Date: Fri 16-Jan-1998

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 13, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

Williams-Joel-Cole-Sting

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

Tickets for BILLY JOEL, performing at the Hartford Civic Center on Wednesday,

May 6, will be going on sale Saturday, January 17, at 10 am. All seats are

$38.50. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center box office, all

TicketMaster outlets and TicketMaster Charge By Phone, 860/525-4500 or

203/624-0033.

SEDGEWICK has another show this weekend at Bassett's Coffee House in

Brookfield. The band has been playing over there quite regularly, and returns

on Saturday (Jan 17) for an 8 pm show.

Next Friday (Jan 23), BOX THE COMPASS returns, also for an 8 pm performance.

The next WPKN-sponsored concert to come to Newtown will be DAR WILLIAMS, at

Edmond Town Hall on Thursday, January 29. Considering the station's recent

track record, which has sponsored performances in the past two years by GREG

BROWN and JOHN GORKA, this year's offering should be just as phenomenal.

With her new album, End of Summer , Williams has taken her place alongside

some of the best songwriters and performers in the industry today. In three

years she has gone from playing open mikes to headlining Town Hall in New York

City, appearing in last summer's Lilith Fair, and having her songs featured on

"Party of Five."

Williams' first two albums, The Honesty Room and Mortal City , have sold over

150,000 copies. Last year she toured the US and Europe with Joan Baez, who in

turn has now recorded three of Williams' songs.

Tickets are $15 each. Locally, tickets are available at Grand Union in

Newtown, Trash American Style (12 Mill Plain Road, Danbury; 792-1630) and New

Morning Natural Foods (Middle Quarter Mall, Main Street South, Woodbury;

263-4868). Proceeds will go to WPKN (89.5 FM), a community owned and

operated/listener-supported radio station in Bridgeport that has some of the

funkiest (read: best, coolest) programming on the air!

The Sting in New Britain has reopened. The New Britain former mainstay had

shows last weekend by NRBQ and C&C MUSIC FACTORY (not to mention a wrestling

match last Friday featuring BAM BAM BIGELOW).

Next month, the club will host EDDIE MONEY on February 5, then LITTLE FEAT on

the 13th.

A tiny change concerning PAULA COLE's rescheduled concert at Toad's Place next

month. The Devlins will now be opening, instead of previously planned Jen

Trynin.

Tonight at The Webster Theatre in Hartford is OVERKILL; the MEGADETH show

scheduled for next Monday (Martin Luther King Day) has been bumped to Tuesday,

the 20th. Tickets for the original date will be honored, but the club is not

offering refunds if you can't get to the new date.

Until next week, I'll be seeing you... on the road.

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 16-Jan-1998

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