Central Maine News: June 30, 2015

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

Gas prices in Maine have fallen 1.4 cents per gallon in the past week. The average retail gas price in Maine was $2.79 per gallon on Sunday. The figure is based on a GasBuddy.com survey of 1,228 gas outlets in the state. The national average price fell 1.3 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.78 per gallon. Maine gas prices on Sunday were 95.2 cents per gallon less than the same day in 2014 and 8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average price increased 3.9 cents per gallon during the last month and is 89.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. (AP)

A Republican state senator wants the Legislature's oversight committee to launch an investigation into whether Gov. Paul LePage "crossed legal or ethical lines" by meddling in a charter school's personnel matters. Sen. Tom Saviello asked the Government Oversight Committee on Monday to look into Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves' claims that LePage threatened to withhold funds from Good Will-Hinckley unless they remove him as president there. Good Will-Hinckley operates Maine's first charter school. Saviello said a letter to the committee that the claims, if accurate, "offer a chilling example of potential overstep of executive authority" by LePage. The governor has said that Eves was a longtime foe of charter schools and unqualified for the job. His staff has declined to discuss the specific claim, citing a pending lawsuit from Eves. (AP/WGME)

Several Maine lawmakers want the state's watchdog agency to launch an investigation into allegations that Republican Gov. Paul LePage overstepped his authority by meddling in a charter school's personnel affairs. Republican Sen. Tom Saviello on Monday asked the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability to look into Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves' claims that LePage threatened to withhold funds from Good Will-Hinckley unless they removed Eves as president. Eves is considering suing LePage. LePage acknowledged Monday that he threatened to withhold the funds, but rejected Eves' claim that he blackmailed the school. LePage told reporters that he "didn't gain anything out of it," so the term blackmail was being misused. Three other lawmakers have submitted a separate request for an investigation. (AP)

Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fire in Augusta Monday. Firefighters say they arrived just before noon to find a big blaze on the first floor of the house on School Street. According to WABI, one of the residents was home at that time of fire and was able to help the fire department to determine there were no other occupants inside. Officials say the Red Cross is assisting the family with necessities. (WABI/centralmaine.com)

A section of the Lithgow Public library in Augusta is coming down. Construction crews have started tearing down the part of the library on Winthrop Street that was added in 1979. The original library itself was built back in 1896. The 1979 addition was outdated and impractical. It didn’t allow for the Americans with Disabilities Act, so the aisles were really narrow and the elevator was outdated and not able to actually accommodate people in wheelchairs. Officials say they expect the renovation to be done in the fall of 2016. The library is currently located at 6 East Chestnut Street in the Ballard Center. (WABI)

Residents in East Millinocket voted against the proposed national park in the Katahdin region by a wide margin in a non-binding vote Monday. 191 voted in favor of the park project while 320 opposed it. The question comes from the Board of Selectmen, who wanted to find out how folks in town feel about the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Park proposal. Last week, residents in Medway voted by a 5 to 2 margin against the proposal. (WABI)

Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a $6.7 billion budget that includes income tax cuts and more money for education. Monday's veto comes less than two days before a spending plan must be in place to prevent a government shutdown. Lawmakers will return today to try to override LePage's budget veto, along with more than 30 other vetoes he has issued since they finished the bulk of their work last week.  In his veto letter, LePage scolded lawmakers for using the "false threat" of a government shutdown to push through a bad budget that's "largely devoid of reform." The budget must get the support of two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber to survive the veto. Legislative leaders said Monday they were confident that they have the votes. (AP)

Escaped prisoner David Sweat felt that his fellow escapee was slowing him down. Sweat, who was captured Sunday and is in the hospital with two gunshot wounds, has begun talking to investigators about his time on the run with fellow convicted killer Richard Matt, after the two broke out of an upstate New York prison June 6. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Matt had blisters on his feet, and searchers found his bloody socks. The escapees were headed for the Canadian border, but police shot and killed Matt on Friday. Sweat was captured two days later. (AP)

It's unlikely that Greece will be able to make a 1.6 billion euro ($1.8 billion) repayment to the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday. And Athens and creditors from the IMF and the eurozone haven't been able to agree on the terms of an extension. Meanwhile, as the clock runs out for Greece, citizens are being handed a daily 60 euros ($67) cash withdrawal limit from ATMs. (AP)

Despite its sticking points, California lawmakers have pushed through one of the strictest school vaccination laws in the country. Parents opposed to the bill vowed to take legal action even though the issue has been upheld in court, including by the Supreme Court. The legislation follows a recent measles outbreak at Disney land. (AP)