Central Maine News: Oct 5, 2015

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

A man was arrested in Waterville early Saturday after police say he hit his friend with a hammer. According to WABI, 40-year-old Kevin Henderson is charged with aggravated assault. They say he hit a 31-year-old woman on the head with a ball peen hammer. They aren’t releasing her name at this time but they do believe she knew Henderson. The woman was taken to the hospital for a head injury and has since been released. (WABI/centralmaine.com)

A public hearing has been scheduled on Maine Gov. Paul LePage's proposed new rule to make childless households ineligible for food stamps if they have assets greater than $5,000. The rule defines assets as the balance of bank accounts as well as boats, recreational vehicles, campers and other valuable items. It does not include equity in a home or a household's primary vehicle. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. DHHS says the rule is set to go into effect in the coming weeks regardless of the hearing. The rule change say residents applying or re-applying for food stamps will be required to disclose the assets. LePage calls welfare "a last resort" and says recipients should first sell non-essential assets. (AP)

The company that provides workers compensation insurance for Maine companies is issuing a dividend of $18 million. Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company says the payments of up to $200,000 will be issued to more than 17,000 policy-holding companies in Maine. The individual amounts paid depend on the premiums each company paid in 2012.The company insures more than 20,000 employers and an estimated 300,000 employees in 46 states and the District of Columbia. The company was created from 1992 reforms of Maine workers' compensation law passed by the Maine Legislature and signed by then-Gov. John R. McKernan. (AP)

Several popular fall hunting seasons are getting started in Maine. Oct. 1 marked the first day of the general archery season for deer. The season lasts until Oct. 30. It was also the first day of the fall wild turkey season, which ends on the same day. Oct. 1 was also the first day for the ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail and pheasant seasons. Those seasons last until Dec. 31. A handful of hunting seasons for small animals are also getting started. They include the seasons for grey squirrel, snowshoe hare and raccoon. The squirrel season ends Dec. 31, though the season for hunting via falconry extends to Feb. 28. The hare season ends Feb. 28 on Vinalhaven Island and March 31 everywhere else. The raccoon hunt ends Dec. 31. (AP)

Officials with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the National Park Service say they will work to address bad behavior by long distance hikers that have caused tensions at Maine's Baxter State Park. The park is home to the 2,190-mile trail's final summit on Mount Katahdin. Officials say a growing number of thru-hikers have been disregard park rules by openly using drugs and drinking alcohol and camping where they aren't supposed to. An ultramarathoner who set the speed record for completing paid a $500 fine last month over his celebration atop Katahdin. Trail representatives visited Maine Friday to discuss the problems. Members of Baxter's governing board asked for concrete steps before next spring's hiking season to protect the wilderness of the area. (AP)

The severe winter that dropped record amounts of snow in New England took a toll on the deer herd in Vermont and Maine, prompting wildlife officials to scale back the number of deer hunting permits issued this year. In Maine, state biologists recommended a nearly 25 reduction in deer hunting permits for 2015 because of the tough winter's toll on the herd. New Hampshire officials say although the winter was harsher than recent winters the deer herd is in good shape. (AP)

Lost Valley in Auburn will reopen this coming winter, putting to rest doubts about the season's fate. The resort had a rocky start last year and there had been some questions about the upcoming season. The owners said in June 2014 that they were facing $1.6 million in debt and might not be able to open for the 2014-2015 season. But a fundraising campaign and events organized by local supporters raised money to help the resort open last January. The winter will be the resorts 55th season. (AP)

A legislative committee reviewing allegations that Gov. Paul LePage threatened to withhold funding for a private school that tried to hire a political opponent wants to interview three members of the administration. The Government Oversight Committee has asked acting Education Department Commissioner Tom Desjardin, chief legal counsel Cynthia Montgomery and a senior adviser, Aaron Chadburne, to appear on Oct. 15. It's unclear if they'll do so. The governor's office had no comment. A fact-finding report concluded that the LePage administration withheld money from Good Will-Hinckley after learning that its board had hired House Speaker Mark Eves as leader. But investigators were unable to determine how LePage personally conveyed his threat to school officials. The board later rescinded Eves' job offer. Eves is suing. (AP)

More door-to-door search operations are planned Monday in South Carolina, where hundreds of people already have been rescued from fast-moving floodwaters. A powerful rainstorm swamped hundreds of businesses and homes and emergency workers waded into waist-deep water to help people trapped in cars. Columbia's fire chief says there've been too many rescues to count. And he says emergency responders will make sure on Monday that they've gotten to everyone who needs help. (AP)

Hurricane Joaquin is losing strength as it moves past Bermuda and farther out into the Atlantic. After roaring across parts of the Bahamas as a major Category 4 hurricane, Joaquin lost steam as it headed north. By late Sunday night, U.S. forecasters say sustained winds had dropped to 85 mph. But Joaquin is still expected to bring hurricane conditions and life-threatening storm surge to Bermuda overnight. (AP)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton will unveil new gun control measures on Monday aimed at strengthening background checks on gun buyers and eliminating legal immunity for sellers. During a day-long campaign swing through New Hampshire, Clinton's campaign says she plans to propose a repeal of legislation that shields gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers from most liability suits. (AP)

President Barack Obama on Monday will declare new marine sanctuaries in the tidal waters of Maryland and Wisconsin's Lake Michigan. The announcements are to be made when top officials, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, attend an international conference on marine protection Chile, where its government is expected to block off more than 200,000 square miles of sea from commercial fishing and oil and gas exploration in an area of the Pacific Ocean near the world-famous Easter Island. (AP)

A new study says zip line injuries are soaring as the activity grows in popularity. Researchers say over a 16-year period, from 1997-2012, nearly 17,000 people were treated for zip line-related injuries including broken bones, cuts and sprains. And most of the injuries occurred in the study's last four years. Industry representatives say the study is alarmist and that zip lines are safer than driving a car. (AP)