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May 28, 2012 Edition

Maine should rectify its dearth of roadside markers and spotlight its unique natives

John Mcdonald

Have you ever been driving along a lonely road in the middle of nowhere when you come upon an impressive-looking historical marker that reads something like: “It was on this spot in 1743 that Eli C

  • An open attitude between developers and municipal officials generally leads to satisfactory results

    Justin Lamontagne

    “They are impossible to deal with.” It has been said about every town and city hall in Maine. Yet, commercial real estate projects and economic development continues to advance throughout our great state. So what gives?

  • An expert in fireworks displays takes his wares to the people

    Matt Dodge

    A fixture on the Maine pyrotechnics scene for over 30 years, Steve Marson says he was surprised when he heard the state would legalize the sale of fireworks as of Jan. 1. “I never expected the state to allow consumer fireworks,” he says.

  • Focus on Travel & Tourism
    Focus on Travel & Tourism

    Training for the hospitality industry gets a boost from three institutions

    Matt Dodge

    Consistently rated as the largest service sector industry worldwide, tourism is an especially important economic driver in Maine where miles of coastline and natural wonders draw those "from away" to the state.

  • Opinion
    Opinion

    Disclosing the details

    Carol Coultas

    Somewhere in the middle of editing Doug Rooks' fine cover piece on the changing landscape of Maine's daily newspapers, "Read all about it," I realized I had better provide a disclosure. But where to begin?

  • TEDx evolves in third try

    Sara Anne Donnelly

    The latest offering from TEDxDirigo, the ambitious Portland-based volunteer effort modeled after the popular multidisciplinary online TED talks, featured speakers presenting 10- to 20-minute talks on everything from social justice theater to the c

  • Bargains, exchange rates drive Canadians to Maine to shop and stay

    Late last October, James Gerety, general manager of the Bangor Mall, was driving on Bangor Mall Boulevard after leaving work, when he witnessed a Kodak moment: a sports utility vehicle with New Brunswick license plates chock full of shopping bags.

Today's Poll

Are you worried how the higher U.S. tariffs proposed by President-elect Trump could affect your business?
Poll Description

With the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president, it seems likely that the United States will impose major new tariffs on imported goods and materials.

A tariff is a tax, of course — though not truly a sales tax, as it's been called. For American businesses and consumers, however, the effect could be the same.

Under Trump's plan, businesses would have to pay a tariff of 10% to 20% on anything they import, and as much as 60% on imports from China. Typically, such extra costs get passed along to customers in the form of higher prices.

When other countries retaliate with tariffs of their own on U.S. exports, the impact on prices is compounded.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a nonpartisan think tank, issued an analysis in September of what all this could mean.

Among the findings: "Assuming other governments respond in kind, Trump’s 10 percentage point increase results in U.S. real GDP that is 0.9 percent lower than otherwise by 2026, and U.S. inflation rises 1.3 percentage points above baseline in 2025."

More Information