Business News from Around the State

Statewide: Report - Hannaford owner Delhaize mulls merger with Netherlands-based Royal Ahold NV; the number of Maine farmers markets has doubled in the last eight years; the Public Utilities Commission has voted to keep the energy forecasts secret; SunEdison has withdrawn their proposal for a long-term power purchasing agreement that would have provided electricity to Maine utilities after the newly appointed PUC commissioner wanted to reconsider the already agreed upon proposal, Southern: Portland aviation company MAC Air Group is planning a $4.35 million expansion at the Portland Jetport; Waterstone Retail has begun construction on it 115,000-square-foot shopping center in Scarborough; Lois’ Natural Marketplace is opening a second store on India Street in Portland; the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard will receive $9.8 million from the U.S. Navy for repairs; Yarmouth’s Day’s Crabmeat & Lobster, founded in the 1920s is up for sale. Central &a Western: Summit Natural Gas improperly installed 82 natural gas connections in the Waterville area, but has repaired most of them; a former Wilton tannery will be redevloped to used for storage, firewood processing, composting and new business space; the Gardiner City Council voted to end the city’s revolving loan program for small businesses; Central Maine Healthcare is expanding its partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Midcoast & Downeast: A former waitress at Moody’s Diner is suing the business for alleged religious discrimination; Pride Manufacturing secured a $30 million loan that will allow it to reorganize and create new growth initiatives; former Camden charity official Russell Brace is expected to plead guilty to federal fraud charges; the Damariscotta’s Maine Coast Book Shop has been put on the market; Bath Iron Works reached a settlement for a discrimination lawsuit involving allegations the company was enabling “anti-Muslim culture,”; the Rockland City Council approved an option-to-buy agreement for a Boston energy company to build a $200 million natural gas-fired plant on city property. Northern & Eastern: Cate Street Capital is seeking to overturn an order to pay Boston-based Xpress Natural Gas in regards to a gas contract; Dunkin’ Donuts is planning a $3 million expansion that will add capacity for franchise expansion throughout the region; Bangor denies a tax break for Hollywood Casino