It was an afternoon of lunching, Bingo, and a special Mother’s Day Tea at the Newtown Senior Center, Wednesday, May 6. Nearly 30 women wearing festive springtime hats — and a few men — laughed and vis...
May 11, 1990
About 300 students, parents and alumni of Newtown High School filled the cafeteria May 9. The topic of the meeting was whether or not to retain the Indian as the mascot for the schoo...
With this autumn marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II — and May 7 the anniversary of the unconditional surrender by the German Allied Forces, the beginning of the end of the war...
Occupation: I coach track at Newtown High School, and I when I’m not coaching, I work at the Nike store in Westport.
Family: My mom, Tina Welsh, and stepdad, Ted Welsh, live in Newtown. My dad...
The theater at Edmond Town Hall will offer a free screening of McFarland USA on Saturday, May 9.
Kevin Costner’s latest film, according to Internet Movie Database, follows “a struggling coach and teac...
I read at www.screenfree.org that May 4-10 was (is still) “Screen Free Week,” and the fur on my back stood up. And that led me to realize how connected we are to screens of all kinds. Turning off the ...
The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts (TBTA) will continue its 58th season with a production of Godspell, the energetic musical by Stephen Schwartz that debuted off-Broadway in 1971 before going on to b...
Ashley Gong, a Newtown High School junior and one of five 2014 National Student Poet Ambassadors, is looking forward to sharing her love of poetry with area students in grades 6-8 at the “Po(w)e (r)tr...
Thirteen residents stood before Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia Halstead on Tuesday evening with raised hands, as she swore them in as volunteers forming a new Community Center Commission. They are John Boc...
While Newtown sisters Katie and Jamie Rowan are happy hanging out and playing games or taking an occasional romp on the family trampoline with big sister Amanda, the younger siblings know how their fa...
The idea that a freshman Democrat would be able to stand up to the special interests and prioritization of urban districts that are the base of that caucus to deliver results for Newtown is laughable - especially someone who could not even build the "relationships, coalitions, and the support necessary" to garner the endorsements of her fellow Democrat Council members ahead of Newtown's local caucus this spring.
More likely Newtown would see something akin to Leeper in Fairfield, performative actions after vote counting, while privately advancing their party's interests over their community's.
Dear Alyssa, Kelela, and Brandon,
We send our sincere sympathy to you and your family. We will also keep you in our prayers asking our Lord to grant you comfort and peace.
With love,
Vince and Sandy Venitelli
Bruce, your advice that voters should “read, listen, and engage” would be much more persuasive if you practiced it yourself.
You campaigned on openness and responsiveness. You declared that “evasive answers or silence are unacceptable in government” and promised to answer constituent inquiries within two days. Yet you never answered my straightforward public question about Main Street demonstrations, traffic disruption, pedestrian safety, and the effects on local businesses.
After taking office, meaningful public engagement has largely been replaced by “Brews with Bruce” at the Senior Center—requiring reservations and, for some residents, a day pass. That is not accessible, townwide engagement. Previous first selectmen held open coffee hours and walk-and-talk sessions that any resident could attend.
Then came the failed storm communications, your apology, and another promise to communicate better—followed shortly afterward by more silence while multiple police agencies conducted a significant search near Saw Mill Road.
You now tell voters to examine what candidates say and “how they say it.” I would suggest going one step further: compare what politicians promise while seeking office with what they actually do after winning.
Your record presents a stark contrast. You told voters exactly what they wanted to hear to get the job, then failed to live by those promises. Whether that is dishonesty or simply indifference, it is the same familiar, two-faced politics you once claimed you would replace.
Nothing says “I care about Newtown homeowners” quite like lining Main Street with plywood campaign billboards—apparently built just inches below the size at which officials say they can take action. At this rate, we’ll need property-tax relief just to offset the loss in curb appeal.
