Maine
Maine employers are struggling to find foreign workers ahead of tourism season
Ron Corridor expects an energetic tourism season in Maine, with summer time camps opening totally all through the state and lots of already utterly booked.
It’s a marked distinction from final 12 months, when most camps opened however have been at 80 p.c capability. In 2020, solely 25 of the 140 girls and boys camps belonging to Maine Summer season Camps have been open and working at solely half capability due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Issues are lingering regardless of robust demand from campers. Corridor, govt director of the nonprofit group, stated he nonetheless expects that camps will have the ability to rent solely half of the three,400 short-term overseas employees they usually get. They aren’t alone.
Visas granted to abroad college students working in Maine for about 4 months are a key a part of the workforce at Maine campgrounds, accommodations, eating places, amusement parks and nationwide parks all through the tourism season, which is anticipated to be even higher this 12 months after a powerful restoration in 2021. Consultants count on a shortfall in these J-1 visas to have an effect on most of them.
J-1 employees, together with the long term H-2B visa holders, usually make up about 10 p.c of the hospitality summer time workforce. Journey restrictions that induced a precipitous drop within the variety of visa employees in 2020 have largely ended, however sluggish processing at embassies and the struggle in Ukraine are dampening the variety of J-1 visa holders, leaving many Maine companies to cobble collectively methods equivalent to increased pay and housing presents to draw home employees.
“I don’t really feel all heat and fuzzy concerning the employee scenario,” Greg Dugal, director of presidency affairs for the trade group HospitalityMaine, stated. “We’re nonetheless mild about 30,000 workers within the state.”
A restoration to pre-pandemic ranges could also be far off. Maine had 59 p.c fewer J-1 visas in 2021 in comparison with 2019, in line with a nationwide ballot by the Alliance for Worldwide Alternate, a Washington, D.C.-based public coverage group targeted on schooling and cultural trade.
Nationally, J-1 visas have been down 63 p.c in contrast with 2019. Consequently, 60 p.c of companies misplaced income and 90 p.c fell wanting staffing wants. In Maine, the 26 companies surveyed reported whole losses of $5.9 million, roughly $226,962 per enterprise.
A part of the issue is that embassies are nonetheless getting again on-line after shutting down or chopping employees early within the pandemic. Dugal stated most companies will probably be short-staffed with solely between 60 and 80 p.c of the folks they want and must make selections primarily based on having a shortfall. That might harm the smaller companies most as a result of even one individual getting sick might set off a brief closure.
The scenario has prompted governors, together with Maine’s Janet Mills, t0 signal a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to prioritize processing of J-1 visas. The letter nonetheless is being circulated for signatures. It emphasizes the advantages of the visas to state economies, particularly to seasonal companies.
Even with the J-1 shortfall in 2022, extra employees are anticipated than final 12 months, giving some reduction to companies, stated Phil Simon, vice chairman {of professional} trade packages at CIEE, a South Portland nonprofit that sponsors J-1 visas.
“We’re one a part of the image,” Simon stated. “Home recruitment is difficult.”
Scott Shelton, basic supervisor at Hampton by Hilton in Bar Harbor, is recruiting employees nationally to forged a broader internet. He expects to stand up to 10 J-1 visa employees, a key a part of his 60 employees members he’s on observe to have this summer time.
At Abel’s Lobster in Bar Harbor, proprietor Mandy Fountaine hopes to get 5 H-2B visa employees on her first try to make use of visa employees, however with excessive demand, she doesn’t count on to get any.
She wants further employees this 12 months as she opens a second restaurant this spring. She is utilizing referral bonuses, higher wages and restricted housing to draw home employees. However with so many companies searching for employees, she expects most of them gained’t be totally staffed.
If Fountaine can’t get sufficient employees, she could should repeat what she did final summer time at Abel’s, when she reduce to being open solely 4 days per week.
“Once I say I want 100 employees, I might in all probability use 120,” she stated. “However 100 is what I want at least.”
Extra articles from the BDN
Maine
Ellsworth veterinarian to settle allegations over controlled substance storage
An Ellsworth veterinarian has agreed to pay more than $145,000 to settle allegations that he violated the federal Controlled Substances Act.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was unable to conduct several audits last year at Dr. Alan Toothaker’s registered location because of insufficient record keeping.
An investigation revealed that Toothaker maintained minimal oversight, had improper storage, failed to keep regular inventories and did not keep appropriate records.
U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said the practice did not have adequate security or oversight, making it very difficult to determine if any substances had gone missing.
Maine
2 dead and several injured in Southern California plane crash
FULLERTON, Calif. — Two people died and 19 were injured Thursday when a small plane crashed through the roof of a sprawling furniture manufacturing building in Southern California where at least 200 people were working, police said.
The people who died were believed to have been on the plane, while those injured were inside the building. The deceased victims will be identified after officials have contacted the next of kin, the Fullerton Police Department said in a statement.
Eleven people were taken to hospitals, while eight were treated and released at the scene, police said.
The plane crashed less than two minutes after taking off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport in Orange County, located 6 miles from Disneyland, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Security camera footage from Rucci Forged, a wheel manufacturer across the street, shows the plane was tilted on its side as it dove into the building, causing a fiery explosion and black plume of smoke.
Firefighters and police arrived on scene and battled the blaze and evacuated surrounding businesses, Fullerton police spokesperson Kristy Wells said.
Chris Villalobos, an airport operations worker, came to the warehouse to see what had happened after receiving a phone call about a plane going down nearby. He noted the airplane’s owner was a regular at the airport and has frequently taken off from there.
“He has a hangar here and everything,” Villalobos said.
After taking off, the pilot told air traffic control he was going to turn around to make an emergency landing, but it was unclear what the issue with the plane was, Villalobos said.
The building struck by the plane was occupied by Michael Nicholas Designs, a furniture upholstery manufacturer, according to a sign on a door. There appeared to be sewing machines and textile stock inside.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the accident and identified the plane as a single-engine, four-seat Van’s RV-10. The National Transportation Safety Board said it also is investigating.
The airport in Fullerton has one runway and a heliport. Metrolink, a regional train line, is nearby and flanks a residential neighborhood and commercial warehouse buildings.
The Fullerton City Council posted a statement on social media calling the crash a “solemn tragedy.”
“The City of Fullerton is committed to providing support for all those affected and working with the agencies involved to uncover the details of this incident,” Mayor Fred Jung said in the statement. “We are grateful for the strength of our community and the compassion we show one another in times of crisis.”
Another four-seat plane crashed into a tree a half-mile from the airport in November while making an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, The Orange County Register reported. Both people on board suffered moderate injuries.
Fullerton is a city of about 140,000 people about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Copyright 2025 NPR
Maine
Maple workshops for beginners in southern Maine, online with UMaine Extension
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is collaborating with several local organizations in York and Androscoggin counties to present a series of maple sugaring workshops for beginners and small-scale producers in January and February. There is also an online option hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association.
All of the programs are designed for backyard and homestead-scale systems that require a limited initial investment in equipment. Discussions will include identifying and tapping trees, collecting and boiling sap, as well as filtering, grading and canning syrup.
On February 1, the Southern Maine Maple Sugarmakers Association (SMMSA) will host Backyard Maple Sugaring, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the York County Extension Office, 45 Kennebunk Road in Alfred, ME. This day-long workshop is developed to give participants a more in-depth overview of the sugaring process. The morning session will include demonstrations and discussions by UMaine Extension Maple Industry Educator Jason Lilley and several established maple syrup producers. The afternoon will include a tour of a local sugarhouse to highlight how they got started and demonstrate the sap processing equipment that they use. The cost of this workshop will be $18 and includes a how-to guide. Visit the event webpage to register.
A virtual session hosted by MOFGA and led by Lilley is planned for January 7, from 6 – 8 p.m. Visit MOFGA’s event page to register.
The remaining workshops, which do not include a sugarhouse tour, are scheduled to last approximately 2 hours and will be held at the Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library in Greene on January 9, Massabesic Adult Education in Waterboro on January 30, and Lewiston Adult Education in Lewiston on February 4. Look for registration information about these events coming in January.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact jason.lilley@maine.edu
About University of Maine Cooperative Extension
As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension seeks to build thriving communities and grow the food-based economy, focusing on aspects from production and processing to nutrition, food safety and food security. Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H which offers hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement and creates a positive environment where participants are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.
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