Central Maine News: Dec 3, 2015

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

(AP) -- Auburn has detected higher than expected lead levels in some household plumbing around the city. Routine testing of household water found more than double the amount detected three years ago. The test showed a spike of 23 parts per billion in 2015 in lead levels in some household plumbing fixtures. The Environmental Protection Agency says the acceptable level of lead is 15 parts per billion or less. Auburn Water District Superintendent Sid Hazelton attributed old pipes as the cause of elevated lead levels. This year's high lead score will require more extensive testing, according to EPA rules. The water district will have to collect one-liter samples from 60 Auburn homes once between January and June 2016, and again between July 2016 and January 2017.

(AP) -- A federal agency report shows that Maine residents spent 3.5 percent more per person on household expenditures in 2014 than they did in 2013. A report from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis shows residents spent roughly $1,400 more per person last year on necessities compared to the year before. Nationally, people spent 4.2 percent more on household expenditures. In New England that number was 4.1 percent. Tuesday's report is the agency's first release on state-level household spending, encompassing goods and services bought by individual households, spending on health care, and some other expenses. An economist at a Maine research firm says the relatively slow pace of spending growth reflects the state's aging population.

(AP) -- A Maine task force has rejected a proposal from Gov. Paul LePage to use revenue from the sale of timber to help low-income residents heat their homes. The Commission to Study the Public Reserved Lands Management Fund on Tuesday recommended against the plan, proposed by LePage's administration, which would have dedicated $5 million from the fund used to manage the state's public lands. Commission members said in a letter that proposals to divert money for home-heating programs or support state parks likely wouldn't "withstand a potential constitutional challenge." The commission's response makes it less likely that the Legislature will consent to the plan. It instead offered other recommendations on using surplus timber revenue that include exploring ways to increase public access to state-owned lands.

(AP) -- Police say two cows were each killed by a single arrow shot to their chest last month at farm in Richmond. police say the killings were intentional and they believe the culprit used either a compound bow or crossbow. The cows' owner, Daria Goggins, found their on Nov. 19. The Holsteins were killed just outside the gate of their pasture. Richmond Police Chief released a photo Tuesday of a green 2000 Dodge 2500 pickup truck with an extended cab and tinted rear windows that may have a connection to the killings. Police are seeking the public's help in finding the person responsible.

(AP) — Transportation industry leaders will meet in Augusta today for a conference that focuses on innovative solutions to the state's transportation needs. Organizers say the 65th Maine Transportation Conference will focus on measures being used to solve challenges such as funding highway and bridge repair. They say the conference will also touch on the use of drones in the management of the state's transportation systems.

(AP) -- The American Chestnut Foundation says the tallest known American chestnut tree in North America has been found in a forest in southwestern Maine. The Maine Forest Service and the University of Maine measured the tree in Lovell at 115 feet. The next tallest American chestnut tree is about 20 feet shorter. The tree is located on land donated to the University of Maine Foundation by the family of painter Douglas Volk. A fungal pathogen has been deemed responsible for the decimation of the tree across the country. It's estimated that only a few dozen large chestnut trees are left standing in Maine.

(AP) — The police chief in San Bernardino, California, says he's reasonably comfortable that a man and woman killed in a police gunbattle were the shooters who killed 14 people and wounded 17 at a social service center. Police say Syed Farook was a county employee. A co-worker says Farook, born in the U.S., traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier in the year and returned with a wife. She was apparently the second person killed. Police identified the dead woman as Tashfeen Malik.

(AP) — Hours after getting authorization from lawmakers, four British warplanes have carried out airstrikes in Syria. The military says Islamic State group sites were targeted. During more than 10 hours of debate in Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron said that Britain must strike the militants in their heartland and not "sit back and wait for them to attack us."