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

Both of Maine's senators denounced President Trump's temporary immigration ban. According to WGME Senators Collins and King offices made release statements over the weekend.. Rep. Chellie Pingree also spoke out against it. Rep Bruce Poliquin did not issue a statement on the travel ban.

Federal agencies will no longer accept Maine licenses and IDs. According to WMTW  Department of Homeland Security are going ahead with th Real ID. Homeland security said an extension for Maine was denied because the state didn't provide adequate justification for continued noncompliance. Also under the law, beginning Jan. 22, 2018, a Maine ID or license will not be accepted to board a commercial aircraft. (Real ID FAQ)

Augusta officials and city councilors gathered this weekend to talk about Augusta and upping its 'cool factor'.  According to centramaine.com the meeting Saturday was to look at a number of factors to in making Augusta  and even its surrounding area more attractive as a place to live and working, for growing a business and raising a family.

Gov LePage has introduced a bill to require certain steps, in addition to current rules, be taken when a property is moving into foreclosure and has people living in it. According to centralmaine.com, the Governors bill is being fine tuned before it head into the legislature.  The bill was inspired after a situation happened in Albion that forced an elderly couple from their home.

From the Associated Press:

The first tangible results of Maine voters' decision in November to legalize marijuana are being felt as possession and home growth of marijuana becomes legal. Contentious aspects linger, including what rules should govern businesses that will sell marijuana, such as retail stores and social clubs. But it's now legal to smoke it, gift it, grow it and possess up to 2.5 ounces of it. The vote was close, and opponents are continuing to push for restrictions.

At least three protest rallies are taking place across Maine by people who are angered by President Donald Trump's ban on refugees entering the United States. At least 1,500 people were jammed into the baggage claim area of the Portland airport early Sunday afternoon.

A Navy shipbuilder in Maine is marking a milestone in construction of the last of three stealthy destroyers. The daughters of Lyndon B. Johnson are going to be on hand Monday at Bath Iron Works for the keel-laying ceremony of the warship bearing the late president's name.

Four health care groups are working to increase access to the anti-opioid drug naloxone in the Bangor area. Naloxone is used to treat opioid overdoses. Eastern Maine Medical Center, St. Joseph Healthcare, Acadia Hospital and Penobscot Community Health Care are providing 500 survival kits to people in need who don't have the ability to pay for them.

Authorities in Portland are investigating a report by four black students who say a white teenager made racist remark toward them and brandished a knife. Police say the incident involving the Casco Bay High School students happened around 1:45 p.m. Friday as they waited for a bus. The students say three teens were walking past them when one made a racial comment. A verbal confrontation followed and they say one of the youths assaulted two of the students and pulled out a knife before fleeing.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has signed a bill to delay portions of Maine's legal marijuana law. LePage signed the bill on Friday night. It will still be legal to possess and grow marijuana in the state come Monday. But the bill delays implementation of a regulatory system for three months, kicking it into 2018.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage wants to ban food stamps and cash assistance for people convicted of drug felonies. His office says he also wants to bag the department's current drug testing policy for certain recipients and institute suspicion-based testing for all recipients. LePage's proposal comes as more states opt out of federal law prohibiting welfare for such individuals.

An attorney for a Maine woman charged in the death of her infant son said she's a "wonderful mother" who deserves to be released on bail pending trial. The Morning Sentinel reports that Miranda Hopkins of Troy contends she didn't harm the baby, and suggested it could've been one of her other two children, both of whom are autistic.

The White House is vigorously defending President Donald Trump's immigration restrictions on seven predominantly Muslim countries, calling them "a massive success story," and even claimed they had been done "seamlessly and with extraordinary professionalism." But even some congressional Republicans are publicly opposing the temporary ban. Several Democrats say they'll introduce legislation to stop it.

There've been protests at some U.S. airports against the Trump administration travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. Several hundred people, including lawmakers, gathered at Indianapolis International Airport on Sunday. Thousands of people gathered in downtown Seattle, carrying signs that said "Proud to be an immigrant." And thousands descended for a second on the San Francisco International Airport.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling a shooting at a Quebec City mosque a "terrorist attack on Muslims." Trudeau says in a statement that it is "heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence," and he's vowing that Canadian law enforcement "will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance." Police say six people were killed and eight wounded at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre on Sunday.

Several Democrats in Congress say they'll introduce legislation to stop the Trump administration's temporary order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries. But the White House has been vigorously defending the immigration restrictions, despite protests nationwide. The administration does appear to have walked-back how the order would apply to certain groups, such as legal permanent U.S. residents.

Dozens of U.S. colleges are opposing President Donald Trump's sweeping travel ban that has left some students and professors stranded abroad. On Sunday, the presidents of several universities issued scathing attacks of Trump's executive order halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations. Many said it's already disrupting research and academics for their scholars.

Despite a huge scandal over cheating on auto emissions tests, Volkswagen sold 10.31 million vehicles last year. That knocks Toyota out of the No. 1 spot for the world's biggest automaker. GM reports its tally next week. And if its numbers fall short, it'll be the first time Volkswagen will have become No. 1.

 

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