Things You Need to Know Today: Augusta School Officials Want to Hear From Residents

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

A Skowhegan woman was charge of endangering the welfare of a child. According to centrlmaine.com the 5-year-old was playing in a mud puddle. When police arrived the adults at the home said they did not realize the kid was outside. There was reportedly a similar incident earlier this year.

Augusta school officials was to hear from community members want their schools to be, now and in the future.  According to centralmaine.com there is a work shop tonight and one tomorrow.  While the sessions are open to the public, they want  participants to register by calling the district central office. (626-2468, ext. 3206)

From the Associated Press:

The Maine Governor's Energy Office says heating prices have settled in the state in recent weeks. The average price for heating oil fell a penny over the past week to $2.02 per gallon. Kerosene prices also fell 1 cent to $2.53 and propane prices remained the same at $2.29 per gallon. Northern Maine had a higher average at $2.16 per gallon for heating oil. The highest heating oil price in the state was $2.25 per gallon.

The Maine Potato Board says a new variety of potato will be available to consumers at the upcoming Maine Harvest Festival in Bangor. The new potato is called the Caribou Russet and it was first announced last spring. The potato board says the commercial seed has been developed, planted and harvested, and the first crop is being made widely available on Saturday and Sunday.

A 17-year-old boy charged with murder in the deaths of his parents in Maine could face up to life in prison if prosecutors succeed in charging him as an adult. The Kennebec Journal reports a judge has ruled details of the double slaying will remain sealed for at least two more months. Andrew Balcer is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Antonio and Alice Balcer in their Winthrop home.

A Maine man has pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges that he threatened to kill President Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree. The Kennebec Journal reports 66-year-old Peter M. Hamilton of Augusta was ordered held in federal custody after his arraignment on Thursday in Bangor. A six-count indictment says Hamilton made a series of threats targeting Obama and Pingree.

Dozens have attended a public forum in Lewiston to discuss pedestrian safety after a 13-year-old was struck and killed by a truck earlier this month. The Sun Journal reports one of the attendees on Wednesday was Kellie Foley, the mother of Jayden Cho-Sargent, who was struck and killed by a pickup truck on his way to Lewiston Middle School on Nov. 3.

A federal judge on Friday will consider arguments on President-elect Donald Trump's latest request to delay a civil fraud trial involving his now-defunct Trump University until after his inauguration on Jan. 20. In a court filing last week, Trump's attorneys said preparations for the White House are "critical and all-consuming." His attorneys have also raised the prospect of having him testify by video recording before the trial begins in the class-action lawsuit on Nov. 28.

President-elect Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to announce that Ford Motor Co. won't be moving production of its Lincoln MKC from Kentucky to Mexico. Trump says that Bill Ford, the company's executive chairman, telephoned him with the news. Trump is claiming credit for Ford's decision, but company spokeswoman Christin Baker says she doesn't know when the decision was made to keep the MKC in Louisville or if Trump had any impact on it.

Iraqi troops are still trying to advance into the eastern districts of Mosul, where they face stiff resistance from Islamic State militants. And airstrikes, automatic fire and artillery are sending wounded civilians fleeing. Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake Mosul a month ago, but have only advanced into a few eastern districts. They've been faced with snipers, mortar fire and suicide bombers.

A lack of jail space has U.S. government officials backtracking on a pledge to hold in detention immigrants who've entered the country illegally until they can be deported. Federal officials say they've been releasing Haitian immigrants, who've been entering the U.S. in large numbers, and the immigrants are being told to report later to an immigration court. But before they're released, they undergo a criminal background and national security check.

The northern Plains states could be hit with a lot of snow Friday. The National Weather Service says what's been unseasonably mild weather recently, is likely to turn into blizzard conditions in eastern parts of North and South Dakota and western Minnesota. Up to a foot of snow could fall in parts of Minnesota, and 3 to 8 inches elsewhere. And there are winter storm warnings for other parts of those states as well as Nebraska.