Business

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Republicans and Democrats at the State House are negotiating with business groups on a possible compromise to increase Maine’s minimum wage.

Although the parties have yet to reach a deal, several people involved in the negotiations expressed cautious optimism that the sides could agree upon the first increase since Maine went to $7.50 an hour in 2009.

via The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

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Camden National Bank announced plans Monday to acquire The Bank of Maine in a $135 million deal that will make it Maine’s largest locally owned bank.

via Camden National plans to acquire The Bank of Maine – The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

The Press Herald has a good primer on the new law that allows small companies to raise funding through crowdfunding.

Under Maine’s crowdfunding law, entrepreneurs can raise capital by selling equity or debt in their companies to anyone. The exchange of money for equity or debt does require regulatory oversight and includes some restrictions.

They also report on a company getting ready to launch that will help match up companies approved to raise funds under the new law and investors. The web site Backer.ly should launch in 2015.

While data on Maine’s economy for 2014 is still rolling in (and will be for up to another year), we’re able to reflect on at least a few trends, most of which show the same broader story of Maine’s slow recovery from recession.

via A look back at Maine’s 2014 economy, in six charts | Widgets and Digits.

Officials at the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the agency overseeing conversion of the base to civilian use, believe TechPlace will become a cornerstone for new business development at Brunswick Landing.

The aim is to bring in small companies in high-tech industries like aerospace, composite materials, renewable energy and information technology, and give them the space and resources to grow and connect with other businesses.

via Brunswick business incubator aims for January opening | The Forecaster.

Portland Press Herald:

Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a bill to ease Maine’s child labor restrictions so teenagers can work longer hours.  The bill signed today by the governor will allow students to work as many as 24 hours rather than the 20 per week under current law.  It also increases from four to six the number of hours students can work on school days.  Students can work as late as 10:15 p.m. on nights before school. Supporters said the new law helps businesses looking for youthful help, and also helps teenagers who need the money.

More details on Bangor Daily News

If you are wondering why all large store will be closed on Easter Sunday, it is because of a Maine ‘blue law.’ Easter, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas are the three days the State requires stores over 5,000 sq. ft. to be closed.

Title 17, §3204(2)(HH):

In no event, however, may any store having more than 5,000 square feet of interior customer selling space be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Currently it costs $2 – $4 per page to download pages from the Register of Deeds of the Counties that post them. This company is challenging those rates.

An official with MacImage of Maine LLC said Wednesday that his firm filed a court complaint late Tuesday afternoon accusing 13 counties in the state of violating the state’s Freedom of Access Law. The complaint, filed in Cumberland County Superior Court, names Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Waldo, Washington and York counties as defendants. MacImage is not suing Piscataquis County because that county has agreed to provide the firm with electronic copies of all of the documents filed in its Registry of Deeds. According to Linda Smith, registrar of deeds in Piscataquis County, the county avoided being sued by agreeing to have its online database contractor, Affiliated Computer Services, charge MacImage a bulk rate of 2½ cents for each page.

via Bangor Daily News.