Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X I M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 14 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E asphalt plant and associated assets to All States Materials Group, a West Springfield, Mass.-based road con- struction company. e sale price was not disclosed. An employee owned company, Sargent is also marking its 100th anniversary this year. Aroostook County sees fewer visitors e latest visitation report for Aroostook County shows the num- ber of visitors declined in 2025, but visitor spending reached an all- time high. Aroostook County saw a 2.5% decrease in visitors last year. Although a decline, the number was better than Maine's 4.4% decrease in visitation over the same period, according to a news release. At the same time, the number of overnight visitors in Aroostook County soared by 16.5%. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Northern Light Health in Brewer an- nounced that Moody's revised its out- look for the health care system from negative to stable and affirmed its Ba3 revenue bond rating. Smart Business Checking No monthly maintenance service charge PLUS no transaction fees up to 500 items per statement cycle: now that's Smart. Business checking that's Smart. Switch today at maine.bank P O L I T I C S & C O. With Mills out of Senate race, Platner looks to square off against Collins B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n I n a surprise move, Gov. Janet Mills announced April 30 that she was dropping out of the race for a U.S. Senate seat. Mills would have faced Graham Platner in the Democratic primary in June. With Mills out of the contest, Platner moves into the clear frontrunner spot to face the incumbent, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in the Nov. 3 general election. Mills, who made the announcement on social media, said a lack of campaign funding drove the decision. "While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that politi- cal campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources," she posted. "That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult deci- sion to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate." Democratic response Platner, an oyster farmer who lives in Sullivan, responded by thanking Mills for her dedication to Maine. Assuming he will be the Democratic challenge, Platner rallied Mills allies and funders, holding a press conference later the same morning of Mills' announcement. Looking toward the November election, Platner will have work cut out for him trying to unseat Collins, a senior Senate member who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. Graham Platner Susan Collins F I L E P H O T O S

• Cover