RETAIL
Boycott effort and Trump response catapult L.L. Bean into limelight
A kerfuffle that drew interest from President-elect Donald Trump and Fox News put outdoor retailer L.L. Bean in the national spotlight for most of last week. The controversy started more than a week ago when a grassroots group suggested people boycott L.L. Bean because one of its board members, Linda Bean, contributed significantly to Trump’s campaign. Bean, who has long supported conservative causes and run for public office herself, emphasized that she made the donation as a private citizen and not a representative of the famed Freeport retailer. The donation came under federal scrutiny because it appeared to exceed the limits of the political action committee to which it was directed. The group, Grab Your Wallet, said it would consider removing L.L. Bean from its boycott list if Linda Bean stepped down from the board. As a guest on Fox News, Bean said she would refuse to step down, which earned her accolades from Trump, Maine Gov. Paul LePage and others. The company’s executive chairman said L.L. Bean does not take political positions or make political endorsements or contributions, and called the boycott “misguided.” Read the story.
HEALTH CARE
Anthem fined for slow response to complaints
State regulators have slapped health insurer Anthem Health Plans of Maine Inc. with a $225,000 civil penalty for its failure to adequately track and respond to customer complaints. Maine Insurance Superintendent Eric Cioppa said Monday in a news release that Anthem, a subsidiary of New Hampshire-based Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, repeatedly failed to follow up on complaints filed by its customers with the Maine Bureau of Insurance in a timely manner. State law requires that insurers respond to complaints within 14 days, the bureau said, but in nearly two-thirds of all cases Anthem failed to do so. The bureau’s Market Conduct Unit performed a review of Anthem’s handling of complaints in 2014 after investigators reported several late and missing responses to complaints forwarded to Anthem by the bureau, according to the news release. Anthem also did not adequately respond to bureau inquiries about customer complaints, provide requested documents or establish and implement a satisfactory complaint resolution plan, Cioppa said. The insurer has agreed to pay the $225,000 fine as part of a consent agreement. In addition to the civil penalty, Anthem is required to submit a corrective action plan to the bureau within 30 days of signing the agreement. Read the story.
REAL ESTATE
Nonprofit buys former mill site for redevelopment
A nonprofit has purchased the former holdings of Great Northern Paper in Millinocket, including the 1,400-acre mill site, with the eventual goal of transforming the property into a bio-industrial park that would benefit from its proximity to the North Woods. Our Katahdin bought the holdings Thursday from Cate Street Capitol for $1. They include land adjacent to Millinocket Municipal Airport and a 157-acre site at Ferguson Pond, according to a news release Thursday by the locally based nonprofit Our Katahdin and the Millinocket Town Council. While Our Katahdin will own the 1,400-acre mill property, the town of Millinocket will serve as the nonprofit’s redevelopment partner. The chairman of the Millinocket Town Council said the deal could not have come at a more opportune time. The town was set to foreclose on the property on Jan. 16. Now, it will work together with Our Katahdin to bring the mill site back to life. Read the story.
Prominent bank building in Augusta up for auction
Key Plaza, one of the most prominent buildings in Augusta’s downtown, is scheduled to be foreclosed on and auctioned off Feb. 1. City officials said they’re hopeful the current owners will be able to either retain the building or buy it back at auction, and that the building will continue to house hundreds of workers, most of whom work for the state in office space the state leases in the 286 Water St. building. Roughly 280 employees of the state Department of Health and Human Services work in the nine-story building, and some downtown merchants have said they rely on visits from employees of the building to keep their shops in business. Terms of the sale, according to a legal advertisement taken out by representatives of the mortgage holder, U.S. Bank National Association, appear to specify new owners of the building would be subject to existing leases, and thus expected to retain the current tenants. Read the story.
COMMERCIAL FISHERIES
Lobstermen facing license fee hike
Maine is proposing to raise the price of commercial fishing licenses next year. If approved by the Legislature, the increases – which would range from as little as $1 for a resident to harvest green crabs to $114 for a commercial lobsterman with two sternmen – would be the first license fee hike in seven years. The state Department of Marine Resources says it must raise its license fees to cover an estimated $600,000 shortfall in next year’s proposed budget. Gov. Paul LePage wants all state agencies to keep next year’s funding levels the same as this year. For DMR, that means it must find a way to cover pay raises for Marine Patrol approved by lawmakers last year, as well as an additional lobster scientist, while maintaining a $21.3 million bottom line. Read the story.
MEDIA
Biddeford paper drops Monday print edition
The Journal Tribune, a newspaper that serves the Biddeford area, has discontinued its Monday edition. Publisher Devin Hamilton told readers that the decision to eliminate the Monday print edition and instead offer readers an enhanced online edition was made to attract more digital and mobile-oriented readership. He said the sharp increase in online news through smartphones and social media led to unprecedented demand for digital content and led to this decision. The paper will continue to print editions Tuesday through Sunday. Read the story.
TECHNOLOGY
Wex extends services in Canada
South Portland-based corporate payment services provider Wex Inc. is expanding its fuel payment service for fleet vehicles in Canada following the recent acquisition of a competitor. Wex said Wednesday in a news release that it has partnered with Enterprise Fleet Management in Canada to provide payment services to its corporate clients. The company said it is able to provide the expanded service thanks to Canadian fueling stations Wex acquired in June when it purchased rival Electronic Funds Source. Wex and Enterprise said in the release that the new partnership is an extension of an existing agreement in the U.S. that has been in place for over two decades. Read the story.
AGRICULTURE
Farmers urged to diversify crops
The drought that hit New England last spring and summer affected many Maine farmers, particularly in the southern third of the state. Reduced hay harvests, smaller fruit yields and a greater reliance on irrigation systems were a few of the symptoms of the driest growing season the state had seen in years. But while a panel of experts who spoke in Augusta on Wednesday agreed that last summer was parched, they didn’t recommend Maine farmers bet on the next few growing seasons being exactly the same. Rather, they said, farmers should steel themselves for more variable weather in the decades to come, whether by diversifying their crops, improving their soil or buying insurance. They also suggested that there may be some benefits to changes in the growing season, including the opportunity to plant earlier and invest in new crops. Read the story.
Marijuana draws interest at agricultural trade show
Marijuana was one of the major topics among exhibitors and attendees at the annual Maine Agricultural Trade Show last week. Legalization of recreational marijuana was approved by voters in November. Although a lot of attendees had questions about marijuana and how it might affect the farming industry, there weren’t a lot of answers.
In fact, several officials from various agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the University of Maine and Coastal Enterprises Inc. said because federal regulations don’t recognize legalized marijuana, their groups wouldn’t be much help to potential marijuana farmers. Read the story.
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