The Newtown Bee

Events for Thursday, June 18, 2026

Events for June 18, 2026

June 18, 2026 09:30 am - 08:00 pm

Western Council of Government, Housatonic Valley Municipal and South Western Region Municipal Planning Organizations meeting

June 18, 2026 12:00 pm

Silent Book Club

June 18, 2026 06:30 pm

Planning & Zoning Commission meeting

June 18, 2026 07:00 pm

Sustainable Energy Commission meeting

June 18, 2026 07:00 pm

Pension Committee meeting

June 18, 2026 07:30 pm

Middle Gate Students Delight In Annual Art Show

Fire Reports | May 4-12, 2026

Holiday Closings: Memorial Day

Council Approves Bus Stop Arm Enforcement Ordinance, Considers Cameras

P&Z Approves New 4,400 Square Foot Retail Building On Mt Pleasant

I am glad to see First Selectman Bruce Walczak engaging the electorate. Mark your calendars, folks — apparently, communication from Town Hall is possible after all. Unfortunately, Bruce Walczzzzak is starting to look like just another politician: campaign on change, criticize the last guy, ask taxpayers for more staff, and then tell residents the job still cannot be done.

Get Out And Vote

Bravo We need people calling these politicians out. Thank you.

Two Questions

I for one totally agree, thanks for bringing the issue forward.

Our Right To Choose

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

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