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

A Maine natural gas provider is mobilizing "all available resources" to inspect and potentially replace pipe fittings that may have been incorrectly installed on gas lines in seven communities. A commission order from earlier this month is requiring Summit Natural Gas of Maine to check more than 600 electrofusion couplings in cities along their transmission line. Improperly installed couplings could heighten the chance of gas leaks. Summit's director of regulatory affairs, says the company will focus its efforts on Augusta and Waterville along with prioritizing areas that have a large concentration of customers. The company's deadline is Dec. 21, except for Gardiner and Randolph. (AP)

The most important thing that Hallowell residents and business owners can do about the upcoming reconstruction of Water Street is take the time to fill out the Maine Department of Transportation survey on the project. According to the KJ, the survey was introduced Wednesday at the state transportation department’s public meeting, along with information on proposed traffic patterns, project timelines and some design considerations. The DOT project manager said he’ll know by the first of the year whether funding is in place for the project, which then would be anticipated to start in 2018. He said it can be done in one construction season with a one-way traffic. The survey can be picked up a survey or fill one out online and and turn them in by Nov. 9.  (centralmaine.com)

A teenage girl was injured late Wednesday afternoon when she was hit by a car after running through stopped traffic on Silver Street. According to the KJ, the accident happened around 5 p.m. The 14-year-old was taken to Inland Hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. The driver of the SUV that hit the girl, said at the scene that he did not see her until she banged into the side of his SUV. (centralmaine.com)

Governor LePage continued his town hall tour of the state Wednesday night in Auburn. The governor addressed a small crowd at Central Maine Community College. The governor is pushing the same four issues at all of the town hall meetings. The governor is encouraging voters to support a tax plan that would reduce and ultimately the income tax. The governor also spoke about reforming welfare and reducing energy costs and student loan debt. The governor has vowed to do one town hall meeting a week leading up to the 2016 election. (WGME)

Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to Berlin for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he hopes will help ease spiraling tensions and violence with the Palestinians. Kerry will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday in Jordan. Kerry has said he wants clarity about the status quo about a holy site that's at the center of the tensions. Meanwhile, Israeli police say two Arab attackers stabbed an Israeli west of Jerusalem Thursday. The attackers were shot and wounded by police. (AP)

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have charged a man with murder in the road-rage killing of a 4-year-old girl, who was shot in the backseat of her father's truck. Police have arrested 32-year-old Tony Torrez in the death of Lilly Garcia. Authorities say Lilly's father had just picked her and her 7-year-old brother up from school when the shooting happened on Albuquerque's main east-west freeway. Police say Torrez has admitted to the shooting. (AP)

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are searching for a person who shot a police officer multiple times, critically wounding him. The shooting happened last night at an intersection near Interstate 40. Police say the officer was shot during a traffic stop. (AP)

Patricia has now strengthened to a hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast, and forecasters expect it to get stronger. Officials have issued a hurricane warning and are cautioning about heavy rains and flooding. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Patricia could make landfall on Mexico's central Pacific coast on Friday. (AP)

New Delhi is taking a breather on Thursday. The world's most polluted capital has closed a major stretch of road to private cars for a few hours, hoping to reduce pollution by observing a car-free day. Only public transportation is allowed to travel the 4-mile stretch of road from Old Delhi to the doorstep of Parliament. Many people are hailing the Delhi government's effort as a first step to clean the city's heavily polluted air. (AP)

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