Central Maine News: June 3, 2015

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

Gov. Paul LePage says he's considering leading a referendum drive to lower the state's income tax if lawmakers don't do it. He told attendees at a town hall meeting Tuesday state residents are being "snookered" by lawmakers who are cutting deals behind closed doors and declining to embrace his budget plan. LePage has been promoting his ambitious plan to raise and expand the sales tax to pay for a massive income tax cut. But Democrats and Senate Republicans on Monday announced a tentative budget deal that doesn't include income tax cuts. LePage has said he'll veto any plan that doesn't reduce income taxes. (AP)

Gov. Paul LePage is joining state officials and the chancellor of the University of Maine System to highlight the expansion of broadband network infrastructure in the state. LePage will help unveil Redzone Wireless' next generation 4G LTE advanced broadband network infrastructure on Wednesday. The event will be held at One City Center in Portland.  (AP)

Maine Center for Disease Control officials say the state is experiencing a record number of chicken pox cases for the 2014-2015 school year. Maine has had 84 cases so far, nearly double the 2013-2014 school year. Most cases have been infections of unvaccinated or under-immunized children. Of the 84 cases, 57 were in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children, including those too young to receive the vaccine. Maine has one of the highest voluntary opt-out rates in the country for parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. Officials say chicken pox has been reported in every Maine county except for Washington County. (AP)

Cony High School has been evacuated due to a "suspicious condition," according to Augusta Police. Augusta School Department is saying the school was evacuated after becoming aware of a bomb threat around 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. Police say the school has been safely evacuated. Students are at the Augusta Civic Center where they can be picked up at 12:30 p.m. Students who cannot be picked up will be bused home. Cony High School will be closed for the remainder of the day, which means all after school activities are canceled. (WCSH)

Portland did set a record yesterday as the coldest high for the date.  National Weather Service says the mercury nudged 50 degrees for a brief time. The previous record was 54. The temperatures should be hitting the 60s and 70s for the remainder of the week. (AP)

Two women were arrested after an elderly woman’s purse was stolen from her Waterville apartment on Friday. According to the Sun Journal the victim was taking a nap in her living room and saw a woman in a floral print shirt grab the purse and flee. The police were called right away and able to track the two down. Both were both charged with burglary and theft. Police returned the contents of the purse, including $200 cash, to the victim. (Sun Journal)

Empire Beauty School is closing its Waterville location, one of six the national chain is shutting because of declining enrollment. According to the KJ, the school has 28 students and will close June 30. Students of the Waterville location have the option of continuing their studies at other Empire Beauty locations in Maine, which include Bangor, Caribou and Portland. (centralmaine.com)

Augusta has a snow-related matter left over from last winter, the $450,000 snow removal cost overrun. According to the KJ, February and March were hit hard with storms and the city needed to the keep the roads safe and clear as well doing the removal of snow banks that built up.  Snow removal costs totaled $1.38 million for the year, up from the $940,000 the city spent the previous year and $787,000 the year before that. (centralmaine.com)

South Korea says it has successfully test-fired two domestically built ballistic missiles that can hit all of North Korea. Seoul's Defense Ministry says the missiles, which had a reported range of more than 300 miles, were fired from a southern launch pad Wednesday. The test comes amid continuing animosity between the rival Koreas over Pyongyang's push to bolster its nuclear and missile capabilities. (AP)

President Barack Obama has signed a bill that revives most of the surveillance programs the Senate allowed to lapse on Sunday night. But the measure does away with the National Security Agency's disputed bulk phone-records collection program and replaces it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies' hands. (AP)

Potential Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal plans to make what his chief political adviser calls a "major announcement" on the 2016 race on June 24 in New Orleans. The Louisiana governor has already set up a campaign exploratory committee. If he decides to run, he'd join a crowded Republican primary that already includes nine major candidates, with more expected to join the fray. (AP)

The Los Angeles City Council is set to take a final vote on becoming the latest big U.S. city to endorse a hike in the minimum wage. The move has the endorsement of Mayor Eric Garcetti. It would bring a $15-an-hour wage by 2020, more than double the current federal minimum. (AP)

A Native American student will be able to wear an eagle feather to his high school graduation after all. Christian Titman had sued his California school district for refusing to allow it, saying his rights to freedom of expression and religion were being violated. But one of the groups representing the 18-year-old, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, says an agreement has been reached to allow him to attach the feather to the tassel on his cap. (AP)