Bucksport, ME

Hundreds of mill workers from across the state will find themselves without jobs at the beginning of the holiday season after Verso Paper's sudden announcement Wednesday that it will close its paper mill in Bucksport effective Dec. 1.

More than 500 employees will be out of work in the third mill closure in Maine this year, dealing a severe blow to the town of 5,000 people, which derives 47 percent of its tax revenues from the Verso mill.

"The Bucksport mill unfortunately has not been profitable for a number of years," said Dave Paterson, Verso's president and CEO.