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BOE Listens To Health Insurance Presentation

Finance Director Glenys Salas gave a presentation on the district’s Medical Self Insurance Fund Strategic Plan to the Board of Education at its Tuesday, December 16 meeting. —Bee Photo, Visca

NMS Career Day Gives Students A Glimpse Into Potential Careers

Newtown Middle School (NMS) eighth grade students make a design using their initials during a presentation for the school’s Career Day on Friday, December 5. This particular presentation, led by local graphic designer Kimberly Viscuso, taught students about how those in her field shape everything from the logos they see in daily life to the look of their favorite websites. —Bee Photos, Visca

NIC Finalizes Gathering Plans, Speaks With Parent Connection

At their Tuesday, December 9 meeting, Newtown Interfaith Council members finalized plans for their then upcoming 12/14 Service of Remembrance later that same week. —Bee Photos, Visca

Evensong Offered At Trinity During Holiday Festival

The Evensong service offered attendees a meditative hour of music and prayerful readings featuring singers from Trinity Choir and Connecticut Choral Society. —Bee Photos, Glass

News

Finance Director Glenys Salas gave a presentation on the district’s Medical Self Insurance Fund Strategic Plan to the Board of Education at its Tuesday, December 16 meeting. —Bee Photo, Visca

BOE Listens To Health Insurance Presentation

Board of Education (BOE) members listened to a presentation on health insurance at its recent meeting.

News

Fire Reports | December 10-17, 2025

News

NIC Finalizes Gathering Plans, Speaks With Parent Connection

News

Steady Snowfall Blankets Town With Three Inches Of Precipitation

News

Newtown P&Z Heard Application To Re-Subdivide 49 Great Ring Road

Features

Maddie Hermann hoped for a few dozen stuffed animals when she made a request for her Middle Gate School Kindness Project. The response was much more than she imagined, and will ultimately benefit other children who have to be transported by Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. —Laura Herrmann photos

Kindness Project Provides Hundreds Of Stuffed Animals To Ambulance Corps

Maddie Herrmann recently chose to collect stuffed animals for Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps as her Kindness Project, a rite of passage for third graders at Middle Gate Elementary School.

Features

FUN Celebrates 16th Annual Holiday Party With Music, Games & Community Spirit

Features

Tolland Firefighters Return With Santa For An Afternoon Of Sleigh Rides

Features

The Way We Were

Features

Top Of The Mountain

Sports

The NHS dance team is ready to defend its state crown this winter. —photo courtesy Emily Marks

Defending State Champion Dance Squad Strives For More Success

Hawks will strive to shine in Pom and Jazz competitions during postseason.

Sports

Former SCSU Athlete David Warren Takes Over Indoor Track Program Coaching Duties

Sports

Wrestling Team Wins Season Opener

Sports

Youth Basketball Teams Crowned Tip-Off Tourney Champs

Sports

Girls’ Basketball Team Begins Season With Win Over Bassick Before Hard-Fought Loss

Today's Events

Events for

“Newtown & Beyond”

December 23, 2025 08:30 am - 04:30 pm

“The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 23, 2025 09:30 am - 08:00 pm

Small & Large Works Show

December 23, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

Newtown Bridge Club Open & Limited Games

December 23, 2025 12:30 pm - 03:00 pm

CHRISTMAS EVE

December 24, 2025 12:00 am

“Newtown & Beyond” *CLOSING EARLY**

December 24, 2025 08:30 am - 04:30 pm

**CLOSING EARLY** “The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 24, 2025 09:30 am - 01:00 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** Small & Large Works Show

December 24, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

Friends of C.H. Booth Library Donation Event

December 24, 2025 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

**CANCELED** 30 Minutes Flex & Balance with Sean

December 24, 2025 10:30 am - 11:00 am

Newtown Bridge Club Open & Limited Games

December 24, 2025 12:30 pm - 03:00 pm

**CANCELED** Borough Zoning Board of Appeals meeting

December 24, 2025 07:00 pm

CHRISTMAS DAY

December 25, 2025 12:00 am

“Newtown & Beyond” **CLOSED TODAY**

December 25, 2025 08:30 am - 04:30 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** “The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 25, 2025 09:30 am - 08:00 pm

**CANCELED** American Mah Jong Open Play

December 25, 2025 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

**CANCELED** Newtown Bridge Club Open & Limited Games

December 25, 2025 10:00 am - 01:30 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** Small & Large Works Show

December 25, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

**CANCELED** Board of Finance meeting

December 25, 2025 07:30 pm

“Newtown & Beyond”

December 26, 2025 08:30 am - 04:30 pm

"The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 26, 2025 09:30 am - 05:00 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** Small & Large Works Show

December 26, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

"The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 27, 2025 09:30 am - 05:00 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** Small & Large Works Show

December 27, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

Friends of C.H. Booth Library Donation Event

December 27, 2025 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Panacea & Friends Twixtmas Party 2025

December 28, 2025 04:00 pm - 07:00 pm

“Newtown & Beyond”

December 29, 2025 08:30 am - 04:30 pm

“The Hanukkah Menorah” by Congregation Adath Israel of Newtown

December 29, 2025 09:30 am - 08:00 pm

**CLOSED TODAY** Small & Large Works Show

December 29, 2025 10:00 am - 06:00 pm

Newtown Bridge Club Open & Limited Games

December 29, 2025 12:30 pm - 03:00 pm

Special Editions

Holiday Gift Guide 2025

For Better Health - Fall 2025

Home & Garden Fall 2025

Back-To-School 2025

For Better Health - Spring 2025

Home & Garden Spring 2025

Guide To Newtown 2025

The Newtown Bee's Special Edition, 12/14/12

BOE Listens To Health Insurance Presentation

NMS Career Day Gives Students A Glimpse Into Potential Careers

Fire Reports | December 10-17, 2025

NIC Finalizes Gathering Plans, Speaks With Parent Connection

Panacea Twixtmas Returning To Aquila’s Nest

My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

Discusses Traffic Cameras

I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

Walczak Adjusts To New Role, First Board Meeting

Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

How Many Accidents Will It Take?

To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

NIC Speaks With Danbury Unites For Immigrants, Discusses 12/14 Service

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BOE Listens To Health Insurance Presentation

NMS Career Day Gives Students A Glimpse Into Potential Careers

NIC Finalizes Gathering Plans, Speaks With Parent Connection

Evensong Offered At Trinity During Holiday Festival

BOE Listens To Health Insurance Presentation

Fire Reports | December 10-17, 2025

NIC Finalizes Gathering Plans, Speaks With Parent Connection

Steady Snowfall Blankets Town With Three Inches Of Precipitation

Newtown P&Z Heard Application To Re-Subdivide 49 Great Ring Road

Kindness Project Provides Hundreds Of Stuffed Animals To Ambulance Corps

FUN Celebrates 16th Annual Holiday Party With Music, Games & Community Spirit

Tolland Firefighters Return With Santa For An Afternoon Of Sleigh Rides

The Way We Were

Top Of The Mountain

Defending State Champion Dance Squad Strives For More Success

Former SCSU Athlete David Warren Takes Over Indoor Track Program Coaching Duties

Wrestling Team Wins Season Opener

Youth Basketball Teams Crowned Tip-Off Tourney Champs

Girls’ Basketball Team Begins Season With Win Over Bassick Before Hard-Fought Loss

Holiday Gift Guide 2025

For Better Health - Fall 2025

Home & Garden Fall 2025

Back-To-School 2025

For Better Health - Spring 2025

Home & Garden Spring 2025

Guide To Newtown 2025

The Newtown Bee's Special Edition, 12/14/12