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

The Maine Warden Service says it has recovered the body of a swimmer on Messalonskee Lake. Wardens say three fishermen found the body of 66-year-old Peter Wesley Townsend of Belgrade about 100 feet from shore late Monday morning. Wardens say Townsend was an avid swimmer on the lake near his home. The death remains under investigation and will be reviewed by the Maine Medical Examiner's Office and the district attorney's office. (AP/centralmaine.com)

A nonprofit organization is planning to borrow more than $337,000 to preserve 164 acres of land behind the State House in Augusta. The Kennebec Land Trust had planned to purchase Howard Hill and transfer it to the city for public recreational use. But much of the funding fell through when Gov. LePage withheld $11.4 million in voter-approved conservation bonds. LePage wanted to gain support for a plan that would increase timber harvesting on state land. That money would then pay for energy efficiency programs. Officials say the Trust now wants to borrow the money to ensure the deal closes in October. The organization must pay about $15,000 in interest. It won't be able to transfer the property until the loan is paid off. (AP)

Police say an Oakland a man died after he was rescued from his burning mobile home. 49-year-old Donald Shores Jr. died after emergency responders took him to the hospital on Sunday. The fire is under investigation. State police say he shot himself after he set his mobile home on fire Sunday afternoon.  Officials say the fire was reported around noon on Sunday and it extensively damaged the inside of the house. (AP/centralmaine.com)

Maine drivers continue to pay less at the pump. The average retail gasoline prices in Maine fell 5.7 cents per gallon last week to an average of $2.50. During that same time, the national average fell 7.1 cents per gallon to $2.60. Analysts say gas prices fell almost everywhere across the United States last week, and that trend may continue into fall. (AP)

There is a scam targeting E-ZPass users. According to WGME, customers are getting emails appearing to be from E-ZPass. The email says there is an outstanding bill for unpaid tolls. If you click, you could get a virus on your computer. The Maine Turnpike Authority does not send communication about missed tolls by email. Any bills for unpaid tolls would be sent in the mail. Now, If you do get one of these emails that appears to be from E-ZPass, don't open it, don't click on the link, and do not give away any of your personal information. (WGME)

Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services will use more than $3-million in welfare savings to help older Mainers who’ve been waiting for services. According to WABI, the savings come from the LePage administration’s five-year cap on temporary assistance for needy families, or TANF. Critics of the administration say the governor has been kicking needy families off the TANF program. DHHS says the biggest beneficiary of the savings is Catholic Charities, which will get nearly $1.3-million  to help support hundreds of people in need. (WABI)

Aqua City Actors Theater closes its doors because it cannot afford the higher rent at The Center. According to the KJ, the all-volunteer theater group, started in 1998 and put on 72 performances during its 17-year run. The increase in cost was only to cover the cost for the space.  The group hopes to find a new space they could move into. (centralmaine.com)

Chinese stocks are tumbling again following their biggest decline in eight years. But Tuesday's losses are less severe. On Monday, Chinese stocks lost 8.5 percent. Today, the Shanghai Composite Index is 4.3 percent lower. Monday's big drop led to major losses on Wall Street, with the Dow down 588 points, or 3.6 percent. That's the eighth-worst point decline ever. (AP)

Evacuation orders have been lifted for people in hundreds of mountain homes threatened by a fire near a popular Southern California ski resort. Firefighters have been working in steep terrain to hold the blaze near Snow Summit resort in Big Bear Lake to about 100 acres. It's now 50 percent contained. (AP)

A San Francisco judge is expected to hear evidence Tuesday in the case of a Mexican immigrant in the U.S. illegally who's accused of killing a woman at a San Francisco pier. A preliminary hearing will be held for Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, who's charged in the July slaying of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle who was shot during an evening stroll with her father and a family friend. (AP)

El Salvador's Supreme Court has declared the country's street gangs and those who finance them terrorist groups. The court says the well-known Marasalvatrucha or MS-13 gang and any other gang that attempts to claim powers that belong to the state would be considered terrorists. (AP)

Some law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada are looking at less lethal weapons, as fatal police shootings have sparked outrage and protests . A company in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, makes blunt-impact projectiles that make people double over in pain, but do not cause lasting injuries. They're among many companies marketing less-lethal weapons to police departments. Such projectiles already have been bought by 16 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and six in Canada. (AP)

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