Central Maine News: Nov 11, 2015

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

Gov. Paul LePage is reiterating his request for more drug agents to fight the state's drug epidemic. He sent a letter to Senate and House leaders on Tuesday asking for a meeting after 20 heroin-related arrests and nine suspected drug overdoses over the past two weeks in Maine.He said he believes in education, treatment and prevention, but said the state also needs more drug agents. He said legislative funding covers only 4 of the 14 agents he requested. He said he wants the additional 10 agents and remains willing to call up the National Guard if they're not funded. Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond says he's willing to meet with the governor "anytime, anywhere, to work together on a proposal that addresses trafficking, addiction and treatment." (AP)

The Governor's Energy Office says the average statewide cash price for heating oil is up one cent from two weeks ago at $2.05 per gallon. Kerosene was also up one cent over the last two weeks at $2.61 per gallon and propane stayed at same at $2.18 per gallon. The highest average price for heating oil in Maine was $2.08 per gallon in eastern and central Maine. The lowest average price was $1.97 per gallon in western Maine. The highest heating oil price found in Maine was $2.37 in the eastern part of the state. (AP)

Two of Maine’s biggest medical facilities announced a new partnership to help veterans get quality care. According to WGME Togus says it's working with Maine Medical Center on plans to build a new Portland clinic. There are also plans to build a separate Portland facility to house families of veterans, known as a Fisher House. VA Maine Healthcare System Director Ryan Lilly says about 98 percent of patients are getting appointments within 30 days, but it's still not good enough. Togus officials hope to break ground for the Fisher House next year.  Where the clinic in Portland will be located, is still being worked out.  (WGME)

Supporters of a North Woods National park east of Baxter State Park say they intend to deliver a petition signed by more than 13,000 people to Maine's congressional delegation. Gail Fanjoy, president of the Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce, said the region needs the economic diversification that a national park could provide. Last year, the chamber of commerce board endorsed the proposal for a national park and recreation area on up to 150,000 acres. The total donation by the family of Burt's Bees founder Roxanne Quimby is valued at $100 million. Ken Olson, retired leader Friends of Acadia, said the proposal still faces opposition, as did Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Bigelow Preserve. But he said supporters "are on the right side of history." (AP)

Waterville High School Principal Don Reiter is accused of an inappropriate interaction with a female student. At a public hearing Tuesday night, an attorney for the school said Reiter asked a female student to have sex with him. According to WGME, he denies the allegations, but the superintendent is recommending he be dismissed from his position. His attorney says the student was the one to advance on the principal, putting her hand on his thigh and calling him “attractive.” The school board voted unanimously to move into executive session and was behind closed doors for about two hours. This public hearing will continue Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. (WGME/centralmaine.com)

A new full-time patrol officer is set to join the ranks of the Winslow Police Department after the town accepted a $125,000 federal grant to partially fund the position. According to the KJ, Town Council members voted 5-2 Monday night to accept the money through the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program. The grant will pay for 75 percent of a full-time officer for the next three years, but the town is responsible for some of the costs. The overall cost to the town over the next three years will be $82,000. The grant requires the town to keep the officer for at least one more year after the grant expires. According to department projections that cost to the town for the fourth year could be about $75,000. (centralmaine.com)

Gov. Paul LePage and first lady Ann LePage are participating in Veterans Day events. The governor was meeting Wednesday morning with veterans and families at the Maine Veterans' Home in Augusta. He also was hosting a closed-door afternoon meeting at the Blaine House with veterans who recently returned from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ann LePage was speaking at a Veterans Day commemoration at the Windham Veterans Center and delivering remarks at another celebration in Falmouth. The governor praised Maine's veterans for making sacrifices to ensure that future generations "have the opportunity to pursue their vision of the American dream." (AP)

Heavy snow is expected to start falling overnight in the Rocky Mountains and western Plains. Forecasters say as a strong storm system could eventually spawn tornadoes in the Midwest and is plowing eastward. A winter storm warning or blizzard warning is in effect for parts of Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas until Wednesday afternoon and evening in some places. Northeastern Colorado and western Kansas and Nebraska could see up to 8 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 55 mph overnight. (AP)

A mass-fatality team will begin working Wednesday morning to recover the bodies of those killed when a small business jet crashed into an apartment building in northeast Ohio. The plane was carrying nine people as it took off Tuesday afternoon from Dayton, on its way to Akron Fulton International Airport. That's about 2 miles from the crash site. Authorities say no one was inside the four-unit apartment building or another home that caught fire. (AP)

The Republican presidential candidate who's been rising in the polls in a challenge to Donald Trump is suggesting that he's facing tougher scrutiny than Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. At Tuesday night's GOP debate, Ben Carson swatted away mounting questions about the veracity of his celebrated biography, which talked about his trying to stab a close friend when he was a teenager. Carson said he has no problem being vetted, but he says, "What I do have a problem with is being lied about." (AP)

Turkey's state-run news agency says seven children are among the 14 migrants who drowned when their boat sank off the northern Turkish Aegean coast early Wednesday. Anadolu Agency says Turkish Coast Guard divers are searching the waters for more possible victims. The boat was on its way to the Greek island of Lesbos. The migrants' nationalities aren't yet known. (AP)

Thousands of people are marching through the Afghan capital Wednesday, carrying the coffins of seven ethnic Hazaras who were allegedly killed by the Taliban. The demonstrators are calling for a new government that can ensure security in the country, and they plan to carry the coffins to the Presidential Palace. Officials say the four men, two women and a child were found partially beheaded on Saturday in the southeastern province of Zabul. (AP)