Features

Fun At The Farm At Fall Family Festival

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: Oct 09, 2017 12:00 AM

Castle Hill Farm was the site of the Trinity Day School Fall Family Festival, Saturday, September 30. Children and families enjoyed hay rides and other activities on the Sugar Lane property off of Rou...

Sharing The Road A Shared Responsibility For Riders And Drivers

By Andy Hutchison

Published: Oct 07, 2017 12:00 AM

Roads are for vehicles, right?cthorsecouncil.org details the rules drivers and riders must follow. "Horse Safety For Motor Vehicle Drivers And Equestrians"Likewise, equestrians have to follow rules...

Morning Roundup As Cattle Traipse Down Pole Bridge Road

By Andrew Gorosko

Published: Oct 07, 2017 12:00 AM

Eight head of beef cattle, which normally would be content to munch on the grassy terrain at their steeply sloped pastureland, decided to see more of Sandy Hook than usual on the morning of Friday, Se...

Town Receives Generous Donation Of Trees From Young's Nurseries

By Alissa Silber

Published: Oct 07, 2017 12:00 AM

Those frequenting the Fairfield Hills Campus may have noticed some new additions on the property making the season's fall foliage even more colorful.The Newtown Bee's publisher Scudder Smith, is expec...

The Way We Were, for the week ending October 6, 2017

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

October 9, 1992 The prison open house scheduled for Saturday, October 10, is more than a one-time gesture. This month the State Department of Corrections distributed a "Good Neighbor" handbook to...

Theater Review: Excellent Cast And Crew Create Bewitching Sherman Production

By Elizabeth Young

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

SHERMAN - The Sherman Playhouse has been transformed into a witch's lair, high up in the Smoky Mountains. Haunting and eerie, the set for this fall production of Howard Richardson and William Berney's...

An Appreciative Crowd Embraces 'Beautiful Consequences' Exhibition

By Shannon Hicks

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

The barn at the property of Yolie Moreno, who lives in western Newtown, was nearly teeming with people when "Beautiful Consequences" officially opened at 7 pm Saturday, September 30. The host location...

Remembering Charlotte Helen Bacon

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

December 14, 2017 will mark five years without loved ones for families of children and educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Newtown Bee will share remembrances of victims of 12/14...

The Top Of The Mountain

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

It cannot go without saying how distressing the news of the October 1 shooting on the Las Vegas strip has been. Lives lost, lives damaged, trauma induced by another incident of gun violence in our cou...

Snapshot: Craig Ashurst

Published: Oct 06, 2017 12:00 AM

Occupation: I am a dance teacher. My wonderful wife, Christina, and I are the directors of the Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance here in Newtown. We also have classes that run in Danbury and Southbur...

The Way We Were

First Week Of October Is Mental Illness Awareness Week

Newtown Historical Society Schoolhouse Storytelling Event Rescheduled

Rob Blanchard For State Senate

Vote For Michelle Embree Ku

A quick fact check easily debunks the claims in this letter. Rep Bolinsky was instrumental in getting Exit 11 fixed which has greatly alleviated traffic at our most previously most dangerous intersection. He worked to get the light put on 34 at Bennetts Bridge which has prevented many accidents. He has pushed DOT for many of the bridge widening and onramp improvements we have seen on the highway, along with advancing legislation for 84 traffic studies, rear-seat seat belts laws, DUI legislation, wrong way signaling, distracted driving and more - working with Vision Zero, CTDOT, NTSB and AAA. He also opposed tolls on 84 which would have shifted even more congestion from the interstate onto local roads. He has been a champion of public transportation efforts for our seniors. Mitch was instrumental in passing the 2017 bipartisan budget with fiscal reforms that protected Newtown's funding, the loss of which would have been passed onto property tax payers. He has proudly never supported a tax increase and opposed and killed many "bad bills" that would have worsened the issues the author is focused on. We can and should hold our representatives to account, but lets be factual when making such claims.

Vote For Michelle Embree Ku

Another police search in a Newtown neighborhood. Did I miss the notification from the First Selectman’s office, or are we still using the “read about it afterward” emergency communication system? I raised this same concern after the April police search. How many times do residents have to ask for timely information? At this point, perhaps it’s the First Selectman’s office that needs a welfare check. Anybody home, Bruce? Thank you to Newtown Police for doing their job. Wake up, Bruce. Keeping residents informed is part of yours.

Driver Arrested After Fleeing Crash Scene

This strikes me as a pretty one-sided assessment. Let me add some context. You highlight that his opponent has lived in Newtown for only two and a half years, yet leave out that Rob Blanchard moved here in July—roughly two and a half months ago. If residency matters, apply the same standard to both candidates. Isn't there a name for someone who moves to a town to run for election? Something like a rug or carpet, something? I also question the mortgage-struggle framing in advertisements he approved and appears in. The public payroll figures put his household gross earnings at roughly $300,000—nearly twice Newtown’s median household income of $155,110. That doesn’t mean they have no financial pressures, but it is fair to question how closely that portrayal reflects the circumstances of a typical Newtown household. Both candidates deserve scrutiny. Highlighting one candidate’s short residency while overlooking the other’s much more recent arrival is a double standard.

Vote For Rob Blanchard For State Senate

An incredible event... again. Thanks so much to Leslie and the entire gang who make this gathering of friends, family and classmates happen every year! And thanks to Devery Stickles for his generous support. This event is truly the Heart & Spirit of Newtown!

Dozens Enjoy Annual Panacea Labor Day Weekend Concert

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.

ECS Funding Debate Should Focus On Results

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