Blethen Maine to Lay Off 22 Non-Union Workers, Shut Papers

The Seattle Times will sell Blethen Maine Newspapers, and 22 Blethen Maine employees will be laid off.

Those affected are non-union employees. Top executives have also been targeted.

Blethen Maine Newspapers was formed when Seattle Times bought all the newspapers formerly published by Guy Gannett Communications.  Guy Gannett was a family-owned business consisting of newspapers in Maine and a handful of television stations in the eastern United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Guy P. Gannett, in 1921.

Holdings include the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal in Augusta and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, all of which could close next week.