Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 13, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Road-Aerosmith-Borders-Perry

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

Now that Borders Books Music Cafe has opened in Danbury, the store's publicity

department is working on bringing live music into the store on a regular

basis. The store has already played host to some very good musicians; now that

the January newsletter is out, it's time to look at who will be performing at

the Federal Road store the new few weeks.

On Friday night (Jan 9), MIKE KACHUBA will be featured at 8 pm. Mr Kachuba,

who performs on dulcimer, guitar, concertina and harmonica, was Connecticut's

1996 official State Troubadour. On Sunday, January 11, at 2 pm, musician MIKE

COPPOLA will be performing in the store's cafe, where all performances are

held. Admission is always free, by the way.

Next weekend, the featured performance will be on Saturday, January 17, when

the jazz duo of CHRIS MORRISON and DAVID RUFFELS, at 7 pm. Later in the month,

local resident OPHELIA will be featured, on Friday, January 30. The Bethel

singer-songwriter-pianist continues to tour in support of her self-produced

album, April Storm .

SEDGEWICK, an excellent local band, returns to Basset's Coffee House in

Brookfield this weekend, with a show Saturday night. The coffee house is at

the "four corners" intersection of Routes 7 and 25. There's no charge to get

in.

This month at Tuxedo Junction, lots of good shows by local bands. This

weekend, PARADISE ALLEY will be at the Danbury club on Friday (Jan 9); THEM

BONES will be in town on Saturday. Looking forward to the end of the month,

THE NERDS will be playing on January 30.

In February, GOLDFINGER returns for an all ages show. That one will be on the

10th of February.

This year's St. Patrick's Day at the club will be celebrated with TOWER OF

POWER. The wearin' of the green will be on a Tuesday this year.

Surprisingly, tickets still remain available for next weekend's AEROSMITH

concert at the New Haven Coliseum. The concert is Saturday at 8 pm, and Talk

Show opens. As of late this week, about 3,000 of the 10,000 available seats

were still unpurchased for the January 17 event. Maybe the interview JOE PERRY

did on WCCC Wednesday afternoon will help sell those last tickets, however.

And look who's catching up with the rest of the world: me! Have a question,

comment, criticism (easy on those, please!) or compliment? Send your e-mail to

shannon@thebee.com. (By the way, general press releases for the "Enjoy"

section can be sent to enjoy@thebee.com.)

Until next week, I'll be seeing you... on the road, or at my desk, waiting for

your mail.

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 :)

<< May 2026 >>
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
26	27	28	29	30	1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	1	2	3	4	5	6

Log In

Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Leave a Reply Cancel reply