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April 18, 2016 Edition

Need for clean energy spurs wind farm development — and opposition

James McCarthy

Southern New England's need for clean energy to meet clean energy goals set by each state is driving new wind power investments in Maine. But it's also generating renewed grassroots opposition from rural communities who don't want to see wind turbines spinning on scenic hills and mountains.

  • Other
    Other

    From the Editor: Energy to spare?

    Our cover story, by Senior Writer James McCarthy, delves into an issue that has vocal critics on both sides.

  • How To's
    How To's

    How To: Protect a small business from computer disaster

    Nick Knowlton

    According to a recent CNN Money article, there are an estimated 1 million malware threats released every day. Many businesses, however, fail to implement appropriate security for their network and still suffer catastrophic losses.

  • How To's
    How To's

    How To: Work with your commercial lender to grow your business

    David M. Eldridge

    Spring brings growth and new activity. In the commercial lending world, it's also when small- and mid-size businesses get serious about launching, growing or expanding.

  • How To's
    How To's

    How To: See value in negative role models

    Rob Levine

    My first manager spoiled me. He looked out for me, pushed me to succeed and left me alone. He made it a point to constructively correct bad behavior, and was always there with public praise for a job done well.

  • How To's
    How To's

    How To: Avoid the 5 temptations of success

    Doug Packard

    A successful leader of a large organization that I met with recently remarked during our first interview, “Doug, I don't spend much time second-guessing myself.”

  • Opinion
    Opinion

    The foibles of new technology

    Lori Valigra

    The first time I observed just how frustrating new technology can be to consumers unfamiliar with it was in the lobby of a bank in Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Mass.

  • In Short
    In Short

    IN SHORT

    New hiresRE/MAX Shoreline, a real estate agency in Portland, hired Crystal Tropeano. Tropeano was previously a real estate broker in Massachusetts.

Today's Poll

Is it time for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates?
Poll Description

Over the past several months, banks and other businesses have been looking for the Federal Reserve Board to cut interest rates, but the waiting game continues.

Basing its decision on new economic reports, the Fed on May 1 said it doesn’t plan to cut rates until it has “greater confidence” that inflation is slowing toward the central bank's 2% target. Three rate reductions have been projected for 2024, likely starting in June.

But for now, it appears the key borrowing rate in the U.S. will stay at a two-decade high of roughly 5.3%.

Keeping the rate so high for so long may tame inflation, but can also discourage new investment and business growth.

“The Fed is really stressing the banking industry,” said Andrew Silsby, president and CEO of Augusta-based Kennebec Savings Bank, in a Mainebiz story last month. “The economic environment is really quite difficult, but I haven’t quite figured out whether we’re through the storm or in the eye of the storm.”

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