Things You Need to Know Today: Smoke Detectors Without Batteries Found at Waterville Fire

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

Smoke detectors had no batteries in the apartment building fire in Waterville.  7 people were taken to the hospital. One of them was a firefighter with a dislocated shoulder. According to centramaine.com the tenants were treated for smoke. They are still looking at what was the cause of the fire.

Johnson Hall in Gardiner is receiving a $75,000 grant. Centralmaine.com reports that this will supports the theaters renovation project because they can now Carrie Arsenault as capital campaign director for two years to focus on the $4.8 million need to be raised for the project.

The latest round of air testing at Manchester Elementary found dust, no mold. Centramaine.com reports that  the school has been dealing with a mold issue for a few months.  Testing was done this week as well and the results will be back soon.

From the Associated Press:

Independent Sen. Angus King could play a key role in the fate of President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court. The nomination of Neil Gorsuch sets up a fight with Democrats over a judge who could shape America's legal landscape for decades to come.With 52 Senate Republicans, the GOP would need help from Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster. King said he'll carefully evaluate Gorsuch's philosophy and temperament "and make an independent judgment."

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is joining independent Sen. Angus King in opposition to Betsy DeVos for education secretary. Collins joined Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski in announcing their opposition to the nomination on the Senate floor.

A Maine utility says upgrades to its energy grid will improve service to a host of communities in the central part of the state. Central Maine Power Company says the upgrades are complete and will serve customers in Kennebec and Waldo counties. The utility says it has launched a new substation in South China and a distribution circuit that serves China, Freedom, Liberty, Palermo, Vassalboro and Windsor.

Interstate fishing regulators are considering new rules to help the herring fishery run more smoothly in the future. The Atlantic herring is an important bait fish that's caught off of several East Coast states, especially Massachusetts and Maine. The fishery suffered from supply issues last summer, which caused a bait shortage in the lobster fishery.

Some Maine sixth-graders are pushing state lawmakers to pass a bill that would make it easier for residents to keep hedgehogs as pets. Lawmakers agreed to consider the legislation on Thursday. Maine and eight other states currently restrict or ban ownership of the tiny, quill-covered creatures, which can carry salmonella. The students asked a legislative committee on Tuesday if the state could ease restrictions on owning the animals, which now require two different permits.

Smoke bombs, broken windows and a massive bonfire. Some 1,500 people gathered at the University of California at Berkeley last night to protest an appearance by a polarizing editor of Breitbart News, Milo Yiannopoulos . Then a smaller group of protesters became violent, and the university canceled the speech. There've been no reports of serious injuries or arrests.

Australia's prime minister is insisting that the deal to resettle Muslim refugees rejected by Australia in the United States is still on. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull isn't commenting on a report that during a conversation, Trump called the agreement struck with the Obama administration "dumb." The Washington Post also reported that Trump called the agreement "the worst deal ever" and accused Turnbull of trying to export the next Boston Marathon bombers.

A spokesman for Mexico's presidential office is insisting that the tone of last Friday's conversation between President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was respectful. But in a transcript of excerpts of that discussion, Trump tells the Mexican leader that he's ready to send U.S. troops to stop "bad hombres down there" unless the Mexican military does more to control them. The spokesman says, "It is absolutely false that the president of the United States threatened to send troops to Mexico."

More details are coming out about last Friday's telephone call between President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto (PAYN'-yuh nee-EH'-toh). In an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press, Trump warns that he's ready to send U.S. troops to stop "bad hombres down there" unless the Mexican military does more to control them. It's not clear who the "bad hombres" are.

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is warning that the U.S. will act against Iran unless it stops testing ballistic missiles and supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen. Later Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Iran is rapidly taking over more and more of Iraq even after the U.S. has squandered three trillion dollars there. Obvious long ago!"

A blaze at a huge factory in the Philippines has sent workers running to safety. But officials south of Manila say more than 100 people were injured and at least three people are missing in the fire at the House Technology Industries. Officials say about 15,000 workers were on duty at the time.

The mayor of New Hope, Texas says residents have shown "overwhelming support" after she came out as a transgender woman at this week's council meeting. Mayor Jess Herbst tells The Dallas Morning News, "I was hoping for tolerance, and what I've gotten is overwhelming support." The meeting was Tuesday, two weeks after she wrote an open letter to residents online.