State bean counters got a surprise this year: unusually vigorous winter spending on merchandise and lodging that seems fueled by online retailers. In the first two months of 2018, sales of some merchandise and lodging grew by double digits, adding more than $4 million to the state’s sales tax coffers, compared with the same period […]
Maine
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web, Varsity Maine
Stephanie McCusker was a triple threat for Lisbon High School
Stephanie McCusker flies through the air during the Class C state track and field championship meet in 2002 at the University of Maine-Orono. (Sun Journal file photo) Stephanie McCusker never gave up. It didn’t matter the obstacle, the sport nor the circumstance. It wasn’t in her vocabulary. Competing in gymnastics at a young age taught […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
River search scaled back
LEWISTON — Divers concluded their search of the Androscoggin River on Friday for a 5-year-old boy who plunged into the chilly waters Tuesday evening. “Diver search options for the river have been exhausted,” Auburn Deputy Chief Jason Moen wrote in an email Friday afternoon. He said the Maine Warden Service would continue with boat and aircraft patrols as […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine students to be required to get meningitis vaccine
Maine middle and high school students will have to be vaccinated for meningitis starting in the 2018-19 school year. The new rule will apply to students entering seventh grade and 12th grade, for whom vaccination was previously recommended but not required. Bacterial meningitis is a rare but potentially deadly disease in which the membranes surrounding […]
Posted inbPlus, sj-web
Broken microwaves not accepted at Goodwill
A story on recycling and Earth Day that appeared in the newspaper Sunday, April 22, incorrectly reported that Goodwill Northern New England accepted broken microwaves for its recycling program. It does not. The incorrect information was submitted to the Sun Journal.
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage to allow road signs pointing out Katahdin national monument
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul LePage is relenting on his ban on road signs directing motorists to a national monument that he opposes. A LePage spokeswoman says the Maine Department of Transportation will allow signs now that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended keeping the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and a renewed […]
Posted inbPlus, Business, Maine, sj-web
Earth Day: Yes, you CAN recycle that!
You’ve mastered paper, glass and plastic. But on this Earth Day, you’re wondering where to best ditch those old Christmas lights, antiquated cellphones, half-used paint cans, alkaline batteries and microwave. Surely not the trash. We’ve got answers. It’s Earth Day and you’re cleaning out Grandma’s garage, because you’re a jewel like that, and you come across […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, sj-web
Earth Day: Local green heroes make a difference
Today marks the 49th annual observance of Earth Day since its first celebration in 1970. Huge strides have been made to reduce pollution in Maine and the United States, but many difficult challenges remain. In honor of the day, we offer profiles of four people in our area who in their own ways are making […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
March unemployment rate could be Maine’s lowest since 1957
The preliminary unemployment rate for March is the lowest since 1976, when current record-keeping began. Glenn Mills, chief economist with the Maine Department of Labor, said the rate of 2.7 percent could be the lowest since 1957, when President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Mills didn’t have monthly estimates for the years before […]
Posted insj-web
Legislature criticized for failing to address opioid crisis
Drug addiction specialists and advocates for treatment programs are criticizing the Legislature for, once again, failing to take any major steps to address Maine’s opioid crisis despite record-setting death tolls caused by overdoses in the state. But lawmakers and some advocates said they hope a few key opioid-related measures can be salvaged from the political fires consuming […]