February 17, 1989
The question has arisen at Newtown High School about whether or not using an Indian as the school’s mascot is a moral issue that should be addressed. The issue, in fact, is part...
UPDATE (February 13, 2014): This story has been updated to include a second location where the Life is Good T-shirts for Newtown can be purchased. Proceeds from all sales of the shirts are donated...
Her name may be Sunny with a light gold and white coat, but her prospects for adoption have not been bright. She has twice left the shelter for a new home, and then been returned.
Newtown Animal Contr...
Occupation: I am the CFO at Newtown Savings Bank, and this summer will make 15 years I’ve been doing this. I take care of anything financial — budgeting, reporting, profitability reporting, and a ...
February 10, 1989
First Selectman Rod Mac Kenzie’s explanation to the other members of the Board of Selectmen — pertaining to the recent town cleanup of private vacant land off Philo Curtis Road ...
There has been a change of venue for Friday night’s family ice skating party. Instead of the temporary rink at Fairfield Hills, the February 7 event has been moved to the Dickinson Park pavilion rink....
They are not ready to pack the house yet, but Newtown youth involved in the Parks & Recreation sponsored “Theatre On Your Feet” program since its inception in January 2013 are developing theater skill...
Occupation: I’m retired from Cartus Relocation in Danbury, after 25 years, a great company to work for.
Family: I’ve been married to Eddie for 46 years. We have two children. Susan is married ...
A corkscrew hazelnut sits outside the back door in its winter glory. All the other plants and shrubs are looking pretty chastened, deceased even, awaiting their Easter resurrections. But this jaggedy ...
Here’s one good thing about the Arctic temperatures we’ve been enduring. The temporary ice skating rink at Fairfield Hills has been set up for the season, and I have noticed people are taking time to ...
Tom, I appreciate you sharing your perspective. My advocacy isn't about a personal 'vested interest' in a single field; it is about the Standard of Newtown.
While you categorize the salt shed and library parking as 'essential' and the turf as an 'upgrade,' I would argue they all fall under the same umbrella of maintaining town assets.
The Turf Field ($1.4M): This was a replacement project for a facility used by thousands of youth athletes, not a new 'luxury' add-on.
The Salt Shed ($1.2M) & Library Parking ($1.4M): These were passed at almost identical price points.
The point isn't to say these items aren't important; it’s to ask why we find the money for infrastructure that serves one demographic while claiming we are too 'fiscally strained' to fund infrastructure for another. When we categorize things we use as 'essential' and things our neighbors' children use as 'extras,' we aren't having an honest discussion about priorities, we are picking winners and losers.
The goal of my letter wasn't to be 'unproductive,' but to sound the alarm for the 82% of residents who didn't show up to the polls. We cannot be a community that only thrives in parts. If we want Newtown to remain a place where people want to move and raise families, we have to invest in the next generation with the same urgency we use to fix our parking lots.
Michelle, I am sorry to see that you are also a victim of fabrications. All those rumors that go round that seem so convincing. All so often, those rumors are little more than convenient lies. This has been happening for several years and hopefully we can come together to stop them.
Until then, I ask that those of you who have heard disparaging remarks about the candidates take the time to meet with them to ask them directly what you are concerned about. Get to know them better rather than assume. We all will have better representation both locally and state-wide if you do so.
This is disappointing because it frames voters who rejected the Treadwell turf replacement as selfish or anti-youth. When I suspect that Katherine's motives were likely because she has some vested interest in those turf fields, which makes it exceptionally selfish.
There is a clear difference between maintaining basic town infrastructure and approving an athletic facility upgrade. Library sidewalks, parking access, and a salt storage facility support safety and essential town operations. The turf field may be worthwhile, but it is still a different type of request.
Residents can support youth sports and still question the cost, timing, or priority of a specific project. Calling that selfish, or turning it into a generational argument is unfair and unproductive.
Newtown is better served by honest discussion about priorities, not by accusing voters of lacking community spirit because they disagreed on one ballot item.
