Summer thrums.
Life is ascendant under the summer sun, endlessly cycling in little eddies cast up in the wake of successively larger cycles of seasons, planets, stars, and galaxies. Each cycle has its...
Liz Carroll, the legendary Irish fiddler and composer, was having a very good week when I spoke with her. She had just got back from teaching at the O’Flaherty Irish Music Youth Camp in Texas; her hom...
Those who are familiar with the annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale know that the volunteers strive to make each year bigger and better than the previous one. Whether it is a change of ...
Those who are familiar with the annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale know that the volunteers strive to make each year bigger and better than the previous one. Whether it is a change of ...
The Great Newtown Reunion Committee has opened up the process for individuals wishing to purchase a ticket to the all-day July 27 event. As there will be no tickets sold at the gate on the day of the ...
Get out your flags, slice the watermelon, and fire up the grill — the Fourth of July is just over the horizon. And as exciting as fireworks can be, the Connecticut Department of Safety reminds us that...
July 1, 1988
No one was planning to live in the middle of I-84 east between exits nine and ten, but that’s where a house ended up Tuesday afternoon, after the driver of the cab pulling the house ...
DANBURY — This year Musicals at Richter has departed from its usual format by having their first production be a two-week run of Some Enchanted Evening, a review of the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstei...
DANBURY — This year Musicals at Richter has departed from its usual format by having their first production be a two-week run of Some Enchanted Evening, a review of the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstei...
A dress rehearsal for Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet’s annual spring performance took place at Reed Intermediate School on Thursday, June 20, before the curtains opened on the show that weekend. T...
Michelle Embree Ku raises valid concerns about local property taxes, but ignores a basic political reality: Representative Mitch Bolinsky serves in the minority in a legislature dominated by a single-party supermajority where minority-party proposals are routinely sidelined. Suggesting that a single minority representative could rewrite the state's ECS formula is politically unrealistic and disingenuous to Newtown voters.
Despite those odds, Mitch’s CGA track record speaks for itself. He led the charge to protect special education funding, preserve Drug-Free School Zones, safeguard school safety drills, advance science-based structured literacy, and defend homeschooling choices for families.
If Ms. Ku knows how to fix the ECS formula, what has she done to convince her own party—the same party that controls the House, Senate, and Governor’s office? If the supermajority has the votes to fix ECS today, why hasn’t it happened during the 13 years she cites?
Adding another seat to a supermajority that made Connecticut one of the highest-taxed states won't help Newtown taxpayers. If the current majority hasn't delivered relief with absolute power, expanding that majority won't change the outcome.
Newtown’s interests are best served by keeping Mitch in the House and increasing Republican margins to provide real checks and balances. When one party holds every lever of power, accountability disappears. Strengthening the minority ensures our town’s voice is heard, not drowned out.
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.
