Things You Need to Know Today: Push for Hallowell to be Known as a ‘Welcoming City’

Here are the things you need to  know today......

The idea that Hallowell declaring it's self a “Sanctuary City” could cause some issues. According to WCSH, it does not mean the idea is gone,  Charlotte Warren said she and supporters have stepped back from that and instead have Hallowell declared a “Welcoming City”.  It is not official but reflects  reflect the kind of community Hallowell is.

Two unidentified men were still on the loose yesterday after reportedly bursting into a home Saturday in Palmyra. According to centralmaine.com they dressed in camouflage clothing and assaulting and robbing the homeowner. Officials are unsure of what the motive may have been.

From the Associated Press:

Those with questions about Maine's push to construct regional schools have a chance to get some answers from state officials themselves.The first information session will be held 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 1 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Additional sessions are scheduled for Feb. 6 at the University of New England in Biddeford and February 27th at the Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor.

Maine and New Hampshire are getting some light snow _ plain ol' snow. Unlike past storms, the weather system that's going to drop 1 to 3 inches across Maine and New Hampshire on Wednesday will feature only snow, with no sleet, freezing rain, or rain.

Lobster fishermen say they are skeptical of a plan to try to revive the southern New England lobster stock through new restrictions on fishing. U.S. lobster fishing is experiencing a boom, but the species has dwindled in the waters off southern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Interstate fishing regulators could select new restrictions for the fishery by May.

A Maine driver with two children in his car when it was slammed by a train could face up to a year in jail. Portland police issued summonses to 56-year-old Derso Mekonen of Portland for endangering the welfare of a child and for failure to obey a railroad safety device.

Records show that the number of asylum-seekers receiving aid from the city of Lewiston could nearly double this year compared to the last fiscal year. The Sun Journal reports that figures from the Social Services Department show that General Assistance has been provided to 355 asylum-seekers in the first half of this fiscal year_ July 1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2016. That's compared to 416 who received aid in fiscal year 2015-16.

The White House is planning a major outreach effort to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice. Press Secretary Sean Spicer says the White House is planning a series of briefings with House and Senate staff about President Donald Trump's pick. And Gorsuch is expected to travel to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to begin meetings with lawmakers, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

President Donald Trump's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is currently a judge on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, and Neil Gorsuch has a solidly conservative pedigree. Gorsuch's mother ran President Ronald Reagan's Environmental Protection Agency. Anne Burford was forced to resign in 1983 amid a scandal involving the mismanagement of a $1.6 billion program to clean up hazardous waste dumps. Burford was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over Superfund records.

A U.S. watchdog has issued a bleak report, saying the Afghan government controls barely half the country, its security forces numbers are declining and that drug production is on the rise while eradication is down. The report by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction says that the one bright spot is a noticeable drop in corruption when procuring goods and services.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hasn't said how many refugees from Pacific island camps would be resettled in the United States. The Obama administration promised to resettle an undisclosed number of mostly Muslim refugees who are being housed on the impoverished nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Turnbull says that President Donald Trump agreed during a weekend phone conversation to keep that promise.

Two luxury electric vehicles have fallen short of getting the highest safety ratings in new crash tests by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested 2017 models of the Tesla Model S and the BMW i3. Neither earned the institute's "Top Safety Pick" award, which is given to vehicles that get the highest rating in five different crash tests and offer a crash-prevention system with automatic braking.