Central Maine News: Oct 23, 2015

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

The operator of a paper mill in Rumford has spilled 56,000 gallons of contaminated water into the Androscoggin River. Catalyst mill spokesman Tony Lyons says the water used in the papermaking process was supposed to be stored in thermal sewers until it cools, but it was released into the river prematurely. He said the water that was released wasn't a public health hazard. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was notified.  Local firefighters were alerted but weren't dispatched. Rumford fire Chief Robert Chase described the spill to the Sun Journal newspaper as "benign" and said that "nothing was needed from the fire department." (AP)

Maine home sales rose more than 14 percent in September compared with the same month a year ago. The rate of sale is slightly behind the New England average of 15 percent. The Kennebec Journal reports the state's median sale price for a single family home rose from $178,000 to $189,900. The National Association of Realtors says home sales jumped 4.7 percent nationally in September. The median home sales price was $221,900 in September. That is an increase of 6.1 percent from the previous year. (AP)

A Maine company that develops free mobile apps for national parks says it's raising more money. Chimani co-founder Kerry Gallivan came up with the idea of digital park guides after finding that his smartphone was useless because of lack of connectivity while camping in Acadia National Park. Chimani designed its apps to function in areas with no phone or data connectivity. This is the second round of funding for the company, which raised $500,000 earlier this year. The Portland-based company said the additional $745,000 includes money from Maine Venture Fund, Maine Technology Institute, Maine Angels and individuals including Facebook alum Steve King. (AP)

A Harvard University report says contributors to Maine's food and drink industries need to develop a coordinated growth plan is they want the state to become a major provider in the region. The report was released Thursday. It was created by Harvard's Maine Food Cluster Project and is based on months of research that included a survey of more than 300 businesses. Maine's food and beverage industry employs about 50,000 residents. The report says several factors hold the industry back. They include Maine's lack of economic competitiveness, the fact that most participants are tiny, the high cost of transportation and a lack of desire on the part of many producers to grow rapidly. The report touts growth in Maine's lobster, beer and organic sectors. (AP)

Even with the cold temperatures deer ticks are still out, in fact October is their prime season. According to WGME, at least half of those ticks may be infected with Lyme disease. Dog ticks are already in hibernation so there is a good chance any tick you find will most likely be a deer tick. Maine Medical Center estimates that as many as 13,000 people in Maine alone contracted Lyme disease last year. (WGME)

Peak and past-peak conditions are taking place throughout the state with moderate to high leaf drop (50 percent to 70 percent), according to the final fall foliage report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.  Gale Ross, fall foliage coordinator, said "the oak trees are just starting to reveal their oranges and golds, amid the still-vibrant reds, yellows and purples, making for a picture perfect backdrop, along with sunny skies in the tracking zones 1 and 2 covering the immediate coastline" .

A Waterville man was arrested after police seized nearly 2 pounds of marijuana and approximately $130,000 in suspected drug money in an afternoon search of an apartment on Oak Street. 24 year old Edward Dawe  was charged with aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs class B, and two charges of trafficking in scheduled drugs class C. Dawe is a medical marijuana patient and is that entitled him to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use, but the quantity found in the apartment vastly exceeded the legal amount. (centralmaine.com)

Police in France say at least 40 people have been killed in a collision between a bus and truck near the southwestern city of Bordeaux . One official says the death toll may be unusually high because the bus caught fire, and that scores of emergency workers in the region have been mobilized to help. Europe-1 radio reports the bus was carrying mostly elderly people. (AP)

Authorities in Sweden say they believe yesterday's attack at a school was racially motivated. A teacher and a student died after being stabbed by the attacker, who was then shot and killed by police. Authorities say they believe there was a racist motive behind the attack based on the way the attacker dressed, his behavior at the scene and the way he selected his victims. Authorities say the school in Trollhattan was attended by mostly foreign-born students. (AP)

One person is dead and two others are hospitalized following a shooting at Tennessee State University in Nashville. Metropolitan Nashville Police say the shooting happened during an argument over a dice game in an outdoor courtyard. There's no word on whether the victims are students. (AP)

Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee is hinting that he may drop out of the Democratic presidential race. Chafee says on Twitter that he'll address the future of his campaign later today at a Democratic National Committee women's forum. (AP)