ROCKLAND

Revised indictment charges man in fellow inmate’s death

A Maine man serving a 45-year prison sentence for killing a woman in 1999 has been indicted on charges connected to the death of another inmate.

Franklin Higgins was indicted Wednesday in Knox County Superior Court on two counts of aggravated attempted murder in connection with the May 2011 beating death of Lloyd Millett.

Higgins had been charged with murder in connection with Millett’s death, but prosecutors say an autopsy showed there may have been other contributing causes, so the indictment was revised.

The Bangor Daily News reports the new indictment says Higgins struck Millett in the head with a pipe clamp and that was a substantial step toward committing murder.

Higgins was convicted of killing of Katherine Poor in her Kenduskeag home.

AUGUSTA

House gives initial approval to workers’ comp overhaul

A workers’ compensation overhaul bill that Republicans say brings Maine’s law into line with other states has won initial House passage.

Representatives voted 75-71 on Thursday along party lines, with majority Republicans saying the bill makes reforms in a program that’s too generous and subject to abuse.

Democrats say the bill is a bad deal for workers. They say it caps benefits for almost all injured workers at 10 years, even if their injury still prevents them from returning to work. It also makes it harder for injured workers to qualify for benefits.

The bill faces further votes.

Labor relations board ruling dismisses complaint by union

The chief of the Maine Labor Relations Board has dismissed a complaint by the state’s largest public employees union, which claimed the state is hiring private contractors before negotiating with the union for the work. The union says it will appeal.

The decision issued by board Executive Director Marc Ayotte on Wednesday said the Maine State Employees Association complaint fails to state a claim under state labor law.

The union in its complaint originally filed in February and amended this week, alleged the state is contractually obligated to negotiate with the union before it hires nonmembers.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s chief of staff said the union is “desperate” and the administration is trying to make government more efficient and effective.

Report: Mainers spent millions at Connecticut, Bangor casinos

A new report on casino gambling in New England estimates that Mainers spent nearly $35 million at Connecticut’s two casinos last year, while spending nearly $63 million at the Hollywood Casino in Bangor.

In its annual survey of New England gambling venues, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis says Maine residents spent $34.3 million in gambling and nongambling expenditures at Connecticut’s casinos in 2011. That’s up 29 percent over 2010.

The report also estimates that more than 95 percent of the customers at the Bangor casino are from Maine, with 1 percent from Massachusetts, 1 percent from New Hampshire and the remainder from other places.

The Bangor casino had estimated net gambling and nongambling revenues of $65.5 million last year, a 3 percent decline from 2010.

Scholarship fund for veterans honors Col. Paul D. LaFond

The family of the late Col. Paul D. LaFond, who fought in three wars and lived in Skowhegan and Falmouth, has established a memorial scholarship fund for veterans who attend the Maine Community College System.

LaFond, who died in 2011 at the age of 89, served in the Marines during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

LaFond’s family donated $50,000 to the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges to establish the LaFond Veterans Scholarship Fund. The donation will be matched by the Maine Community College System, providing $2,500 scholarships to about 40 men and women starting this fall.

To qualify for scholarships, students must have financial need and be Maine residents who are serving in, or honorably discharged from, a branch of the U.S. military. Preference will be given to Marines.

Students must be accepted and enrolled full time in an associate degree program at one of Maine’s seven community colleges and remain in good academic standing during the scholarship period. Visit www.maineccfoundation.org for more information.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Police seek information after man robs convenience store

Police are looking for a man who robbed the Big Apple store on Cottage Road late Wednesday night.

The man, who took a small amount of cash from the clerk around 11:20 p.m., was described to police as about 20 years old, 5 feet 9 inches and 130 pounds.

He wore a gray hooded sweat shirt and black jeans with a stain near the knee, according to a press release from South Portland police Sgt. Steve Webster. His race is unknown.

Webster said the man implied that he had a weapon, but did not show one to the clerk.

Call Detective Matt Cyr at 299-5511, extension 7417, with information.

CASCO

State park officials opening Sebago Lake campground

Sebago Lake State Park Campground will open today for the season, four weeks earlier than usual, according to state officials with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

The campground’s 125 sites will be opened. Off-season camping fees will be in effect and posted at the entrance.

Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. No site reservations will be valid until May 21.

Campers are expected to calculate their own fees and put the amount for the campsite in the metal receptacle known as the “Iron Ranger.” Park staff will monitor the campsites on a daily basis.

For more information, call 693-6231.

SOUTH BRISTOL

Medical condition claims life at scene of permitted burn

Authorities say a Newcastle man died of an apparent medical condition while tending a controlled brush fire in South Bristol.

Fire Department Capt. Mitch Mitchell said the permitted burn was reported about 12:25 p.m. Wednesday and that crews who responded were able to quickly control it.

He told the Bangor Daily News that the man had some sort of medical emergency, but did not disclose the exact nature.

He did not disclose the victim’s name. The Maine Forest Service is investigating.