Cultural Events

Quiet Life To Headline Next 'Live At The Edmond Town Hall' Benefit

Published: November 29, 2014 12:00 am

On Saturday, December 20, at 7 pm, Quiet Life will headline the ninth show in Newtown’s Live at the Edmond Town Hall series. Sparks flew when Quiet Life formed in New London, where New England meets t...

SCAN Program With Bruckman, December 3

Published: November 27, 2014 12:00 am

The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will welcome the internationally acclaimed artist Frank Bruckmann, who will demonstrate his process of painting a landscape in oil on Wednesday, December...

Arts Festival Committee Seeking 2015 Logo Art; Due Dec. 1-5

Published: November 25, 2014 12:00 am

The Newtown Arts Festival Artwork Selection Committee invites regional artists to submit artwork for consideration for the 2015 Newtown Arts Festival. The winning artist will receive $750 and the winn...

Boy Scout Wreath Sale Thanksgiving Weekend

Published: November 24, 2014 12:00 am

Boy Scout Troop 770 will be conducting its annual Christmas wreath sale Thanksgiving weekend. Scouts will sell wreaths to the public at Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop, 51 Church Hill Road, on Saturday, Novem...

Sandy Hook Tree Lighting Guest Of Honor To Be Decided December 6

Published: November 24, 2014 12:00 am

On Saturday, December 6, Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP) will present the 13th Annual Sandy Hook Village holiday tree lighting. The public is invited to enjoy this great Sandy Hook tradi...

St Rose Christmas Boutique Returning December 5-7

Published: November 24, 2014 12:00 am

The annual St Rose of Lima Christmas Boutique will be held this year Friday through Sunday, December 5-7, in the Monsignor Weiss Hall, 40 Church Hill Road. The gala grand opening will take place on Fr...

Garden Club Of Newtown Preparing For Annual Greens Sale

Published: November 21, 2014 12:00 am

The Garden Club of Newtown will hold its annual Christmas Greens Sale from 9 am until noon on Saturday, December 6, at Newtown Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street. Members of the garden club prepare...

Vendor Fair To Benefit NHS Winter Guard, Saturday In Sandy Hook

Published: November 18, 2014 12:00 am

With the marching band season now ended, the Newtown Winter Guard program is gearing up for an exciting season. Currently 49 students in grades 5-12 are registered in the program. With the cost of att...

'Within Our Reach:' Newtown Youth Voices, Peter Yarrow, Et Al In Song And Spoken Word

Published: November 17, 2014 12:00 am

Monday, November 17, 2014: This post has been updated to indicate the correct station number for WMNR. On Sunday afternoon, November 23, “Within Our Reach — A Celebration Of Our Commitment To Ful...

Gingerbread House Contest Returning For Holiday Festival

By Shannon Hicks

Published: November 15, 2014 12:00 am

The 29th Newtown Holiday Festival will host a Gingerbread House Contest as one of its events on Sunday, December 7. Introduced in 2007, the competition invites families, friends, organizations and eve...

Patricia Anzellotti

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation

A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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Quiet Life To Headline Next 'Live At The Edmond Town Hall' Benefit

SCAN Program With Bruckman, December 3

Arts Festival Committee Seeking 2015 Logo Art; Due Dec. 1-5

Boy Scout Wreath Sale Thanksgiving Weekend

Sandy Hook Tree Lighting Guest Of Honor To Be Decided December 6

St Rose Christmas Boutique Returning December 5-7

Garden Club Of Newtown Preparing For Annual Greens Sale

Vendor Fair To Benefit NHS Winter Guard, Saturday In Sandy Hook

'Within Our Reach:' Newtown Youth Voices, Peter Yarrow, Et Al In Song And Spoken Word

Gingerbread House Contest Returning For Holiday Festival