Central Maine Reviews 2003 Events

Losses of manufacturing jobs continued to dominate headlines in central Maine in 2003, even as retail sales grew and the real estate and health care markets boomed.

Overall, the year will go down as a tough one, with the region shedding hundreds more of the traditional shoe, forest products, and textile jobs that have anchored its economy for generations -- losses blamed primarily on overseas competition. Experts say it is a trend that will continue into 2004.

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