Maine
Senator Collins Urges Secretary of Labor to Reverse Halt on Job Corps Enrollment in Maine
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.
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The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition says over the past two weeks its immigrant defense hotline has seen an uptick in reported ICE detentions.
They say this corresponds with a national shift in ICE activity, including bids for local businesses to cooperate with ICE.
In Maine, the arrests follow a broader trend of targeting Black and brown immigrants, including people navigating immigration proceedings.
The coalition, which represents more than 100 organizations, says it’s ready to protect civil and human rights and is urging immigrants to prepare themselves and their families.
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They suggest having the defense hotline ready in case you witness ICE activity, making sure you have important personal documents in case of detention, and reviewing rights around judicial warrants in private spaces, like your home or workplace.
It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without a stop at the florist.
According to Fox Business, about 154 million flowers are sold during the week of Mother’s Day. So it’s safe to say it was a busy day for stores like Estabrook’s Maine Garden Center and Nursery.
Plenty of families stopped by to pick out flowers on Sunday, looking to choose the perfect bouquet for their moms.
“I think Mother’s Day is tradition, you know, and so it’s great to see families here. We have a lot of new families that have come today for the first time with their young children and their mother. Watching the young kids and seeing how excited they are—their eyes light up at all the beautiful flowers,” Tom Estabrook, president of Estabrook’s, said.
Estabrook says Mother’s Day tends to be a great kickoff to the spring season.
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