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

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is alerting residents about a scam in which thieves pose as representatives of a local utility. The commission says scammers contact consumers by phone, misrepresent themselves as utility employees and immediately demand payment. They often tell consumers to make a payment using a debit or credit card and direct them to call a number. The scammers tell residents that failure to pay will result in disconnection of utility service. The commission asks residents to call the number on their utility bill if they have concerns about their account balance. Scams can be reported to the attorney general at 1-800-436-2131. (AP)

Gov. Paul LePage says Maine's House Speaker is free to have any summit he wants after the governor received from the lawmaker a letter critical of his response to the growing heroin problem Mark Eves and Sen. Justin Alfond sent LePage the letter. A special state police unit and three working groups will be created to address the state's drug epidemic. LePage responded to Eves' letter by sending a short handwritten response underneath a photocopy of sign that reads, "After all is said and done, More is said than done!" The note says Eves can have any summit he wants and enough money is being spent on treatment. (AP)

A Maine government survey shows the state's heating prices are continuing to slide downward. The Governor's Energy Office said Thursday that the latest survey put the average statewide price at $2.08 a gallon. That's down another 9 cents over the last two weeks. The average kerosene price of $2.67 was nine cents lower and the average propane price of $2.21 was four cents lower. The highest average price for heating oil in the state was $2.28 in northern Maine. The lowest average price of $2.01 was found in the southwestern part of the state. (AP)

A Lewiston home is destroyed in a fire and an explosion Thursday morning. It happened around 7:45 a.m. on No Name Pond Road.  When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the mobile home on fire with heavy smoke. The homeowner was asleep at the time but heard the alarm.  There are have several propane tanks on the property, and the owner believes those may have been the source of the explosion. No one was injured, but some pets did die in the fire.  The cause of the fire is now under investigation. (WGME)

A new pilot program rolled out by the U.S. Department of Education is helping prisoners pay for college. "Second Chance Pell Pilot Program" will award certain prisoners grants for college courses. The experiment will last for the next five years and it is unclear how many prisoners will be award a grant. The goal is to help prisoners succeed once released and stop them from reoffending. The U.S. Department of Education spends $30 billion annually on Pell Grants. The maximum award is just under $6,000 for each recipient. (WCSH)

A prominent vacant downtown lot in Hallowell has changed hands. According to the KJ, the lot at 116 Water St. could become home to outdoor seating or other uses for the adjacent Quarry Tap Room. Quarry Tap Room owners say there are the possibilities that include outdoor seating or other uses associated with the bar and restaurant. For now, they’ll use it for parking. (centralmaine.com)

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring joined several hundred Roanoke-area residents Thursday night at a candlelight vigil outside TV station WDBJ to remember the two journalists who were shot and killed this week during a live broadcast. Meanwhile, the husband of a woman being interviewed during that live broadcast says his wife has lost a kidney and part of her colon because of her gunshot wounds. He says his wife, Vicki Gardner, will need about three months to recover. (AP)

Rescue crews on the Caribbean island of Dominica are searching for some 20 people missing after Tropical Storm Erika caused devastating floods Thursday. Four people were found dead in mudslides. The storm is now lashing Puerto Rico and is expected to dump up to 12 inches of rain across portions of the northern Caribbean. Forecasters say Erika could strengthen to a hurricane as it moves closer to South Florida early next week. (AP)

Asian stocks are up Friday as upbeat U.S. economic data lifted investors' spirits following days of turbulence. Japan is leading regional gains, but Shanghai shares are not far behind as markets are taking their lead from Wall Street where benchmarks had a strong finish Thursday. The Dow gained 2.3 percent Thursday, recouping nearly half of its losses over the past two days following a sharp six-day slump. (AP)

A Missouri man who admits killing three people at two Jewish sites is set to present his defense Friday. Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. says he killed three people in suburban Kansas City last year because he thought they were Jewish. Miller has pleaded not guilty to capital murder because he says Jewish people are committing genocide against the white race and it was his duty to stop them. None of the victims was Jewish. (AP)

The attorneys for an Oklahoma man sentenced to die for killing his infant daughter in 2002 say their client had become insane while in prison, and his upcoming execution should be halted. Attorneys for 50-year-old Benjamin Robert Cole will present their arguments Friday before a judge. But the warden at Oklahoma State Penitentiary wrote in an affidavit this week that Cole told her he understands why he's being executed. (AP)

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