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

Maine officials say the state ended the fiscal year on June 30 with a surplus of nearly $60 million. Republican Gov. Paul LePage said Tuesday that the rainy day fund also increased by nearly $43 million in fiscal year 2015 to more than $111 million. LePage said he's encouraged that the rainy day fund has surpassed $100 million. But he says the reserve is still too low, considering that the state spends more than $3 billion a year. He says he's committed to further boosting its balance. Lawmakers recently approved a proposal by LePage to direct more surplus funds to the rainy day reserve. Officials say that roughly $25.6 million from the $60 million surplus will be carried over for use in the current fiscal year, which began July 1. (AP)

Portland is almost finished accepting proposals to convert rooftops in the city into projects that generate solar-powered electricity. City officials say facilities around Portland are potential sites for solar power systems. Officials say they hope the proposals will be cost-neutral and they anticipate buying power generated from selected providers. Potential sites include the Portland International Jetport, two schools, a fire station and a library storage facility. The city already has some small-scale solar installations for education purposes on school buildings. (AP)

Maine officials say the first trail in a new trail network in the Moosehead Lake and Hundred-Mile Wilderness areas will open to the public later this week. The 1.75-mile trail opens on Friday. The Maine Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Public Lands, the Appalachian Mountain Club and Plum Creek Timber are announcing the new trail. State officials say the network will eventually provide more than 30 miles of trails. (AP)

A missing couple from Quebec, headed to a wedding in New Hampshire have been found in Maine. They crossed the border into Maine at Jackman Station July 28, but they never made it to New Hampshire, and their family began searching for them the next day. Their bodies were found in their car by family members early Tuesday afternoon in West Forks Plantation, victims of an accident. Officials are not sure what happened and the investigation continues. (centralmaine.com)

A new Town Office for Belgrade will be the topic of a special town meeting at 10 a.m. Aug. 29. Voters will be asked whether they approve of the notion, whether they wish to pay for it and whether they are willing to waive a town requirement to go out to bid for projects costing more than $10,000. The project has been in the works for some time, and originally the special town meeting was envisioned for Aug. 15. The current Town Office, a former restaurant, has space and accessibility problems. (centralmaine.com)

A new accessible playground is now open at the Pine Tree Camp. According to the KJ, Nicholas Alexander was at the ribbon cutting of the playground named for him at Pine Tree Camp. The playground is a barrier-free play area for children with disabilities. 14 year old Alexander, who uses a wheelchair, led the charge to build a playground that he and other children could enjoy.  Pine Tree Camp is a summer camp on North Pond for Maine adults and children who have disabilities. Every year, about 650 campers stay at Pine Tree Camp. (centralmaine.com)

Maine's highest court has rejected a national anti-gay marriage group's latest effort to shield the donors who backed its effort to repeal Maine's gay marriage law. Maine's ethics commission fined the National Organization for Marriage $50,250 last year for violating the state's campaign finance laws and ordered it to file a campaign finance report that would reveal who supported the 2009 referendum that struck down Maine's gay marriage law. The group sought to delay filing of the report, pending the outcome of its appeal in court of the commission's decision. But the Maine Supreme Court denied that request Tuesday, saying it's unlikely that NOM will be successful in its appeal. Brian Brown, president of the group, said he believes NOM is being unfairly targeted because of its views on marriage. (AP)

A stubborn California wildfire that has burned more than 100 square miles in the last week remains erratic. It's burning near resort communities near Clear Lake in Northern California. The blaze has already wiped out dozens of buildings and continues to threaten nearly 7,000. More than 13,000 people have been required or urged to leave their homes, cabins and campsites. (AP)

More details are emerging about the deadly derailment of two passenger trains in central India. Officials say at least 24 people have been killed. More than 300 were rescued after the trains toppled while crossing a bridge that had been flooded by monsoon rains. (AP)

Ten of the 17 major Republican presidential candidates are brushing up for Thursday night's face-off in Cleveland hosted by the Fox News Channel. The ten, including Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, were chosen by Fox using recent polling. The other seven, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, won't share the spotlight. They'll debate four hours earlier on the same stage in Cleveland. (AP)

Speaking Wednesday at a Southeast Asian regional security forum, Secretary of State John Kerry has urged China to end provocative land reclamation projects in the South China Sea. Kerry also called on Beijing to work out effective resolutions to territorial disputes with its smaller neighbors. The disputes have created tensions in some of the world's busiest commercial sea lanes. (AP)

A report released Wednesday by the United Nations says there has been a sharp increase in casualties suffered by women and children in Afghanistan's war against the Taliban and other insurgents this year. The number of women casualties rose by 23 percent and children by 13 percent. (AP)

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