January 8, 2021 News
All people of good conscience who call this country home, or whoâve come here in search of the fruits of its liberties, were surely shocked by yesterdayâs events in Washington, D.C.
For the first time in modern history, a lawless mob attacked our nationâs Capitol building to thwart our representatives from confirming a lawful election to peacefully transfer the U.S. presidency from one citizen to another, as our Constitution requires. Equally horrific was the sight of a flag of a racist past waved in the present, carried by the mob through our halls of government.
Gosse caps decade of research into troublesome triclosan
University of Maine toxicologist Julie Gosse spent a decade unearthing the medical harm posed by the germ-fighting agent triclosan (TCS).
Manufacturers had included the synthetic chemical in soap, toothpaste, facial cleansers, sanitizer and other common products since the 1970s, when no research delved into its health and toxicological effects. Products containing the antimicrobial agent filled store shelves. By the time Gosse and her students began investigating it, 75% of Americans were exposed to it, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Various studies in the past 10 years, however, have revealed problems with TCS, that it weakens disease resistance and interferes with various bodily functions. Research led and overseen by Gosse, an associate professor of biochemistry, found TCS inhibits immune cells, particularly T and mast cells, and damages mitochondria. Investigations from other toxicolog
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Tammie Mulvey, right, is the new owner of Chadwicks Florist in Houlton. For 112 years, Chadwicks Florist has served the floral needs of southern Aroostook County. With Mulvey is former owner Amanda Linscott, who will be staying on with the company for the next year. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton PIoneer Times)
Tammie Mulvey, right, is the new owner of Chadwicks Florist in Houlton. For 112 years, Chadwicks Florist has served the floral needs of southern Aroostook County. With Mulvey is former owner Amanda Linscott, who will be staying on with the company for the next year. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton PIoneer Times)
The top business stories of 2020 in southern Aroostook (Part 1)
UMaine s Make the Grade program helps retain first-year students with free course
The University of Maine started its Make the Grade program in 2019, offering a free re-do course to promising first-year students who failed one class. Author: Chloe Teboe (NEWS CENTER Maine) Published: 8:34 AM EST December 22, 2020 Updated: 8:36 AM EST December 22, 2020
ORONO, Maine For the second year, the University of Maine system is offering a program to first-year students who may be discouraged by their first semester grades and want a second chance.
The Make the Grade student success initiative consists of a free college course for promising first-year students who were enrolled full-time and failed a class during their first semester. It s designed to help these students make the transition from high school to college (or help adults with gaps from school) and stay on track to succeed.
Go Way Far Out in ‘The County’
There are lots of places in Maine that are out of this world but Aroostook County takes it to the extreme.
For nearly 40 miles along Route 1 you can drive through a 3D scale model of our solar system. It is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere second largest in the world.
Running from a 50-foot yellow ring representing of the sun at the Northern Maine Museum of Science at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) to lowly Pluto, just an inch across, inside the visitor information center at Houlton it covers some 3,670, 050,000 scale miles.