State police report that during the Thanksgiving holiday period from Tuesday, November 20, through Sunday, November 25, they augmented their regular patrols with troopers in a traffic enforcement drive focused on violations including drunken driving and aggressive driving.
DogFoodAdvisor.com announced on November 27 that Sunshine Mills, Inc., of Red Bay, Alabama, is voluntarily recalling select products of Evolve, Sportsman’s Pride, and Triumph dog foods.
UPDATE: The December 19 session has been canceled. || State Representative Mitch Bolinsky (R-Newtown) will be hosting three separate Legislative Listening Sessions over the coming weeks.
Over a dozen local businesses are participating as drop-off locations for The Marine Corps Reserve's Toys For Tots program. All new, unwrapped toys for children and teens will be collected by December 15 and distributed to local families in need before Christmas.
At the end of a five-hour food drive, firefighters from all five of Newtown's volunteer companies had completed another very successful Fill The Fire Truck on November 17.
In ceremonies earlier this month, the Newtown Police Department received a Tier One reaccreditation from the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC).
Fifteen non-profit organizations and schools in Newtown are participating in #GivingTuesday this year, hoping to benefit from a gobal day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.
Newtown High School students and Junior Newtown Action Alliance Co-Presidents Jackson Mittleman and Tommy Murray recently traveled to Costa Rica to take part in a PeaceJam Youth Summit on Gun Violence.
As has been tradition for approximately 40 years, Women Involved in Newtown spent the majority of the Friday before Thanksgiving organizing and then distribution Thanksgiving dinners and other supplies to families in need. This year 74 families received a Holiday Basket from WIN, thanks to help from Newtown Social Services.
My darling,
You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart.
There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home.
I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother.
You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR.
You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy.
Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name.
To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”.
Just like we ended every phone call.
Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH!
Love your GRANDchild,
Kimberly aka Carmenita
Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better...
Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become.
Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement.
If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded:
What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used?
Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too?
How long will data be stored, and who can access it?
What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information?
Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...
I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier.
For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building.
If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.
Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position.
If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe.
Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.
