Stories by Jen Lynds

HOULTON, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage told a small crowd in Houlton on Wednesday evening that Mainers could accomplish greater things and save more money if they worked together and embraced regionalization.

This was one of the sentiments that came out in the last of three town hall meetings LePage held in Aroostook County last week. Approximately 40 people attended the event in Houlton, where the governor discussed a host of topics, including energy, education, the environment and legislation and action in the State House in Augusta.

HOULTON, Maine — Erin Nason can still picture her grandmother sitting at her kitchen table in southern Maine each spring, surrounded by packets of flower seeds, plotting what her garden would look like as she readied for planting.

And of course, Nason said, her grandmother “couldn’t wait” to meet up with her garden club friends again.

So when the Houlton resident got into the hobby more seriously recently and grew tired of scouring the internet for planting tips, she thought there might be a local club she could turn to for support.

Working with Jail Administrator Craig Clossey to implement more programs that educate, rehabilitate or support inmates at the facility is one way he is hoping to accomplish his mission. Over the past three years, the jail has increased formal programming numbers significantly, and now has a “packed schedule,” according to Crandall.

HOULTON, Maine — Reducing recidivism rates among criminal offenders at the Aroostook County Jail was a goal that Sheriff Darrell Crandall said he greatly wanted to achieve after he took office in January 2015.