Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 13, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Road-Hicks-Baez-DiFranco-Cole

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

Tickets will be going on sale in a few weeks for JOAN BAEZ, who will be at

Yale's Woolsey Hall on April 2. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is sponsoring

the performance, which doesn't have much to do with Baez's appearance, but

they sent me a nice Christmas card so the least I can do is mention their

sponsorship here, I suppose.

Prices range from $15 to $45 each, with a limited number of $10 student

tickets available. The tickets will be going on sale Sunday, March 1.

Unfortunately, the NHSO forgot to mention how tickets can be charged, so you

may want to call their box office (776-1444) BEFORE tickets go on sale to find

out for yourself.

Speaking of events New Haven, tickets will be going on sale Monday (Feb 16),

for ANI DiFRANCO's latest performance in Connecticut. DiFranco will be touring

to support her tenth independently-released album, Little Plastic Castle ,

which comes out next Tuesday. Ten successful independently-released albums by

one artist... is that a record? Even if it isn't, DiFranco should be proud of

herself!

DiFranco will be at The Palace on Saturday, April 11. Showtime is 8 pm and as

of right now, there doesn't seem to be an opener. Tickets will be available

through the Palace's box office directly, or through any TicketMaster outlet.

Coming up later this month, SMASH MOUTH and THIRD EYE BLIND will be at the

Lincoln Theater, on the campus of UHartford. That's February 26; Smash Mouth,

by the way, is the headliner. I'll get back to you next week with ticket

details (cost, how to contact the theatre's box office, etc).

This is your last reminder: PAULA COLE, next Thursday, Toad's Place. See you

there.

A new addition to the Toad's Place calendar is OVERKILL on April 23. That show

is open to all ages.

Did anyone else sit through those two hours of agony called "The ESPY Awards"

Monday night? Oh my Gawd!!!, I think that was the most painful thing ever

called an awards show I have seen in my life. Truly, ESPN needs to put a

Band-Aid, among other things, on NORM McDONALD's mouth, and his jokes, and on

the brains of the show's writers. If you can't put together an awards show

where even someone like ROBERT DUVALL comes off looking intelligent, it's time

to get out of the awards show business.

Speaking of Mondays, next Monday one of the area singles groups is having a

"Pot Luck Valentine's Day" meeting/dinner (hey, I'm a calendar editor too; I

see these things). Sadly, that sounds like my social life lately: a bad

smorgasbord. Until next week, when we are done with this awful holiday they

call Valentine's Day, I'll be seeing you... on the road.

COA Welcomes New Alternate, Discusses Senior Alliance

BOE Recognizes 2026 Profiles In Professionalism Honorees

C.H. Booth Library Hosted Another Successful Volunteer Fair

Fire Reports | April 28-May 4, 2026

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 13-Feb-1998

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