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

Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin is among a group of House Republicans who's advocating against a shutdown of the federal government. Poliquin says a government shutdown would be "a failure in leadership." The freshman congressman says he will urge others in the party to fund the government while continuing to focus on cutting government spending and lowering the debt.

Poliquin joined 10 other GOP House freshmen who say they support a short-term funding bill needed to guarantee the government won't shut down next week. They say they oppose a shutdown confrontation over Planned Parenthood. The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on a measure that would fund the government through Dec. 11 and try to "defund" Planned Parenthood. Democrats oppose the defunding measure. (AP)

Maine is known for fickle weather, but potato farmers have little to complain about this season. The harvest is underway in earnest this week with sunny skies in Aroostook County, which is home to the vast majority of Maine's 52,000 acres of potatoes. Temperatures in the 80s late last week had delayed the harvest for three days. Farmers said it was too warm to put the potatoes into storage. Tim Hobbs from the Maine Potato Board says growers are optimistic after a great growing season and a solid start to the three-week harvest. He says yield and quality are strong. (AP)

Maine energy officials say the statewide average price for heating has fallen to a 10-year low. Officials say a Sept. 21 survey found the statewide average for heating oil was $1.99 per gallon, down 9 cents from late August. The average kerosene price was $2.56 per gallon, 11 cents lower than late August. Propane also fell to $2.14 per gallon, a seven-cent drop since late August. The Governor's Energy Office says the statewide average price is now the lowest "heating season" price recorded over the last 10 years. Officials with the office caution that Maine remains vulnerable to the volatility of oil markets despite the price dip. Heating oil prices fell as low as $1.70 in some parts of the state. Elsewhere in Maine prices climbed as high as $2.44. (AP)

The Maine GOP took its first step toward putting a citizen initiative on the ballot Wednesday afternoon by filing paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office. According to WGME Republicans said it's an unconventional and dramatic step, but a necessary one, after Democrats blocked their efforts and the governor's last legislative session. Now, they're hoping to take the issues directly to the people. The citizen initiative proposed would make changes to welfare. The GOP needs signatures from 62,000 registered Maine voters to get these issues on the ballot in November 2016. (WGME)

The final day is arriving for Maine residents to register for a program to safely dispose of unusable chemicals and banned pesticides. Residents must register by Friday and collection sites are set for Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta and Portland in October. The program is free and it's available to owners of homes and family-owned farms and greenhouses. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Board of Pesticides Control and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection are running the program. State officials say the program provides a way to safely dispose of the chemicals. Officials say residents are often discouraged to learn that safe disposal of the chemicals can be prohibitively expensive. (AP)

The dog that fire crews worked so hard to save on Tuesday has passed away. According to the Bangor Daily News, Sterling, a 3-year-old Lab mix, was trapped inside his owner’s burning Belfast camper Tuesday morning. When the fire was out, first responders found Sterling and resuscitated him using an oxygen mask. His owner, Scott Saucier, said toxins from the smoke inhalation were just too severe. He plans to bury Sterling on Thursday. (Bangor Daily News)

Chinese President Xi Jinping leaves Washington state today for Washington, D.C. Xi will have a private dinner with President Barack Obama and tomorrow, Obama will formally welcome his Chinese counterpart to the White House for an official state visit. Yesterday Secretary of State John Kerry met with relatives of Chinese dissidents. The Obama administration wants to show that it won't be glossing over the human rights issue during Xi's visit. (AP)

Pope Francis will address members of Congress today, as he marks his third day in the United States. On yesterday Francis visited the White House, met with President Barack Obama and reached out to America's 450 bishops. The pope also canonized Junipero) Serra, the 18th century Spanish friar who brought the Catholic faith to California. (AP)

Scalpers are getting creative in trying to sell tickets to see Pope Francis that had been free. Organizers made 80,000 tickets available to the public for New York's Central Park procession and 30,000 for the pope's three outdoor events in Philadelphia. But scalpers began turning them for profit almost immediately. One Craigslist ad is selling tickets to see the pope along with rosary beads for $175. And $10 train passes have been marked up to $85. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio calls the ticket scalping, "inconsistent with everything that this pope stands for." (AP)

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