News Minute: Here is the latest Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont news from The Associated Press - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

News Minute: Here is the latest Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont news from The Associated Press

Posted: Updated:

MAINE:

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The state Senate has OK'd repeal of a requirement for a feasibility study on the proposed east-west highway. The measure now goes to Governor Paul LePage. Also today, the Senate rejected a move to bar enforcement of the federal health care overhaul law.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - LePage administration officials are threatening a possible veto for a bill moving through the Legislature that would pay off a $484 million debt to Maine hospitals. A spokeswoman for the governor says the bill in its present form includes an amendment that would expand Medicaid.

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - State gambling regulators have ruled that the Oxford Casino won't have to apply for a new operator's license should its $160 million sale to the company that owns Kentucky's Churchill Downs be OK'd. Oxford Casino officials tell the Sun Journal the sale process is still under way.

SKOWHEGAN, Maine (AP) - Somerset County is taking the state prisons board to court, trying to get more than $280,000 the county says it's owed for operations at the county jail. The board last month voted to withhold a quarterly payment because the jail had kept revenue from boarding federal detainees -- money the state says should have gone back to the statewide jail system.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - The economic recovery in New Hampshire remains steady but slow, according to a new forecast. The New England Economic Partnership has unveiled its outlook for the region, saying both Massachusetts and Vermont now are adding jobs faster than New Hampshire.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Pease Air National Guard Base has beaten out four other sites to become the home base for a new generation of air refueling tankers. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte say the move must still go through an environmental study, with a final decision expected next spring.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Funeral services are scheduled for next week for a paratrooper and West Point graduate from Derry. First Lieutenant Paul DeMeo died May 14 at Fort Bragg. His death remains under investigation by the Army.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.H. (AP) - A street cat that attacked three people in Hillsborough has tested positive for rabies, according to police there. WMUR-TV reports police in Hanover this week have also confirmed two cases of rabies in raccoons. All 3 of the animals were euthanized.

VERMONT:

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - New England's economy is recovering from the Great Recession but a group of economists says some states are doing better than others. The New England Economic Partnership says Vermont and Massachusetts have seen the strongest gains across the region.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The state Supreme Court has heard arguments over who should pay for the legal defense involving potential claims in the 2009 death of a woman denied her medication in jail. The Rutland Herald reports Ashley Ellis' estate has reached a settlement with a firm providing medical services in the state's prisons but has also sued the state Corrections Department.

JAY, Vt. (AP) - State troopers have begun two days of exercises with their counterparts from the Surete du Quebec aimed a cross-border law enforcement. The workshop at the Jay Peak resort is designed to foster better understanding between officers on both sides of the border.

CASTLETON, Vt. (AP) - A rise in nighttime and weekend noise at Lake Bomoseen State Park is prompting police to step up their presence at the Castleton site. Park officials tell WCAX-TV the park will hire local police to do foot patrols. In previous summers, police have only driven through the park area.

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