LEWISTON

Genetic disorder detected at high rate in Lewiston area

A genetic disorder that causes extremely high cholesterol levels at a young age strikes at 10 times the national rate in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

The Sun Journal of Lewiston says that familial hypercholesterolemia, or FH, is found most often in people of Native American or French Canadian descent. Experts say about 1 in every 300 to 500 people has the disorder.

Cardiologist Dervilla McCann, who’s been studying FH for two decades, said the Lewiston-Auburn area, with its large Franco-American population, has about 10 times the national rate.

Normally, the body naturally clears cholesterol from the blood. Significant buildup in blood vessels can take decades. First heart attacks generally occur in people in their 60s.

But that cholesterol-clearing system doesn’t work in people with FH and in some cases heart disease begins in childhood.

AUGUSTA

Forest service crew looks for signs of invasive insect

The Maine Forest Service says a survey crew has begun a search Down East for signs of an invasive insect that’s already damaged trees along southern Maine’s coast.

A forest service crew is looking for evidence of the hemlock-woolly adelgid on Mount Desert Island. The crew also will work with national park and U.S. Forest Service staff to survey in Acadia National Park before moving on to coastal Waldo, Hancock and Washington counties.

Forest entomologist Allison Kanoti said the invasive insect was reported last year at two sites on the island and in January in Alfred, suggesting that the insect population is moving inland and up Maine’s coast.

The hemlock-woolly adelgid resembles miniature cotton balls. It causes infested trees to have off-color needles and eventually kills them.

WESTFIELD

State police seek suspect in armed home invasion

Police are looking for a suspect in a home invasion in northern Maine.

A man armed with a handgun forced his way into the Westfield home of 29-year-old Tyler Dennett and stole an undisclosed amount of cash and prescription drugs Saturday.

Maine State Police troopers, Aroostook County sheriff’s deputies, Maine Drug Enforcement agents, game wardens and border patrol agents responded.

The intruder was described a white male, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds. He was wearing a ski mask, blue sweatshirt and blue jeans at the time of the home invasion.

PORTLAND

Turnpike officials cut price to promote use of E-ZPass

Maine Turnpike officials are trying to get more people to use the turnpike’s electronic toll collection system.

The Maine Turnpike Authority says it’s reducing the price of the E-ZPass windshield transponders from $25 to $10 to promote use of E-ZPass.

The transponders are mounted on windshields and activate antennas that are overhead at toll plazas to automatically deduct toll amounts from prepaid accounts or record transactions for those with commuter E-ZPasses.

Mustache film festival will make debut in Portland

The organizers of what’s billed as New England’s largest mustache pageant are now launching the world’s first known mustache film festival.

No Umbrella Media says its International Mustache Film Festival will be held before the fifth annual mustache pageant, known as the Stache Pag, on March 30 in Portland.

The festival is taking film submissions in categories such as best foreign mustache film, best fake mustache movie and best collection of mustaches in one film. The finalists will have their 8-minute or shorter films shown and judged at the festival.

For the mustache pageant, contestants show off their whiskers on stage for a panel of judges. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit arts group MENSK, Northeast Historic Film and Mustache Fights Cancer.