Date: Fri 30-Jul-1999

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 13, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Duchovny-Fuel-Sol-Dog-Blondie

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD WITH SHANNON HICKS

New on the Toad's Place schedule is a performance by THE JOHN POPPER BAND on

September 3, which will be an all-ages show. No opener has been announced yet.

SOL DOG, an incredible Connecticut southern rock-ish band that does a lot of

originals (a CD is due out soon) as well as stuff by the likes of THE BLACK

CROWES, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS and STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN among other influences, has

three dates coming up in August, including one next weekend at Jimmie's

Seaside in Stamford. That show will be Friday, August 6. The band also has

shows set up at Cafe Nine in New Haven on August 22 and a return to TK's

American Cafe, also in New Haven, on August 28.

A note for anyone planning on seeing the band at Shennanigan's in Norwalk on

the 4th: That show has been canceled.

Tickets are already on sale for a headlining show by BLONDIE, who will be at

Foxwoods Casino on September 10.

FUEL return to Connecticut on September 3. The band will be back in Hartford,

this time at The Webster Theatre.

DAVID CROSBY and his group, CPR, will be playing a free show at Mohegan Sun

Casino's Wolf Den on August 11. Four days later, the band will be part of "A

Day in the Garden at Yasgur's Farm," a return to the original Woodstock

Festival site in Bethel, N.Y. In addition to CPR, there will be performances

by COUNTRY JOE McDONALD, RICK DANKO, ARLO GUTHRIE, RICHIE HAVENS, MELANIE,

LESLIE WEST and JOHNNY WINTER on Sunday, August 15. Tickets are through

TicketMaster for this show and unlike the overblown $150 last weekend's

Woodstock was getting per ticket, the one-day August event is just $20 per

person.

Until next week, I'll be seeing you... on the road, giving a listen to what

certainly has to be the best album title I've heard in a while.

Singer-songwriter Bree Sharp is making her Trauma Records debut with the July

27 release of A Cheap And Evil Girl . Not only does Bree win the honor of

Coolest Album Title Heard In Quite Some Time, but her premiere single is

called "David Duchovny." The song takes a fun look at the singer's infatuation

with one of the stars of "The X-Files" (and a general look at stars and their

fans' desire to meet them). Not at all a bad topic if you ask me.

A demo of the song, in fact, has already made its way to Duchovny. Apparently,

assistants to "X-Files" executive producer Chris Carter from "The X-Files" and

"Millennium" requested permission to make an in-house video for the shows'

Christmas party for Sharp's song. Not only that, but the assistants also

recruited an array of superstars -- no less than the likes of GILLIAN

ANDERSON, BRAD PITT, GEORGE CLOONEY, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ROSIE O'DONNELL and KISS

among them -- to lip synch to the song. The video is not officially available

to the public, but it has become something of an underground Hollywood

sensation, finding favorable exposure for Sharp in Rolling Stone , which

called the song "a witty ode to Fox's fox."

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 30-Jul-1999

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