Maine’s average weekly wage increased by less than $40 — from $1,249 in the first three months of 2024 to $1,283 in the first quarter of 2025.
Kay Neufeld
Staff Writer
Kay Neufeld is a business reporter with the Portland Press Herald, covering labor, unions and Maine's workforce; lobstering, fisheries and the working waterfront. They also love telling stories that illustrate the vibrant culture that makes Maine and its Mainers so special. They previously worked at the Camden Herald, Franklin Journal and the Bangor Daily News, covering local communities. Kay grew up in New York and graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in 2018. They spontaneously moved to Maine in 2020 after visiting on vacation, searching for housing on Craigslist in the middle of their trip and asking their mother to ship their belongings to the Midcoast. In their spare time, Kay loves taking their miniature dachshund on miniature hikes, passionately defending Beyoncé's artistry and playing the fiddle with friends.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Common Ground Fair looks to set another record after years of growth
Attendance at the longstanding Unity event had been dropping in the years leading up to the pandemic. But turnout reached an all-time high in 2024, and organizers are hopeful the trajectory will continue.
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Posted inBooks, Business, Life & Culture, Local & State, News
Maine’s black market for baby eels is spawning a crime-thriller subgenre
‘The Glass Eel’ is the latest of several books and TV shows to explore elver poaching.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Colby College to launch program in Port Clyde to help Maine communities tackle natural disasters
The Center for Resilience and Economic Impact is set to open in 2026, college officials say.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Program aims to help Maine lobstermen start other businesses as industry struggles
The Fishing Plus Accelerator, launching this fall, will teach financial literacy and business startup skills.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine fishermen aren’t afraid of great white sharks. They’re fascinated.
‘If I see a fin near the surface, I always go and check it out,’ said fisherman Cory Hawkes, who spotted 10 great white sharks near Harpswell in July.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, Nation & World, News
Feds may let Maine lobstermen fish in restricted area — if they use ropeless gear
Lobstermen have long wanted access to those waters, but many say having to use new technology to protect endangered right whales isn’t worth it.
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Lost Fishermen’s Memorial committee still considering father and son’s inclusion
Barbara Sellitto said the committee is working with the state to determine whether Chester and Aaron Barrett, a father and son who died when their scalloping boat sank in January, qualify for a place on the memorial.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Congress weighs 10-year delay in lobstering rules that protect North Atlantic right whales
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine urged a committee to give the lobstering industry more time to prepare for regulations that advocates fear could hurt the industry.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
PETA sues Maine Lobster Festival in an effort to stop steaming of 20,000 pounds of live lobster
The animal rights organization says lobsters can feel pain and that the city’s decision to allow the festival to steam them live is ‘a municipally endorsed spectacle of animal suffering.’