Bits & Pieces

By KIM HARMON

Published: Nov 25, 2005 12:00 am

Bits & Pieces

By Kim J. Harmon

My clothes are bringing me closer to the people around me â¦ not that I want to be that much closer to the people around me.

When I was picking up some sweatshirts for the fall a couple of months ago, I never figured in the impact my choices would have on the general public. I see somebody on the street wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers sweatshirt or a University of Texas-El Paso sweatshirt and it doesnât faze me one bit.

I must be in the minority.

See, I wanted something orange so I picked up a Tennessee sweatshirt and now Iâm assailed constantly by people I donât even know who say stuff like, âMan, you got some guts wearing that in this state.â

I wanted something green so I picked up a Michigan State sweatshirt and on two different Saturdays I had people I didnât even know race over to me and ask me what the score of the game was (not realizing, of course, that I was nowhere near a television or radio).

I wanted something red so I picked up a Florida State sweatshirt and ran into a woman at the CIAC State Open cross country championships last month who went to Florida State and was very nearly offended when I politely told her I was utterly ambivalent to Florida State and all I had wanted was a red sweatshirt.

Now, no one has ever said anything to me when I had my Yale sweatshirt on (probably because, at one glance, they could clearly see there was no way I was an Ivy League alum) and no one has ever said anything to me when I had my UConn sweatshirt on, either.

Well, I figure thatâs probably because wearing a UConn sweatshirt, jersey or cap is expected of me (which explains all the hostility I get when Iâm wearing Tennessee â¦ an arch-rival of the UConn womenâs basketball team).

Iâll probably have to bury those sweatshirts in the back of my dresser and pick up stuff from North Texas (a sharp green) or the University of Minnesota (a nice maroon) or even Saginaw Valley State (a nice red).

But Iâll probably run into someone who went to those schools, too.

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A raffle benefiting Newtown American Youth Football and featuring an authentic, autographed Adam Vinatieri jersey and a mini New England Patriot helmet autographed by Tedy Bruschi is starting now.

The items are on display at Coachâs Deli in Sandy Hook. Raffle tickets are $2. The winning tickets will be pulled at the Deli on Super Bowl Sunday.

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The Newtown Soccer Club will sponsor two re-certification clinics for soccer referees and all referees must re-certify in order to work in the spring season.

For Grade 8 referees, the re-certification clinic will be on Thursday, December 8, from 6 to 9 pm at the Newtown Middle School cafeteria. Grade 9 referees, the re-certification clinic will be on Saturday, December 10, from 9 am to 12 noon at the Newtown High School cafeteria.

All registrations must be made online at http://ctreferee.org/riclinics.html. No one will be allowed to register at the class, so please register right away before the classes fill up! Call 270-7601 or 270-8852 for more information or help.

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Itâs that time of year again â time to nominate someone for The Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year Award. The award will go to someone who has had a strong impact on Newtown sports within the past year. Drop us a line and let us know who you think might make a good candidate for this honor. E-mail us at sports@thebee.com, FAX us at 426-5169 or snail mail us at 5 Church Hill Road.

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A Kick-Off Meeting for the 2006 Newtown 5K Road Race and Kids Run will be held Saturday, December 3, 9 to 10 am at the Old Court Room in the Edmond Town Hall. The committee is seeking anyone willing to volunteer time in helping organize the event. For further information, contact Jen Madej atÂ jenmadej@yahoo.com or 426-0551 or contact Steve Meeker at steve.meeker@ge.com or 426-6183.

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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.

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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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