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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 off ered cake decorating parties, accord- ing to Cake Concoctions' website. 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 Packaging Corporation of America donated $100,000 to the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund for engineers. Daniel and Vanessa Clark recently pur- chased Peg's Place, a convenience store located on U.S. Route 2A in Linneus. The store is now called Clark's Variety Inc. Northern Maine Development Commission provided small business counseling prior to purchase and the Commission's Business Finance Division assisted in securing fi nancing. Maine Savings, a credit union in Hampden, announced its Black Bear Debit Card Program has raised $41,774 for University of Maine Athletics student scholarships. Bangor Savings Bank announced a $50,000 gift to Good Shepherd Food Bank for improvements to the organi- zation's Hampden distribution center. W e're not going to get into the presidential election here, but off er a handy guide to statewide races and referenda that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. With help from Maine Public, Ballotpedia and indi- vidual campaign websites, here's the breakdown: 1st District Congressional Race ¡ Chellie Pingree (D): e incumbent cites the need for small-business investment: "Small businesses truly are the backbone of Maine's economy and one thing I hear most from them is the need for capital. As a small business owner myself, I couldn't agree more. at's why I've supported expanding Small Business Administration loan programs, cutting unnecessary regulations, and have worked to connect our small businesses with larger federal contractors," she says on her website. ¡ Mark Holbrook (R): e chal- lenger stresses "the importance of getting our economy going again," according to his cam- paign page, adding that "taxes and regulations are killing us." He says businesses struggle with the cost of the Aff ordable Care Act and would bear the burden of a higher minimum wage. 2nd District Congressional Race ¡ Emily Cain (D): e challenger says "balancing budgets, paying our bills and lowering taxes all go hand-in-hand with investing in our future," according to her cam- paign page. She supports better broadband service in rural areas, elimination of subsidies for com- panies that send jobs overseas and an end to "job killing" trade deals like the Trans Pacifi c Partnership. ¡ Bruce Poliquin (R): e incum- bent campaigns on promises of recruiting new businesses to Maine, eliminating "unnecessary job-killing regulations," lower- ing energy costs and repealing the ACA. Referendum questions: ¡ Question 1: Voting yes supports legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana for people over 21 years old. ¡ Question 2: A yes vote supports the establishment of a 3% tax on household income over $200,000 to increase public school aid. ¡ Question 3: A yes vote supports specifi c background checks for gun sales and transfers. ¡ Question 4: A yes vote supports gradually increasing the state's mini- mum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. ¡ Question 5: A yes vote would estab- lish statewide ranked-choice voting, also known as instant-runoff voting. ¡ Question 6: A yes vote would sup- port $100 million in bonds for trans- portation projects, with $80 million earmarked for highways and bridges and $20 million for ports, harbors, marine transportation, aviation, freight and passenger railroads and bike and pedestrian trails. What you need to know going into Nov. 8 election P O L I T I C S & C O. B Y M A I N E B I Z S T A F F

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