The view looking West from the bottom of Church Hill Road at 8 am Wednesday was pretty spectacular as a bright rainbow arched over Newtown. The only thing missing was Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka standing on the railroad bridge handing out candy bars.

By DOROTHY EVANS

Published: Jul 15, 2005 12:00 am

The view looking West from the bottom of Church Hill Road at 8 am Wednesday was pretty spectacular as a bright rainbow arched over Newtown. The only thing missing was Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka standing on the railroad bridge handing out candy bars. Maybe the rainbow was a promo event for that chocolate factory movie opening this weekend.

Louise Sottisiak of Monroe was reading her daughterâs copy of The Newtown Bee (July 1 issue) and saw the Field Notes story and picture of the luna moth. âTwo weeks ago, my husband and I saw this moth on our mailbox wall at The Hills of Monroe condominiums, and we spoke to a friend who also saw it,â wrote Louise in a letter to The Bee. âIt was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, especially the yellow-green color. Then I was so surprised to see it in your paper. It was all the talk at our pool.â Thanks, Louise. Now we know there are at least two lovely lunas in this area ââ the one in Newtown that Bill Timmel spied hanging out by his office back door, and now this one in Monroe.

Elsewhere on the wildlife front, the old snapping turtle that hangs out in the area below the dam at Hawley Pond was spotted again this week.

This same turtle has been seen in the area for at least the last four years, frequently as he crosses Elm Drive. Motorists are extra careful, figuring that their tires would fare worse than this craggy old fellow in any encounter.

George Millerâs garden looked terrific Saturday on the Newtown Historical Societyâs House & Garden tour, but he admitted that it took some work and he got really drenched. He spent five hours weeding the beds during the torrential rainstorm on Friday.

Lincoln Sander must know how the little Dutch boy, Hans Brinker, felt when he put his finger in the dike to plug a hole, saving his town from a devastating flood. Lincoln and his wife, Jean, were enjoying some lemonade from a large cooler outside George Millerâs barn on Saturday during the House and Garden Tour. Lincoln was turning the valve to open the spigot when it suddenly fell off. Moving fast, Lincoln jammed his forefinger into the spout to keep at least two gallons of lemonade from pouring out onto the grass. Meanwhile, Jean and several others got down on their hands and knees to look for the brass valve. Just when they were about to give up and go away leaving Lincoln stuck there for the duration, someone took a sip of lemonade and shouted, âHere it is! In the bottom of my cup.â The valve was replaced and Lincoln was free to go on his way. Congratulations to the newly elected president of the Newtown Historical Society for single-fingeredly saving the day.

The next Summer Trail Walk sponsored by the Newtown Forest Association steps off Saturday morning at 10 am at the Holcombe Memorial Trail and everyone is welcome. The guided walks are part of a series the land trust is sponsoring in celebration of the tercentennial. The Holcombe Preserve is located at the red barn just before the intersection of Great Hill Road and Birch Hill Road. Check the website www.newtownforestassociation.org to find out about other walks later in the summer.

Workers have been constructing a new open-air pavilion behind the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Companyâs firehouse on Riverside Road. Itâs a sturdy wooden structure that will have electricity and running water when completed. To inaugurate the new facility, the fire company plans a block party at the pavilion on July 30. For ticket information, call 270-4392.

This week workers used a towering crane to install concrete-slab roof decking at the Town Hall South expansion project underway at 3 Main Street â also the site of Newtownâs police station. When completed, the 3,200-square-foot expansion will provide a storage area for town voting machines, plus a vehicle impoundment for the police department. The project is slated to be done by Labor Day.

Incidentally, prospects for a long happy life just got a lot better for motorists emerging from the lower driveway at the police station. Until it was removed this week, the large Hawley Construction sign made it very difficult to see traffic coming down Main Street. People had to hold their breath, cross their fingers, and inch their way into the unknown. Now that the sight lines have been restored, safe passage has been restored from the townâs public safety building.

Iâll be back, assuming I am granted safe passage to next week, so be sure toâ¦

Read me again.

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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The view looking West from the bottom of Church Hill Road at 8 am Wednesday was pretty spectacular as a bright rainbow arched over Newtown. The only thing missing was Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka standing on the railroad bridge handing out candy bars.

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