Central Maine News: CMP Nearing Completion of 5 Year, $1.4B Power Grid Upgrade

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

Stephen King is still waiting for an apology from Maine Gov. Paul LePage. LePage used his radio address last week to make his case for eliminating Maine's income tax. He said states without an income tax, such as Florida, have lured away Maine residents, including King. King quickly called out LePage, saying he winters in Florida but his permanent residence is in Bangor where he says he pays a boatload of taxes. LePage has yet to yield to King's demands for an apology, and the author tweeted Sunday morning that "some guys are a lot better at dishing it out than taking it back."  A revised version of LePage's address released Thursday no longer mentions King. LePage's office has not responded to requests for comment. (AP)

A preliminary investigation has found that backup brake systems failed to deploy when a ski lift rolled back several hundred feet and prompted skiers to jump off. Seven people were injured in the incident Saturday at the Sugarloaf. A gearbox on the lift malfunctioned and interrupted two braking systems. A third brake also did not work as designed and a lift attendant had to pull a manual emergency brake. The spokesman says the gearbox had passed "a sophisticated routine" of preventive maintenance the day before. He says it's too early to see if any procedures will be changed. The incident has raised questions about the safety of aging infrastructure at the nation's ski resorts. (AP)

Central Maine Power is nearing completion of a $1.4 billion power grid upgrade. Workers today are going to set a 101-foot tall transmission structure, which represents the last major piece of the Maine Power Reliability Project. Construction began in 2010 on the five-year project , the first major update of Maine's power grid in more than 40 years. The project has doubled the capacity of the grid's backbone in Maine with a new 345,000-volt transmission line from Orrington to Eliot. Also included are five 345,000-volt substations. All told, there are 440 miles of new transmission lines.  (AP)

Police have asked the public to help identify the person who Saturday afternoon went through the ice on the Kennebec River. According to WGME, Augusta police posted information Sunday morning about the incident and effort to recover the body of what officials believe is a female. The Maine Warden Service and the Maine Marine Patrol joined the rescue effort but because the Kennebec River is completely frozen south of the Calumet Bridge, the conditions made it impossible locate the person. (WGME)

Lithgow Public Library will move to its new, temporary home next month. According to the KJ, it is so the expansion and renovation can start. Lithgow last day open will be April 11, they’ll be open in the temporary location at the old MaineGeneral location at 6 East Chestnut St. by mid-May. Work on the approximately $11 million Lithgow renovation and expansion is expected to start May 4. (centralmaine.com)