Central Maine News: Dec 7, 2015

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

(AP) — Maine officials say two teens are dead after a fatal crash that occurred minutes after the speeding driver ignored a Rockport police officer's signals to stop. The Knox County Sheriff's office says the crash occurred just before midnight Saturday in Union. The two teens were reportedly in the front seat of the car were pronounced dead at the scene. A third teen was taken to the hospital. Rockport police say the officer who tried to stop the vehicle just before the crash had issued the driver a speeding summons an hour earlier.

(AP) — U.S. Census figures show Maine's teen birth rate dropped by nearly half what it were a decade ago, and the state now ranks with New Hampshire and Vermont among the 10 states with the lowest teen birth rates in the country. Maine's rate of 1.2 births per 100 women for ages 15-19 is nearly half of what it was a decade ago, when there were 2.1 births per 100 women in that age group. That rate ranks Maine as having the sixth lowest teen birthrate in the country. New Hampshire ranks first as having the lowest teen birthrate of .9 percent. Vermont ranks fourth with a teen birth rate of 1.1 percent.

(WABI) -- One man is dead and another is injured after a two-car crash around 4 p.m. Sunday on Route 139, or Unity Rd., in Benton. 35-year-old Joseph Defazio was pronounced dead at the scene. According to WABI they say the vehicles hit each other head on and caught fire in the accident. Reports are another person driving by had a fire extinguisher and helped put out the flames, likely saving the other man’s life. The other man, also 35-years-old, was taken to a hospital in Augusta. His injuries are not considered life threatening. Officials believe speed and intoxicants seem to be linked to the crash, but  they are still investigating.

(WGME) – A  53-year-old woman was killed when her pickup truck crossed the center line, colliding with another pickup head on.  They say the crash happened on route 27 in Sidney. According to WGME Sherry Turner of Jay was pronounced dead at the scene.  State police say both vehicles rolled over and Turner's caught fire.  An 8-year-old passenger in her vehicle was pulled to safety by a passerby.  Two men in the other vehicle were taken taken to Central Maine Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

(WCSH) – A small earthquake hit Waldoboro on Saturday afternoon. The USGS reported the 1.8 magnitude earthquake happened around 4:03 p.m. In November, a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was measured 17 miles off of Bar Harbor. In October of 2012, there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Waterboro. The largest known New England earthquake was in 1638 in Vermont or New Hampshire with a magnitude of 6.5 and the second in 1755 northeast of Boston with a magnitude of 5.8.

(KJ) -- A car crossed two median strips, hit a stop sign and struck seven parked vehicles in a Friday afternoon crash at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. According to the KJ, the car was traveling south when 77-year-old Carol Cochran, of Augusta, suffered an apparent medical event. Her car came to rest next to a number of vehicles. The crash happened around 2 p.m. none of the vehicles involved was occupied.

(AP) -- Police say they are still seeking the driver who struck and killed a disabled veteran's service dog in Berwick.  The 7-year-old German shepherd named Sophia was hit as her owner was getting his mail on Cemetery Road in Berwick Saturday afternoon. The dog’s owner was not injured. Officials say the car that struck Sophia is a 1990s-vintage beige or tan sedan. They say the car initially slowed, then sped off.  The two had been a team for six years.

(KJ) -- A new fire station to serve north Augusta goes to the Planning Board for approval Tuesday.  The project still needs federal and state environmental permits for the project, but officials don’t anticipate a problem obtaining those permits and hope to start construction on the new station in the spring. Completion could come as soon as a year from now. According to the KJ,  voters approved $3.6 million in bonds in a November 2014 referendum vote to build the new station. They also approved $1 million to purchase a new multi-purpose fire truck with a ladder in the same referendum. That truck is expected to be ready to be put in service in the city around the same time as the new station is expected to be complete.

(AP) — President Barack Obama says, "The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it." Obama addressed the nation Sunday night, following last week's shootings in San Bernardino, California that killed 14 people and wounded 21. Obama also implored Americans to not turn against Muslims at home, saying the Islamic State is driven by a desire to spark a war between the West and Islam. Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio told Fox News that nothing in Obama's speech "is going to assuage people's fears."

(AP) — Thousands of employees of San Bernardino County are getting ready to return to work Monday, five days after a county restaurant inspector and his wife opened fire on a gathering of his co-workers at a holiday party. Investigators are looking into what led Tashfeen Malik and Syed Farook to attack Farook's co-workers Wednesday. Following the attack, the county shut down except for essential services, with many of its 20,000 employees not working.

(AP) — Starting Wednesday, Tijuana, Mexico's airport will straddle two countries. An investor group that includes Chicago billionaire Sam Zell has built a sleek terminal in San Diego with a bridge that crosses into Tijuana. Passengers will pay $18 to walk to Tijuana International Airport, which is a springboard to about 30 Mexican destinations.