The Sun Journal recently reported on the increasing number of unwed mothers in Maine. Forty percent of the children born here are now born to single mothers. For women under 30, the youngest group, 51 percent of babies are now born to unmarried mothers, which signals the trend will continue. But on this Father’s Day, […]
Maine
Posted inLocal Sports
Bonds that bind at Crater Laker
Sportsmen, especially those of us who still have traits of boyhood lingering beneath the surface, like to form clubs or groups that foster fellowship and camaraderie. Two such groups stand out for me. One is a hunt group and the other is a fishing group. The hunt group, the Skulkers of Seboeis, is still around […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
State unemployment rate up in May to 7.4 percent
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Labor says the state’s unemployment rate ticked up two-tenths of a percent last month to 7.4 percent. The rate is up from 7.2 percent in April, but down from 7.7 percent in May of last year. The state says the number of people working in Maine is […]
Posted inOur View
Setting the scene of national debate, Maine candidates
Well, now we have it. The field is nearly set for Election Day 2012. President Barack Obama versus presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney. U.S. Senate contenders Charlie Summers versus Cynthia Dill versus Angus King. U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud versus Republican challenger Kevin Raye. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree versus a Republican challenger Jon Courtney. Sen. Susan […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Summers and Dill will face King in Maine’s U.S. Senate race
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republican Charlie Summers and Democrat Cynthia Dill won their crowded primary elections Tuesday in the race for Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe’s soon-to-be-empty seat, setting the stage for a three-way race with a popular former governor that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Summers was leading with 30 […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine’s economy shrunk in 2011
AUGUSTA — Maine was the only state in New England last year to see a reduction in the gross domestic product, which measures overall economic activity. “It is the primary measure of economic growth for each state,” said Mike Allen, associate commissioner for the Department of Administrative and Financial Services. Allen, an economist, serves on […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Disney seeks out haggis from W.A. Bean in Bangor
W.A. Bean, based in Bangor, makes red hot dogs — an iconic Maine treat, found on grills statewide all summer. They also sell hams, poultry, high-quality steaks and plenty of other meat products — but there’s one item W.A. Bean makes that, while not quite as popular as their hot dogs, certainly has a niche […]
Posted inLocal & State
Raye wins Maine’s 2nd District GOP primary
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Republican voters on Tuesday picked Kevin Raye, the state Senate president, to face incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud in the 2nd District House race in November. Early unofficial results showed Raye of Perry, a familiar figure in the state’s political scene, defeating primary challenger Blaine Richardson of Belfast, a […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
U.S. Senate race main draw in Maine primaries
PORTLAND (AP) — The race for the U.S. Senate is the main draw as Maine voters go to the polls to decide which Republican and Democratic candidates will appear on November’s ballot for U.S. Senate and House elections. Six Republicans and four Democrats seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Olympia Snowe are […]
Posted inOur View
Wisely, Maine gave firm no to private prisons
Maine flirted briefly in 2011 and 2012 with a bill that would have allowed construction of a private prison in the Piscataquis County town of Milo. Officials there, where unemployment has been high, have been talking for several years with the Corrections Corporation of America, the largest for-profit prison operator in the country. Both Gov. […]