News

Flags Lowered To Honor Nelson Mandela

Published: December 06, 2013 12:00 am

President Barack Obama has ordered flags lowered to honor Nelson Mandela, who died yesterday at his home in South Africa. In a proclamation issued last night, the President has ordered “that the flag ...

Newtown Fund Still Needs Help For Holiday Basket Program

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

With Depot Day fast approaching, The Newtown Fund still has five families who need to be adopted this holiday season. The Newtown Fund’s Holiday Basket Program provides gifts for all members of a fami...

Fire Reports, November 27 - December 4, 2013

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

The dispatchers at the Newtown Emergency Communications Center at 3 Main Street report the following fire calls and the responders: Wednesday, November 27: 9:08 am, investigation, 3 Simm Lane, Hoo...

Faith Communities Offering Anniversary Gatherings

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

(December 5, 2013: This story has been updated to include information from Al Hedaya Islamic Center.) (December 9: This story has also been updated to reflect that St John’s Episcopal Church ...

Llodra Reports To Newly Seated Council On School Security Developments

By John Voket

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

It was an odd image, seeing Jeff Capeci seated at an audience microphone during the public comments portion of Wednesday's Legislative Council meeting. But as he was briefly honored by newly elected c...

NHS CAPT Scores Among Top In The State

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

The Newtown school system has been informed by the Connecticut State Department of Education that Newtown High School is one of the 15 high schools in the state to achieve the highest classification o...

Police Announce Traffic & Parking Rules For Ram Pasture Tree Lighting

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

UPDATE, December 6, 2013: The Ram Pasture tree lighting has been postponed to Wednesday, December 11, due to the weather of Friday, December 6. Same schedule (festivities to begin at 6:30, tree li...

What Will Newtown's Community Leaders Be Doing On 12/14?

By John Voket

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

Prior to an open press conference conducted by several elected Newtown officials and community leaders to discuss issues around the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy, those individuals sat d...

Police Reports | November 25-December 3, 2013

Published: December 05, 2013 12:00 am

DUI Charge Police said that they responded to a report of a minor one-vehicle accident having occurred at 4 Riverside Road about 2:05 am on November 30. Police said that after investigating, they...

Main Street Flag Lowered For Jack Rosenthal

By Shannon Hicks

Published: December 04, 2013 12:00 am

Hook & Ladder firefighters lowered the flag on the Main Street flagpole this morning, to honor the late First Selectman Jack Rosenthal. Mr Rosenthal died on November 26. Calling hours are tonight, fro...

The Way We Were

Silver Alert For Blue McGrath Ended

Top Of The Mountain

Cargo Van Driver Taken To Hospital Following Collision With Gas Tanker

Knotweed Initiative Program Planned

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.

The ‘Me’ Generation

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 :)

The ‘Me’ Generation

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