Help Light The Night

By LINDA BAUER

Published: Oct 09, 2009 12:00 am

To the Editor:

Itâs happening! Mark your calendars; you donât want to miss this event, Light the Night Mini-Walk Celebration for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. So what is that? Itâs a nationwide fundraiser. Itâs family friendly. We have been actively trying for some years to bring the walk to Newtown and with the help of Gregg Simon from Newtown High School, itâs a reality.

It celebrates and commemorates lives touched by blood cancers. Survivors carry illuminated white balloons, while supporters carry red ones. Gold balloons are carried to remember those who have lost their lives. Walkers support the work of hundreds of the worldâs best and brightest researchers in the search for better therapies and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and other blood related cancers.

It will be Saturday, October 24 at Newtown High School, registration begins at 5:30. Or you can register and donate online http://pages.lightthenight.org/ct/Norwalk/Gchion to join Gregâs Group or http://pages.lightthenight.org/ct/Norwalk09/ercolec to join Christina Ercoleâs Group. You will get a receipt back immediately for your tax deductible donation. You can also send a check payable to LLS to either C. Ercole at 21 Ridge Road, Newtown, or to G. Chion at 10 Cobblers Mill Rd, Sandy Hook. Every dollar counts! No donation is too small!

Greg lost his battle with AML leukemia nine years ago this month. Please help us find a cure!

Sincerely,

Colette Ercole

Ginny Chion

10 Cobblers Mill Road, Sandy HookÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â October 1, 2009

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The Way We Were

Laura Wildman

It’s important to clarify that while public process matters, so does the right of a property owner to reasonably develop land they legally own—especially when they follow the rules and engage with the town in good faith. The Board of Selectmen (BOS), whether one agrees with their decision or not, did not “give away” anything. The land in question was part of a road that had been unused and undeveloped for generations. There was no public access, no signage, and no infrastructure—just an overgrown path most residents never knew existed. Mr. Ackert calls the discontinuance “illegal,” but state law grants municipalities the authority to discontinue roads, subject to procedural requirements. The fact that this matter is in litigation shows that questions of law are being properly addressed in court—not in letters to the editor. If the court finds procedural flaws, they’ll be corrected. That’s how the legal system works. Real solutions are found through public process and the courts, not through social media outrage. What’s missing from this conversation is a recognition that towns need to balance many interests: history, environment, public access, private property rights, and economic development. And while the newly championed Revolutionary War heritage is important, there are also pressing modern realities: towns need housing, economic vitality, and responsible development. These things don’t happen in a vacuum—they require compromise, planning, and often, yes, change. If residents truly wish to preserve this trail as public space, the appropriate path is through purchase, conservation easement, or formal designation—not by expecting private landowners to bear the burden of public sentiment. If the writer believes so strongly in its value, perhaps they might consider investing in its preservation themselves. We can honor our history without freezing our town in time. Development and preservation aren’t mutually exclusive—but vilifying one side of the conversation only deepens division. Let’s focus on solutions that balance respect for the past with the rights and needs of those who live here now.

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Thank you both for running my letter and the excellent editor's note. I deeply appreciate the Bee and what it means to Newtown.

Critical Of Re-Election Announcement

Dan was a real gentleman. I had the honor of knowing him for about 10 years from high school and into early adulthood. He was always upbeat and amiable. His love of golf was boundless. I remember him droning on about the type of wedge this or that professional golfer was playing at any given time. He loved to play also. Dan made the winning putt that clinched a championship for NHS men’s golf in 1984. It was a snaking, downhill putt that few people would have had the nerve or imagination to have holed at such a critical moment. It was magic!! You are a true gem, Dan. May your eternal reward be endless days of long, straight drives and the sound of difficult putts finding the bottom of the hole.

Daniel R. Baker

Congratulations John! This is quite a feat & shows a lot of perseverance, endurance, & commitment while becoming more healthy & having fun! The ultimate achievement! Wishing u a long healthy life!

Run 169 Towns Society Runner John Gonski Completes Race In Every Connecticut Municipality

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The 1st Amendment does NOT say "except when there's a budget problem, or when some people wish things would quiet down." There is no way a proposed ordinance can be construed as other than singling out RockthisDemocracy, and also no way the town does not get expensively buried in court should it be foolish enough to go down this path.

Assembly Ordinance?

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