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

The VA Maine Healthcare System will be hiring nearly 40 new employees. The employment boost is part of a federal reform law passed last year. Of the new jobs, more than two-fifths will be devoted to mental health services run statewide from Togus.

Maine's future governor and lawmakers could get a pay boost under a bill before the Legislature. The State and Local Government Committee will hold a public hearing today. It would increase the governor's salary in 2019 from $70,000 a year to $120,000 a year. Lawmakers' salaries would also go up from about $24,000 over two years to $41,000. The committee will also consider another bill that would abolish term limits for lawmakers. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are currently limited to four two-year terms. But they often get around it by switching back and forth between the chambers.(AP)

Nancie Atwell, one of 50 finalists for a $1 million international teaching prize, has won. Atwell teaches at the Center for Teaching and Learning, a K-8 school in Edgecomb. She has been a teacher since 1973. In 1990 she founded the Center for Teaching and Learning, a demonstration school where the faculty develops effective methods and shares them with other educators. She is also the author of nine books for teachers. The winning announcement for the $1 million dollar Global Teacher Prize was made at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai. The forum included officials from across the world, including former President Bill Clinton.

Friends and family this past weekend honored Lieutenant David Mason, 26, who died from lung cancer earlier this month.  He was just diagnosed five months ago. Lieutenant Mason leaves behind his mother, brother and fiance. If you would like to help the family, the Coopers Mills Volunteer Fire Department has set up a donation page.

More than a dozen ski resorts could be changing hands as a real estate investment trust considers getting out of the snow business. CNL Lifestyle Properties owns 16 ski resorts including Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine to Crested Butte in Colorado and Sierra-at-Tahoe in California. If CNL succeeds in selling all of them to one buyer, then it would be the largest single ski resort transaction in the history of the sport. (AP)

A Gorham man who has a website advertising his side business taking aerial photographs and videos from a drone has caught the attention of the federal Aviation Administration. A local FAA manager told Steve Girard recently that an investigator would contact him and want him to pull down the website. Some legal experts say the FAA's demand could be a violation of Girard's right to free speech. (AP)

Lawmakers from Connecticut to Maine have introduced bills to expand their residents' gambling options. Casino experts say it's too soon to say how New England's casino landscape will shake out. What's clear is casinos in the region will increasingly be fighting over smaller shares of the economic pie. (AP)

A Biddeford doctor has been disciplined by the Maine physician licensing board after a second patient in his care died of an accidental drug overdose. Dr. Stephen H. Doane's medical license was put on probation Friday. The Portland Press Herald reports that the board found Doane had "demonstrated incompetence in his treatment and record keeping." (AP)

Maine lawmakers are considering a measure this session that would allow local school boards to lower the age at which students are required to attend school from seven years to five. Sen. Nate Libby's bill is aimed at improving school attendance. The Lewiston Democrat says that chronically missing school means young students lose out on lessons that will impact their long-term academic success. The Education and Cultural Affairs Committee held a public hearing on the bill last week. They're expected to hold a work session in coming weeks. (AP)

Maine officials are accepting applications for a grant program designed to improve shooting ranges in the state. The state awarded more than $335,000 last year as part of the Maine Shooting Range Access Improvement Grant Program. Applications for the 2015 grants are due by April 22. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service and Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund underwrite the grant program. Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife plans to award the grants to nonprofit groups and municipalities to pay for gun and archery range improvements. The applications can be for a single project or a portion of a larger project. The maximum grant is $50,000. (AP)

Maine fire officials say a Thorndike man was hospitalized after he threatened firefighters and tried to prevent them from putting out a fire in a shed behind his home. No firefighters were injured after they responded to the fire at an East Gulch Road address just after 9 a.m. Saturday. Sgt. Ken Grimes of the state fire marshal's office told WMTW (http://bit.ly/1baqw3C) there are some "unusual circumstances" about the fire — highlighting the homeowner's resistance and threats to shoot firefighters. The investigation is ongoing. (AP)

Roughly 500 exceptions to Maine's public records law are already on the books, but that number could grow even more if efforts in the Legislature are successful this year. When the Freedom of Access Act was adopted in 1959, all records were considered open as long as they're used in public or governmental business. Since then, lawmakers have made hundreds of changes to weaken the law. Lawmakers will consider several proposals that would restrict access to public records this session. Among them are efforts to make records confidential if they describe materials transported by trains or contain personal information about library patrons. The Department of Public Safety also told reporters it will press for allowing officials to withhold certain information from 911 calls about victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. (AP)

Maine's Senate president has created a group that aims to foster collaboration between lawmakers and the business community. Senate President Michael Thibodeau's Business Advisory Council is made up of business leaders representing various sectors across Maine. The group held its first meeting in Augusta last week. Thibodeau says it's crucial for lawmakers to have input from the business community as they work to craft policies to grow the economy and create jobs. He says the council will influence and inform legislation and participate in the development of government regulations and policies. (AP)

The quirky winter weather has some maple syrup operators wringing their hands and foraging through pantries and cellars as Maine Maple Sunday approaches. The Portland Press Herald reports that some sugar houses may have to buy or borrow syrup and tap last year's overstock as thousands descend on sugar houses statewide March 22. Maine Maple Sunday is the biggest annual event for the state's $48.7 million maple syrup industry — the third largest in the county. For sap to flow, freezing nighttime temperatures need to be followed by day time temperatures in the 40-45-degree range. The newspaper quotes U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics showing last year's season was a short one as well — running from March 21 to April. 19. (AP)

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