Things You Need to Know: Maine Close to a New Record for Pedestrian Deaths
Here are the things you need to know today......
A Gardiner man was found dead inside a storage container in Rockland town last weekend. WMTW reports commercial fisherman Adam Purington was found in a privately owned storage container. It appeared that Purington was using it that night as a place to sleep.
Maine is close to a new record for pedestrian deaths. The Bangor Daily News reports that is a new record for the state and we still have over a month left to 2017. MeDOT has held forums on the issue.
From the Associated Press:
GasBuddy's reports Maine gas prices are averaging $2.55 a gallon, down less than a penny. The national average went up 8.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.55. It's 8.6 cents per gallon higher than last month, and 40.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
A mistrial has been declared for Kenneth Hatch of Whitefield charged with sexually abusing three girls in Maine. Prosecutors alleged Hatch abused the girls from 1999 to 2014. Hatch pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said the accusers knew each other and had an ax to grind.
The police department in Falmouth, Maine, is warning residents to steer clear of black market Butterballs. The police department reports that someone took spoiled turkeys from a supermarket trash bin with the idea of redistributing them. Police department says anyone who came across one of the turkeys should put it in the trash where it belongs.
The University of Maine System is getting a bump in revenue thanks to an increase in out-of-state enrollment. The University of Maine and University of Southern Maine, which are courting out-of-staters, both experienced an increase in enrollment. All told, the system welcomed 5,727 students from outside Maine this fall, a nearly 11 percent increase from last year.
Organizers of a referendum effort aimed at guaranteeing access to home care for the disabled and seniors say they've collected more than 40,000 signatures. Taryn Hallweaver from the Maine People's Alliance says the signature-gathering effort on Election Day means the effort is two-thirds of the way to its goal. All told, 61,123 signatures from registered voters are needed to put the proposal on the statewide ballot.
The federal government says a group of commercial fishing operations dominated by a magnate known as "The Codfather" will be shut down for the rest of the season. Carlos Rafael pleaded guilty to smuggling money to Portugal and evading fishing quotas. He was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in September.
Russian state TV is reporting that Vladimir Putin has met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Sochi. The report said the two leaders held bilateral talks on Monday and then met with Russian military chiefs. It was the second time Assad has traveled to Russia to meet with Putin in the course of the country's six-year civil war.
Syrians are getting ready for a new round of diplomacy intended to forge a path forward for a political transition in the country after six years of war. As the sides prepare for what will be the eighth round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva later this month, one thing is clear and that is that President Bashar Assad has survived the war.
The U.S. is putting North Korea back on its terrorism blacklist. President Donald Trump says the designation as a state sponsor of terror is long overdue, and promises a new wave of sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure campaign" over North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. He says the Treasury Department will begin rolling out the new sanctions on Tuesday.
CBS morning show host Charlie Rose says he's "deeply embarrassed" and apologizes for his behavior. The Washington Post reports that eight women who worked with Rose accuse the 75-year-old of groping them, walking naked in front of them and telling one that he dreamed about her swimming nude. CBS has suspended Rose and PBS has halted distribution of his nightly interview show.
A news website is reporting that Michigan Rep. John Conyers settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman who alleged she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances. BuzzFeed reports that Conyers' office paid the woman over $27,000 to settle the complaint under a confidentiality agreement. BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staffers inappropriately or requesting sexual favors.
More From Kool AM
