Central Maine News: Proposed Bill to Make Driving While Fatigued a Crime- Similar to Drunk Driving

These are some of the stories central Maine is talking about today.

President Barack Obama says tens of thousands of Maine families would benefit from his middle-class tax cut plan. Obama wants to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers who don't have children living at home, which his administration says would benefit 63,000 Mainers. He also wants to increase the child care tax credit for young children to $3,000 per child. Obama compared his plan to Republicans' proposal to repeal the inheritance tax on large estates, which he says would've helped just 10 wealthy Maine families last year. Republicans, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, question how the president would pay for his plan when the country is already $18 trillion in debt. (AP)

A Maine lawmaker is proposing a bill to make driving while fatigued a crime similar to driving while intoxicated. The bill would make it a crime to drive without having slept during the previous 24 hours. The bill was created at the request of a family who had a someone who died in car crash last year.The other another driver crossed the center line and hit a car head on. The other driver told witnesses that she had been working the night shift and had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel. (AP)

Portland is the first community in Maine to both ban polystyrene foam food and beverage containers and to impose a nickel fee for disposable shopping bags. Supporters say the measures, which go into effect on Wednesday in Portland, will reduce litter and help the environment. Opponents say they're an unnecessary burden on consumers and don't address the real causes of litter. They also say they are inconsistent, since some businesses will be exempt. More than 130 communities across the country have adopted disposable bag fees ranging from 5 cents to 25 cents for each bag. Fewer communities have banned polystyrene. Freeport has banned foam containers since the early 1990s and Maine prohibits food service vendors from using polystyrene at state-owned facilities. (AP)

CPR saves lives and the younger you learn it, the more lives it can save. According to WGME, that’s the premise behind a bill in the legislature that would require public schools to teach "hands only" cardiac pulmonary resuscitation to students. Currently, 21 states have the law and supporters say it's made a real difference.  (WGME)

Four Maine Native American tribes met with the Skowhegan School Board to discuss the high school's mascot Monday. According to WGME the tribes want the Indians name dropped as the Skowhegan High School mascot. A panel made up of 10 local Native Americans says the nickname it offensive towards their history and they want the school board to change it.  Several schools across the state with similar team names have already made a change. How the district will move forward will be discussed at the next school board meeting Thursday night. Officials say it will likely be a lengthy process involving community feedback. (WGME)

The Franklin County Detention Center is now licensed to take back its inmates as a fully operating jail after years of boarding them at jails in other counties. According to the KJ, the jail was closed five years ago under a state law signed in 2008 that consolidated the state’s jails under central leadership and reduced the Franklin County jail to a 72-hour holding facility. Franklin County then had to pay about $600,000 per year to board out at other jails its inmates who needed to be held longer than 72 hours. Last week, the jail was reissued its license by the Department of Corrections to begin full operations and to take back its 22 inmates held in Somerset County. (centralmaine.com)