Date: Fri 01-May-1998

By SHANNON HICKS

Published: Aug 13, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNON

Quick Words:

HORDE-Culture-Club-Goldfinger

Full Text:

ON THE ROAD/SHANNON HICKS

The Mary Hawley Inn in Newtown is beginning to present music on a weekly

basis. This Saturday evening (May 2), PETER OBRE and ALLAN JOHNSON will be

performing acoustic folk and rock. Showtime is 9 pm, and admission is free.

On a weekly basis, LIVE ACOUSTICS, featuring Chris Morrison (of Electricwater

fame) and Mike Beigel, will be performing acoustic rock and blues every

Thursday night at the Main Street restaurant and pub. Performances are 8 pm to

midnight, and there is no charge to get in. The inn is a nice place to hang

out, and it's the only place I know of that boasts a marble backgammon set.

Good food and drinks, and now music. See you there!

Tickets for this year's H.O.R.D.E. Tour at the Meadows Music Theatre in

Hartford will be going on sale May 2. That's this Saturday. The show will be

Tuesday, August 4, and this year's line-up includes the usual suspects BLUES

TRAVELER, along with BARENAKED LADIES, PAULA COLE, BEN HARPER and MARCY

PLAYGROUND.

Tickets are not yet on sale, but radio 104 mentioned last week that CULTURE

CLUB, HOWARD JONES and THE HUMAN LEAGUE will be at the Oakdale in Wallingford

on August 6.

Tuxedo Junction has a few good-looking shows coming up this month, starting

with ABSOLUTE BLOOM next Tuesday. The May 6 show, with Keith Caputo in the

headlining band (formerly of Life of Agony), will present opening sets by Big

Top Low, The Dent and Electric Pimps. Doors open at 7, starting time is 8 pm,

and the show is open to all ages. Tickets are $5.

On Sunday the 10th, MIKE WATT & THE BLACK GANG CREW are at the Danbury club.

Also an all ages show, this one starts at 8 pm (doors at 7). Tickets are $8 in

advance or $10 at the door. On May 12, FRANK BLACK & THE CATHOLICS. Black is

the former frontman for THE PIXIES. Another all ages show with the same door

and showtime details, tickets for this concert are $12 in advance and $14 at

the door. Shift opens.

Towards the end of the month, a triple bill with KING DIAMOND headlining. This

is a 21-and-over show. Tickets for the May 20 performance, with Pitbull

Daycare and Soundscape opening, are $14.50 in advance, $16 day of. Doors open

at 8, showtime is around 9.

GOLDFINGER put on an awesome show at Tuxedo Junction in February. If you saw

the show, you have to agree with me. If you missed it, here's your chance to

make amends. The band is returning to the area, with a show at The Globe in

Norwalk on May 12. Graffiks "and special guests" will be opening.

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 01-May-1998

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