Gloom is giving way to a glow of optimism in two northern Maine towns.

Paper-making, for generations the lifeblood of Millinocket and East Millinocket, is back, and a closely related new industry knocks on the door. And mill workers and those who draw a living from one of Maine's traditional industries say they finally have something to be thankful for.

In a deal brokered by the state, an investment group based in Portsmouth, N.H. bought the mills and, in October, about a fifth of workers returned to their jobs.

(READ the article in the Boston Globe)