Things You Need to Know: Cold Temps Continue + AOS 92 Sends Plan to State
Here are the things you need to know today......
Some skiers were stuck in the cold for a little while when the power went out at Sugarloaf. According to WGME a power line came down and left about 4,000 without power in the area. They had to use backup generators to get the lifts moving again, and people off the mountain.
One of Maine's only independent DVD rental stores, Bart & Greg’s DVD Explosion! in Brunswick, will close for good this weekend. for the final time. The Bangor Daily News only two other rental stores are still running in Maine: Opera House Video in Belfast and Jet Video in Portland.
The AOS 92 school board sends a plan to dissolve school district to the state. Centralmaine.com reports if the plan is OKed, it will go to voters in Waterville, Winslow and Vassalboro this spring.
Centralmaine.com reports a water main break in Waterville yesterday made getting around in the Mayflower Hill Drive area difficult.
From the Associated Press:
Maine drug enforcement officials say the state saw fewer than half as many reports of meth production this year as last year's record high. The Bangor Daily News reports law enforcement officers and drug treatment counselors warn the drop doesn't necessarily mean supply or demand of the stimulant methamphetamine has also dropped. Law enforcement officers attribute the decline to a years-old law blocking the sale of over-the-counter medicine containing ephedrine.
Bitter cold weather has taken hold of much of the northern United States and is expected to stay put for days to come. Forecasters are warning of hypothermia and frostbite from arctic air settling in over the central U.S. and spreading east. The freezing temperatures and below-zero wind chills come as people in Erie, Pennsylvania, continue to dig out from a storm that has dumped more than 65 inches on the city.
Some former Miss Americas and state title holders are reacting negatively to a statement by the Miss America Organization that it's seeking their help to recommend the next generation of leaders for the pageant. In Facebook posts Wednesday night, some said the board had not yet reached out to them. Others said they wanted no involvement whatsoever by any current board members.
Whimpering in pain, bleeding from head injuries and dazed by the enormity of the crash, victims in the Amtrak train derailment south of Seattle begged 911 dispatchers for help and said "tons of people" had been hurt. Dozens of emergency recordings released Wednesday by South Sound 911 Dispatch provided a vivid account of what happened during the deadly Dec. 18 crash.
The reason President Donald Trump gives for firing FBI director James Comey last May contrasts with the rationale he's giving now. Trump's Twitter posts now may be undercutting his stated rationale for Comey's departure. Initially, Trump said he was acting on the recommendation of Justice Department leaders who faulted Comey for releasing "derogatory information" about Hillary Clinton. Since then, he's suggested the criminal investigation was rigged in Clinton's favor.
After three years of war to defeat the Islamic State group, the Iraqi government estimates $100 billion is needed nationwide to rebuild. Local leaders in Mosul, the biggest city held by IS, say that amount is needed to rehabilitate their city alone. In truth, the cost is incalculable, and so far no one is offering to foot the bill. The United States has told the Iraqis it won't get involved in reconstruction.