Newtown's students and teachers begin the school year next week, with the usual anxieties that accompany a new year. Incoming freshmen to the Newtown High School worry about fitting in to a new cultur...
"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And...
We think of courage as a characteristic defined by bold action beyond the parameters of what we consider normal. We assign it to those who mentally or physically take on that which would make others s...
Newtown residents have one big wish: lower taxes. Town officials wish to be fairy godmothers, conjuring up one of the obvious ways to lower personal taxes: bring in commercial business. But the result...
All things must change to something new, to something strange. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Newtown Bee is experiencing changes, and as poet Longfellow noted, not only are some new, but th...
There are three words that can undo the curse of gun violence: universal background checks.
On Monday, July 18, Nicole Hockley, founder of Sandy Hook Promise in Newtown and the mother of Dylan, killed...
Clarification by the Newtown Board of Ethics as to how the breakdown of names and votes in the Board of Education Freedman/Hamilton issue came about - ironically, as they judged others in a Freedom of...
We've got some pretty big things here in Newtown. We've got a big flag on a big flagpole; a big, long parade every Labor Day; and a big, big book sale that is underway this Saturday, July 9, through W...
The Fourth of July celebrates the many freedoms Americans enjoy. It is a day when free spirits soar - and alcohol is frequently a companion. So Governor Dannel P. Malloy should be saluted for signing ...
Without dreamers to set new ideas in motion, ours would be a dull world.
Native Newtown resident Andrew Mangold has moved his vision forward, creating an edible path to follow as Newtown residents and...
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.
