Central Maine News: May 27, 2015

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

Portland police say one of the victims of the shooting in the Old Port Monday night died as a result of a gunshot wound. According to WGME Treyjohn Arsenault, 19, of Scarborough died at Maine Medical Center early Tuesday morning.  The second victim is a 20-year-old Portland man who remains hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery.   The initial investigation suggests there may have been more than one attacker, according to officials. No motive for the shooting has been established and no one has been arrested at this time. (WGME)

A Newport couple who got lost in the woods in Piscataquis County said after they were found Tuesday that they had just wanted a couple of minutes by themselves. According to WGME, they got about 24 hours of unexpected alone time followed by a sudden separation. Michael Chapman, 40, was arrested on a warrant shortly after he and Kelli McFarlin, 38, came out of the woods. The couple had gone camping with a larger group. The eight campers were packing up to leave Monday when the two decided to separate from the group. They took a side trail and got lost. Chapman was wanted for “unpaid fines and fees.” (WGME)

Two American Indian tribes are pulling their representatives from the Maine Legislature in protest over their treatment by the state. Wayne Mitchell, of Penobscot Nation, and Matthew Dana, of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, said Tuesday that they will no longer serve in the Maine House of Representatives. Tribal representatives are not allowed to vote in the full House but can vote at the committee level and introduce bills. The tribes have clashed with Gov. Paul LePage's administration over a variety of issues, including fishing quotas and gambling. Last month, LePage rescinded an executive order that sought to promote cooperation between the state and the tribes, saying that efforts to do so have proved unproductive. (AP)

Someone has stolen close to $15,000 from the Augusta Elks Lodge that was meant for wounded veteran Travis Mills, said police. According to WCSH someone broke into the building and took the money late Monday or early Tuesday. Mills, who lives in Manchester, has been working on building a veterans retreat in Maine. Mills is a quadruple amputee who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and was an Army staff sergeant when he was injured during his third tour in Afghanistan in 2012. Police are still searching for the suspect. (WCSH/centralmaine.com)
More than 100 people gathered on Tuesday morning between the State House and the Burton M. Cross State Office Building for the kickoff  of the Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America Torch Run. Maine is one of three Eastern locations for the start of the runs that will carry the flame to Los Angeles for the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Games. According to the KJ, after the opening ceremonies at the State House, the torch was carried through Augusta escorted by law enforcement officers known as “Guardians of the Flame.” (centralmaine.com)

The Gardiner Farmers’ Market and Farmers Market at Mill Park in Augusta are two of the many farmers markets in Maine that will receive grant money over the next three years to help encourage people receiving food stamp benefits to buy more fruit and vegetables. According to the KJ, the money is part of $31.5 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this year to support programs that will test incentive strategies for helping SNAP recipients buy fruit and vegetables. (centralmaine.com)