Cultural Events

Timely Topic For Garden Club: Pruning Flowering Shrubs

Published: Mar 14, 2014 12:00 AM

Spring will arrive on March 20, and The Garden Club of Newtown will focus on the new season with “Pruning Flowering Shrubs,” a timely presentation by Nancy Dubrule-Clemente, on Tuesday, March 25. The ...

Camera Club Programs Announced

Published: Mar 14, 2014 12:00 AM

Flagpole Photographers Camera Club has a pair of programs planned during upcoming weeks. On Thursday, March 20, the club will host a general meeting and photo competition beginning at 7:30 pm. March’s...

RTC Hosting 'Murphy's Wedding' Fundraiser

Published: Mar 14, 2014 12:00 AM

MONROE — The Newtown Republican Town Committee is hosting a live dinner theater presentation of “Murphy’s Wedding…..anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” as the party’s first fundraiser of the y...

One Morning, Two Programs: Book Worms & Ask The Doctor

Published: Mar 13, 2014 12:00 AM

Two Newtown residents will be the special guests during a pair of programs being offered Saturday morning at Newtown’s Multi-Purpose Center, 14 Riverside Road. Karen Pierce will be the reader during t...

Sandy Hook Resident Is Guest Artist For Next Flagpole Radio Café

Published: Mar 13, 2014 12:00 AM

The Flagpole Radio Café will continues its sixth season on Saturday, March 22, with special guest Sandy Hook resident Mark Barden. The show begins at 7 pm at the Edmond Town Hall Theatre, 45 Main Stre...

Purim Carnival, Sunday

Published: Mar 12, 2014 12:00 AM

Congregation Adath Israel will hold a festival in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Purim on Sunday, March 16. The public event will run from 11:30 am until 2 pm at the synagogue, 115 Huntingtown R...

Maplewood Four-Part Series On Aging Begins March 20

Published: Mar 12, 2014 12:00 AM

Are you thinking about the future and the quality of life you will have? Do you have an elderly family member who is having trouble living on his or her own? Are you overwhelmed by the discussions and...

Open House And Rug Weaving Demonstration, Sunday With Historical Society

Published: Mar 12, 2014 12:00 AM

Newtown Historical Society will host an open house at its headquarters, The Matthew Curtiss House, on Sunday, March 16, from noon to 4 pm. Rebecca Arkenberg will be the afternoon’s special guest. Ms A...

Eagle Scout Project: Sheet Drive, Saturday

Published: Mar 11, 2014 12:00 AM

Newtown High School Senior and Boy Scout Riley Page will conduct a sheet drive this weekend to support Saint Vincent de Paul’s Homeless Shelter in Waterbury. Riley is collecting new or gently used cle...

HealingNewtown Offering Clay Dates, Writing Workshops & Ukulele Lessons

Published: Mar 10, 2014 12:00 AM

From strumming a ukelele and writing from the hear to creating clay masterpieces, workshops for myriad interests have been scheduled at HealingNewtown, housed at Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West...

COA Welcomes New Alternate, Discusses Senior Alliance

BOE Recognizes 2026 Profiles In Professionalism Honorees

C.H. Booth Library Hosted Another Successful Volunteer Fair

Fire Reports | April 28-May 4, 2026

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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Timely Topic For Garden Club: Pruning Flowering Shrubs

Camera Club Programs Announced

RTC Hosting 'Murphy's Wedding' Fundraiser

One Morning, Two Programs: Book Worms & Ask The Doctor

Sandy Hook Resident Is Guest Artist For Next Flagpole Radio Café

Purim Carnival, Sunday

Maplewood Four-Part Series On Aging Begins March 20

Open House And Rug Weaving Demonstration, Sunday With Historical Society

Eagle Scout Project: Sheet Drive, Saturday

HealingNewtown Offering Clay Dates, Writing Workshops & Ukulele Lessons