Central Maine News: Dem+Rep Lawmakers Call on LePage to Stop Holding Voter-Approved Bonds Hostage to Advance Political Agenda

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

A group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers is calling on Gov. Paul LePage to stop holding voter-approved bonds "hostage" to advance his political agenda. Sen. Roger Katz and eight other lawmakers unveiled a bill on Tuesday that seeks to force the governor to release bonds for land conservation projects that he says he's withholding until the Legislature approves one of his plan to boost funding for heating assistance. Katz said that no one person, not even a governor, should be able to veto the decision of the people.LePage said in a statement that he remains committed to his plan to ensure that Mainers can stay warm in the winter. He says Katz and others should be more concerned with "keeping low-income Mainers warm than grandstanding for TV cameras." (AP)

A legislative committee will examine a bill introduced by Gov. Paul LePage that's designed to make it easier to bring small nuclear power plants to Maine. Currently, Maine voters must approve the construction of any nuclear power plant in the state. But under LePage's bill, voters would no longer have a say if the proposed plant generates 500 or fewer megawatts. The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday. (AP)

Officials say shooting four does, leaving their bodies is bizarre, disrespectful and doesn’t make sense. According to the KJ, four does have been found in Chesterville, Leeds, Livermore Falls and in Livermore. Killing game animals and leaving them where they lay instead of harvesting them for the meat is unusual. The reward has been raised for information that will lead to a conviction from the $1,000 offered when the first deer was found to $2,500. The reward money is through Operation Game Thief  @ 1-800-253-7887 . (centralmaine.com)

A Maine legislative committee has endorsed a bill to correct a clerical error that could result in a loss of $38 million for energy efficiency programs. The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee voted 10-1 in favor of the bill on Tuesday. Two members were absent and can still submit their votes. The measure now heads to the full House, which is controlled by Democrats. Gov. Paul LePage opposes the bill and is backing a backing a separate measure from House Republican Leader Ken Fredette. That bill ties the energy efficiency fix to a proposal that would create a state energy commissioner and give LePage more control over Efficiency Maine Trust.(AP)

MaineToday Media is being sold. The Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel is being bought by Rockland-based media executive Reade Brower. The deal is to close on June 1. (AP)
The Maine House has rejected a bill that would prohibit retailers from using disposable plastic bags. The Democratic-controlled House voted 84-62 against the bill on Tuesday. Under the measure, retailers would no longer be able to use single-use plastic bags, starting September 2020. Plastic bags would still be allowed for some items, like prescription drugs and newspapers. The original bill sought to impose a 5 cent fee for single-use plastic bags designed but it was amended in committee. The House also rejected a separate bill on Tuesday that sought to charge 5 cents for plastic bags.(AP)

The Maine Better Transportation Association wants some help in naming the "Worst Road in Maine." The contest is held each year in April at a time when potholes pop up across the state, and the organization wants to call attention to the impact of potholes and cracked pavement. President Jim Hanley says the contest allows people to vent their frustration and have some fun while calling attention to the fact that Maine's roads are in bad shape. The winner of the contest will receive a grand prize of $296. Washington, D.C.-based TRIP says that's the amount Mainers pay in extra maintenance and repairs because of bad roads. (AP)

Calm is restored in Baltimore, for now, after ten people were arrested shortly after a city-wide curfew was instated. The arrests followed another day of demonstrations over Freddie Gray's death in police custody. About 200 people refused to clear the streets when the 10 p.m. curfew took effect and police officers in riot gear dispersed the crowd using tear gas. The emergency curfew will be in effect for a week. (AP)

Villages across Nepal are still waiting for rescue and relief teams following Saturday's massive earthquake. In Paslang, a hamlet of three hundred near the epicenter of the quake, people have been sleeping together in the mud and sharing whatever scraps of food they can pull from beneath their ruined buildings. Some villagers are starting to get angry. Paslang is less than two miles up the mountain from a town that's serving as the district headquarters and staging area for rescue and aid operations. (AP)