AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Labor Department says the state’s unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 percentage point in September to 7.7 percent. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said Thursday the preliminary figure compares favorably to the national unemployment rate of 9.6 percent in September. It also reflects an unemployed total of 53,100 workers, down 4,100 from […]
economy
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine gasoline prices up 5.9 cents
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A price watching website says average retail gasoline prices in Maine have risen 5.9 cents per gallon in the past week to $2.89 per gallon. MaineGasPrices.com says Sunday’s average price in Maine is higher than the national average, which has increased 1.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.83 […]
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Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Nation / World, sj-web
Bank of America halts foreclosure sales in 50 states
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bank of America Corp., the nation’s largest bank, said Friday it would stop sales of foreclosed homes in all 50 states as it reviews potential flaws in foreclosure documents. A week earlier, the company had said it would only stop such sales in the 23 states where foreclosures must be approved by […]
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, sj-web
Maine gasoline prices down
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A price-watching website says average retail gasoline prices in Maine have fallen 0.9 cent per gallon in the past week to a $2.68 per gallon. MaineGasPrices.com says Sunday’s price compares with the national average, which has fallen 2.3 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.70 per gallon. The website […]
Posted inLetters
We can get American jobs back
In a recent editorial (“Lights out for workers at last U.S. bulb plant,” Sept. 10), the Sun Journal rightfully pointed out that too many green jobs are being shipped overseas. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A growing number of U.S. employers are taking a different approach, and it’s paying off — for […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Census: 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty. The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its […]
Posted inLetters
Cutler is no ‘spoiler’
On Sept. 10, you published an article saying, among other things, that Eliot Cutler was acting as a “spoiler” for Libby Mitchell. If that is true, it is only because most Mainers have not researched Cutler. It is true that he is much like Libby Mitchell in his commitment to the environment and clean energy, […]
Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
House Dems deeply divided over Obama tax plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats are confronting deep divisions within their nervous ranks over whether to support President Barack Obama’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — or just punt the entire matter until after voters go to the polls Nov. 2. Democratic leaders committed to Obama’s proposal were hearing Wednesday from endangered […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine gasoline prices up 1.7 cent
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A gasoline price-watching website says average retail prices in Maine have risen 1.7 cent per gallon in the past week to $2.68 per gallon. Sunday’s average price compares with the national average, which has increased 3.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.72 per gallon. MaineGasPrices.com says Sunday’s average […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Data shows the economy is looking up: Jobless claims drop, retail sales rise
WASHINGTON (AP) — A weak economy got a little lift Thursday with new data suggesting companies aren’t pursuing mass layoffs and stores are a little busier. New applications for unemployment benefits declined for a second straight week after rising in the previous three. Retailers reported surprisingly strong sales in August. And more people signed contracts […]