Looking Ahead: What To Expect In Newtown In 2021

NEWTOWN, PA — As we look to put 2020 in the rearview, it's important to look ahead at what's to come, and in Newtown, there's plenty on the agenda for 2021.

Starting Feb. 1, students in the Council Rock School District will return to school for five days a week or else go virtual. In other words, no more hybrid model. Meanwhile, youth sports returns in the new year, and local bars and restaurant owners can resume indoor dining as early as Jan. 4.

Here's what else is coming in 2021:

Coronavirus Vaccinations

More than 4,500 Bucks County healthcare workers and others have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to state health officials, and while the first phase of the vaccine rollout is limited mainly to healthcare workers, EMS first responders and vulnerable populations, millions of Pennsylvanians can look forward to getting the vaccine in the comings months as the doses become more widely available to the general population.

Strict Mitigation Will Expire As Planned On Jan. 4

Gov. Wolf Tom Wolf announced this week that additional coronavirus mitigation measures announced in mid-December will expire as planned on Jan. 4. That means bars and restaurants can resume indoor dining, gyms can open up and youth sports can resume. Read more

Tax Hike

On Dec. 22, the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to pass a spending plan for 2021 that includes an 89 percent increase in property taxes. Read more

Council Rock Schools Opening Up

Students in the Council Rock School District can return to school next semester for four days a week. In December, the school board voted in favor of a Feb. 1 return date to full-time in-person instruction, with the exception of Wednesday remaining a virtual day. Superintendent Robert Fraser fought unsuccessfully for opening schools in late February. Read more

New Owner, Same Store

Bobbie Lewis opened the Newtown Book & Record Exchange on State Street in 1981. Forty years later, she's handing over the keys to the shop to Chelsea Mitchell, a longtime employee and a certified bibliophile. Read more

New Bike Shop Opening In Newtown

The owners of a popular bike shop in Doylestown are bringing their services to Newtown. Brian Boger and Fran Taloricco, owners of Doylestown Bike Works, have announced the opening of Newtown Bike Works in the Promenade at Sycamore complex, near La Stalla Italian Market and next to Anthropologie. The store will open in early 2021. Read more

What About The Old Navy?

The status of the proposed Old Navy at the Newtown Shopping Center remains unclear. In August, the Zoning Hearing Board denied the developer's request for a variance for the project. In addition to the Old Navy store, the shopping center's expansion plans included a 385-square-foot addition to the existing Chick-fil-A restaurant. Read more

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