Readers are invited to support the annual Trees for Trout collection event co-hosted by Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited and Pootatuck Watershed Association, one week from today.
The Newtown Bee is looking for the first child born to Newtown parents in 2023, continuing a tradition now in its 65th year. The newspaper is also continuing to seek students hoping to capture some cash if they are chosen as finalists in the "Why I LOVE Newtown Essay Project."
Newtown Hikers, an open group welcoming anyone interested in hiking, has announced its winter 2023 schedule. The first hike of the new season is planned for next Saturday morning.
Bringing hope to the new year, the Right Reverend James E. Curry and Reverend Matthew Crebbin will co-host a Swords To Plowshares transformational experience at Newtown Congregational Church next month.
Social media content creator and former Newtowner Brett Boles is continuing to expand his musical influence by launching The M Tea Songwriting Studio in spring 2023.
What is winter sowing, and what is the benefit of this form of gardening? C.H. Booth Library will host a 90-minute hands-on workshop covering that on Monday, January 9.
Byrd’s Books will welcome illustrator and longtime Newtown resident Bruce Degen for a program highlighting his newest book, "Scoot: A Tiny New York Bird with a Great Big Idea," Saturday morning, December 17.
The Newtown Bee is hosting an opportunity for our young future community members and leaders to share what they LOVE about Newtown - with the possibility of qualifying for up to $500!
Dear Alyssa, Kelela, and Brandon,
We send our sincere sympathy to you and your family. We will also keep you in our prayers asking our Lord to grant you comfort and peace.
With love,
Vince and Sandy Venitelli
Bruce, your advice that voters should “read, listen, and engage” would be much more persuasive if you practiced it yourself.
You campaigned on openness and responsiveness. You declared that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government” and promised to answer constituent inquiries within two days. Yet you never answered my straightforward public question about Main Street demonstrations, traffic disruption, pedestrian safety, and the effects on local businesses.
After taking office, meaningful public engagement has largely been replaced by “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center—requiring reservations and, for some residents, a day pass. That is not accessible, townwide engagement. Previous first selectmen held open coffee hours and walk-and-talk sessions that any resident could attend.
Then came the failed storm communications, your apology, and another promise to communicate better—followed shortly afterward by more silence while multiple police agencies conducted a significant search near Saw Mill Road.
You now tell voters to examine what candidates say and “how they say it.” I would suggest going one step further: compare what politicians promise while seeking office with what they actually do after winning.
Your record presents a stark contrast. You told voters exactly what they wanted to hear to get the job, then failed to live by those promises. Whether that is dishonesty or simply indifference, it is the same familiar, two-faced politics you once claimed you would replace.
Nothing says “I care about Newtown homeowners” quite like lining Main Street with plywood campaign billboards—apparently built just inches below the size at which officials say they can take action. At this rate, we’ll need property-tax relief just to offset the loss in curb appeal.
