Peter McGuire

Portland Press Herald

Peter McGuire is a business reporter covering Maine trade, transportation and tourism. A proud native of the western Maine mountains, there is a good chance he’d rather be playing outside. Peter has covered local news for Maine newspapers in Oxford County, Brunswick, Waterville and Portland. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Boston University. He lives in Biddeford with his wife Stephanie and brown rescue dog named Emmy Lou.

Latest

Published
September 20, 2020

Maine steps up enforcement following Millinocket-area ‘superspreader’ event

The state has issued 14 citations to businesses for noncompliance with pandemic-related guidelines since Aug. 20, compared with 2 citations beforehand.
Published
September 18, 2020

Maine records more job gains but pace of recovery slows

The state gained more than 6,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate fell to 6.9%, but labor department analysts suspect the true jobless rate is almost 10%.
Published
September 11, 2020

Maine implements $300-per-week federal jobless payments

The enhanced unemployment benefit will be paid retroactively to the week ending Aug. 1 for eligible claimants, but funding will run out this month.
Published
September 10, 2020

Maine economic recovery grants attract fewer applicants than expected

The state will award up to $100,000 to qualified applicants, but small organizations aren’t sure how much they stand to receive and some businesses feel they were shut out of the $200 million program.
Published
September 10, 2020

Maine jobless claims remain virtually unchanged

Roughly 66,000 Mainers filed for unemployment benefits in the first week of September, a slight decline from the 67,500 who filed the previous week.
Published
September 8, 2020

Where are all the bankruptcies experts predicted?

A surge in personal and business bankruptcy filings was a projected result of the pandemic-induced recession, but filings in Maine were down 50% in August from a year earlier. That trend could change.
Published
September 3, 2020

Maine unemployment claims increase slightly as layoffs continue

The number of initial and continued claims appears to be be leveling off after declining sharply from a peak this spring.
Published
September 2, 2020

Agencies worried about tepid response to Maine emergency grant program

Local economic development agencies suspect many small businesses and nonprofits are unaware of the $200 million program, or don’t know how to apply.
Published
August 28, 2020

Hundreds of organizations in Maine apply for state emergency relief grants

Almost 700 small businesses and nonprofits seek aid in the first week of a $200 million economic assistance program created by the Mills administration.
Published
August 27, 2020

Maine jobless claims trend downward as layoffs continue

The number of weekly unemployment claims last week fell to their lowest point since mid-March, but more than 1,000 Mainers filed new claims for jobless aid.