Things You Need to Know: Bill to Ban Hand Held Cellphone Use While Driving head to LePage
Here are the things you need to know today......
A bill to ban holding your cell phone while you drive is headed to Gov. LePage's desk. Centralmaine.com reports drivers could still use hands-free technology. If the governor signs it, the new law would take effect in the fall.
Gov. LePage is still considering a run for U.S. Senate. The Bangor Daily News said Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey of Auburn is the only challenger to the seat currently held by Angus King. LePage said Brakey is “a great guy and a good person,” but his campaign hasn’t yet caught hold with voters.
Officials are asking for the public's help in find a man who took police on a high speed chase in Waterville and then managed to get away while the trooper when to call for medical help. Centramaine.com reports anyone with information is asked to call the Maine State Police at 624-7076 or 800-452-4664
Augusta City councilors have decided what to do with supplemental state education funding. According to centralmaine.com they decided to give half of the $796,135 for this year. The other half would help with property tax increase about $250,000 for future needs or future tax relief.
From the Associated Press:
Some Maine lawmakers are voicing their concerns about the state's proposed child care rules and the care of incarcerated young people with mental illness. The Legislature's health and human services committee Thursday agreed to ask Republican Gov. Paul LePage's administration for more details on proposed child care regulations.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins says funding for a group of dredging projects in southern Maine has cleared a key hurdle in the Senate. Collins, a Republican, says on Thursday the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved more than $7 million for the dredging of York Harbor, Wells Harbor and the Saco River. The measure will now go before the full Senate.
Maine's largest city is telling its residents to stop vandalizing traps that are designed to help move turtles to a pond. The city's official Twitter account says Thursday that traps at Evergreen Cemetery are part of a project to transport turtles from the cemetery back to Capisic Pond.
A $40 million bond to help young people pay off student debt is now in limbo after failing to receive enough support. The Maine House tabled the bill Thursday. It could be tackled again on Aug. 2 when lawmakers plan to again return.
Nine years after trying to snatch sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel-room heist, O.J. Simpson will walk free as soon as Oct. 1. The former football star and one-time defendant on Los Angeles murder charges was granted parole Thursday after his sister and one of the collectibles dealers robbed at gunpoint spoke on his behalf. Simpson was, at turns, remorseful, jovial and defensive at the hearing on live TV.
A spokesman has confirmed that Israel's government decided not to overrule an earlier police decision to install metal detectors at a contested Jerusalem holy shrine. The spokesman says the decision was made early Friday by Israel's security Cabinet after an overnight meeting. Muslims have called for mass protests against the metal detectors at the shrine, which is revered by Muslims and Jews.
Greek authorities say two tourists killed in an overnight earthquake on the island of Kos are from Turkey and Sweden. Fire Service rescue chief Stephanos Kolokouris told state television that the two men had been identified but gave no further details. The 6.5-magnitude quake struck about 1:30 a.m. Friday.
President Donald Trump's legal team is evaluating potential conflicts of interest among members of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow tells The Associated Press that the president's lawyers "will consistently evaluate the issue of conflicts and raise them in the appropriate venue."
The Syrian army and members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group have launched a major ground offensive in a border area between the two countries. Government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media reports that the operation began early Friday from two fronts on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Arsal and the Syrian village of Fleeta. The battle has been widely expected after negotiations with militants to leave the area failed over the past days.