Governor Ned Lamont has pegged October 8 as the date when Phase 3 openings will begin, eventually returning the state to 99 percent of its pre-pandemic economic operations.
A photographer who relocated to Newtown from Detroit has become the first Newtown business to seek greater exposure by putting a listing on ShopBlackCT.com, a newly launched statewide business directory.
The organization may dedicate itself to supporting all types of commerce and industry in Newtown, but its leadership often reminds those who are not members that the local Chamber of Commerce is a small business, too.
Even with heavy renovations currently underway, the phrase “what’s old is new again” does not do justice to the amazing renovations that are breathing new life into the former Inn at Newtown.
In the wake of the Tropical Storm Isaias, Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut is warning homeowners to be aware of shady fly-by-night contractors.
After a 50-year career that started when she was barely 13 years old, Melanie Allen Mattegat is still successfully outfitting bridal parties and brides-to-be at Julie Allen Bridals — although she admits the COVID-19 pandemic has upended virtually everything related to long-planned wedding events. Read all about this local business and its backstory.
Connecticut's utility regulatory authority is temporarily suspending the latest Eversource electricity rate July 31, just hours after the utility began offering assistance to ratepayers who are enraged by or otherwise unable to immediately pay electricity bills that have spiked over the last rate cycle due to a number of factors.
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.
