Hancock County is at odds with the developer of a local wind farm over about $38,000 that the county says the developer owes in community benefit payments. Hancock County commissioners are meeting Thursday in Bangor with representatives of Hancock Wind, owned and operated by Novatus Energy, to see if they might work out a deal. Hancock Wind is a 17-turbine installation in the Unorganized Territory northeast of Ellsworth that was erected in 2016.
Source: BDN Maine
In a highly unusual move, the Maine Public Utilities Commission wrote an op-ed column, published Sunday, that criticized how Central Maine Power handled the rollout of its new billing system, and promised to hold the utility accountable, even though the regulator has not yet completed its investigation of the billing problems.
Nearly 100,000 customers received bills at least 50 percent higher than for the same period the previous year during the launch of the new system.
Source: Portland Press Herald
Along the way, Mainers have led the nation both in consuming alcohol and in banning it, created a border war with Canada, transformed lobster into a beloved delicacy and convinced tens of millions who flock to it each summer that the Pine Tree State is “Vacationland.”
Source: Lewiston Sun Journal
A Maine senator says a plan to boost innovation and job growth in rural areas by providing money for broadband access would benefit his state, much of which is forested and sparsely populated. Independent Sen. Angus King says he’s getting behind the Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands Act, which is also called the RURAL Act. The proposal is supported by Republicans and Democrats and it would ensure access to government grants and assistance for tax-exempt electrical cooperatives.
Source: Maine Public
NAPLES — One of the marinas in town that provides launching services to noncustomers has closed its boat ramp to the public after Fourth-of-July revelers caused too much ruckus.
“The amount of intoxicated boaters that came off the lake this week has been scary. We are no longer willing to take the risk as a business to have these irresponsible boaters with us,” the owner of Moose Landing Marina Jason Allen said in a letter to the Naples Board of Selectmen.
“The crowd has changed and not for the better,” Allen wrote.
“Even with the added efforts to enforce laws it still isn’t nearly enough to keep everyone safe,” he said.
“I wanted to inform you folks that…our boat ramp will no longer be open to the public,” he said.
The Town Council voted 7-0 on Thursday night to approve a tax break for a company that proposes to bring one of the state’s first land-based Atlantic salmon farms to the site of the former Verso Paper mill. Whole Oceans CEO Jason Mitchell told the council during its meeting that with the tax-increment financing deal approved, the company will apply to the town next month for a permit to build the aquafarm, with construction slated to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
Source: BDN Maine
Maine’s junior member of Congress, 2nd District Democrat Jared Golden, is pushing a measure that would force the federal Small Business Administration to stop saying no to cannabis-related businesses.
Golden’s bill would prohibit a number of SBA programs, from the Veterans Business Outreach Centers to the Small Business Development Centers, from declining to help otherwise eligible small businesses solely because they deal in cannabis-related products.
Source: Portland Press Herald
Reade Brower, owner of Masthead Maine and RFB Enterprises, has acquired MAINE SENIORS magazine. Masthead Maine and RFB Enterprises publishes six Maine daily newspapers and more than 25 Maine weeklies, as well as, TravelMAINE, Downeast Dog News, The Real Estate Magazines for Mid-Coast Maine and Portland and other specialty publications.
Brower states, “I am excited to take over the reins of Maine Seniors. David Nealley has done an outstanding job building this magazine to be at the forefront of this important niche market. The feature stories and important information in each issue make this a must-read for Maine seniors and those who love them.”
Source: Camden Herald
Summer visitors to Maine eateries, inns and other seasonal attractions are likely to notice that service is slower, hours of operation are more limited and employees appear tired and stressed at some establishments.
That’s because the state’s labor shortage has become so acute that industry leaders say it now affects virtually every business and organization, especially those that staff up for the summer tourism season.
“In my mind, we’ve reached the tipping point … where our ability to provide the kind of service that Maine is known for drops, or we have to close places and cut back on hours and can’t serve the demand,” said Steve Hewins, president and CEO of HospitalityMaine, a trade group for hotels and restaurants.
Source: CentralMaine.com
The number of cities and towns opting in to legalized marijuana is slowly growing in Maine as the state gets closer to accepting applications for licenses.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill in late June that sets up a legal framework for recreational sales. The state Office of Marijuana Policy plans to begin accepting applications for recreational marijuana business licenses by the end of the year.
So far, at least 15 municipalities have opted into adult use marijuana, said David Heidrich, spokesman for the marijuana office. Those cities and towns have decided to authorize businesses that grow, process, test or sell marijuana.
Source: AP News