Central Maine News: May 14, 2015

These are some of the stories central Maine is talking about today.

A mid-coast area woman is accusing the former operator of a homeless shelter in Rockland of offering her housing in exchange for sex. According to the Bangor Daily News, a lawsuit was filed last week against Gordon Mank Jr. and Mid-Coast Hospitality House Inc. Because the woman is an alleged victim of sexual assault, the BDN does not identify the plaintiff. (BDN)

A public hearing will be held today about the potential impacts of a dredging project on the fishing industry in Down East. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking to dredge approximately 100,000 cubic yards of clay material from an 18.5-acre area within Beals Harbor. The project would start in October. (AP)

Today is the final day to apply for a spot in Maine's annual moose lottery. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is planning to issue 2,815 moose permits, the fewest in 12 years. The state will hold the drawing on June 13 in Bethe, part of the three-day Bethel Maine Moose Festival. Apply here.

The House and Senate have voted to override several bills vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage. The House voted 119-27 yesterday in favor of overturning LePage's veto of a bill that gives lawmakers control over plans to offer keno. The House also kept alive a proposal to increase filing fees for transmission line projects. (AP)

A legislative committee yesterday rejected Republican Gov. Paul LePage's proposal to eliminate Maine's income tax. The committee voted 7-5 against the proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent the state from collecting the income tax beginning in 2020. The proposal will now be considered by the full Legislature. (AP)

Maine women's groups are urging lawmakers to reject two abortion-related proposals. They rallied outside the Statehouse yesterday to oppose a bill that would require written consent of a parent or legal guardian before an abortion could be performed on a minor or incapacitated person. Supporters say parents have the right to be involved in such an important decision. (AP)

A Sabattus woman convicted of aiding her husband's sexual abuse of a preteen girl has asked the state's highest court to throw out her conviction. The Sun Journal reports that Christal Gagnier's attorney told the Supreme Judicial Court that a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse from her husband produced a climate of fear that rendered Gagnier incapable of helping the 10-year-old victim. (AP)

Maine is enacting a new size limit on striped bass fishing that restricts fishermen to one fish per day at 28 inches or larger. The state Department of Marine Resources says the limit goes into effect today. The previous daily limit was one fish per day between 20 and 26 inches long or greater than 40 inches long. (AP)

A Maine government survey says the average statewide cash price for heating oil fell 21 cents from mid-March to mid-May. The average price was $2.49 a gallon, down from $2.70 in March and up 2 cents from last month. (AP)