WASHINGTON D.C. (WAGM) – Senator Susan Collins is pressing the Department of Labor for answers after both of the state’s Job Corps centers had their enrollment frozen earlier this year, and now the future of the program is being questioned on Capitol Hill.

The Loring and Penobscot Job Corps centers serve nearly 500 students in Maine each year. Loring alone employs 129 staff, making it one of the largest employers in rural Aroostook County according to Senator Collins. During a Senate Appropriations hearing, Senator Collins challenged the department’s decision to halt enrollment in Maine while proposing the elimination of the entire Job Corps program nationwide.

“Did you consider the potential impact that halting enrollment at the two centers in Maine and then which you did only in the state of Maine and also proposing the elimination of the program on peoples whose life was changed, and I would argue, saved by Job Corps?”

“First and foremost, I want to say at the front end: We agree that this population is somebody we all care about. That is not the essence of what we’re here to talk about, but we do have to discuss the sustainability of Job Corps… It’s a $1.7 billion program with a 38% graduation rate when oftentimes the cost of almost $50,000 per student and to get out about $156,000, we are in the hole now. I would have to come to the Appropriations Committee and ask for more money to just get us back to baseline to have a graduation rate of 32%. So can we do better? I think we can.”

The Department of Labor says no final decisions have been made about closures, but Senator Collins is calling for an immediate reversal of the enrollment freeze in Maine.

The Department of Labor recently released a detailed report analyzing the financial performance and operational costs of the Job Corps Program.

Copyright 2025 WAGM. All rights reserved.

ORONO, Maine (WABI) – Hundreds of school students from across the state attended the annual Maine Learning Technology Initiative Student Conference in Orono Thursday.

The event was hosted on the University of Maine campus by the Maine Department of Education.

It focused on educating students in a fun way on topics such as robotics, AI, and cyber security.

Those from the department say it’s important to stay up to date on teaching kids about those emerging fields.

“When technology comes on the scene, it tends to stick around. So, we try to do our best to prepare students not only for what’s here right now, but also what they are gonna see in five years from now and how can we lay the foundational principles for them so that they can be successful no matter what the next technology advancement is,” said Emma Banks, event coordinator, Maine Department of Education.

“They kind of just make it more entertaining for the kids so we’re not just sitting in a college class. We’re actually doing fun entertaining hands-on work,” said Zoie Elliott from Windsor Elementary School and presented at the event.

Activities ranged from an AI training camp to a Lego robotics session.

Copyright 2025 WABI. All rights reserved.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

Millionaires and the top 10 percent of Americans pay more than 70 percent of federal income taxes and the percentages are likely similar in Maine, which leads some to claim that millionaires aren’t paying their fair share.

I think this high tax burden, along with Maine’s other taxes, may lead many to move to Florida or other states that have no income tax and no estate tax, hurting Maine’s economy. Further, when they shelter their income, that money is unavailable to invest in opportunities to stimulate our economy, decreasing the tax money available to our government.

We forget that our poor, while needing our help, generally live better than kings in the 18th and 19th century. Be careful what you wish for.

John S. Kaiser

Ellsworth