There were 2,880 H-2B worker approvals for employers classified in Accommodation and Food Services with worksites recorded in Maine in fiscal 2026 through June 30, 2026, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In total, 2,904 decided workers were counted in USCIS approval and denial decisions for this sector and jurisdiction, with an approval rate of 99.2%. The approvals involved 175 petitioners. These counts represent workers included in USCIS initial approval and denial decisions on H-2B petitions and are not counts of petitions, visa issuances or individual people. Employers are classified by the two-digit NAICS sector listed on the corresponding Labor Department labor certification, which refers to the employer's industry and not the occupation of the workers. The jurisdiction is determined by the worksite location recorded on that certification, not by the employer's own location. These figures cover fiscal 2026 through June 30, 2026, a partial fiscal year.
The “blue wave” that swept Democrats into office across the country was accompanied by notable wins on measures that would provide additional funding for child care and prekindergarten. Several newly elected officials made early childhood a central part of their campaigns. In Maine, Gov.-elect Hannah Pingree campaigned on universal child care and boosting pay for early educators. Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms also made mandatory kindergarten and expansion of the state’s pre-K program part of her election pitch. David Crowley, who will be the new governor of Wisconsin, has called for expanding the state’s child care subsidy program so that it covers all children ages 5 or younger. In South Carolina, Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is heading to the Senate after making access to child care a platform priority. And in Minnesota, Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan has called for an expansion to the federal Head Start program for low-income children and for universal pre-K.
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The Seneca Street parking garage is in the middle of a tug of war. The Ithaca Common Council is moving ahead with plans to try to replace the decaying garage with a housing development without a parking requirement. Downtown Ithaca businesses are fighting back. They argue that the loss of publicly accessible parking will harm commerce on the Ithaca Commons, the city’s commercial and pedestrian corridor. The 425-space parking garage is past its useful lifespan of 30 to 50 years. It was shut down in April after debris began to fall from the 53-year-old garage’s upper floors. City officials say downtown parking remains underutilized, even with the garage closed, and that the cost of repairing or replacing the structure would be prohibitive. They also argue that the garage’s downtown location presents a unique development opportunity.
In Collegetown, the phrase “garage sale” is taking on a whole new meaning. The City of Ithaca is moving to sell the aging Dryden Road parking garage to a private developer that plans to build a new parking garage and hotel on the site. The Common Council voted 10-1 on Oct. 28 to transfer ownership of the garage at 118 Dryden Road to the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA), an public benefit corporation that exists to promote economic development in Ithaca, but is legally independent of the city. By transferring the property to the IURA, the city can avoid certain legal requirements that typically apply to municipal property sales. Normally, the city would have to sell the property through an auction or sealed bidding process. The IURA will negotiate a deal with the developers seeking to build a hotel in Collegetown on the city’s behalf. That deal will be subject to a vote of approval by the Common Council. The hotel proposal comes from Ithaca-based Robertson Development.
