The first session of Newtown Continuing Education’s SMART (Summer Music and Art) Camp wrapped up on Friday, July 19.
Throughout the afternoon, children and their families collected crafts the campers ...
Newtown Youth & Family Services’ Safety Town program is teaching local children about safety through interactive lessons and visits from local experts.
Newtown residents whose children need backpacks and school supplies for the coming school year have four convenient Wireless Zone locations hosting the company’s annual backpack giveaway on Sunday, July 21.
Newtown Continuing Education’s SMART (Summer Music and Art) Camp first week of summer classes, July 8 to 12, included smiling students attending a range of programs.
The following students made the High Honor Roll and Honor Roll for the fourth quarter marking period at Newtown High School for the 2018-19 school year. The honor roll listings were recently released by the school for publication.
After meeting for a private executive session to interview a candidate for position of Reed Intermediate School principal, the Board of Education (BOE) convened for its public session on the evening o...
If the smell of food was not enough to draw students to visit three Reed Intermediate School clusters participating in this year’s June 5 Kindness Carts effort, the sounds of cheer and excitement certainly did the trick.
Middle Gate Elementary School fourth grade teacher Linda Baron ran a Flag Day assembly on June 10, and students and special guests were treated to history lessons about the Stars and Stripes.
Newtown Middle School recently released its honor roll for the fourth quarter marking period of the 2018-19 school year. The following seventh and eighth grade students earned their place on the list.
Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.
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.
But where was Bruce two days ago, when Connecticut State Police requested assistance from Newtown Police after two individuals fled on foot from an I-84 crash? As a manhunt went through town, police were stationed at our schools, and many residents checked their car doors, deadbolted their houses, and armed themselves (Thank you James from Port Conway).
That sounds like exactly the kind of situation where residents would expect timely communication from town leadership. Parents, neighbors, and residents in the affected area should not have to piece together information after the fact while police are actively searching the community.
The issue is not whether our police did their job. They did. The issue is whether Town Hall is doing its job when it comes to keeping residents informed during real-time public safety situations.
If the First Selectman can write to residents about the importance of showing up for the budget, he should also show up when residents are looking for clear, timely information during an active police incident. This kind of communication was promised during the campaign.
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.
528 more feet of broadsheet paper ... we have passed the dump ... as for the details, it is worth pointing out that Merrimack's coal plant shifted to two (2) 4 oil generators. I wonder if this is why crude oil production hit record highs in July...
Where was our CodeRED?
For over 4 years Newtown has a CodeRED system. The town tells residents it exists for emergencies and points to things like missing persons, wildfires, and criminal activity as the kinds of incidents it is meant to address. Yet we had no CodeRED for Kateri Doty, no CodeRED for the brush fires, and no CodeRED for yesterday’s manhunt with police and tracking dogs moving through our backyards.
That is not one oversight. That is a pattern.
Under sleepy Bruce Walczak, the town has an emergency notification system that never seems to get used when actual emergencies happen.
Whether or not Bruce physically sends the alert himself is beside the point. If the system is not being used, if residents are left hearing about dangerous situations from Facebook and the neighbors’ kids instead of from their own government, then that failure belongs to him.
Newtown residents should not have to guess when there is a public safety issue unfolding around them. If Bruce Walcz"zzz"ak cannot make sure an emergency alert system is used for emergencies, then what exactly is he doing?
So your counterpoint is that The Bee prints the same number of pages regardless of how much content appears in it. If that is true, then I stand corrected. I actually doubt that is the case.
