More homes sell in October than expected

Existing-home sales rose 1.4% from the previous month and were 13.5% above the same month a year earlier. Each month, the National Assn. of Realtors reports the figures in the form of an annual sales pace adjusted for seasonal variations. Last month's pace was 4.97 million, the group reported.

Regionally, sales were up 4.4% in the West over the previous month, up 2.1% in the South, up 2.8% in the Midwest and down 5.1% in the Northeast.

Continue »

Pictures of Hope Holiday Greeting Card Project

Continue »

Reopening of Maine paper mill stirs hope

Paper-making, for generations the lifeblood of Millinocket and East Millinocket, is back, and a closely related new industry knocks on the door. And mill workers and those who draw a living from one of Maine’s traditional industries say they finally have something to be thankful for.
East Millinocket and neighboring Millinocket had been knocked to the ropes by off-and-on cutbacks and closings as the two mills, which provided 1,500 jobs 15 years ago and several thousand in their heyday, passed through a succession of owners and name changes. Long-secure mill workers and their families left as jobs became scarcer, stores and schools closed, and the local economy atrophied. Millinocket’s population withered from 7,900 in 1980 to 4,506 last year, while East Millinocket’s slipped from 2,372 to 1,828.

Continue »

Kohl's Named Green Power Partner of 2011

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Kohl's Department Stores is one of the largest retailers in the United States, with more than 1,100 stores in 49 states. Kohl's is committed to protecting and conserving the environment by seeking innovative solutions that encourage long-term sustainability.

From 2009 to 2010, Kohl's increased its green power purchase by 60 percent, from approximately 850 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) to more than 1.3 billion kWh, enough to meet 100 percent of its purchased electricity needs. Kohl's ongoing commitment to green power has consistently earned the company a spot on EPA's Top 20 Retail List and National Top 50 Purchasers List.

Continue »