Central Maine News: August 20, 2015

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

Police say a woman has been killed in a knife attack at a supermarket in at the Shaw's supermarket in Saco. The 59-year-old woman died after she was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. A 31-year-old woman has been taken into custody. Officials did not release any possible motive and have not said whether the two women knew each other. (AP/centralmaine.com)

Members of the public may soon be able to get their hands on a piece of the century-old green copper removed from the dome of the Maine State House. When the state replaced the weathered copper as part of a $1.3 million restoration project last year, lawmakers approved a plan to use the old copper to make souvenirs, create a public art piece on the capitol grounds and sell some to jewelers and the public. The Legislative Council is expected to release a notice about the availability of the copper next month. The state is also making some commemorative keepsakes that will likely be available for purchase on the council's website. A timetable hasn't been set for the development of the public sculpture. (AP/centralmaine.com)

The former Hodgkins Middle School building built more than a half-century ago as part of effort to provide schools for post-World War II baby boomers has been deemed historic. The school has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. Officials say the designation allows the Augusta Housing Authority to go forward with a plan to convert the vacant school into affordable apartments for senior citizens. That's because such a designation is required for the project to be eligible for historic preservation tax credits that are being counted on to fund about $3.4 million of the estimated $8.7 million cost of the proposed construction project. (AP)

A Maine police department is offering drug dealers a free service to get their competition off the streets. The Winslow Police Department posted a flier on its Facebook page Monday afternoon encouraging drug dealers to fill out a form detailing the names, addresses and cellphone numbers of their competitors. The flier also asks them to list where and to whom their competitors sell and who their supplier is. Winslow Police Chief acknowledges the posting was made tongue-in-cheek but says he's hopeful it could lead to good police tips. (AP)

The Maine National Guard is celebrating the beginning of construction of its new Joint Forces headquarters in Augusta. The guard is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility located near the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery off Civic Center Drive today. It will be called Camp Chamberlain after former Maine governor, Civil War hero and adjutant general Maj. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain. It will be the home to Army National Guard and Air National Guard members focused on human resources, intelligence, operations, logistics and resource guidance. Several services will remain at Camp Keyes after the new headquarters is complete, including veterans outreach services, training sites and facilities maintenance. (AP)

Supporters of a planned national park in northern Maine are inviting the public to take a virtual trip of the area at a meeting in Kennebunkport. The Natural Resources Council of Maine supports the creation of the national park next to Baxter State Park, home of Mount Katahdin. Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann says she will present the virtual tour of the park at Atlantic Hall in Kennebunkport's Cape Porpoise village on Aug. 27. Creation of the park is controversial. Residents in East Millinocket and Medway voted against creation of the park in nonbinding votes in June. Supporters of the park say it would create jobs and spur tourism. Opponents cite potential loss of recreational access and say they don't want to turn land over to the National Park Service. (AP)

Augusta City Councilors are scheduled to vote tonight on whether to authorize City Manager to sign a five-year contract with ecomaine to continue the city’s single-sort recycling program. According to the KJ, a six-month trial of single-sort recycling expires this month, and Bridgeo has recommended extending the program. The city still collects some recyclable items curbside as part of its previous rubbish and recyclables collection system, but the new single-sort program, which accepts many more types of materials than the older curbside program, is drop-off only. (centralmaine.com)

Fire officials say 4,000 homes have been evacuated in north-central Washington state as wildfires rage on. Emergency management spokeswoman Angela Seydel in Okanogan County says, "It is really bad out there. The fires have just exploded." Three firefighters battling those blazes were killed and four others were injured Wednesday after authorities say their vehicle crashed and flames likely overtook them. (AP)

A $750 million wrongful death lawsuit accuses Maryland's Fort Detrick of burying chemical and biological toxins decades ago that have contaminated groundwater and made people ill. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Baltimore, names the family of Kristen Renee Hernandez as one of the plaintiffs. Hernandez died from brain cancer in 2008. The lawsuit also mentions Cold War-era anthrax research and Agent Orange experiments during the Vietnam War. (AP)

Thailand's military junta says this week's deadly bombing in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people was "unlikely" to have been carried out by international terrorists. Authorities are still looking for a man seen in video leaving behind a backpack just minutes before Monday's attack at a downtown shrine. Police say two other people seen in the video near the man are also considered suspects. (AP)

There's been no claim of responsibility for an attack near a national security building in Cairo. At least six police officers were wounded in Thursday's blast and part of the government building was damaged. (AP)