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.