-paying — or both. Part-time work accounted for more than 65 percent of the positions employers added in July. Low-paying retailers, restaurants and […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Poland reviews plans for municipal center complex
POLAND — About 40 residents gathered at the steamy Town Hall on Thursday evening to view two alternative conceptual master plans for Poland’s Municipal Center complex. The recent acquisition of the McConaghy property between the Town Hall and the Ricker Memorial Library means the town now owns all the frontage on Route 26 from the […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
LePage says latest unemployment numbers show his policies are working
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage touted the fact that Maine’s unemployment rate in June remained at 6.8 percent, which is the lowest since the recession struck in November 2008, as an indication that his fiscal policies are boosting Maine’s private sector. LePage said new data show the unemployment rate stood at 6.8 percent in […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Maine may be open, but where’s the business?
Our avowedly pro-business governor, Paul LePage, has attracted plenty of attention while battling with Democrats who control the Legislature, and sometimes with fellow Republicans, too. But governors standing for re-election are judged at least as much for their handling of the economy as for any specific legislation. And on this account, LePage supporters might want […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Maine job creation continues to lag
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has long said that virtually everything he does as the chief executive is connected to improving Maine’s business climate and creating jobs. Within two months of taking office, LePage posted an “Open for Business” sign on Interstate 95 in Kittery — a point many people pass entering Maine. Between when […]