Central Maine News: June 16, 2015

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

Maine lawmakers have overturned Gov. Paul LePage's veto of seven more bills. LePage has pledged to veto all bills from Democrats because they won't support his plan to ask voters if they want to eliminate the income tax. House Democratic Leader Jeff McCabe said lawmakers are saying "no" to LePage's "obstructionism and partisan vindictiveness" by overturning his vetoes. Also, the Maine lawmakers have announced a budget agreement that they say will prevent a shutdown of state government. (AP)

Democratic and Republican legislative leaders announced the bipartisan agreement late Monday night that includes tax cuts, investment in students and workers, property tax relief and welfare reform. Lawmakers did not release the specifics of the agreement, which will have to get two-thirds support in each chamber in order to avoid a government shutdown. The House and Senate will take up the budget compromise today. (AP)

The Maine Senate has narrowly rejected a contentious bill that would provide terminally ill patients with the power to end their own lives. The Senate voted 18-17 against the bill after nearly an hour of debate. It now heads to the House of Representatives. The bill would make Maine the sixth state in the country to allow physicians to provide lethal doses of medication to dying patients. Supporters say that end of life care doesn't erase pain for all people and that the government shouldn't interfere in the medical decisions of those who are suffering. Opponents said they feared the bill would send the message that Maine condones suicide and believes that some lives are less valuable than others. (AP)

The Maine House of Representatives is signing off on a proposal to loosen the restrictions on raw milk sales. The proposal would allow dairy farmers to sell unpasteurized milk directly to customers without a license. The bill only applies to farmers who sell to consumers at their farm and requires the farmers to take a sanitation course. It also prohibits them from advertising. Some opponents of the measure say loosening restrictions on raw milk could pose a public health risk.  It now heads to the Senate. (AP)

Gas prices have risen 3.5 cents in Maine in the past week. GasBuddy.com reports that the average cost of a gallon of gas in Maine is $2.78.  Maine gas prices are 12.8 cents per gallon higher compared to a month ago, and about 83.8 cents lower per gallon than at this time last year. The price per gallon in Maine is 3 cents lower than the national average. (AP)

Oakland dog owners are now required to pick up after their pets after the town council last week approved a dog waste amendment to its animal control ordinance. According to the KJ, the amendment requires dog owners to pick up their pet’s waste if it is left on any property in town, but does not apply to property owned exclusively by the dog owner. The penalty for violating the ordinance is $50 for the first offense and $100 for subsequent offenses. The town’s animal control ordinance covers barking dogs, but not animal waste. The ordinance amendment was proposed earlier this year in response to complaints from residents about people picking up after their dogs this winter. (Centralmaine)

The Western Avenue bridge in Waterville as of today for reconstruction. It will be closed until the end of August. According to the KJ, the bridge is 68 years old and need of repair. A detour will be in place from First Rangeway to Mayflower Hill, Pleasant Street and back to Western Avenue. (Centralmaine)

Al-Qaida is confirming that its No. 2 figure and leader of its powerful Yemeni affiliate has been killed in a U.S. strike. In a video statement released early Tuesday by the media wing of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the group confirms the death of Nasir al-Wuhayshi and says his deputy has been named the new leader. Al-Wuhayshi was the deputy of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri and once served as Osama bin Laden's personal secretary. (AP)

Friends and family will be gathering Tuesday to honor an American killed while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. A wake for 36-year-old Keith Broomfield will be held in Hudson, Massachusetts. He'll be buried Wednesday during a private ceremony following a morning funeral. Broomfield is believed to be the first U.S. citizen to die fighting alongside Kurdish forces against ISIS. He had no military training. (AP)

The convicted killers who escaped from an upstate New York prison June 6 continue to elude capture. Tuesday begins the 11th day that Richard Matt and David Sweat have been on the loose, after using hacksaw blades, chisels and other tools to break out of the Clinton Correctional Facility near the Canadian border. Meanwhile, workers have welded shut three manhole covers, including the one the escapees removed to gain their freedom. (AP)

An Alaska wildfire has mushroomed in size, leading to the voluntary evacuation of people in up to 1,700 homes and other structures. The blaze north of Anchorage has struck the heart of sled dog country, and a local official says about 500 dogs have been rescued. The fire began raging Sunday, and has burned at least 25 homes and up to 20 other structures. (AP)

The eastern half of Texas is getting ready for more flooding as Tropical Storm Bill approaches the Texas Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center expects the storm will make landfall Tuesday morning somewhere from south of Corpus Christi to just up the coast from Galveston. Galveston County officials already have directed voluntary evacuation of the low-lying Bolivar Peninsula, where Hurricane Ike wiped out most structures in 2008. School districts from Galveston to the Houston suburbs have canceled Tuesday's classes. (AP)