Things You Need to Know: Gardiner Graffiti + Saying So Long to Sears

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

Officials are looking for who did graffiti on an underpass in Gardiner. According to WGME there was art work there before for the Gardiner Tigers. Anyone with information is asked to call Gardiner PD.

Some original workers from Sears in Augusta will be getting together Thursday to 'honor' the store upon its closing. According to centralmaine.com  they will checkout the store, reminisce and then go to lunch together. Other former or current employees are welcome to join, they are meeting at the mall entrance Thursday at noon.

From the Associated Press:

New drivers in Maine would have to wait more months for an intermediate driver's license under one lawmaker's proposal. The Legislature on Tuesday will hold public hearings on bills that would tackle texting while driving and increase requirements for young drivers.

Amazon will begin collecting sales tax on purchases shipped to Maine addresses next month. The online retailer has been working in recent months to reach deals in a handful of remaining states where it doesn't collect taxes. The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development says the decision will help level the playing field for Maine retailers that collect sales taxes and will increase revenue available to lawmakers to reduce income taxes.

A new report by Republican Gov. Paul LePage's office says the surtax on Maine's highest earners that voters approved last November will negatively impact the state economy. The surtax makes Maine have one of the nation's highest tax rates on top of earners with a 10.15 percent tax on earnings over $200,000. Supporters at a Monday hearing said the surtax helps the state reach its annual target of providing 55 percent of school funding. But the Maine State Chamber of Commerce said it's making it tougher to attract talent and retain high earners.

Maine's state fire marshal says a man burned down his parents' house and killed three pets while trying to exterminate ants in his basement with matches. Investigators say 21-year-old Devon Doucette was trying to incinerate the ants with wooden matches when one of them ignited combustible materials. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the house. Authorities say charges are not likely.

Two lawmakers from Maine want to know what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is doing to address trouble in the Atlantic scallop fishing industry. U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, say NOAA should work to ensure sustainability in the high-value fishery.

FBI Director James Comey is saying publicly for the first time that the FBI has been investigating whether Donald Trump's associates coordinated with Russian officials in an effort to sway the 2016 presidential election. Comey appeared Monday before the House intelligence committee in a bruising five-hour session. Comey also said he has no information that former President Barack Obama wire-tapped Trump Tower phones during the presidential campaign.

Top House Republicans are hoping to win over more fellow GOP lawmakers by proposing changes to the plan to repeal and replace "Obamacare." The changes include providing more help for older people and requiring able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump told supporters at a Monday night rally in Louisville, Kentucky that Americans cannot get a big tax cut unless "Obamacare" is replaced.

Travelers on nonstop flights originating in eight countries won't be allowed to put many of their electronics in their carry-on luggage if they're headed to the U.S. The ban is temporary, and the U.S. government isn't saying why it's being imposed. The ban applies to electronics such as laptops, iPads and cameras, and some of the nonstop flights affected serve the international cities of Cairo; Casablanca, Morocco; Istanbul and Amman, Jordan.