DOWN EAST TUESDAY

BUSINESS WEEK -  Maine-based L.L. Bean has taken the top spot in an annual ranking of the nation's leading companies for customer service. The fourth annual Bloomberg Business Week "customer service champs" rankings gave the No. 1 position to the Freeport outdoor gear and apparel company, ahead of USAA insurance and financial services company and Apple Inc. Bloomberg cited L.L. Bean for adapting to the way its customers now shop through the design and features of its Web site and its return policies. It also commended the company for keeping its back-office operations in Maine rather than moving them offshore to save money. L.L. Bean was ranked 24th on last year's list.

PORTLAND DAILY SUN - Total snowfall in Portland last February was 15.3 inches, 2.5 inches above normal, according to the National Weather Service. So far this February, only 1.6 inches of snow have fallen. . . The month has averaged 27.6 degrees in Portland, 4 degrees above normal for February, and the city is almost 3 and a quarter inches below normal snowfall for the year-to-date since January, the weather service reported.

MAINE COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS