The paper closed due to POOR management. Iv'e tryed doing business with them several times and have neve seen such unprofessional people in my life. Then again most everything Pushard touches fails..

It's called karma Bob.

We have done business with Katahdin times for years. The statement about advertisers taking longer to pay thier bills is a JOKE. Thier billing department has been screwed up for sometime, and when you complain they wont return your phone calls or emails. They bill for weeks you dont do business, they post your payments to someone else's account. I feel bad for the people that were laid of, but tell the truth as to why you close. You have some major problems with your system and very few that work there care.

Kieara I thought it was very unprofessional for Mr. Pushard to comment on how the advertisers aren't paying their bills in a timely manner. Don't we have federal collection laws that prevent disclosure of such things? Like I said Karma always gets you.

Millinocket is turning into a Ghost Town very rapidly.

Having been associated with Katahdin Times long before it was KTimes, back to the days of Millinocket Journal, I find it very sad that the town has lost its local newspaper. I also agree that it was very unprofessional for Mr. Pushard to comment on how the advertisers aren't paying their bills in a timely manner. I feel the paper has been poorly managed for the past few years. What will they do about people who have prepaid for yearly subscriptions? I doubt there will be any "refunds." It is the end of a long list of local businesses..........so sad.

It's ironic that a papermaking town no longer has a need for paper. Kind of a sign of the times and a ominous sign for Millinocket.

concerned1 more negative comments from a disgruntled mill worker

flyfishin what was so negative about concerned1's comments? an opinion was stated backed up by their own experiences if that is negative blame the paper which gave him that experience and opinion. Pushard came to town and made a lot of enemies. It was only a matter of time before he closed up shop.

Everytime i hear of another story from millinocket I am saddened. I am a daughter of a mill worker who lost his job, I remember the time when millinocket was a booming town, and the men and women there had pride in themselves, their work, and thier community

bucksport will be that way in 5 years if they dont do something about it,,, but what can you do... and trust me 80% of the people that read the KT was over 60 years old,, are you telling me they dont have the money to pay for a newspaper,,, lower the advertisement cost and the advertisement will come to you....

Instead of covering LOCAL events and news (the schools around would beg for coverage of events), they branched out to Lincoln and then to Sherman. They would never cover their OWN news.

Recessions and their severity are sometimes measured by the lag time between accounts receivable and payment of same. The owner was only explaining the reasons behind the closure. Our experience with the Katahdin Times has always been favorable. The "anti" remarks above appear to be from ignoramuses, to put it mildly.

For the people like me that grew up in Millinocket the Times is the only way we can keep up with all the news in town. My sister bought the Times each year as a Christmas present for me,is she going to get the money back that was paid for the year? When the papers were sent to me I would get one here and there, didn't receive all the papers I should have gotten.

The town is dying fast I don't know how the people in Millinocket are making it. I am glad I moved out.

The paper closed because Magic is gone and that was the only thing that they wanted to talk about so it kept news in the papers, as for the cost of the paper the sister paper that Pushard runs in Newport is free of charge and it still is operating, no I think that Mr Pushard got to involved in creating the news instead of reporting the news like the person said above...........its Karma BOB! If you do sell the paper please wash your hands of it so we can get back the newspaper we use to have years ago..........bring back Barbara Waters/Mrs Erickson they knew how to run a paper!!! I know first hand that a lot of advertisers stopped advertising because they screwed up their ad so bad..........where were the proof readers?

BigBoy blames Magic for anything that goes wrong, which is the typical goon response, and cowgirl criticizes somebody else for unprofessionalism. Thanks, BigBoy and cowgirl, for showing once again that Millinocket will never change.

I remember when that paper was started by a family that lived on Eastland Avenue. I lived on Maple Stret at the time and the street that connected Eastland Avenue to Maple Street was called Jounal Place. .I started delivering the Millinocket Journal as it was called then. My delivery Route was Little Italy. I watched the Millinocket Journal evolve into the Kathdin Times before I left own after I gradutaed from high school. It is sad to see this paper go, whether it was poorly run or not. I am saddened by what is happening to my hometown and this just add to that sadness.

Jonathan Carr

is BigBoy named Ken by any chance. the guy that spwes vitriole in that Magic City crap he puts out?

I also remember when the paper was started by The Hume family on Eastland Avenue. I worked for that paper and also made deliverys of the Millinocket Journal when I was in high school. It is sad to see this paper go, whether it was poorly run or not. I am also saddened by what is happening in my hometown. I apologize if I sounded unprofessional or negative. I doubt if Barbara Waters or Anne Erickson would want to come out of retirement but I do hope someone tries to start up another paper or revive this one because it is a way for the townpeople to keep up on local news. I don't believe MAGIC had anything to do with the demise of the paper, but rather just a sign of the "times" and what is happening to our town.

The Katahdin Times/Press closed because of mismanagement plain and simple!! Billing was all screwed up and instead of confronting clients about the mess they kept avoiding them, . There were many many instances when the paper could have been turned around. You let everyone go and expect 3 people to do the job of 15, doesnt work... Mr Pushard and Ms McCluskey single handedly ran the paper into the ground... And Cowgirl you don't really know went on over there so dont pretend to... You cant expect someone who ran a tourist shop and some Salvation Armies to really know how the hell to run a paper.. People from the Katahdin Region did not want to know what was going on in the Sebasticook valley region, we don't care, we still don't care.. Thanks for running a 100 year old traditon into the ground Mr Pushard, thanks!!

Nice work, Bob. I knew you had it in you from the first day we met.

I left Millinocket in 1971 because it was hard to find a job there if you did not work in the Mill. I moved to the Bangor , Brewer area and married a man who worked in the paper mill in Brewer, of course we know that one was shut down in 2004. My husband had worked there for 37 years. Times were rough for us for a few years. My Mom and Dad are both gone now, and I only go to Millinocket to put floweres on their graves. When I do go to my old neighborhood occassionally, I am saddened at what I see. The town has looked like a ghost town for some time. I feel bad when I see that Stearns High School is no longer a High School, but a assisted living or nursing home? Face it the town has been falling behind for some time now. The paper closing is just one more sign of the changing economy.

Pushard’s other publications, the Piscataquis Times and Sebasticook Weekly, are doing well, Pushard said.

if this statement is totally true then why did Mr Pushard feel the need to let go his ad layout person/office manager from the SVWeekly and Pis Times???

ElaineM: The original Stearns High School building hasn't been a high school since right around the time you left town, actually. After the "new" Stearns High on State Street opened in... 1972, I think, or '73, the old building was the middle school until sometime in the 1990s, then stood vacant for several years before being converted into an old folks' home. And hey, at least it escaped the ignominious fate of neighboring Katahdin Avenue School, which was sold for scrap and torn down (despite being, as the salvager discovered to his chagrin, one of the best-built structures in the region).

Anyway, yes, Millinocket's in the tank and has been here for some time, but smaller, poorer towns than this one has become still have thriving weeklies elsewhere in the world. It's mismanagement, ego, and infighting that have led the town to its current straits, and it's mismanagement, ego, and infighting that brought the Times to its demise.

Amen

Piscataquis Times newspaper is FREE, at least it was when I just happened to stop by the Rite Aid over there and couldn't believe it. The paper layout is identical and most of the storys that are in it are the same stories as in the katahdin times. Some of the same workers work for them also. They must really have some advertisers to not charge anybody for the paper.

The paper was pretty miniscule anyway...not much in it. Lincoln News has a whole section that covers most of the news up that way anyway and they are sold up there also. I just wish everyone would stop trying to blame everything on the economy...sometimes its just easier for management to do so when they flub up. :(

Is the Piscataquis Times the same as the Piscataquis Observer....?

the Observer is awesome, and not free..

They are different

Millygal, I apologize. You're right. I don't really know what went on... I only have my opinion and agree with a lot of other writers on this blog that it is sad to see another business lost in Millinocket, no matter what the reason is.... and I agree with wspahn who says at least the original Stearns High School bldg escaped the fate of neighboring Katahdin Avenue School.

I was from Millinocket also. I lived there for 18 years and graduated from Stearns High School in 1965. It was a beautiful town and plenty to do. Altho it is sad to see the paper go it would of been sadder to see the Stearns High building gone. Someone sure made the right decision when they turned it into the Assisted living. So many great memories!!Wish the kids now of days could have some of those instead of an unsure future.

Cracks me up how so many people posting think these tri towns are ghost towns and nothing to do. There is just as much to do here as there was 30 years ago. For those of us that love the area we are still enjoying ourselves and having a blast. I don't think anyone that lived here did it for the activities of a larger city. It's all about the outdoors people, if you don't like that, then you are not going to like the area period. For all of you that moved away and come on here to brag about how you are in a much better place, do you think we really give two shiats.

Sad, but perhaps a good opportunity for someone to step in and do a better job than Bob Pushard. I wouldn't count out the Katahdin Region.

I wouldn't count out the Katahdin Region, we are a strong people who can survive much hardship!! Also there has always been a paper here and there always will be.. you can be sure of that

Amen, movethen...

Movethen pretty much said it. Those of us who live here love it and wouldn't live anywhere else. Its mostly about the people. and yes, there are plenty of activities if you look for them. Like wasting time writing in these blogs - lol. I wouldn't be surprised if someone revived the paper either.

I hear the Katahdin Region Meth Industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Maybe Meth will save Millinocket.

so where's a schedule of tonight's winterfest activities? I havent' seen one...

As someone who is in the SVweekly and Pisc Times area I can tell you that those papers have hardly any advertising in them and from what I hear half of the businesses who do put an ad in soon regret spending the money. The papers are the same publication with just a different front page name and don't even begin to compare to the Piscataquis Observer, Eastern Gazette and Rolling Thunder Express three strong papers that help businesses not just take their money.

I agree with Kierara. my biggest problem with them has been their billing practices. No weekly billings, statements that didn't agree with my records. I deal with companies where we have to balance accounts much larger than the Time's billing. I spend 15 minutes a month on the larger accounts, and 8 hours on the Times billing. It was not cost effective for me advertise with them.

I do not know why people would find this shocking.. I mean honestly! It's sad, this is true.. but hardly shocking.

And special thanks to Karen W for being the Idiot that we always knew she was!

I know first hand how Mr Pushard/Ms Mclusky ran there business. My husband was hired as a contractor to deliver the papers. Every week he would have to hunt them down for the labels for the mail papers. He would always be in Augusta early Monday mornings and have the whole delivery route done ( which included Lincoln, Sherman drop, Medway, East and Millinocket ) done by 1:00 on Monday. He also did a route for the Newport paper on Thursdays. My husband also took it upon himself to make the bills for the delivery and tried to do drawer changes (paper increases/ decreases). My husband made many suggestions for the layout for the front page and dis-playing of the paper. To which they initaly implacated but in the long run neglated to continue. After we purchased a truck he was let go the end of Dec 07 because They were $25,000.00 in the hole."Who is 25,000.00 in the hole with a truck payment?" My husbands latest frustration dealt with a 1099 being sent for 2008 when his last day was 2007 he called to explain this and was blown- off. His last comment to them was coninsides with most of your comments."your business is messed up (Nicer words). and that I never want to deal with you again." Good Bye Mr. Pushard!!!!!!!! My husband knows how circulation is run he has been in the paper business for over 15 years!!!!! Bob's only clue how to run a paper is to run it into the GROUND mission accomplished!.....

If you would like to know what type of business people Pushard/McCluskey are just talk to the Bangor Salvation Armies and mention their names... Its worth the laugh

They couldn't even run Miller's when it first started so how could they run a newspaper company. When people want in a local paper is local news not something down in the Newport area. You get more out of the Lincoln news for the Katahdin area then you did from the Katahdin Times. Do I feel sorry for the paper, yes. Do I feel sorry for the owners, no. They should find something that they can do besides run a business.

Mr. Bob and Ms. Patty should go back to the Bangor Area and leave us alone. I never liked them when they had Miller's. They wouldn't get anything that people wanter only what Patty wanted. And what Patty wanted was what Patty got. Never what the customer wanted, doesn't the customer always come first. So GOOD BYE BOB AND PATTY!!!!!!

This guy is a victim of mot being from here. First of all he had no idea that there was a huge political rift in the region that meant that you had to choose one side or another if you ever expected to earn a cent. Second he teamed up with an unethical untrustworthy uncouth "publisher" of a failing rag that spouted MAGIC dogma as if it were truth. She apparently worked qctively to subvert the guy and his paper before running off amid rumors, broken homes and deceit and who still owes the town for her "loan" to engage in that profession. Third the whole industry is going down and even the big boys cannot pay their bills. I am sorry to see it go but it is now so devoid of good will and reputation that it would be a mistake for anyone to try to resurrect it. Matt and his sock puppet bruce mclean would be happy to buy it on our dime though neither of them have a clue how to run a paper so that too would fail. Good luck Mr. Pushard. You are lucky to have escaped with your reputation and property intact from a town half full of vicious welfare recipients who march to the tune of a would-be resort owner who has no regard for them or for the town.

I don't think his reputation is intact....

It's Magic's fault this paper has gone under?

Wow, Magic is at fault for everything that ever goes wrong in Millinocket. They sure are a powerful organization.

If anyone gets up to Millinocket please go to the cemitery to see if my grandparents butts are sticking out of the ground! Millinocket was a town they built and now a black man in the white house! What next? i feel bad for the people of that town, my parents still live there.

Washington DC

millinocket, you are no different then a good many towns in this great couuntry...unemployment, business shut gowns, newspapers going down under,,,,,this, unfortuantely is a common thing today as our economy has gone down the draiin so don't blame a business going broke and in need to close the door....we are in trouble as we were in the last depression....millinocket used to be a fun town when i was in school...i played in the town band and bill gates was our singer....remember those days? no, the town will never be the same....i spent many happy years living on Penobscot Ave in the house which is now the Baptist Church....My thoughts will always be in Millinocket but my family are gone and things will never be the same----Millinocket will be a ghost town within the next twenty years. warren T.

I close my door everytime I come into the house.....

Thanks, MaineMom, for reminding us of the Millinocket Mantras, as defined by Cyr, BigBoy, Ken Anderson, et al: 1. When we screw up, it's Magic's fault. 2. We're screw-ups, and it's Magic's fault. 3. When we don't don't get what we want, no matter how obviously stupid or unrealistic our ideas, it's Magic's fault. 4. When you point out how obviously stupid or unrealistic our ideas are, you're unknowingly brainwashed by the Conspiracy, and that's Magic's fault. 5. When you point out how obviously stupid or unrealistic our ideas are, you're part of the Conspiracy, and that's Magic's fault.

Magic has been a moot point in Millinocket for quite some time but not if you listen to all of 'them'. Bruce and Matt are both off the town council and yet they are still blamed for everything going on in the area. Ken blames Matt for his business failure...not that it had anything to do with the actual business and a town with less and less disposable income per person. Besides everyone I know has a computer or uses the ones at the library free. I love how they are still town residents even though they haven't been in town for well over a year closer to 2 now. Cyr doesn't even live in town anymore and hasn't since he sold his home yet he is on the town council. Evidently the MMA says that you can live outside a town you represent!

Millinocket will never be a ghost town, nor Medway nor East Millinocket. There are way too many campers, hikers, rafters, fishermen, hunters, bicyclists, moose watchers, mountain climbers, woods-riders, four-wheelers, snowsledders, icefishermen, foliage watchers....etc., etc., etc. who love our area of Maine.

Millinocket will NEVER be a ghost town!!!!! I believe the town will survive as long as there sledders, hikers, fishing basically as the long as we have and outdoors!!! So please keep your negativity about Millinocket to yourself!!! You don't live here anymore!!!!!

Maine mon...You are an idiot arn't you...This is the second story I see you comment on and again you were wrong....Just take a look at what you said......

."On 2/15/09 at 03:46 PM, mainemom wrote: Millinocket will never be a ghost town, nor Medway nor East Millinocket. There are way too many campers, hikers, rafters, fishermen, hunters, bicyclists, moose watchers, mountain climbers, woods-riders, four-wheelers, snowsledders, icefishermen, foliage watchers....etc., etc., etc. who love our area of Maine..........

How many of those Campers pay property taxes, which in turn put your kids in school...How many rafts are registered at your town office? Which pays for your roads to be paved...The whole Katadin region WILL be a ghost town before long. It's pretty simple how it all plays out...Mill workers unionize, demand higher wages, go out on comp, draw crazy pensions, demand huge severance pay, vote democrat, then have the democratic people they elect raise taxes so high on there company they have to sell out, the poor mill worker looses his/her job, then they sell there house for half of what it is worth ( to people like me) then I buy there cars, trucks, boats, snowmobiles, guns for pennies on the dollar...then they move out of state to get another job...I sell all there stuff out of state for MAJOR PROFIT and come back and buy more...VOTE OBAMA 2012...I NEED THE MONEY....SOME DAY I REALLY HOPE THE WHOLE STATE WILL WAKE UP AND SEE WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING HERE AFTER THE LAST 30 YEARS OF DEMOCRATIC RULE. SO SAD

I am sure Mr. Hume is rolling in his grave...

well danaswife, with all this global warming..your sledders wiill soon be gone, and your streams and lakes will all dry up...keep you eye out for the ghosts...

if we could only go back to the days of George Wentworth and the Minutemen...life was so simple back then...

I graduated in 1966 from Stearns as well. Yes, the days of George Wentworth were the golden years.....the best basket ball playes in New England!

So what is the solution everyone? You go first YouKnowImRight.