Things You Need to Know: Taking a Ride on the Rail Trail + Harvey in Texas
Here are the things you need to know today......
Police in Indiana have arrested a California man with making cyber threats to underage girls. According to WABI he is believed to be the guy who targeted Maine girls on the webpage, "Purge Of Maine." Officials believed to have made threats to teenagers in ten states. Officials ask anyone who believes they are a victim to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov
A 53 year old Skowhegan man allegedly drove on the River Rail Trail from Augusta to Hallowell. According to centralmaine.com he was taking a friend sightseeing.
Hurricane Harvey Coverage CBSNews:
From the Associated Press:
An autopsy shows the shooting death of a 5-year-old Maine girl at her grandparents' home was accidental: The girl had picked up her father's gun and shot herself in the head. The state medical examiner's office reached its conclusion Wednesday following the death of Elise Dorr, of Belfast, two days earlier. The findings will be reviewed by prosecutors, who have not filed any charges.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage says he's calling lawmakers back to Augusta over the food sovereignty law. LePage told legislative leaders in a letter dated Tuesday that a special session is necessary to change the law because of objections from the federal government. (More BDN)
The Maine Ethics Commission has fined Republican Sen. Andre Cushing $9,000 for violating the state's campaign finance laws last year. Cushing was accused of failing to report short-term loans from his political action committee to a family business. He didn't contest the finding that led to the fine Wednesday but said the fine is too high. The maximum penalty is more than $100,000.
Major dangers loom for the U.S. Gulf Coast area with the threat of major flooding near the Texas-Louisiana line and an explosion at a Texas chemical plant as Harvey's floodwaters begin to recede in the Houston area. The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31 on Wednesday. A spokeswoman says an Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, is poised to explode after the flooded facility lost power. It's unclear when the explosion would occur.
A flooded chemical plant in a small town northeast of Houston was poised to explode, a spokeswoman for the French company said late Wednesday, though the timing and the extent of the danger weren't immediately clear. The Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, lost power and its backup generators amid Harvey's days-long deluge, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.
A grand jury used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has heard secret testimonyfrom a Russian-American lobbyist who attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump's eldest son, The Associated Press has learned. A person familiar with the matter confirmed to the AP that Rinat Akhmetshin had appeared before Mueller's grand jury in recent weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret proceedings.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked most of Texas' tough new "sanctuary cities" law allowing police to inquire about people's immigration status during routine interactions like traffic stops. Opponents call the measure, approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature, a "show your papers" law. They sued and the ruling by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio keeps it from taking effect Sept. 1, allowing the case to proceed. Conservatives say it's necessary to enforce the rule of law.
Zaatari, Jordan's largest camp for Syrian refugees, is now five years old, underscoring the protracted nature of Syria's civil war. Zaatari's 80,000 residents try to cope by making the most of their tough situation. Among them is Alkhedawi al-Nabulsi, 63, who teaches art at a camp school as a way of helping children cope with war trauma.
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