Central Maine News: June 12, 2015

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

Maine lawmakers have given final approval to a bill that would fix a typo in a 2013 law that caused regulators to cut funding for energy efficiency programs. The bill was sent to Gov. Paul LePage's desk. He has threatened to veto it unless it included other provisions he wanted. The bill passed would restore a missing word in the complex funding formula for Efficiency Maine Trust. Because of the typo, regulators interpreted the law to mean that one source of funding should be capped at $22 million while it was intended to be about $60 million. (AP)

A bill that seeks to force Gov. Paul LePage to release voter-approved bonds to fund land conservation projects is moving forward in the Legislature. The House gave initial approval to the bill with a 102-48 vote on Thursday. It has also won approval in the Senate. The bill faces further votes.

The measure would require LePage to issue voter-approved bonds, except in extraordinary circumstances. LePage has refused to release about $11.5 million in land conservation bonds until the Legislature approves his plan to use money from increased timber harvesting to support programs that help residents reduce heating costs. Groups supporting the projects have said that some of the funds could expire by the end of this year if they aren't borrowed by November. (AP)

The Maine House has voted to override Gov. LePage's veto of a bill that would shield information about materials carried by trains from public view. The House voted 146-1 to overturn the LePage's veto of the bill. It would create an additional Freedom of Access Act exemption for documents that describe hazardous materials transported by rail companies when they're in the possession of emergency responders. Companies don't currently give those records to first responders because they fear it will end up in the hands of their competitors. LePage said in his veto message that he's not comfortable shielding such information from Maine citizens.(AP)

Three Pittsfield school were in lockdown yesterday due to a threatening text. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office was on scene.  Parents were emailed about the situation and that all the kids were safe. According to the KJ, one student received a message from another that they were going to bring a gun to school. All three schools were locked down because they are in close proximity to each other.  (centralmaine.com)

About 60 people showed up for the meeting at Cony High School about the recent bomb threats. There have been three in the last week and a half. Since the first threat Cony staff members have reviewed emergency protocols with police and emergency management officials, asked teachers to have students sign in and out of classrooms, increased supervision of public areas and inspected bathrooms on a rotational basis. Police are still investigating the incidents. (centralmaine.com)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is promising that the law will come down hard on any prison system employee who crosses the line. Cuomo says investigators are "talking to several people who may have facilitated the escape" of two convicted killers from the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York last weekend. Suspicions continue to swirl around a female prison employee believed to have had a role in the escape. (AP)

A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet has made an emergency landing at an airport in Melbourne, Australia, after an official says there was a report of an engine fire. An airport spokeswoman says Flight 148 from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur landed without incident or injury Friday. She says the jet dumped fuel before landing, which she says is standard procedure before an emergency landing. (AP)

The body of an American who died fighting with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group in Syria has been handed over to his family at a Turkish border crossing. Hundreds of people turned up in the Kurdish town of Kobani to bid farewell to Keith Broomfield before his body was handed over Thursday to family. The Massachusetts man died June 3 in battle in a Syrian village near Kobani, making him likely the first U.S. citizen to die fighting alongside Kurds against the Islamic State group. (AP)

South Korea is reporting an 11th death from the MERS virus outbreak, but officials say they are seeing a fewer number of new infections. More than 120 people in South Korea have contracted Middle East respiratory syndrome since the country reported its first case last month. The outbreak has been contained only in hospitals but it has caused widespread fears and rumors. More than 2,700 schools remain closed Friday. (AP)

Two women in South Korea are in trouble with authorities for lying about MERS to get time off work. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says police have charged a 20-year-old saleswoman at a department store for spreading a rumor online that it was hiding an outbreak of MERS among staff. Officials say the woman hoped the store would close and she could take time off. Another woman who says she did not want to go to work told her employer that she had tested positive for MERS, prompting a call to authorities. (AP)