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

The Route 1 viaduct reopened in Bath is reopened. According to WGME DOT wanted it open before Memorial Day so it is now open about a month ahead of schedule.

A bill to up the starting salaries for teachers to $40,000  faced a pubic hearing. According to WCSH Maine 41st in the nation for starting salaries for teachers. There were concerns about budgets and that starting teacher might end up making more than those already working in that district.

Elanco in Winslow now have a place that makes customized vaccines for the poultry industry not just their commercial vaccines. According to WABI Elanco employs about 120 full-time jobs.

Colby College broke ground on its residential multi use complex yesterday in downtown Waterville.  According to centralmaine.com the $25M complex is due to be done in August 2018.

Oakland Police are warning people about rabies.  Centralmaine.com reports there was a possible rabid animal found in town. People should keep their animals up to date of rabies shots and take steps to keep you animals safe.

From the Associated Press:

Maine's congressional delegation is warning residents of a phone scam where impostors try to imitate the Veterans Choice Program phone line. The lawmakers say a phone line has been set up by an unknown party to try to mimic the VCP phone line. It appears to be intended to reach veterans who accidentally dial the VCP number incorrectly.

Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife plans to conduct a prescribed wildfire burn on an island in the Kennebec River to try to improve habitat for grassland birds. The burn will take place on Thursday on Swan Island's Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area. The department says the burn will allow for better habitat for birds such as bobolinks, meadowlarks and savannah sparrows.

A bill designed to protect bees in Maine from a class of pesticides has been withdrawn in the wake of criticism from agricultural interests. The bill would have put limits on the use and sale of neonicotinoids, or insect-killing pesticides that are among a number of factors that have been blamed for falling pollinator populations.

Democrats say House Republicans up for re-election next year will face a public backlash if they vote to approve a GOP health care bill. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters late Wednesday that there are sufficient votes to pass the measure. That apparently means a vote will be held Thursday. But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says "Trumpcare" will strip coverage from millions and voters will hold them accountable.

The House has passed easily a bipartisan, $1.1 trillion government wide spending bill on Wednesday. Both Democrats and Republicans could claim wins in the measure, while putting off until later this year fights over President Donald Trump's promised border wall with Mexico and massive military buildup. The sweeping vote sends the bill to the Senate in time to avert a government shutdown at midnight Friday.

A Buckingham Palace official tells The Associated Press that a meeting of royal household staff has been called, but that there is "no cause for concern." The official spoke after a report by Britain's Daily Mail of an unusual meeting of royal household staff sparked speculation about the health of 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II and her 95-year-old husband Prince Philip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says his first meeting with President Donald Trump left him hopeful, even though they did not discuss specifics about how to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Abbas says he believes the Trump administration can play an important role as a mediator and that "what is needed is to bring the two parties together."

Three semi-official news agencies in Iran say the death toll from a coal mine explosion has risen to at least 35 people killed. The Fars, Mehr and Tasnim news agencies all carried similar reports Thursday morning. The explosion Wednesday rocked the Zemestanyurt mine, which lies 14 kilometers (9 miles) from Azadshahr in Iran's northern Golestan province.

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