Central Maine News: Oct 26, 2015

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

This marks the last full week before Maine's Election Day. Voters have three questions on the statewide ballot: One proposal would bolster funding and make changes to Maine's Clean Elections Act. There also are two bond questions to raise money for infrastructure improvements and housing for low-income seniors. Together, they total $100 million. Also on the ballot are local elections and issues.In Portland, residents will be voting to hike the minimum wage to $15 and on a separate question that would limit development to protect water views. (AP)

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage is stepping up efforts to remove a Republican lawmaker from the investigation into whether LePage overstepped his authority in persuading a private school to rescind a job off to one of his political opponents. LePage sent a letter to Republican legislative leaders repeating his call for Sen. Roger Katz,co-chair of the Government Oversight Committee, to recuse himself from the committee that voted this month to subpoena members of LePage's administration. Katz was one of two Republicans to vote in favor of the subpoenas.LePage in his Oct. 22 letter says Katz has "ulterior motives" to run for higher office. (AP)

Maine's governor has offended plenty of folks with his outspoken style. But this time he really did it: A wisecrack at a town hall meeting in Auburn that fell flat with women across the state. A spokesman for Maine Gov. Paul LePage said he was clearly joking when he criticized the spending needed for a campaign finance reform referendum as being akin to "giving your wife your checkbook." The governor's spokeswoman, Adrienne Bennett, pointed out that the governor's wife is in charge of LePage's checkbook. The Maine Women's Lobby and Maine Women's Policy Center called the remark "deeply insulting" and "part of a larger pattern of denigrating women." (AP)

Prosecutors says a 46-year-old Winslow man faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography. Darrin Cates entered his plea on Friday. Court records say Cates used a computer and peer-to-peer software to share videos of child pornography between Sept. 15 and Oct. 30 of 2014. A search of his home found more than 800 images and 290 videos depicting child pornography on his computer. Cates faces up to a $250,000 fine in addition to the prison term. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence report. (AP)

State police say a Standish man has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old son. 24-year-old Eugene "Charlie" Martineau was arrested Saturday in Portland and taken to the Cumberland County jail. He is charged in the death of Leo Josephs, who was brought to Maine Medical Center on Wednesday with numerous injuries. Leo and his twin sister were born prematurely. Leo died Saturday. His sister has not yet been released from the hospital. An autopsy will be performed on Leo. (AP)

A history teacher at Maranacook is part of a group of 18 teachers, nationwide,  picked for US History program. According to the KJ, Shane Gower has been selected by National History Day to spend the next year studying America’s involvement in World War II through the prism of one soldier’s life. National History Day is a Maryland-based nonprofit formed 40 years ago to give students an opportunity to conduct original research on historical topics of interest. Each year, the organization selects teachers to participate in a program called Understanding Sacrifice, which provides a guided study into one region of the war and gives teachers an opportunity to research the life of a soldier killed in action who is from the teacher’s home state. (centralmaine.com)

The woman accused of driving a car into a crowd of people at an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade is set to make her first court appearance today. Adacia Chambers was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence after the Saturday crash that killed four people and injured dozens more. But police are awaiting blood tests to determine whether Chambers was impaired by drugs or alcohol. (AP)

Search teams are looking for one person still missing after a whale watching boat sank off Vancouver Island Sunday. Canadian authorities say five people are confirmed dead and another 21 people were rescued. (AP)

Turkish media are reporting that police have raided a house used by Islamic State group militants in southeastern Turkey. Today's raid triggered a clash that killed four militants and two policemen. Four other police officers were injured. It's not clear if the operation was linked to suicide bombings at a peace rally in the capital Ankara earlier this month that killed 102 people. (AP)

A new study says the typical student in the nation's big-city public schools spends between 20 and 25 hours a school year taking standardized tests — and roughly 112 mandatory exams from preschool through high school. Researchers analyzed actual test-taking time, so that doesn't include the hours devoted to prep ahead of testing required by the federal government, states or local districts. The study was conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools. (AP)

Burger King is now in Mongolia. The fast food chain has opened its first store in the landlocked and sparsely populated country that's sandwiched between China and Russia. It joins companies from Pizza Hut to Porsche in anticipating an economic boom from cooper and gold mining. Mongolia has begun to see an influx of foreign fast food and other brands. KFC came in 2013 and Pizza Hut arrived last year. (AP)