Members of Newtown Police Department plan to participate in the Special Olympics Penguin Plunge, a fundraising event for the Special Olympics of Connecticut scheduled for this coming weekend.

At a Mach 22 meeting, C.H. Booth Library Director Douglas Lord initiated the first tentative step toward helping form a Newtown Nonprofit Council — through which local members can all share event dates, news, and other information.

Representatives of Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity and a partner/benefactor appeared before the Legislative Council on March 20 to review plans for a pocket park they hope to develop on a town-owned parcel in Sandy Hook Center.

In Newtown, Monroe, and Bethel — which share the State Routes 25 and 302 corridor — April will not only provide an opportunity for police agencies in those communities to heighten Distracted Driving Awareness Month enforcement, it will also be an opportunity for continued scientific data gathering about distracted driving and enforcement around school bus stops.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is reporting that there are 11 years left to make significant progress on reducing carbon emissions around the world, or mankind will face catastrophic consequences. Newtown Environmental Action Team will host a presentation about climate change on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 pm, at C.H. Booth Library.

Former Newtown State Representative Christopher Lyddy has seemingly done it all for the Newtown Parent Connection (NPC) including service on its board and as its chairman, so longtime friend, mentor, and NPC founder Dorrie Carolan, along with her current board, are honoring him at the organization’s third annual Mardi Gras Gala.

One Newtown parent spoke at a roughly seven-hour-long Education Committee public hearing on March 18 to support the creation of a state-level task force for dyslexia.

A free private event for Sandy Hook/Newtown children and families is being planned for Friday, April 5, by a nearby trampoline park and a local nonprofit organization. 

Throughout Autism Awareness Month this April, Families United in Newtown (FUN) is hoping local residents will help celebrate autism awareness all month long by hanging or displaying blue lighting at their homes and businesses.

Newtown Interfaith Council has announced it will present a community gathering this weekend. All are invited to be together in the midst of grief, to find peace and support. The council is asking that all media respect the privacy of those attending.