AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s heating oil prices remain relatively stable this summer, with the price down 2 cents per gallon in a new survey. The Maine energy office said Monday that its weekly price survey found an average price of $2.59 per gallon. Director John Kerry says weak economic figures from the three biggest […]
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Maine gasoline prices drop
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A price-watching group says gas prices in Maine have fallen 3.1 cents per gallon in the past week to $2.74 per gallon. MaineGasPrices.com says that compares with the national average retail price, which has fallen 3.1 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.75. Including the change in gas prices […]
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Jobs picture dims as unemployment claims rise
WASHINGTON (AP) — The employment picture is looking bleaker as applications for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in almost six months. It’s a sign that hiring is weak and employers are still cutting their staffs. First-time claims for jobless benefits edged up by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the Labor […]
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Forced to retire, some take Social Security early
MIAMI (AP) — Paul Skidmore’s office is shuttered, his job gone, his 18-month job search fruitless and his unemployment benefits exhausted. So at 63, he plans to file this week for Social Security benefits, three years earlier than planned. “All I want to do is work,” said Skidmore, of Finksburg, Md., who was an insurance […]
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House members scurry back to pass jobs bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — House members are giving up a couple of days reconnecting with folks in their districts this week to pass a jobs bill that Democrats say is crucial to the nation’s well-being. The unusual in-and-out session was called because the Senate waited until last Thursday, after the House had already recessed for its […]
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Weak economic data suggest recovery is fizzling
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fears that the economic recovery is fizzling grew Thursday after the government and private sector issued weak reports on a number of fronts. Unemployment claims are up, home sales are plunging without government incentives and manufacturing growth is slowing. Meanwhile, 1.3 million people are without federal jobless benefits now that Congress adjourned […]
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Report: Completed foreclosures in Maine grew in the first quarter
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Data from Maine-chartered banks and credit unions shows another increase in the number of people losing their homes to completed foreclosures. But the first quarter numbers released this week by Bureau of Financial Institutions Superintendent Lloyd LaFountain also contain some good news: The inventory of mortgage loans in foreclosure declined and […]
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House votes to extend home-buyer credit 3 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — Homebuyers would get an extra three months to complete their purchases and qualify for a generous tax credit under a bill overwhelmingly passed by the House on Tuesday. Under current law, homebuyers who signed purchase agreements by April 30 have until Wednesday to close on the sale to qualify for tax credits […]
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Home prices rise 0.8 percent in April from March
NEW YORK (AP) — Home prices in April rose for the first time in seven months as government tax credits bolstered the housing market. But the rebound may be short-lived now that the incentives have expired. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday posted an 0.8 percent gain. It had fallen in […]
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New jobless claims up sharply as layoffs persist
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people filing new claims for jobless benefits jumped last week after three straight declines, another sign that the pace of layoffs has not slowed. Initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the highest level in a […]