By Kim J. Harmon

By KIM HARMON

Published: May 30, 2001 12:00 am

By Kim J. Harmon

Meg Anderson.

Diane McNamara.

There were more than just a couple heroes on Tuesday afternoon as the Newtown High School girlsâ lacrosse team survived a scare from Masuk in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference playoffs but Anderson and McNamara were two of the biggest.

It was Anderson who scored the tying goal in the final three seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime and it was McNamara â as the Nighthawks clung to a 10-9 lead â who sealed the win in OT with a save on a near point-blank shot.

âI think we were expecting (Masuk) to play like they had played the first two times,â said head coach Sara Patrick, âbut they came out really fired up and I think it set us back a little bit.â

The win propels Newtown into the first-ever SWC championship game (held Thursday, after press time) against its arch-nemesis, New Milford, which has already beaten Newtown twice this season. New Milford defeated Brookfield, 12-6, on Tuesday.

Masuk was a surprising No. 3 seed in the first-ever SWC playoffs, but the seeding was a testament to how quickly the team â which had not played a single game, scrimmage or otherwise, before opening its season against Newtown on April 7 â progressed under coach John Murphy.

The âHawks beat the Panthers 13-1 that day and then added a 9-5 win over the Panthers on May 15. With that in the back of their minds, the âHawks seemed to have a pretty clear indication of what to expect in the semi-final matchup.

Only, the Panthers had other plans.

It was the Panthers who took charge of the game early and forged a four-goal lead by the end of the first half. But Newtown â which has had a habit of starting out slowly â rallied back in the second half, tying the game, 8-8, on Andersonâs goal with but three ticks left on the clock.

âBy the end of the second half,â said coach Patrick, âwe held onto possession and we really started to play well.â

The Anderson goal sent the game into overtime â which was split into a pair of three-minute periods. Since it was not sudden death, the âHawks were still alive even after Masuk scored a goal in the first period to take a 9-8 lead.

Morgan Pacheco came back in the second period to tie the score with her first goal of the game and Mary Bell put the âHawks on top, 10-9, with her second goal of the game shortly after.

Still, it wouldnât have been enough had McNamara not managed to stop a shot from inside the eight-meter line.

Erin McDonald finished with three goals on the afternoon and Bell finished with two. Anderson, Ellie Champagne, Kelly Shpunt and Pacheco all had one goal apiece for the Nighthawks.

Following the SWC playoffs, the CIAC girlsâ lacrosse tournament will get started on Monday, June 4. The âHawks, ranked 17th in the state, will head on up to Avon, which is ranked 16th, for a 4 pm contest.

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The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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