Apparently a clarification is needed concerning last week's story in The Bee about a black bear visiting Hanover Road backyards. Proper credit must be awarded to Anne Marie Foran-Sipherd who was actually the photographer responsible for the front-p

By DOROTHY EVANS

Published: Jul 22, 2005 12:00 am

Apparently a clarification is needed concerning last weekâs story in The Bee about a black bear visiting Hanover Road backyards. Proper credit must be awarded to Anne Marie Foran-Sipherd who was actually the photographer responsible for the front-page photo of the bear peeking out from behind her daylilies. Credit must also be given to her husband, Ray, who called The Bee to admit he didnât take the picture.

âI couldnât have. I was sitting in my study working at my desk when I heard Anne Marie in the living room say âOh my God!â She ran to get the camera and clicked away from the edge of the deck,â said Ray.

He also wanted to make clear that when their Echo Valley Road neighbor Bob Schmidle drove over to see the bear, it was the bear ââ not Bob ââ who ran away. âThen Bob walked over to the edge of the woods and saw the bear looking back at him. The bear blinked first,â Ray pointed out. âIt came back later that day [July 12], and then again on Friday [July 15] looking for more seed in the birdfeeder. We had tried hanging the feeder out for only an hour or so, but the bear was back. When Anne Marie came outside and clapped her hands, he departed. He came back again on Sunday [July 17].â This may not be the last word yet on the Sipherds vs black bear standoff. Stay tuned.

It isnât often you see a photographer on a roof when thereâs no celebrity around, but thatâs what happened on Saturday when David Foss, son of Carol and Charlie Foss and a social studies teacher at Newtown High School, married Julie Goodman. Every one of the 160-plus guests looked skyward as the photographer took a picture of the whole group.

Newtown High School grad John Judd and his jazz trio have issued a CD called Haunted Heart. The trio will be at the Silvermine Tavern on Friday night to play. John is well known for his straight ahead style on the seven-string guitar. Clips from the CD can be heard on his website, www.johnjuddjazz.com.

Newtownâs former superintendent of schools, John Reed, was honored recently at New Milford Hospital for developing the program that allows students to âshadowâ professionals on the job as part of the school-to-work transition. The program started with a medical apprenticeship for 11 students in 1995 at New Milford Hospital and has been expanded to offer insights into banking, real estate, dentistry, journalism, law, hospitality, veterinary medicine, and other careers.

The heavy rain dumped on Newtown Monday afternoon has left some locals, including Cindy and Paul Kromberg of Hundred Acres Road, bailing out their basement and ripping up sodden carpeting. Isnât homeownership fun?

While driving on Main Street midday on Wednesday, I noticed that it was as congested and confused as Iâve ever seen the thoroughfare. Judging by the way people were driving, it seemed that everyone was unfamiliar with the area, making wacky maneuvers at the flagpole and making turns in and out of driveways willy-nilly.

Â The ongoing construction project at Edmond Town Hall, where a new elevator is being added to the north side of the building, and the construction of an office building behind Newtown Savings Bank just adds to the general commotion in the area. You never quite know what the rear parking lot at town hall is going to look like from day to day.

That meeting room at the town offices at Peckâs lane is sure different than the old meeting room at Canaan House at Fairfield Hills. The Peckâs Lane meeting room is located deep inside an industrial building, which the town rents for office space. Just getting to the room seems like taking a tour of the Pentagon, considering all the security doors you have to get through to get there.

Also, the lavatory near the meeting room is stocked with a powdered hand cleaner that is so strong that it removes tattoos.

I think we set a record this week for The Beeâs Birthday Cake. The weekly listing of kids with birthdays included 16 names. Normally, there are about eight or ten names in the cake. What is it about the third week in July? Or should I say, the third week in October.

If you want to know all about the fourth week in July, be sure toâ¦

Read me again.

Patricia Anzellotti

Fire Reports | August 13-19, 2025

Labor Day Closings & Early Deadlines

Police Reports | August 2-August 17

DAV, RecruitMilitary Host National Virtual Career Fair For Veterans

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.

<< Aug 2025 >>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
27	28	29	30	31	1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	1	2	3	4	5	6

Log In

Apparently a clarification is needed concerning last week's story in The Bee about a black bear visiting Hanover Road backyards. Proper credit must be awarded to Anne Marie Foran-Sipherd who was actually the photographer responsible for the front-p

Leave a Reply Cancel reply