Things You Need to Know: Patriots Lose + Fire Destroys Belgrade Boat Shop
Here are the things you need to know today......
The City of Augusta and police approved a new contract that will increase the pay of some officers by about 20 %over two years, some will also an increase in their cost of insurance. According to centralmaine.com the move helps to keep Augusta competitive with pay for the area and help with retention.
From the Associated Press:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions for the first time after rallying to beat the New England Patriots, 41-33. The Patriots led 33-32 until Nick Foles threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz with 2:21 remaining. Tom Brady fumbled on the next possession to set up Jake Elliott's 46-yard field goal that put the Eagles ahead by eight with 1:10 left.
BELGRADE, Maine (AP) — Fire officials say an early morning blaze has destroyed a Maine boat shop. Belgrade Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel McKenzie says the Belgrade Boat Shop was fully engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived early Saturday. Owner Bill Redlevske says a 13-foot Boston Whaler and two snowmobiles were in the shop when the fire broke out. He says he believes a battery charge on the wall may have been the cause of the fire. McKenzie says the fire didn't appear to be suspicious. No one was injured in the fire. Officials are investigating.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Supporters say they have enough signatures to force Maine to become the first state to implement a ranked voting system for the June primaries. Representatives of the system, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, say it will promote civility among two dozen gubernatorial candidates in June's primary. Maine became the first to adopt the election overhaul in 2016, but lawmakers delayed the system after the state supreme court raised constitutionality concerns.
BOWDOINHAM, Maine (AP) — The smelt population is continuing to rebuild in parts of northern New England, which is good news for fishermen who squat in shacks to catch the little fish through the ice. The federal government listed the rainbow smelt in 2004 as a federal "Species of Concern." Maine began enforcing new rules about catch of smelts in 2015 in an attempt to slow the loss of the fish. Other states, such as Vermont and New Hampshire, have also been keeping a close eye on the fish.
GRAY, Maine (AP) — Authorities say they've seized 80 dogs from a cramped home in Maine that they believe was being operated as an unlicensed kennel. The Portland Press Herald reports a summons was issued last month to 52-year-old Anita McBride, of Gray. Court records say state animal welfare officials executed a search warrant on the 744-square-foot home to take the animals and that they were being kept in substandard living conditions. McBride says the allegations are false.
FARMINGDALE, Maine (AP) — Firewood suppliers across Maine say they can't keep up with the demand for dry wood that people use to heat their homes. Andy Allen of A.W. Allen Firewood of Farmingdale says the average wait time for delivery of his kiln-dried wood in the winter is about two weeks, but this year it's seven weeks. Experts say thousands of Maine residents were caught off guard by a warm fall that caused firewood customers to delay getting in their winter supplies
UNDATED (AP) — The federal government is almost done collecting information about a decision that could change the conservation status of the world's largest turtle. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has received a petition from a fishing group asking that the Northwest Atlantic Ocean's leatherback sea turtles be listed as "threatened," but not endangered, under the Endangered Species Act. The agency is scheduled to complete collecting information and comments about the subject on Monday.
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — The trial of a Maine man accused of killing a teenager 37 years ago is drawing to a close. Fifty-seven-year-old Phillip Scott Fournier chose not to testify before the defense rested on Friday. Closing arguments are set for Monday in Bangor. A judge, not a jury, is deciding the case at Fournier's request. Fournier is charged in the 1980 killing of 16-year-old Joyce McLain in East Millinocket.
ORONO, Maine (AP) — Maine police say alcohol is a likely factor in the death of a 19-year-old woman whose body was found in an Orono snowbank. News reports say the body of Alexie Adams, of Orono, was found by a passer-by Saturday morning.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Education is handing out $4.6 million in grants aimed at encouraging schools to collaborate. Bangor Daily News reports that the department this week announced 11 grants largely targeted at rural areas contending with budget challenges and shrinking numbers of students. The education department said the projects are estimated to save a combined $10 million over five years.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nick Foles engineered the type of Super Bowl-winning drive that made Tom Brady famous and then watched his defense seal the victory in the most prolific offensive game in NFL history. The Philadelphia Eagles won their first NFL championship since 1960 with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots, with Foles winning MVP in a season that started with him as a backup.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia is celebrating after Nick Foles led the Eagles to a surprise Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. Fans descended on Broad Street, the iconic thoroughfare that will soon host a parade to commemorate the city's first major pro sports championship since the Phillies won the 2008 World Series
NEW YORK (AP) — A Ram truck ad that used a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., is drawing a backlash. The ad shows people doing service-oriented tasks while Kings speech, which urges people to be "great" by serving the greater good rather than being successful, plays as a voiceover. It was supposed to highlight the volunteer program Ram Nation. But it was roundly criticized by viewers and ad experts alike for forging too tenuous a connection with the civil rights hero.
AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (AP) — Western contractors at a U.S.-led coalition base in Iraq say American troops have started a drawdown from the country following the defeat of the Islamic State group. They say U.S. soldiers, weapons and equipment are being transported out of Iraq on to Afghanistan. Two Iraqi officials tell The Associated Press the U.S.-led coalition has reached an agreement to draw down its troops in Iraq for the first time since the war against IS was launched over three years ago.
UNDATED (AP) — Some states and cities are taking the lead on banning bump stocks as efforts stall in Washington. The controversial device was used in the Las Vegas shooting, allowing a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic firearm. Gun-control advocates say the push fits a pattern in gun politics: inaction in Washington that forces states to take charge. Gun-rights advocates call it a knee-jerk reaction that will do little to stop bad guys from killing, and they're vowing a legal challenge.