SENIOR NEWS

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 26, 2005 12:00 am

SENIOR NEWS

Senior services for Newtown seniors are available at the Multi-Purpose Building on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. The Senior Center is under the auspices of The Commission on Aging. The center is run by the Senior Services Director, Marilyn Place. For more information about programs offered at the Senior Center call 270-4310.

You may drop in at the Senior Center on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook weekdays between 10 am and 4 pm. A hot meal is served at noon for which you must reserve three days in advance.

Newtown has daily door-to-door mini-bus service Monday through Friday. Buses also run all day from the senior center to Sand Hill Plaza. On Fridays, the bus alternates between rides to Danbury Fair Mall and Berkshire Plaza in Danbury (to Wal*Mart Route 6). Cost is 65Â¢ each way for the Sand Hill Plaza trip, 75Â¢ each way for out of town. Call 748-2511 TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE to book a ride and get the out-of-town Friday schedule.

News For Week of August 29-September 2

*CONNOPACE/MEDICARE PART D: If you do not understand the letters from Social Security pertaining to changes in Medicare Part D, call 270-4330 for help.

If you need help with your prescriptions and your income is less than $21,400 (single person) or $28,900 (couple), you should apply for ConnPace. You will still sign up for Medicare Part D and if you qualify for ConnPace, you will not pay the $37 monthly premium.

*The senior center will be CLOSED on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, in observance of Labor Day.

Weâll be open again on Tuesday with a full scheduled of events, activities and lunch.

*Our next POT LUCK DINNER will be on September 6.

These dinners are held on the first Tuesday of each month; call for the start time.

In the fall weâre going to have themes for the monthly dinners. On September 6, join us for a 50s theme dinner; October 4, Pumpkin Surprise; November 1, Harvest Gathering; and December 6, Holidays.

*Meet MARK INGRAM from CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS on Wednesday, September 7. Mark will be here at 1 pm to discuss how to get involved in Charterâs Community Access channel including custom training to create your own television show, and how to participate in the internship program. Participants of all ages and backgrounds regularly work together.

Please join us for this very informative seminar. Call the senior center to reserve a seat.

*Mark your calendar! On Thursday, September 8, LARRY AYCE IS BACK singing old-time favorites for a 50s get-together.

The program will start at 1. Come join us â sock hop the afternoon away!

*****************

REMINDERS: New Englandâs premier event each fall, the regionâs âGreat State Fair,â THE BIG E returns in September and weâre planning on spending a day there.

Call for details (like the date of the event, which wasnât included in the newsletter). Cost is $38, and departure will be at 8:30 am.

*Municipal Agent ANN PICCINI VISITS the senior center on Thursday mornings from 10 until noon to help with Conn Pace, medical information and Title 19 issues you may be having. Call ahead or just stop in to talk with someone who can help you figure your way through these sometimes confusing subjects.

If you canât catch up with Ann during one of her visits at the senior center, try reaching her at her office at 3 Main Street (below the police department), Monday through Friday. Call her there at 270-4330.

*Also on Thursdays, Newtownâs seniors are invited to stop by between 2 and 3 pm to have their pictures taken and to fill out pertinent information that will be stored in the glovebox of your car, all of which is part of the new NEWTOWN YELLOW DOT PROGRAM.

This is a Triad Project that will help save lives, and itâs the first project of its kind in our state. The project consists of an information card and a yellow dot sticker that is affixed to your car window. In the event of an emergency, first responders can identify the vehicle as being part of the Yellow Dot Program and will look for the information in an envelope inside your car, saving time and supplying life saving information. The project is a partnership between the communityâs senior citizens, Peopleâs Bank and Newtown Police Department.

*In the fall Newtown seniors are invited to participate in a four-day trip to THE ERIE CANAL, leaving Sandy Hook on October 7 ($579/single, $459/double or $449/triple); and/or a four day trip to WASHINGTON, D.C., departing Sandy Hook on November 10 ($569/single, $419/double or $399/triple).

Upcoming day trips include OCTOBER FEAST at Wrightâs Mill Farm in Canterbury on October 12 ($73 per person), OCTOBERFEST at Platzl Brauhaus on October 20 ($68 per person), and gambling at MOHEGAN SUN on November 3 ($24 per person).

Stop by the senior center for full details for any of these outings.

Menu For Week of August 29-September 2

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Crab cakes, tartar sauce, brown rice pilaf, Italian blend vegetables, whole wheat bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Tuesday: Pork chop, herbed stuffing, French cut green beans, rye bread, applesauce garnish, oatmeal raisin cookie;

Wednesday: Chicken salad plate with lettuce and tomato, marinated beet salad, Portuguese roll, pineapple juice, tapioca pudding with topping.

Thursday: Manhattan clam chowder, unsalted crackers, beef tips with onions and peppers, mashed potatoes, carrots, rye bread, fruit cocktail;

Friday: Hamburger with grilled mushrooms and onions, hamburger roll, ketchup, potato salad, three-bean salad, pickle wedge, holiday cake.

Also, for planning aheadâ

Monday, September 5: Closed for Labor Day. No lunch or activities today.

Tuesday, September 6: Butter-crumb fish with lemon, baked potato, sour cream, fresh zucchini, oatmeal bread, diet Jell-O with topping.

Activities Schedule, August 29-September 2

Monday: AM Bridge, yoga, exercise; PM chorus group;

Tuesday: AM Pinochle, country-western line dancing; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes);

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, exercise; PM Bingo;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits, mah jongg lessons; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken;

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting; PM knitting.

Â Remember, you must call at least one day in advance to book a meal or a ride, 270-4310; the Senior Bus, 748-2511.

Tolland Firefighters Return With Santa For An Afternoon Of Sleigh Rides

‘The Hanukkah Menorah’ At Booth Library

Kindness Project Provides Hundreds Of Stuffed Animals To Ambulance Corps

Fairfield Hills Music Festival Returning In May

FUN Celebrates 16th Annual Holiday Party With Music, Games & Community Spirit

My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

Discusses Traffic Cameras

I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

Walczak Adjusts To New Role, First Board Meeting

Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

How Many Accidents Will It Take?

To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

NIC Speaks With Danbury Unites For Immigrants, Discusses 12/14 Service

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