Things You Need to Know Today: Big Rig Hits Farmington House
Here are the things you need to know today......
Maine has a new vaccine requirement. According to WGME as of this September, seventh graders will be required to have second dose of Tdap. That is the vaccine that protects against tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria. Maine is the 48th in the U.S. to require the booster shot.
A tractor-trailer hit a house in Farmington. According to WMTW the rig slipped off the Fairbanks Road and tore the front porch off the house. No one in the house was injured but the driver and passenger of the tractor trailer were injured.
From the Associated Press:
Gov. Paul LePage has signed an executive order to direct $3 million to school consolidation efforts at a time of rising education costs and declining student enrollments. The governor says consolidating schools will decrease costs and improve education.
Gov LePage says he has signed off on the results of a referendum that legalized marijuana in the state, but he is also calling for a moratorium on sales of the drug. Gov. Paul LePage says he remains skeptical of whether it is wise for the state to implement legalized marijuana for recreational use. He says it would be appropriate for the Legislature to put a moratorium on the sale of marijuana until a regulatory structure is funded and in place. Proponents of legal marijuana say regulations will take about nine months to establish.
A father charged with killing his 3-month-old son has entered into a plea agreement. A plea hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for Eugene "Charlie" Martineau, who's charged with murder and manslaughter. Details of the agreement were to be presented to a judge.
Gov. Paul LePage is promising to play nice as legislators head back to Augusta for a new legislative session. Topics on the legislators' agenda include tackling the drug crisis, school funding and the ballot referenda that voters approved in November.
The band for Madawaska Middle and High schools in Maine is going to be one of 12 bands that'll help kick off three days of presidential inauguration events. Band Director Ben Meiklejohn says being part of a presidential inauguration "is an experience of a lifetime."
A Maine man convicted of killing his girlfriend and her two children is due to be sentenced. Keith Coleman, of Garland, faces 25 years to life in prison when he's sentenced Wednesday at the Penobscot Judicial Center. Coleman was convicted on three counts of murder in the deaths of 36-year-old Christina Sargent and her two children.
President-elect Donald Trump is raising new doubts about the nation's intelligence community. Trump tweeted on Tuesday that an upcoming intelligence briefing on Russian interference in the 2016 election had been delayed. He said, "Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" Trump's tweet sparked confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule.
The American Medical Association wants Republicans on Capitol Hill to show how they would replace President Barack Obama's health care law before Congress votes to repeal it. AMA Chief Executive Officer James L. Madara wrote a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday, saying that before lawmakers dismantle the law, they should show "in reasonable detail what will replace current policies."
Turkey's parliament has voted to extend by another three months a state of emergency that was declared following a July 15 failed coup. Critics say the government is using the emergency rule to clamp down on opponents, including pro-Kurdish politicians. Some 41,000 people have been arrested, more than 100,000 people fired or suspended from government jobs and hundreds of media outlets, associations, businesses shut down.
Janet Jackson has become a first-time mom at age 50. The pop superstar and her husband, Wissam Al Mana, have welcomed their son, Eissa Al Mana. The representative for the singer says the baby was born Tuesday, and that "Janet had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably." Jackson and Al Mana were married in 2012.