Things You Need to Know Today: KKK Flyers Found in Augusta, Gardiner, Freeport

Here are the things you need to  know today......

Residents in Augusta, Gardiner and Freeport found KKK flyers in their driveways Monday morning.  Centralmaine.com reports the flyers refer to a neighborhood watch and have a phone number at the bottom.  The flyers are similar to flyers found by some in the Union area three months ago.

Centralmaine.com reports that Skowhegan Savings Bank is donating $30,000 toward the restoration and expansion project at the Colonial Theatre in Augusta.

Gardiner will see two bridges repaired next year. Centramaine.com reports one in 2018 and the other in 2019. This all needs to weave into the work at the old TW Dick site in Gardiner that may affect traffic at times as well as the Water Street in Hallowell project in 2018.

The city of  Hallowell will consider becoming a 'sanctuary city'. According to  centralmaine.com Charlotte Warren is  working to draft a resolution for the City Council to approve in mid-February. She would like to see other state legislators to reach out to their municipal leaders to show that they are welcoming communities.

From the Associated Press:

Gov. Paul LePage says he's using an executive order to shift oversight of licensing and enforcement relating to legal marijuana. The authority will be with the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations . That moves it from Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The governor says the alcoholic beverages bureau has expertise in managing retail sales, licensing and enforcement, and thus should have oversight.

A bomber pilot who was one of only two survivors from a B-52 crash in the unforgiving wilderness of Maine has died. Retired Col. Dante "Dan" Bulli went on to continue flying the bombers during the height of the Cold War after a long recovery following the 1963 crash. His son says he died Dec. 30 at age 94 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Interstate fishing regulators could select new restrictions for the declining southern New England lobster fishery by May. Lobster fishing is experiencing a boom, and prices have also been high. But the species has dwindled in the waters off of southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, where it was once plentiful.

The University of Maine's smallest state campus is continuing to struggle financially and could become a regional campus of the state's flagship university. The University of Maine at Machias would keep its name and still offer four-year degree programs that can be started and completed in Machias.

Maine fire officials say the exact cause of a fire that killed a father and son cannot be determined because of the extent of damage to the house. Fifty three-year-old Steven Rhodes and his 25-year-old son Isaac Rhodes died in the fire earlier this month in Washington,ME. The State Fire Marshal's Office says there's nothing to indicate the fire was anything other than an accident.

A refusal to uphold President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban from Muslim-majority countries and refugee restrictions has cost Acting Attorney General Sally Yates her job. Trump fired Yates Monday night, accusing her of betrayal and insubordination. In a memo, Yates questioned whether Trump's orders are lawful. She has been replaced with Virginia U.S. Attorney Dana Boente.  He will serve until the confirmation of Trump's attorney general choice, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions.

Canada's prime minister is calling Sunday's mosque attack in Quebec City that left six people dead an act of terrorism. Charged on Monday was French Canadian university student Alexandre Bissonnette. He has espoused far-right, nationalist views including support for a rightist party in France. Bissonnette also expressed support on his Facebook page for President Donald Trump.

The U.N. Security Council has scheduled urgent consultations Tuesday on an Iranian ballistic missile test at the request of the United States. The U.N.'s most powerful body has been asked to discuss Sunday's launch of a medium-range missile. A defense official said the missile test ended with a "failed" re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.

According to voting records and election officials, the man who President Donald Trump has promoted as an authority on voter fraud was registered to vote in multiple states during the 2016 presidential election. Gregg Phillips was listed on the rolls in Alabama, Texas and Mississippi. He voted in Alabama. Phillips has claimed that the November election was marred by 3 million illegal votes. The president last week called for a major investigation into voter fraud.

President Donald Trump has said he plans to announce his Supreme Court pick Tuesday night. A person familiar with the process says federal appeals court judges William Pryor, Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman are considered front-runners to fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia.