Central Maine News: June 8, 2015

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

Commuter alert. Starting yesterday afternoon, the northbound lanes on I-295 in Richmond will be closed to drivers traveling northbound. The closure is due to a culvert failure. It is expected to reopen Wednesday morning.

(centralmaine.com) - Local voters go to the polls tomorrow. School budgets are on the ballots in Augusta, Farmingdale and other places. Embden residents will vote on SAD 74 withdrawal. Waterville residents vote on whether to toss the pay-as-you-throw trash and curbside recycling program.

(AP) — Governor Paul LePage is praising House Republicans for insisting that a final budget must include income tax cuts and significant changes to welfare programs. In a 9-4 vote early Saturday, the Appropriations Committee endorsed a two-year, $6.6 billion budget plan that doesn't include those provisions sought by LePage and House Republicans.

(WGME) - 58-year-old Richard Sprague of Minot is dead after losing control of his motorcycle and skidding into the woods Saturday night. He died at the scene of the crash on Center Minot Hill Road. Sprague was not wearing a helmet.

(AP) — The Maine grand jury hearing evidence on whether criminal charges should be brought after the death of a teen in a haunted hayride crash will meet for a third session. The grand jury is weighing criminal charges after 17-year-old Cassidy Charette was killed during a haunted hayride at Harvest Hills in Mechanic Falls last October. The accident also injured more than 20 people. They are expected to reconvene nect month.

(WABI) - There was a fatal crash in Howland yesterday afternoon. Killed was a 75 year old woman who was trying to turn onto I-95. State police have not released the Massachusetts' woman’s name.

(AP) — An Old Orchard Beach man charged with beating and stabbing his grandmother to death before setting fire to the home they shared is going on trial. Jury selection gets underway today in the trial of Derek Poulin, who's charged with murder and arson. Accused of killing 61-year-old Patricia Noel in October 2012.

(AP) — Maine Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin says new Environmental Protection Agency regulations about new boiler regulations could negatively impact a Maine mill. He says the rules could cause the Sappi paper mill in Skowhegan to spend millions of dollars to comply. Poliquin noted that increasing costs forced three Maine mills to close last year, causing nearly 1,000 workers to lose their jobs.

(AP) — Maine Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure the firefighters that work for the department get back pay that they are owed. The VA recently agreed to pay firefighters a premium per-hour rate on Saturdays and to retroactively pay them for time they worked back to 2004. 13 firefighters at Togus are eligible for the retroactive pay.

(AP) — Top agriculture officials from 10 states in the Northeast are meeting in Connecticut to discuss issues ranging from avian flu to food safety. Officials in eastern states have been working together to track reports of bird flu and ensure a quick response if evidence, such as sick birds, is sighted.

(AP) — Fishermen and dealers of Maine's valuable sea urchins say they are approaching a state plan to track the fishery with swipe cards with the same caution they exercise around the spiny animals. State regulators want to create a swipe card system to record transactions in which fishermen sell urchins to dealers.

(AP) — A Maine nonprofit organization has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant to strengthen programs for Maine inmates to prepare them to return work after they are released. The grant will go to Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. to create an American Job Center at the Cumberland County Jail to provide pre-release employment and career services to inmates.

(AP) — Data compiled by The Associated Press shows the number of abortions performed annually in New England, including Maine, is declining, echoing a nationwide trend. But at least two groups attribute the drop to different factors. Planned Parenthood of New England says accessible, effective birth control and comprehensive sex education programs are the most important factors. Rhode Island's Right to Life Executive Director attributes the decline to a generation that is more anti-abortion because of frequent ultrasounds.

(AP) — The Portland Sea Dogs are honoring prisoners of war with a special seat in the stands. The Sea Dogs have dedicated a chair behind third base to all prisoners of war and military personnel missing in action. Officials say the chair will remain empty as a reminder that there's always a spot for them.

(AP) — A woman who ran a Maine country inn for more than 20 years can retire now that she's found a new owner through an essay contest. Janice Sage from the Center Lovell Inn & Restaurant picked the winner of the contest Saturday. Sage took ownership of the inn the same way by winning an essay contest more than two decades ago.