Central Maine News: June 5, 2015

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

A Winthrop man is facing several charges after he crashed into two police cars, lead officers on a chase and then drove his car into his girlfriend's home. According to WGME it started when police responded to a call in Litchfield about a man acting irrationally. 67 year old Edwin Munson got in his Corvette and drove off on 126 heading to Gardiner. Gardiner Police had set up a roadblock to try and stop him but Munson turned around and rammed into two State Police cruisers. At that point, police stopped the chase for safety but told surrounding agencies to be on the lookout.  About a half hour later a Winthrop sergeant spotted Munsons car on Main Street. Munson tried to ram that sergeant as he followed him into a Circle K and then another chase began. This one ended on Annabessacook Road. Munson pulled into the driveway of the home he shares with his girlfriend he rammed his car into the side of the home.  Munson is charged with eluding a police officer, failing to stop for an officer and aggravated criminal mischief.  (WGME)

A bill that would allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit is nearing final approval in the Maine Legislature. The Democratic-controlled House gave final approval to the bill on Thursday. The Republican-led Senate sent to the bill to the Appropriations Committee, which has to examine all measures with a fiscal impact. Analysts have estimated the bill will reduce general fund revenues by nearly $160,000 annually. Lawmakers added an amendment supported by Republican Gov. Paul LePage this week that would free military members and veterans who are 18, 19 and 20 years old from the permit requirement. Otherwise, only those who are 21 years of age and older can carry a concealed weapon without a permit. The National Rifle Association says that five states currently have such laws. (AP)

An organization that helps low-income Mainers with their energy bills is getting a financial boost from the federal government. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that LIHEAP will receive an additional $444,989.  According to WABI, the Department of Health and Human Services has provided more than $39,180,816 in funding for the program over the last year. LIHEAP supports low-income households during both the cold winter and hot summer months. Both Senators say they’re supporting efforts to increase LIHEAP funding in the coming fiscal year. (WABI)

A contractor from Norridgewock has died after he fell into a hopper while delivering wood chips to a pulp mill in Old Town this week. Police say they believe Mark Guay was preparing the chip trailer to be unloaded when he lost his balance and fell about 25 feet to the bottom of the chip machine hopper. Federal officials are investigating. Guay was a truck driver for Richard Carrier Trucking. (AP)

Participants in the supplemental nutritional assistance program (SNAP),, can soon get more for their money by shopping at their local farmers’ market. Starting on the 15th, more than 30 farmers’ markets across the state will offer incentives for snap customers to buy more fruits and vegetables. It’s part of an effort to get Mainers to eat healthier. According to WABI you will make a purchase, and then you’ll get a discount or bonus bucks or something like that you can use towards fruits and a vegetable to increase people’s buying power. The effort’s made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (WABI)

U.S. officials say hackers based in China are suspected of breaking into the computer networks of the U.S. government personnel office and stealing identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers. The Department of Homeland Security says data from the Office of Personnel Management and the Interior Department was compromised. One official says the breach could potentially affect every federal agency. (AP)

Powerful storms have brought tornadoes, hail and flooding to northern Colorado. The Larimer County Office of Emergency Management says at least three homes were demolished in the town of Berthoud, about 40 miles north of Denver. The National Weather Service has declared a flash flood emergency in Larimer and Boulder Counties and urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground. The area is still recovering from devastating floods in 2013. (AP)

A lawyer says the family of a Boston man shot to death by terrorism investigators wants to work with authorities in a "joint effort to search for the truth." Attorney Ronald Sullivan says Usaama Rahim's family is shocked by allegations that he planned to kill police officers. Authorities say Rahim was brandishing a military-style knife when he was shot by investigators who were trying to question him. He is to be buried Friday. (AP)

Former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis has written a letter of support for a friend of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as a judge prepares to sentence him for lying to the FBI days after the 2013 bombings. Robel Phillipos is one of two Tsarnaev friends scheduled to be sentenced Friday. Dukakis is a friend of the Phillipos family and testified during his trial. In his letter to the judge, Dukakis said he "can't understand why justice would be served by incarcerating him." (AP)

A grandson of the man who piloted the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, is taking over leadership of the U.S. fleet of B-2 stealth bombers. Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets IV takes command of the 509th Bomb Wing during a ceremony Friday at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. His grandfather, Paul W. Tibbets Jr., was assigned to a predecessor of the 509th Bomb Wing when he piloted the Enola Gay in the world's first atomic bomb mission on Aug. 6, 1945. (AP)