LePage cancels Canada trip after running into delay

Gov. Paul LePage has canceled his trip to western Canada and returned to Maine after a travel delay.

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The governor’s office said LePage was scheduled to participate in the trip to Calgary, Alberta, from Sunday through Wednesday, but instead returned to Maine on Monday after the delay.

His energy director and senior economic adviser are still taking part in the trip in conjunction with a trade mission organized by the Maine International Trade Center to foster new economic and trade opportunities.

Businesses taking part in the trade mission will have matchmaking sessions and company site visits with prospective business partners in Alberta before returning to Maine on Wednesday.

Gasoline prices in Maine drop 5.5 cents per gallon

Gasoline prices in Maine have fallen 5.5 cents per gallon in the past week.

Price-monitoring website MaineGasPrices.com reported Monday that gas in Maine is now averaging $3.62 a gallon.

Prices in Maine are 31.2 cents lower than a year ago and are a penny lower than the national average, which dropped 7.3 cents per gallon during the last month.

Senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan said he expects prices to continue falling and to be 20 or more cents per gallon lower by Thanksgiving.

The Maine price is based on a survey of more than 1,200 gas stations.

Concerns about economy, budget drive stocks lower

Concerns about the strength of the economy and the potential for a budget fight in Washington pushed down the stock market Monday.

The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell for a third straight day.

The Dow jumped 147 points last Wednesday to close at an all-time high after the Fed decided to keep its huge economic stimulus program intact. But that rally has been wiped out by anxiety over a budget and debt fight in Washington over the past three days.