Things You Need to Know: Three Bills for Preventing Gun Violence Debated by ME Lawmakers

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

~Zone forecast from Maine.gov~

School in MSAD 54 is open today.  Read the latest statement.

State and local police and federal officials have been working to track down and investigate threats against schools. WMTW reports it is takes time and effects the departments, schools and community.  Getting through to kids as to how serious threats are taken by police could be key to stopping the problem. 'Just kidding' is not an excuse and they will be held accountable.

From the Associated Press:

AUGUSTA, Maine — Three bills aimed at preventing gun violence are going to be debated by Maine lawmakers. The Legislative Council gave the green light to a bill allowing police to temporarily confiscate guns of those deemed to be a danger. A second bill would create community education programs to raise awareness of those who could pose a danger. A third is a $20 million bond issue for school security. All three were submitted after a school shooting in Florida. In the aftermath, Democratic Rep. John Martin of Eagle Lake asked lawmakers to spike his bill that would have allowed guns in cars on school grounds. It would've allowed people picking up or dropping off students to have an unloaded gun if the weapon was locked and the owner didn't leave the vehicle.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine legislative leaders differ about what to do, if anything, with a projected $128.5 million surplus this year. Republicans are praising conservative fiscal policies and the elimination of a voter-approved surtax on the wealthy. Democratic Rep. Drew Gattine says the surplus is a chance for a serious discussion about addressing issues like access to health care.

ROCKPORT, Maine (AP) — The Maine Fishermen's Forum is bringing one of the state's most important industries together in Rockport for the next three days. The forum begins on Thursday at the Samoset Resort and continues until Saturday. The event includes a trade show, seminars, a Friday night fish dinner and a Saturday banquet and dance.

THORNDIKE, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine say a student has released an aerosol self-defense spray in school, causing an evacuation. The Waldo County Sheriff's Office responded Wednesday to a possible chemical release affecting as many as 20 students at the Mount View school complex in Thorndike. Authorities say a school resource officer learned that the source of the chemical odor might have been an aerosol self-defense spray. Authorities say they confirmed a student released the product inside the school.

BOWDOINHAM, Maine (AP) — Maine State Police say they have arrested a teenage boy in connection with the death of a 55-year-old woman in Bowdoinham. Police say they responded Monday morning to the mobile home of Beulah "Marie" Sylvester and found her unresponsive. They say they arrested a Bowdoinham teenager and charged him with murder on Wednesday. Police aren't releasing the name of the boy. They say he has been taken to Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland and will make his first court appearance on Friday afternoon. Police also aren't releasing Sylvester's cause of death. They are classifying the death as a homicide.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest staffer to leave the Trump White House is one of his most trusted aides, Hope Hicks. She's the fourth director of communications to serve President Donald Trump. No specific reason was given for Hicks' departure, which isn't expected for several weeks. While the announcement caught many of Hicks' colleagues by surprise, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Hicks has been thinking about leaving for a while.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the final days of the Virginia governor's race last year, the campaign of Democratic candidate Ralph Northam discovered it was being hit online by Twitter bots. Special counsel Robert Mueller put the issue front and center when he revealed an indictment detailing an elaborate Russian disinformation campaign during the 2016 elections. And U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Russian meddling has continued into the 2018 cycle, posing a quandary for candidates across the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Activist groups are turning to television ads to pressure the White House into allowing transgender people to keep serving in the military. And they're including President Donald Trump's go-to station, Fox News. Trump will be able to see the 30-second commercial as of Friday, when it starts airing on Fox, CNN and MSNBC. It uses quotes from Trump, a former senior military leader and several lawmakers who were in the armed forces to argue that all qualified Americans should be able to serve.

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's largest retailer is shifting its policy on firearms and ammunition sales. Walmart will no longer sell guns and ammo to people younger than 21. It's also removing items resembling assault-style rifles from its website. The changes come in the wake of the high school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead.

NEW YORK (AP) — Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart have taken steps to restrict gun sales, adding two retail heavyweights to the growing rift between corporate America and the gun lobby. Dick's said it will immediately stop selling assault-style rifles and ban the sale of all guns to anyone under 21. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, followed late Wednesday saying it will no longer sell firearms and ammunition to people younger than 21.