For much of this decade, the paper industry’s most notable product has been bad news: entire mills closing, others idled for weeks or months, bankruptcies, machines shutting down and workers laid off. Now, after two decades of cascading drops in papermaking jobs, the basement seems to have been reached. And that, ironically, gives hope to […]
paper industry
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Old Town mill to be bought by Rumford mill owner and restarted in 2019
The Old Town mill has been sold yet again, this time to a Chinese group that recently expanded into the U.S. — including the mill in Rumford — earlier this year. The mill’s new owner is ND Paper, a subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper of Hong Kong. ND Paper completed its purchases of the mill […]
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Posted inObituaries, sj-web
Lawrence Paul Henry
AUGUSTA — Lawrence Paul Henry, 79, of Augusta died Friday, Aug. 3, at his home. He was born in Jay on June 30, 1939, the son of Nerie and Bessie (Slovak) Henry. He worked for many years as an electrician in the paper industry. On May 10, 2002, he married Marie Joy of Augusta and they […]
Posted inConnections, Lewiston-Auburn
Paper industry's history, future is topic at Androscoggin Historical Society
LEWISTON — Mike Luciano will talk about Maine’s paper industry at the annual meeting of the Androscoggin Historical Society on Tuesday, May 22, at Marco’s Restaurant, 12 Mollison Way. Maine’s paper industry has provided jobs and supported the economy ofmany towns in the Androscoggin River Valley and elsewhere in the state for a long time. […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Bucksport mill gets three new suitors before court hearing
BUCKSPORT — Three companies have stated an interest in restarting Verso’s shuttered mill, filing letters notifying a federal judge that they would like time to evaluate the facility, which is set to be sold to a scrap dealer. Each of the companies filed letters before a hearing Tuesday where U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
‘We’re still here’: In trying times, union man becomes voice for millworkers
OLD TOWN — Like many of his classmates in 1972, Duane Lugdon graduated from Penobscot Valley High School in Howland, got a job at the Old Town paper mill and punched his union card. Being a millworker in the 1970s not only paid well, it provided workers with a sense of stability, Lugdon recalled. The […]
Posted inBusiness
Maine’s economy struggles as paper industry stumbles
Parts of Maine’s proud paper industry stumbled this year, hammering home the challenges of competition from abroad and the difficulty of unlocking new markets for papermaking byproducts. Verso intends to sell its Bucksport mill for scrap and Great Northern Paper’s East Millinocket mill is headed for the hands of a redeveloper. Those stories illustrate part […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
LePage opposes sale, dismantling of mill in Bucksport; weighing options to intervene
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s administration said Wednesday that he’s concerned about the proposed sale of a Maine paper mill to a Canadian scrap metal recycler and is weighing state actions to ensure the mill remains intact. Verso Paper Corp. has reached a deal to sell its Bucksport mill to a subsidiary of Montreal-based American […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Suitors to bid Monday on Great Northern Paper mill
Bidders for the shuttered Great Northern Paper mill in East Millinocket are set to put forward their best offers Monday morning before a Tuesday hearing to determine a buyer for the bankrupt mill. In early November, the court set out an 11 a.m. Monday deadline for bids. On the day a bankruptcy court judge set […]
Posted inBusiness, Maine
Verso workers being laid off from Bucksport mill will qualify for federal aid program
Bucksport’s mill closure has the potential of leaving hundreds without work. Many of the workers have families who depend on the mill as their main financial support. More than 500 workers who will lose their jobs when Verso Paper’s Bucksport mill closes in December will qualify for federal help with training, job search support or […]