The program is viewed as a watershed initiative for Maine’s immigrant community.
Kelley Bouchard
Staff Writer
Kelley writes about Maine businesses large and small, focusing on economic development, workforce initiatives and the state’s leading business organizations. Her wider experience includes municipal and state government, immigration, education, transportation, history, human rights, health and elder care, the environment and the housing crisis. A Maine native and University of Maine graduate, she was a college intern for two summers at the former Lewiston Evening Journal. She previously worked at the Ipswich Chronicle, Beverly Times and Salem Evening News in Massachusetts. Favorite pastimes include gardening, cooking, streaming foreign TV series and kayaking at camp.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
The Portland Phoenix publishes final issue
The owners of the weekly newspaper, which restarted after a shutdown in 2019, said the pandemic kept them from attracting enough advertisers.
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Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Legislature sustains Mills’ veto of farmworker minimum wage bill
After her veto was upheld, Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order establishing a formal stakeholder group to pursue a state minimum wage for farmworkers.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine’s first Black chamber of commerce takes shape amid mixed reactions
Joshua Brister, owner of a semipro women’s basketball team, has launched the Maine Black Chamber of Commerce to promote interests of the state’s Black-owned businesses.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
President Biden to visit Maine on Friday
While his itinerary here is unclear, the Biden administration has been promoting support for resilient local economies.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Out for blood: Mosquitoes are buzzing and biting as rains give way to heat
Rising temperatures and widespread standing water have created ideal conditions for the bloodsucking insects, experts warn.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Mills ‘reluctantly’ vetoes bill to improve pay, conditions for Maine farmworkers
The governor pledges to reestablish a stakeholder group with the goal of arriving at ‘a shared understanding of how to implement a minimum wage bill for farmworkers.’
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Bill to improve farmworkers’ pay, conditions in Maine awaits action by Mills
L.D. 398 would legally define farmworkers as employees, making them eligible for the state minimum wage and protecting them from some overtime requirements.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine will get $272 million in federal funds to expand broadband
More than $42 billion has been allocated nationwide to expand high-speed internet access, and Maine’s share is the largest of any state in New England.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine wants to use $200 million to expand broadband access, starting where it’s needed most
The state is deciding how to use federal funds for improving high-speed internet access, and wants public input on some of the priorities that have been identified so far.