News

Organizations Promoting National 'No One Eats Alone Day'

Published: January 13, 2015 12:00 am

Sandy Hook Promise, the community organization founded in the days following 12/14, announced Monday, January 12, its partnership with Beyond Differences, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending...

Residents Sought For Commission Posts

Published: January 13, 2015 12:00 am

First Selectman Pat Llodra is seeking residents to fill several opening on local appointed boards and commissions. In some cases the appointments are required to be affiliated with a specific politica...

Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Awards Deadline Thursday

Published: January 12, 2015 12:00 am

Kids from across the country will be honored by Newtown Kindness at the non-profit’s Third Annual Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Awards on Saturday, February 21. The ceremony will honor eight to ten ...

Town Named As Defendant In 12/14 Lawsuit

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: January 12, 2015 12:00 am

DANBURY — The estates of two of the first-graders who were killed in the December 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School are the plaintiffs in that seeks money damages.a wrongful death la...

Garner Inmate Arrested in Prison Assault

Published: January 10, 2015 12:00 am

State police report that at about 6:40 pm on January 4, they received a report from the state’s high-security Garner Correctional Institution at 50 Nunnawauk Road that there had been an inmate assault...

Hawleyville Medical Office Building Proposal Under Town Review

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: January 10, 2015 12:00 am

Following review of a report on the traffic implications of a 30,000-square-foot medical office building proposed for 168-170 Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville, the Police Commission, serving as the tra...

Police Panel Considers Ways To Cut False Burglar Alarms

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: January 10, 2015 12:00 am

Police Commission members are considering strengthening the town’s ordinance on burglar alarms, a move which they expect would greatly decrease the number of false alarms to which police respond. By r...

Firehouse Traffic Report Issue Unresolved

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: January 10, 2015 12:00 am

Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico said this week he is seeking to learn when the commission, in its role as the local traffic authority, will receive for review a formal traffic report from t...

Police Seek Public Comments On Accreditation Renewal

Published: January 10, 2015 12:00 am

The Newtown Police Department is seeking public comments as part of its state reaccreditation process. A team of inspectors from the Police Officers Standards and Training Council (POSTC) is scheduled...

New School Bids Under Budget, Site Work Progressing

By John Voket

Published: January 09, 2015 12:00 am

Bids for the construction phase of the Sandy Hook Elementary School project have been opened and appear to address the full scope of work required to complete the new building, and they are $500,000 t...

Snapshot: Debi Modzelewski

10U Baseball State Tourney Will Take Place At Glander Field Complex

Newtown Rail Trail Fundraising Goal Reached, Clearing Way For Construction

My Backyard Habitat: Pollen Distribution — How Plants Are Pollinated

FONS Holds Third Annual Membership Dinner

With the publication of installment No. 26, Trump’s Triumphs has now consumed enough broadsheet paper—approximately 3.6 miles—to stretch from the center of Newtown, past the dump, and nearly to Sand Hill Plaza. That is the amount of paper used to print these 26 installments alone. Do you think they will stop before we get to Monroe? If Trump becomes 48 in 28 then we would make the sound for sure!

Elections Have Consequences XXVI

Dave, you are right that only those in the Borough signed onto the law suits, as it was made clear during the Borough meetings that signers had to be residents of the Borough. However, as you know, there was a concerted effort by the Newtown Conservation Coalition to organize people (throughout town) and to orchestrate actions intended to foil the overall development. If one searches the Bee for “Newtown Conservation Coalition” one will find many articles and editorials that cite the coalition. More that 18 of those articles and editorials, from March 2024 through February 2025, are about the Castle Hill Development and include direct quotes from the NCC head/founder including, e.g.,: 1) Newtown Conservation Coalition founder Dave Ackert has sagely urged his fellow NCC members to “stick to the relevant regulations issues and concerns in your testimony,” as “general opinions and concerns will not be considered when making their decision." [https://www.newtownbee.com/08292024/borough-zoning-to-begin-20-60-castle-hill-public-hearing." [https://www.newtownbee.com/08292024/borough-zoning-to-begin-20-60-castle-hill-public-hearing] 2) “We’re being sold a lot of things,” said Ackert. “The developer said he is going above and beyond in preserving open space, but the only part [of the plan] that doesn’t have houses are the steep slopes. He’s not avoiding buildable land, he’s using every buildable inch.” [https://www.newtownbee.com/09272024/borough-zoning-hears-perspectives-on-castle-hill-development] In addition to the articles and editorials, you (Dave) also wrote over 8 letters related to the development, in essence speaking for the residents, e.g., saying “On behalf of hundreds of concerned residents living within 500 feet who signed protest petitions, and residents downstream who’s property and finances could also be negatively impacted, I ask the BOS to rescind the discontinuance decision now.” [https://www.newtownbee.com/07102025/discusses-rochambeau-trail-and-6-commerce-road] The main tools for the Newtown Conservation Coalition are FOI complaints and legal action. These actions have increased the amount both the Town and the Borough have had to pay for legal counsel over the last few years. The cost is shared by all households and businesses for Town actions. Unfortunately, it is shared by very few, relatively speaking, for Borough actions. This year’s Borough costs are $58,000 to date. There were FOIA/legal actions in 2024 and 2025 too. Eventually, we will all see if that was money well spent. My sense is that the answer is no.

What’s Going On In The Borough?

my concern is not limited to this single FOIA request or this one case. It is the broader pattern of obstructionism, fear-mongering, and personal nastiness reflected in your Facebook page and other public commentary. You routinely call people to action by presenting only one side of complicated issues, assigning the worst possible motives to those who disagree with you, and giving little consideration to the legitimate concerns or perspectives on the other side. That may generate outrage and attention, but it does not make you a constructive participant in Newtown’s civic affairs. You are entitled to question public officials and pursue whatever legal remedies are available to you. But you should not pretend that your own conduct, rhetoric, and repeated escalation of disputes have played no role in the hostility and expense surrounding these matters. Newtown would be a nicer and more productive community with less of this kind of divisive behavior.

What’s Going On In The Borough?

My "actions" were a single request for audio recordings of public meetings. It would have cost the Borough ZERO dollars to turn those over, as required by law. Instead, the Chair of the Borough Zoning commission decided, unilaterally, without informing the rest of his commission, to fight that Freedom of Information request. Mr. Johnson attempt to deflect blame falls flat on its face here. Facts matter.

What’s Going On In The Borough?

Can you name a single person involved in one of the lawsuits who does not reside in the Borough? I'll wait......

What’s Going On In The Borough?

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