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

Gov. Paul LePage the letter to incoming lawmakers for Dec 7 and  questioning the validity of their elections. According to centralmaine.com LePage sent a letter that includes the standard message telling legislators when and where to show up to start conducting the people’s business. But there is a second paragraph questioning the election results.

Kayla Smith, the Fairfield woman accused in the death of her infant son a year ago was in court yesterday.  According to centralmaine.com there was talk of a plea deal in the case.

The national Women’s March on Washington is being planned for Jan. 21 and there is a sister rally happening on the same day in Augusta.  According to centralmaine.com the organizer wants "to show people that people want to band together and stand up for all the groups that have been marginalized by the upcoming presidential administration."

From the Associated Press:

State traffic engineers are looking into an increase in crashes on Interstate 295 between Falmouth and Gardiner.  There were over 320 crashes in the last year.  That's  up 32% from 2013 and up 25% on average for 2006 to 2013. Traffic enginers are looks at all factors like driver behavior, increased traffic volume, time of crashes, gas price changes and the speed limit increase from 2014.

The federal government is giving more than $200,000 to a pair of northern Maine tribal communities to strengthen economic development efforts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving a little less than $100,000 to the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and more than $120,000 to the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say the money will be used to improve business innovation among the tribes.

An investigator with Maine's government accountability office says it's nearly impossible to measure how much of a problem elder financial abuse has become due to incomplete data. The Portland Press Herald reports state officials say some states don't know how many seniors are under guardianship. The report suggests states regularly examine whether seniors need guardianships, screen guardians for criminal backgrounds and educate them on their duties.

A judge has sentenced the owner of a building in Maine where six people died two years ago to three months in jail for his misdemeanor conviction. Judge Thomas Warren also fined Gregory Nisbet $1,000 on Thursday. The sentence and fine come six weeks after the judge found Nisbet guilty of a code violation. He was acquitted of manslaughter.

President-elect Donald Trump has made his first major public appearance since Election Day, presiding over a rousing rally in Cincinnati that was reminiscent of the campaign. Trump made a surprise announcement to his supporters, saying he had chosen retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to be secretary of defense in his administration.

President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to be defense secretary. Trump made the announcement during a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati Thursday night. Trump also told Fox News Channel he's nearing a decision on a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is pledging that congressional Republicans will change Medicare in order to save it. In an interview with The Associated Press, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas insisted Republicans won't be deterred by politics. Democrats are already warning of a "war on seniors."

President Barack Obama has lighted the National Christmas Tree for the last time while in office. Reflecting on his eight years at the White House, Obama said the United States is a country that has come back from economic crisis, wars and national tragedies. He was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Michelle, and their daughter Sasha.

Construction on the world's first full-sized Titanic replica has started in China. The 1,000-foot vessel will be completed by the end of 2018 and will remain docked as a tourist attraction in landlocked Sichuan province. The original Titanic sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people. The 1997 James Cameron movie was a huge hit in China.

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