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Officials Winding Down Ambitious Schedule Of Post-12/14 Speaking Engagements

By John Voket

Published: October 03, 2013 12:00 am

It was not more than a few weeks after Newtown’s 12/14 tragedy that invitations began pouring in from across the region and the country to several key community leaders. Many were from fraternal organ...

Testimony Continues In Heath Murder Trial

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: October 02, 2013 12:00 am

DANBURY – A half-sister of John Heath, who had worked with him as a commercial painter, testified in court on Tuesday, October 1, that she told him that she smelled “something that was dead” in the ba...

Library Board Of Trustees Must Balance Town And Private Support

By Nancy K. Crevier

Published: October 02, 2013 12:00 am

The C.H. Booth Library operates under an “interesting duality,” said Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra in an e-mail to The Bee, last month. “It is housed in a municipal building, its employees are in...

Family Of Newtown Victim Talks Gun Control Politics, Misrepresentations

By Bruno Matarazzo, Jr

Published: September 30, 2013 12:00 am

BETHLEHEM (AP) — The Paradis and D’Avino family knows guns. They’ve owned them and enjoyed hunting and target shooting. Shooting was just part of life, like the time after Thanksgiving dinner in 2009 ...

Parks Named After 9/11, 12/14 Victims Vandalized

By Associated Press

Published: September 30, 2013 12:00 am

LONG ISLAND (AP) — A Long Island park named after the former commanding officer of the Port Authority Police Academy who died during the 9/11 attacks has been vandalized. Within 24 hours, police say, ...

Newtown Public Schools, Community Focus Group

Published: September 30, 2013 12:00 am

The Newtown Board of Education is inviting the community to participate in the superintendent search process. The board is asking community members to attend a focus group to provide input about the s...

Prolonged Federal Shutdown Could Damage Connecticut's Fragile Recovery

By Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

Published: September 30, 2013 12:00 am

As the federal government stood at the brink of a shutdown, state and business leaders were most wary Monday of a prolonged stoppage. Though many of the 9,000 federal employees residing in Connecticut...

Minor Fire Temporarily Closes Newtown General Store

By Andrew Gorosko

Updated: February 12, 2022 12:22 pm

UPDATE (9:40 am): Health Department Director Donna Culbert has cleared Newtown General Store to reopen for business. ***** Newtown Hook & Ladder, Sandy Hook and Hawleyville firefighters were a...

Woman Seeks Probation In 12/14 Internet Fraud Case

By Associated Press

Published: September 28, 2013 12:00 am

HARTFORD (AP) — Scheduled to be sentenced October 15, the New York City woman who posed as the aunt of a child killed on 12/14 is seeking probation, arguing she’s already been punished by the media. N...

State FOI Commission Orders Release Of 911 Recordings From 12/14

Published: September 27, 2013 12:00 am

HARTFORD (AP) — The state’s Freedom of Information Commission on Wednesday ordered the release of the 911 tapes from last year’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, ruling in favor of an appeal ...

Nighthawk Baseball Team Beats Conference Opponents

Late Goal By Ruddy Lifts Nighthawk Lacrosse Team To Victory, Showcases Chemistry In Midfield

Reed Intermediate Presents Sold-Out Performances Of 'Willy Wonka Jr'

Draw Dominance, Transition Game Lift Boys' Lacrosse Team To Lopsided Wins

The Way We Were

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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Officials Winding Down Ambitious Schedule Of Post-12/14 Speaking Engagements

Testimony Continues In Heath Murder Trial

Library Board Of Trustees Must Balance Town And Private Support

Family Of Newtown Victim Talks Gun Control Politics, Misrepresentations

Parks Named After 9/11, 12/14 Victims Vandalized

Newtown Public Schools, Community Focus Group

Prolonged Federal Shutdown Could Damage Connecticut's Fragile Recovery

Minor Fire Temporarily Closes Newtown General Store

Woman Seeks Probation In 12/14 Internet Fraud Case

State FOI Commission Orders Release Of 911 Recordings From 12/14