Saturday, February 21

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Feb 20, 2004 12:00 am

Saturday, February 21

Income Tax Assistance, 10 am-2 pm, C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, free help by members of IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), program continues weekly through April 10, no appointment necessary.

Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company Game Dinner, 7 pm, Hawleyville Fire House, Hawleyville Road, tickets $25, proceeds will benefit fire company; 270-4389.

Sunday, February 22

The Pacifica String Quartet in concert, 3 pm, Edmond Town Hall auditorium, 45 Main Street, tickets $15, children ages 5-14 free when attending with ticket-holding adult, works of Beethoven, Hindemuth and Mendelssohn, concert continues 2003-04 Newtown Friends of Music season; 426-6470.

Monday, February 23

Newtown Pension Committee, 7:30 pm, Town Hall South, 3 Main Street.

Board of Fire Commissioners, 7:30 pm, Newtown Hook and Ladder Firehouse, 45 Main Street.

The Stroke Connection, 7:30 pm, Msgr Conroy Room at St Rose School, program on stroke prevention and treatment by neurologist John Murphy, MD, free and open to the public; sponsored by Parish Nurse Ministry.

Tuesday, February 24

SHROVE TUESDAY

Open Space Committee, 5 pm, Canaan House at Fairfield Hills.

46th Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, 5-7:30 pm, St Johnâs Episcopal Church, Washington Avenue, $6.50 adults, $3.50 ages 5-12, free for ages 4 and under, pancakes and local maple syrup, homemade corned beef hash, applesauce and beverages, also raffle baskets.

Public Building and Site Commission, 6:30 pm, Booth Library, 25 Main Street.

Wednesday, February 25

ASH WEDNESDAY

Free Blood Pressure Screening, 10 am-noon, C.H. Booth Library, Main Street, sponsored by Ashlar of Newtown.

Free Blood Pressure Screening, 11 am-noon, Nunnawauk Meadows Community Room, Nunnawauk Road, sponsored by Connecticut Visiting Nurse Assocation.

Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) program, 1:30 pm, Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street, free and open to non-members, program on painting with watercolors by Richard Ochs; 426-6654.

Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART), board of directors, 4 pm, HART offices, 62 Federal Road, Danbury.

Â âThe Parent Connection: The Courage to Speak,â 7 pm, Newtown Middle School auditorium, Queen Street, free, guest speaker and young mother Ginger Katz (The Courage to Speak Foundation) will offer compelling story of how substance abuse devastated a family and one young manâs life; 270-4335.

Conservation Commission, 7:30 pm, Canaan House at Fairfield Hills.

Thursday, February 26

Sandy Hook Center Streetscape Project Steering Committee, 2 pm, Canaan House at Fairfield Hills.

Author program and book signing, 7 pm, The Homesteads at Newtown, 166 Mt Pleasant Road, free discussion of The Passion of Reverend Nash by its author, Newtown resident Rachel Basch, followed by book signing; 426-8118.

Board of Finance, 7:30 pm, Town Hall South, 3 Main Street.

Saturday, February 28

Special hours for absentee voting for March 2 Democratic Presidential Preference Primary, 9 am to noon, Town Clerkâs Office, Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street; 270-4210.

Sunday, February 29

LEAP YEAR DAY

Alliance FranÃ§aise of Northwestern CT CinÃ©mathÃ¨que, 2 pm, C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, free screening of Marious et Jeannette (French with subtitles) followed by discussion in French.

Auditions for Donât Dress For Dinner, 2-4 pm, The Little Theatre, Orchard Hill Road, director Evelyne Thomas seeks three male actors and three female actors to star in Marc Camolettiâs comedy (adapted by Robin Hawdon), auditions also running Monday (7-9 pm), call if interested but unable to attend auditions or for additional details; 426-9850.

Monday, March 1

Auditions for Donât Dress For Dinner, 7-9 pm, The Little Theatre, Orchard Hill Road, see details from February 29.

Patricia Anzellotti

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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