News

Newtown Delegation Contests Poor Showing On 2014 'Environmental Scorecard'

By John Voket

Published: October 09, 2014 12:00 am

See the related article for more details on the CTLCV Scorecard criteria, and how Newtown's delegation stacked up on all the votes used in determining the lawmakers' scores. Newtown’s three curre...

Serious Nighttime Accident Results In Multiple Charges

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: October 08, 2014 12:00 am

Police said they have arrested a Danbury woman on multiple charges in connection with a serious nighttime motor vehicle accident on Berkshire Road (Route 34) near the Monroe town line in June, in whi...

State Flags To Be Lowered For Hartford Firefighter

Published: October 08, 2014 12:00 am

HARTFORD — Governor Dannel P. Malloy is directing State of Connecticut flags to half-staff in honor of the Hartford firefighter who died Tuesday night while fighting a house fire in the city. “Last ni...

Kehoe To Keynote 'Active Shooter' Symposium

Published: October 08, 2014 12:00 am

BRONX, N.Y. — Monroe College, a national leader in urban and international education, announced that its School of Criminal Justice will host a symposium titled, “Keeping Safe and Alert: Responding to...

Elections Officials Review New Polling Place, Registration, Complaint Process

By John Voket

Published: October 07, 2014 12:00 am

Newtown’s registrars of voters, the head of the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC), and the secretary of the state have all released information pertinent to the upcoming November 4 electio...

Final Playground In Honor Of 12/14 Victims Opens

By Associated Press

Published: October 06, 2014 12:00 am

WATERTOWN (AP) - The 26th and final playground built in memory of the Newtown school shooting victims has opened in Connecticut. Volunteers and relatives of Dawn Hochsprung gathered in Watertown on Su...

Sunlight Will Save Town On Energy Costs

By Kendra Bobowick

Published: October 06, 2014 12:00 am

With the help of a hydraulic lift, members of Sound Solar Systems LLC fitted solar panels in place on the Parks & Recreation Department garage on Trades Lane Tuesday morning. The new solar system will...

An Acute Care Facility Proposed For Fairfield Hills

By Kendra Bobowick

Published: October 06, 2014 12:00 am

An acute psychiatric hospital at Fairfield Hills would treat bipolar disorder and people suffering from psychosis. “Those are patients we treat,” said Richard Kresch, MD. The CEO of HealthVest spoke w...

Motorcyclists Ride To Raise Money For Firehouse Project

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: October 06, 2014 12:00 am

About 120 motorcyclists, some with passengers onboard, took a ride through the countryside on a sunny Sunday, September 28, both enjoying the early fall weather and raising money for the Newtown Hook ...

Sunlight Will Save Town On Energy Costs

By Kendra Bobowick

Published: October 06, 2014 12:00 am

With the help of a hydraulic lift, members of Sound Solar Systems LLC fitted solar panels in place on the Parks & Recreation Department garage on Trades Lane Tuesday morning. The new solar system will...

The Way We Were

Silver Alert For Blue McGrath Ended

Top Of The Mountain

Cargo Van Driver Taken To Hospital Following Collision With Gas Tanker

Knotweed Initiative Program Planned

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

The ‘Me’ Generation

Copyright ©2026 The Newtown Bee / All rights reserved