Cultural Events

Can't Stop The Serenity: Get Your Geek On For A Good Cause (Or Two)

Published: Aug 28, 2015 12:00 AM

Sandy Hook residents Laurie and Michael Wright are organizing a special event for Sunday, September 6, at Edmond Town Hall. For the event, “Can’t Stop the Serenity: A Global Charity Screening Event fo...

Billy Bob Thornton's Musical Road Trip Pulling Into Ridgefield Sept. 9

By John Voket

Updated: Jun 13, 2019 09:41 AM

From his Academy Award nominated role in Sling Blade - which earned him the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay - to memorable acting turns in dozens of films and TV shows including his blood chilling E...

Back At Booth: Voices Of Poetry

Published: Aug 26, 2015 12:00 AM

Cyrenius H. Booth Library will host an afternoon of fine poetry on Sunday, September 20, from 2 to 4 pm. The event, “Voices of Poetry/Back at Booth,” will feature poetry by the award-winning poets Nic...

2015 Norwalk Oyster Festival Set For September 11-13

Published: Aug 25, 2015 12:00 AM

NORWALK — The 38th annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival will be held September 11-13. The Oyster Festival is a weekend full of activities and entertainment of all kinds for the whole fam...

Newtown Hikers Announce Fall Schedule

Published: Aug 24, 2015 12:00 AM

Newtown Hikers is an open group welcoming anyone interested in hiking and the outdoors. There is no membership fee. Hikes are held Saturday mornings, with the group leaving from the lower rear parking...

Impressionist Landscapes At Next SCAN Program

Published: Aug 23, 2015 12:00 AM

The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will welcome Dmitri Wright for an oil painting demonstration on Wednesday, August 26, at 1:30 pm. His subject will be a landscape. The program will take ...

'Conscious Living:' An Afternoon Of Tasting, Savoring & Sipping

Published: Aug 22, 2015 12:00 AM

Kmar Educational Services, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, will present its annual event, “Conscious Living: For The Love of Food and Wine — An Afternoon of Tasting, Savoring and Sipping,” at Mc...

Newtown Friends Of Music Announces 2015-16 Season

Published: Aug 22, 2015 12:00 AM

Newtown Friends of Music (NFM) is anticipating with excitement the start of the 38th consecutive season of bringing “exquisite music, superbly performed” to the stage of Edmond Town Hall. All performa...

'Lion King Jr' Roars As NewArts Summer Program Wraps

By John Voket

Published: Aug 21, 2015 12:00 AM

At one point in the abbreviated process of staging the elaborate, newly released version of Disney's The Lion King, Jr, featuring not one, but two complete casts featuring more than 130 young thespian...

Open House To Celebrate Mary Hawley's Birthday, Saturday

Published: Aug 20, 2015 12:00 AM

Red gladiolas, a Mary Hawley favorite, will once again grace the Edmond Town Hall on August 22 in celebration of the birthday of Newtown’s beloved benefactress. Judge William Edmond, Ms Hawley’s great...

Fire Reports | April 28-May 4, 2026

Just Over The Border: Southeast Kitchen And Bath’s New Showroom

Police Reports | April 27-May 3, 2026

Silent Auction To Coincide With Garden Club Standard Flower Show

BOE CFF Discusses Itemized Estimates, Summer CIP Projects

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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