The six-month anniversary of 12/14 was chosen to unveil a new display at C.H. Booth Library.
A gift to the library by artist and former Sandy Hook resident Jean A. Mann, a miniature porcelain carved d...
Coordinators and volunteers of FAITH Food Pantry gathered for a dinner recently that was both celebratory and a little somber at the same time. The June 5 event, a potluck supper in the undercroft of ...
There were many unsettled emotions swirling about town last Friday, June 14, and it seems that Mother Nature felt equally unsettled. At about 8 pm on Friday, June 14, Kitten Associates Founder Robin O...
There were many unsettled emotions swirling about town last Friday, June 14, and it seems that Mother Nature felt equally unsettled. At about 8 pm on Friday, June 14, Kitten Associates Founder Robin O...
Among the more than 120,000 books featured at the Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale each year are some gems that pique the interest of book collectors and bibliophiles. Those books, w...
June 23, 1988
“It not only feels like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Pentecost all rolled into one, but it looks like it,” said Alastair Sellars on June 19. He was surveying the crowded old sanctua...
Lighthouses and all things related to the maritime beacons took over Trinity Episcopal Church last weekend. It was all part of The Lighthouse Festival on Saturday, June 15, the first event presented b...
Occupation: I am a teacher at St Rose Preschool. I’ve been with St Rose School for 11 years. I am so blessed that I am able to get up each morning and work at a job that I so love. The children ar...
Among the more than 120,000 books featured at the Annual Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale each year are some gems that pique the interest of book collectors and bibliophiles. Those books, w...
Lighthouses and all things related to the maritime beacons took over Trinity Episcopal Church last weekend. It was all part of The Lighthouse Festival on Saturday, June 15, the first event presented b...
Home & Garden Fall 2026https://issuu.com/newtownbee/docs/newtown_bee_-_home_garden_fall_2026?fr=sMzI1Yjg0Mjk3MTU
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.
