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Daily Pulse

Stephen King keeps the heat on for Maine residents

Matt Berger Nov 9, 2011

The Marketplace Daily Pulse is down today on news that times are so tough for some residents in Maine that local hero – novelist Stephen King – is stepping in to help pay heating bills.

King is donating $70,000 and hopes to double it by getting the public to send matching dollars, according to a story in the Bangor Daily News. The money will go to help with a shortfall in the state’s heating oil assistance program for low-income residents. The program’s expecting just $23 million from the Feds this year, about half of last year’s $55.6 million.

The problem is not just in Maine: Washington has cut back on heating oil help across the board. Once the dust settles on King’s new novel published this week, maybe he can write a new scary story about not be able to pay heating bills in the dead of winter.

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