AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s heating oil prices have remained stable over the past week despite turmoil in the Middle East and the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. The state energy office says the average cash price for home heating oil in Maine dropped by a penny to $3.66 a gallon in its […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine to unveil strategy to rebuild deer herd
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage and other state officials say they have a plan to replenish Maine’s deer herd. LePage has made repeated reference to the need to protect deer yards as part of a strategy to rebuild the herd. Maine game officials say concern over low deer herd numbers has been intensifying […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Report says child poverty rises in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A new report presents a mixed picture about the well-being of children in Maine. The Kids Count report being released Thursday says Maine’s child poverty rate was 17.5 percent in 2009, the latest year for which figures are available. That was 1 percentage point higher than the rate the previous year […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Real estate report: Home sales decline in Maine in February
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A report by a New England regional real estate firm says Maine’s housing market took a dip coming out of the winter season, with home sales declining 10.7 percent in February. Re/Max New England says that home sales were down 5.2 percent between February 2010 and last month. But it says […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine’s heating oil jumps to $3.67 a gallon
AUGUSTA (AP) — Home heating oil prices continue to rise in Maine. Energy officials said Monday that the price rose 2 cents from last week to an average of $3.67 per gallon. A weekly survey found northern Maine had highest price of $3.88 per gallon, while southwest and western regions had the lowest price of […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Heating oil use falls as prices, irritation rise
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — No longer are Tom Wright’s heating costs tied to events a world away over which he has no control. Faced with a $10,000 heating bill, he got rid of his oil furnace and brought in a wood pellet stove to heat his home and office. Oil and gasoline prices are sky-high, […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Maine gasoline prices rise again, to $3.55 average
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A price-watching website says average retail gasoline prices in Maine have risen 14.4 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.55 per gallon. MaineGasPrices.com says Sunday’s average prices in the state compare with the national average, which has increased 12.6 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.47 per […]
Posted inOur View
One idea a better bet for local economy
The “Launch-LA!” contest is a great example of the energy and community spirit available in the Twin Cities. But only one of the two projects selected has the potential to grow the sort of high-tech manufacturing jobs the community desperately needs. The Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council kicked off a competition last fall to entice young […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
LePage sees bias against big-box stores, seeks to remove limitations
AUGUSTA, Maine — Business groups and the LePage administration are targeting a four-year-old law that requires communities to consider the economic impact of “big-box” stores such as Wal-Mart before issuing a local permit. Enacted in 2007, the Informed Growth Act was championed by supporters as a way to protect Maine’s downtown business districts and local […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Era of super-low mortgage rates appears to be over
NEW YORK (AP) — The days of the absurdly low mortgage rate are over. The average rate for a 30-year home loan rose above 5 percent this week for the first time since last April — just as Americans are feeling more secure in their jobs and confident about the economy, and just before the […]