Central Maine News: August 18, 2015

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

The White House is launching a 5-million dollar initiative to combat heroin use and trafficking, particularly in states along the east coast. Maine is among 15 states that will benefit from the increased funding, according to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. According to WGME about half of the money will fund a program to link public health and law enforcement agencies, with the goal of prioritizing treatment for drug users over punishments. Each of the five regions that will see increased funding will be able to hire two regional coordinators, one with a public health focus and the other with a public safety focus, who will oversee a heroin response team. (WABI)

Monmouth police say someone shot and killed a fox that was acting similarly to the possibly rabid fox from Monday morning. Police and wardens were warning residents about a potentially rabid fox after it bit a man in Monmouth. It happened near Main Street. According to WGME the first man who saw the fox said it came up on his porch Monday morning. He tried to shoo the fox away by kicking at it and that's when the fox bit his foot, but the bit did not penetrate the skin. Police said normally you wouldn't see a fox unless it was sick, which is why they think it has rabies. Police are fairly certain that it is the same fox that attacked the Monmouth man. Police will most likely have the fox sent away for testing. (WGME)

The lawyer for a Maine man who police say spent two months on the run after the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend says he may have turned himself in because he was afraid that police would shoot him. Robert Burton "thought he was going to get shot." The 38-year-old was annoyed by mosquitoes and black flies. Burton been held without bail since turning himself in last week. A bail hearing that had been set for Monday was postponed. Police say that Burton killed Stephanie Ginn Gebo after she broke up with him. Her body was found on June 5 by her daughter who, along with a younger brother, had been asleep upstairs. (AP)

While prices nationally went up, gas prices in Maine have fallen 3.6 cents per gallon in the past week to an average of $2.55 per gallon. Gasbuddy.com, which surveyed 1,228 gas stations in the state, says the national average increased 8.5 cents per gallon to $2.68.  Gas prices in Maine are 97 cents per gallon lower than they were a year ago and 21 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average is 87.9 cents less per gallon than a year ago and 16.2 cents less per gallon than a month ago. (AP)

The Maine DOT intends to update traffic lights at five major intersections in Winslow. According to the KJ, the Department will hold a public hearing on the evening of Sept. 3 to gather community input about the plans. Construction likely won’t start until fall of next year. According to the KJ, the updates will be installed at the intersections of Augusta Road and Carter Memorial Drive, China Road and Carter Memorial Drive, Carter Memorial Drive and Cushman Road, China and Cushman roads and Bay and Halifax streets. The intention is to sync the lights at the intersections so they function as a unit. The new system will be interconnected so if one light turns, the others turn in sync. (centralmaine.com)

Maine environmental officials are warning about unhealthy levels of ozone in the air this week. The state Department of Environmental Services says ozone levels were rising in Maine on Monday due to emissions from states to the southeast, reaching unhealthy levels in the southwest coastal region of the state. Today, unhealthy levels are expected for the southwest coast, mid-coast and high elevations of Acadia National Park. Under those conditions, children, health adults who exert themselves and individuals with respiratory diseases can experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation or an uncomfortable sensation in the chest. Officials recommend avoiding strenuous outdoor activity during the afternoon. (AP)

Indonesian officials say the black box has been recovered from passenger plane that crashed in a remote area of the country, killing all 54 people on board. Crews were able to reach the crash site Tuesday, two days after the plane went missing in bad weather. Officials say the plane was destroyed. All but one of the bodies have been recovered. (AP)

Several big wildfires in central Washington state are threatening the Lake Chelan resort region. Several large fires are burning near the town of Chelan, scorching more than 155 square miles. Since last Friday, some 75 homes have been destroyed. But more homes are being threatened, and mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for more than 2,900 people in the area. (AP)

The death toll is now 20 following Monday's explosion at a shrine in Bangkok. Another 140 people were wounded. Thailand's prime minister is promising that authorities will quickly track down those responsible for the deadly blast that's described as the country's worst attack ever. (AP)

A woman found dead in a home in northern Michigan along with her husband and two young children is suspected of killing them and fatally stabbing herself. Authorities say 34-year-old Tamisha Mendenhall stabbed herself in the groin and pierced a main artery. Authorities still have to determine how the other family members died. The bodies were found last Thursday in their Garfield Township home. Authorities say they likely died two days earlier. (AP)