The seven-member Joni Mitchell’s Jazz will celebrate Joni Mitchell’s 75th birthday by playing to audiences at Edmond Town Hall Theatre on Saturday, October 13. Proceeds will go to the Edmond Town Hall restoration fund, earmarked for the historic building’s theater.
In a new partnership with Newtown United Methodist Church, Newtown Parent Connection will present “A Spotlight On Addiction,” Sunday, September 30, at 11:30 am, at the church.
Newtown Cultural Arts Commission and C.H. Booth Library will bring a uniquely Newtown project to the community in recognition of National Arts and Humanities Month. “The Main Street Replica Project” includes free workshops that will teach participants how to use 3D printers to create a miniature replica of Main Street.
C.H. Booth Library will welcome the return of ArtScapades next week for the group’s 25th lecture in Newtown. On Wednesday, September 26, at 6:30 pm, Robin Hoffman and Jodi Stiffelman will present “East Meets West: From Japonism to Impressionism.”
The Newtown High School Marching Band and Guard’s Tenth Annual 100 Family Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, September 22, from 9 am to 2 pm, at the high school. The group will then continue its Saturday with a competitive performance at New Milford High School just a few hours after the fundraiser.
The art of Newtown resident Patricia Singer will be featured in "Collage Alchemy: Patricia Singer’s A Healing Journey,” a one-artist exhibition at La Zingara Restaurant that will celebrate its opening reception on Wednesday, September 19. The exhibition will then remain on view through late November.
Newtown's 25th Annual Health and Public Safety Fair will be Saturday, September 22, and organizers are reaching out to invite the community and anyone interested in optimizing their health.
CT primaries are closed to voters not registered with the party's designation. Dems can't vote in Rep. primaries and, vice versa. Unaffiliated and Independent voters cannot vote in them. Keep primaries closed!
Bruce, welcome to the conversation.
Your recent statement after the storm — admitting that you should have communicated “faster, more completely, and more personally” — was fine as far as it went. But this is not just about one storm. It is about a pattern. You ran on openness, responsiveness, and transparency, even saying that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government.”
The problem is that Newtown residents have been dealing with exactly that silence from you since you were elected.
Newtown’s Emergency Management page says the town, together with the Office of the First Selectman, provides “critical public information and warning” during emergencies. The town also rolled out CodeRED cellphone registration on March 24, 2022 so residents could receive emergency information directly.
So where were you when police were searching for missing 23-year-old Kateri Doty in January? Where were you during the brush fires near the Newtown town line in April? Where were you on April 22, when state police and Newtown police were searching for two people who fled an I-84 crash and a canine search moved into the Church Hill Road area?
Residents should not be hearing about a missing person, wildfire conditions, or police tracking dogs moving through backyards from Facebook, neighbors, or kids in town. They should be hearing from their town government.
This is not really about whether you personally press the CodeRED button. Or how many task forces you have created. It is about leadership. You are the First Selectman. You are responsible for making sure the town communicates clearly, quickly, and visibly when public safety is involved.
So yes, it is nice that you have finally acknowledged the problem. But the public did not need this storm to figure it out. We have been saying it for a long time.
Bruce, you were missing when the town needed to hear from you. The question now is whether this storm finally woke you up, or whether this is just another late apology followed by more silence.
The topic may be the same but the narratives every other week differ and I appreciate the installments. Rebuttals on factual content rather than focusing on form would improve the discourse.
Congrats to all the 275 graduates.
For context...class of 2005 had 360 students, the number of graduating seniors seemed to cap out in the late 2000's in the low 400's.
