What’s the latest for Jon & Kate Plus 8?

Four Maine-made rugged and whimsical playhouses for their household.

TLC has been promoting a “special announcement” to be made during a special one-hour episode Monday (tonight) – that episode will also feature the four custom playhouses built for the sextuplets and twins, according to a news release from Windham-based Kids Crooked House.

The playhouse business was started by Glen Halliday and Jeff Leighton, two dads who couldn’t find unique, affordable and imaginative playhouses for their children. So several years ago, they set about designing their own.

Four of their playhouses were delivered to the show last month, and Halliday was told that the structures would be featured prominently in various scenes during Monday’s episode.

In a news release, Halliday said, “Of course, it’s great to get our products in front of millions of people, but it was also just a blast to hang out with the Gosselins and see the kids having so much fun playing in the houses we built for them. The whole experience was really cool.”

Really cool. And lacking all the controversy that now swirls around the show.

What’s next for Kids Crooked House? ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”

No kidding.

– Judith Meyer
Looks familiar

Lewiston police reported charging three juveniles last week with having graffiti tools.

The three had been walking behind Planet Fitness on East Avenue shortly before midnight. All three of the males were carrying backpacks with cans of spray paint, markers, drug paraphernalia and a black BB gun, the police report said.

The three were cited for city ordinance violations.

Police said the juveniles’ tags were: “RET,” “EZ,” “No Sleep,” “BeBop!,” “SAIN” and “Alien.”

In the same report, but in a separate entry, police logged an item about a lawnmower behind Sears, also on East Avenue, tagged with “RET,” “No Sleep” and “Lung” sometime over that night.

The report also noted that the Lewiston Mall, same address, was tagged with graffiti sometime over the same night.

A building at 183 Main St. was tagged sometime over the next couple of days with graffiti that read: “RET.”

– Christopher Williams
Speeders of the week

In his most recent Maine State Police weekly wrap-up, Steve McCausland, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, noted a few young drivers driving really fast.

One new driver got her first speeding ticket only one day after she was issued her driver’s license, McCausland said. “State Police Cpl. Bob Byron stopped the 18-year-old on the Maine Turnpike in Gray. The teen was cited as traveling 89 mph. She said she was late for an appointment.”

Another young driver ended up in jail for speeding 100 mph on the spur in Scarborough between Route 1 and Interstate 295. The speed limit on that section is 55 mph, McCausland said. “Trooper Doug Cropper stopped 20-year-old John Bettencourt from South Portland on June 8. Bettencourt had his driver’s license back for only six days after a previous suspension.”

– Bonnie Washuk