Governor Ned Lamont is directing US and state flags in Connecticut lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, October 3, 2021, in recognition of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.
As Newtown came out from under a local indoor mask mandate on September 27, the community’s delegation of state lawmakers readied for a special session of the General Assembly that by Tuesday had authorized further extending Governor Ned Lamont’s emergency powers. The initiative was opposed across the board by Newtown’s delegation.
Absentee ballots are available for the November municipal elections. Town Clerk Deb Aurelia Halstead has also announce a special Saturday morning session for absentee voting.
A quick response by all five fire companies in Newtown contained and extinguished a raging barn fire that temporarily threatened a coop and residence on Blackman Road last Friday afternoon.
Government Officials including Newtown State Representative Mitch Bolinsky are calling attention to a new law going into effect October 1 that requires back seat passengers to wear seatbelts.
After years, Newtown High School’s New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc, accreditation process has concluded, and it is almost time to begin again.
As NHS Principal Dr Kimberly Longobu...
UPDATE: A gofundme campaign has been launched to help the family of Bert Schovanec with funeral and related expenses. || A Waterford man died Tuesday afternoon after the car he was operating crashed into a tree in southern Newtown.
CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!
Bruce, welcome to the conversation.
Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.”
The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected.
Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly.
So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area?
Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government.
This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved.
So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time.
Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.
The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.
Congrats to all the 275 graduates.
For context...class of 2005 had 360 students, the number of graduating seniors seemed to cap out in the late 2000's in the low 400's.
