Date: Fri 01-May-1998

By KAAREN VALENTA

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Sipherd-Walker-author

Full Text:

RAY SIPHERD RETURNS WITH JONATHAN WILDER

(with photo & book cover)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Newtown author Ray Sipherd will be at The Book Review in Sand Hill Plaza at 7

pm on Thursday, May 7, to sign copies of his new book, The Audubon Quartet.

An Emmy Award-winning television producer and novelist, Mr Sipherd is back in

the spotlight with his second mystery starring artist, ornithologist and

sleuth Jonathan Wilder.

Art philanthropist and millionaire Brian Ravener has made the purchase of the

century: four original paintings by John James Audubon. This quartet, Mr

Ravener believes, will not only cause a stir in prominent art circles, but

actually alter a portion of history regarding one of America's greatest

artists and naturalists.

After acerbic art critic Abel Lasher pronounces the Audubon Quartet a fake,

his body is found floating in Nantucket Sound. Police suspect Brian Ravener is

the murderer. He turns to his friend, Jonathan Wilder, for help.

Jonathan Wilder's search for the answers takes him on a journey through the

glamorous and dangerous world of high art, where powerful collectors with

great financial resources will do anything to keep the truth from surfacing,

even if it means murder.

Those who read Ray Sipherd's first Jonathan Wilder mystery, Dance of the

Scarecrows, are already familiar with this sleuth and how the author keeps the

readers guessing right up to the end. Like the first, this book is a

skillfully crafted tale written with wit and an eye for exotic adventure.

One of the four original writers of the children's television series Sesame

Street , which brought him three Emmy Awards in 17 years, Ray Sipherd has also

written seven children's books and more than 30 television programs for WNET

including the award-winning documentary Years Without Harvest . He was the

creator of WNET's weekly magazine of the arts, All Things Considered , and is

a senior staff editor for Reader's Digest Books. He also has published two

other books, The Christmas Store and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy.

The official publication date of The Audubon Quartet is May 12, but copies

already are in some bookstores now. Mr Sipherd will be at the Barnes & Noble

store in Norwalk for a book signing at 2 pm on Saturday, May 9, and at the

Hickory Stick Book Shop in Washington Depot at 2 pm on May 30.

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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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