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ERSAR IV Y N N A A A N N N N I I V V Y Y E E R R R R A A S S THOMPSON VILLAGER Vol. X, No. 7 Mailed free to requesting homes in Thompson Complimentary to homes by request (860) 928-1818/e-mail: [email protected] Friday, November 6, 2015 The TMNT A SALUTE Baldwin unseats Nicholson TO OUR 2 Effect VETERANS as Pomfret first selectman As a youngster, I was a huge fan of EAUSOLEIL Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was B Raphael for Halloween one year. I had WINS IN all the toys, from Splinter to Casey Jones to Shredder and Krang, Bebop and HOMPSON Rocksteady, and even a Technodrome. I T , had all the collectible weapons, which DEMS were all tiny, brown plastic things all connected together on a tray when first DOMINATE opened. It THE was glori- IN ous. I had MINOR boxes of KILLINGLY DETAILS the stuff. I couldn’t BY JASON BLEAU NEWS STAFF WRITER ADAM get Jason Bleau photos enough. Thousands of Thompson Democratic candidate for first selectman MINOR When voters turned out Ken Beausoleil (far right) is joined by a few supporters I was 6 across northeast- as he greets voters outside of the Quinebaug Volunteer years old, ern Connecticut for Fire Department, of which he is a member. Beausoleil in March 1990, the live action “Teenage Election Day to decide was victorious in his bid for the first selectman seat Mutant Ninja Turtles” was released in Courtesy photo the new leaders of after losing the election two years ago. theaters, and I was blown away. When their respective com- the sequel, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Kent Phyfe, (U.S. Army, SFC retired) of munities in the latest Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze,” was round of municipal released a year later in March 1991, I Brooklyn, service dog Mike, while at the American Legion elections. was 7, and I was in my glory. For a long From selectmen to time, it was my favorite movie (let’s not national convention. Phyfe is a member of town councilors and even mention the abomination that is Board of Education 1993’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles American Legion Post 111 in Woodstock. members to zoning III: Turtles in Time.” I just want to for- officials, the Quiet get that mess ever happened). From the This edition of the Villager features a tribute Corner came alive in action of the fight sequences, to the cra- a big way with mas- ziness of the villains Tokka and Razar to several of our local veterans. sive voting numbers and the mutated Super Shredder, it was in nearly every town, like Ninja Turtles on steroids. I can’t Check it out on pages A12-A14! even tell you how many times I watched Please Read ELECTION, page A16 that movie as a child. I must have worn Craig Baldwin Ken Beausoleil out that VHS! But as time has a habit of doing, it keeps on moving, and although I remain a fan of TMNT to this day, the movies of Voters strike the early 1990’s faded from my memory. That is, until a few months ago, when “The Secret of the Ooze” found its way onto Netflix. down blight, Parts of my brain were accessed that haven’t been touched in more than 20 years. Very soon after I saw it, I found ethics ordinances some time after work one night and sat BY JASON BLEAU Development down and took a trip down memory lane. NEWS STAFF WRITER Commission from To this day, I regret ever doing it. THOMPSON — A seven members to five When the credits rolled, I wished imme- massive Town Meeting members, which was diately that I had my 90 minutes back. in Thompson on Oct. done due to the diffi- You see, as a 7-year-old child in 1991, 28 saw taxpayers voice culty of the commis- something may be completely amazing, their concerns on a sion to have a quorum but as a 32-year-old man in 2015, your pair of new ordinanc- with seven members. definition of “awesome” is slightly dif- Jason Bleau photos es for the town as well Much of the debate ferent. What I thought was one of the as changes to sever- focused on the two pro- greatest movies in cinema history was QVCC staff, education officials and state and local lawmakers came together al town boards and posed new ordinances, ruined when I watched it again as an to officially break ground on the new Advanced Manufacturing Technology commissions that, for which received simi- adult. I mean, Vanilla Ice? What in the Center coming to QVCC over the next year. the most part, failed lar reactions for very world was I thinking? at a public vote and different reasons from Some things belong forever ensconced brought about con- those in attendance. Al in memory lane where they belong. I cerns of transparency Landry, a member of loved “Ooze” so much as a child, and ‘Manufacturing a revolution’ and misinformation. the Ethics Committee watching it again as an adult completely In what some called and the Ordinance ruined it for me. I couldn’t even appreci- QVCC BREAKS GROUND the largest turnout Committee in ate it as a “retro” movie because of just for a town meeting in Thompson, said he felt how bad it was. I still have the bitter ON NEW FACILITY years in Thompson, the ethics ordinance aftertaste of this disappointment even as countless citizens and did not go through the I write this. It saddens me. BY JASON BLEAU to take part on the event with NEWS STAFF WRITER taxpayers filed into the proper channels and This phenomenon, I’m sure, has an speakers touting QVCC as a Thompson Library and should not have gone official name, but for all intents and DANIELSON — Quinebaug pioneer in local education once Community Center before the public on purposes, I am branding it “The TMNT Valley Community College again. The facility will be one of where they handily Oct. 28. 2 Effect,” when things that are amazing took a great leap forward for its four of its kind in Connecticut voted down new blight “The ethics ordi- as a child are spoiled when viewed again new Advanced Manufacturing and will cost over $4.8 million to and ethics ordinanc- nance never came as an adult. For this reason, I am afraid Program, currently housed at construct with another $1 mil- es as well as turned to the Ordinance to revisit other movies I loved as a child, nearby H.H. Ellis Technical High lion budgeted for equipment. down changes to the Committee at all,” such as one of my other favorite child- School, by breaking ground for The facility is planned to be Planning and Zoning Landry said. “As of hood movies, “The NeverEnding Story,” the program’s own building on 10,000 square feet with class- Commission and the the August meeting “The Mighty Ducks,” “Beethoven,” the QVCC campus on Oct. 30. rooms, offices, conference number of constables the selectmen were “3 Ninjas,” “The Sandlot,” “Honey, I The event brought gradu- rooms, a mechanics lab and a appointed by the town. supposed to forward Shrunk the Kids,” and “Rookie of the ates, students, lawmakers and slew of modern technologi- One notable item that. Finally the Ethics Year.” I learned the hard way with town officials from all across cal tools among other features that was approved Committee forwarded TMNT 2 — I won’t let it happen again. Northeastern Connecticut to was the shrinking of it to us in October, but the college’s Danielson campus Please Read QVCC, page A15 the town’s Economic Turn To MINOR page A11 Please Read ORDINANCES, page A15 A2 • Friday, November 6, 2015 VILLAGER NEWSPAPERS Rediscovering the Town and Country Restaurant Those of us who help at the Killingly wartime era. I hadn’t forty occupied this victory, that the real circus began…The Historical Center are always glad to try realized that the local portion and they Transcript’s poor scribe started in to to assist you with your research and bridges were being lost considerable in keep track of the plays in this session, local history questions, even if you’re guarded until I read KILLIngLY money and cloth- but soon ran out of paper and had a only trying to remember the name of a the following: “Guard at ing. The inflam- dizzy spell trying to count the men who business you visited 50 or 60 years ago. Hurt At Putnam. Was 300 mable character raced home. One after another they Recently, Ann Schroth stopped in Guarding Long Bridge of the barn and its bingled (that’s what it said) and every with the hopes that we could help her on Midland Division. contents caused time they bingled, Windham bungled. find the name of a Danielson Main Found Unconscious MARGARET the fire to spread Honest to goodness we thought about Street restaurant that she and friends in Road…A serious WEAVER with dishearten- fifty scores were made but the official would stop in for coffee after school, assault occurred at ing rapidity and keepers said there were only seven. At about the early 1960’s. She thought that the N.Y.N. H. and H. despite the work of all events it left the score at the end of it had only been existence for a few R.R. bridge spanning the firemen, aided the eight 9-14…The ninth was cleaned years.