* * *

After plans of Housatonic Cable Vision to install cable television in this are were held up for nearly five years by litigation over the location of a microwave tower, the start of service to the first customers in Newtown will occur in a matter of days. Newtown does not have its own microwave receiving tower, thus the town is being served by two cables running out of Brookfield and three from Monroe. The initial service areas in Sandy Hook are being served by cable running from Brookfield.

* * *

If there was one budget that felt the ax as the Newtown Board of Selectmen formed their 1983-84 spending proposal for the Legislative Council last week, it was that of the Board of Fire Commissioners. In cutting, the selectmen knocked out a $48,000 request the fire commissioners had made for major repairs of Botsford’s Engine 51. The selectmen also rejected the fire commissioners’ request for a full-time fire marshal, a full-time secretary for the commission and benefits for those employees.

* * *

The snow may have fallen like mad February 11–12, but the Newtown Highway Department was well prepared. The department had most of the local roads in good shape by mid-afternoon Saturday, in spite of nearly two feet of snow. The road crew put in 790 man hours, according to Superintendent James W. Murphy.

* * *

John J. Kipp scored a double ringer at the Republican Town Committee Monday night. Not only did he become a member of the town committee, he put out his bid for the Justice of the Peace opening and was nominated and elected to that post. Mr Kipp filled one of three vacancies on the RTC; also elected were Patrolman John Kotch and Charles Nanavaty.

* * *

The streaking Newtown girls’ basketball team needs but one victory in its last two games to qualify for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Tournament. Only three weeks ago, the Indians faced the task of winning four of their last five games. They have now won three straight.

* * *

Mrs Sarah Mannix, owner of Mannix Greenhouse, has recently been awarded a lifetime membership in the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc. A native Newtowner, Mrs Mannix’s horticultural achievements cover a broad range of activities, which began with an interest in geraniums and a gift of a small greenhouse from her husband.

February 21, 1958

Workers on the Newtown highway crew started early Sunday on the task of plowing the many miles of town roads out of the heavy weekend snowfall and sticking at the job almost around the clock, had all the residential roads open by Tuesday. First Selectman Edward J. Coleman said the crew experienced tremendous difficulty on Sunday with the large number of autos that had been abandoned on highways, and that the plows had to return again and again to certain areas as the wind kept piling up drifts in the roads.

* * *

Mr and Mrs John Page of Great Quarter Road will have two Gordon setter dogs on display at the New York outdoor exposition from Saturday, February 22 through March 2. Mrs Page said one of the dogs will be Field Champion Page’s Shuriridge Liz, considered the outstanding field performing Gordon setter in the country, and the other is likely to be Champion Page’s McDonegal II, an outstanding bench dog.

* * *

Lynn J. Mathewson, chairman of the Newtown Heart Fund, wishes to report that while in most towns throughout the state there will be a door-to-door canvass on Heart Sunday, February 22, that no such campaign is planned for Newtown and that citizens are urged to contribute to the heart canisters in the various business places or send their contribution. Mr Mathewson reminds us that great progress is being made in the treatment of heart disease, and none of us know how soon we may need its benefits.

* * *

To a small but extremely interested group of members and officials, Norman Parsells spoke on the representative town meeting form of government at the League of Women Voters meeting held on Tuesday evening, at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. The forms of town government in Connecticut are prescribed by the General Assembly, partly by general statutes that apply to many towns and partly by special laws that apply to individual towns.

The Mad Hatter Ski Slope, Mountainville Avenue, Danbury, will open at 10 am, Friday, for the weekend. Tow will run Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Conditions are excellent with three inches of base and 12 to 20 powder. Rental equipment is available, also instruction.

* * *

A special town meeting has been called for Thursday evening, February 27 to consider and take action on the acceptance of the roads. The roads to be considered are Diamond Drive on Mt Pleasant, Tanglewood Lane in Gray’s Plain, Lisa Drive in Taunton, Hillcrest Drive in Taunton, Sycamore Drive in Huntingtown, Fern Lane in Huntingtown, and Pine Tree Road in Huntingtown.

February 17, 1933

The first of the new Ford V-8 cylinder, 112-inch wide wheelbase motorcars will be displayed in the showrooms of Liberty Garage, Ford dealers, it was announced today. Attendants will be on hand to explain the many important features of the new cars. With its 75-horsepower V-8 engine, the New Ford is capable of a sustained speed of 80 miles per hour. It has mechanical four-wheel brakes, 17-inch welded steel spoke wheels and tires of 5.50 inches. In the new three quarter floating rear axle, the driving pinion is mounted in a double taper roller thrust bearing at the front and a straight radial roller bearing at the rear. The shock absorber links are insulated in rubber. The clutch is of the double-disc type and is spring cushioned for soft engagement.

* * *

Selectman Stanley J. Blackman will contribute daily from his own dairy a case of milk for the poor. The bottled milk will be left at the store of Morris & Shepard, where those who need it can secure a quart. This milk will be contributed for a month and longer if the need appears to be apparent. This is certainly a most generous act on the part of Mr Blackman.

* * *

Citizens exclaimed with horror, Thursday morning, when they read in the daily papers of the attempt at assassination of President Elect Roosevelt. The assassin fired from a point near the Roosevelt automobile in Bayfront Park, Chicago. Let us be thankful this dastardly attempt on Mr Roosevelt’s life failed.

* * *

Raymond Jandreau, the genial and popular machinist and linetype operator at The Bee office, had a thrilling experience coming down from Springfield, Mass., early Monday morning. When about three miles north of Granby his car developed engine trouble. A friendly man helped push him into Granby where he set at work at 2 am to find a mechanic. After pounding for 15 minutes at the door of the mechanic, the man finally yielded to his entreaty, put on his clothes and went out into the cold (10 degrees below zero) night to work on Mr Jandreau’s Plymouth. He found the gas line plugged and after half an hour had it running in good shape. Mr Jandreau happily set out for Newtown, where he arrived about 4 am.

* * *

Thursday morning, thermometers in Sandy Hook registered two below zero and two degrees above on Friday morning. All day Friday an intense cold persisted giving warning of the snowfall which began about 5 am Saturday, when about ten inches of snow on the level fell. The storm of Saturday was attended by considerable wind, making it a bad day to be out.

* * *

Walter Nichols has been elected manager of the Sandy Hook baseball team and Wilbur Griscom, secretary and treasurer. The meeting for reorganization was held on Friday night at the Edmond Town hall. It looks bright for a good team for the town. What the boys need is the support of the public.

 

February 21, 1908

The Borden’s Condensed Milk Co. is having a small addition built onto the Newtown plant to accommodate the ice crusher. Manager W.H. Stevens, completed the task, last week, of housing 2,500 tons of ice. This week he has had men at work filling in saw dust on the sides of the house.

* * *

The old-fashioned dance at the Town hall, Friday night, was a brilliant event. Eighty-five couples were present and all had a royal time. It will net the Newtown Library association about $70. A fur neck piece was left, last Friday evening, the night of the dance. The owner can have it by calling at Mrs Charles F. Beardsley’s in Newtown Street.

* * *

Patrick F. Keating of Hanover has a three-legged calf on his place, which is lively and doing well. It ought to be exhibited at the Danbury fair.

* * *

A Martha Washington tea for the benefit of the Newtown Library will take place on Saturday at the library building from 3 to 5 pm. Admission 25 cents. The tea will be served by the brides of the year in wedding costume and promises to be the event of the season. A fine musical and literary program will be rendered.

* * *

In Saturday’s great rainstorm about 50 men made their way to the Brick building, expecting to listen to the evidence in the case of State against Town Clerk M.J. Houlihan, charged with embezzlement. It was about 11:30 o’clock, when Judge Theron E. Platt rapped for order. No fire had been built in the room, but some men present soon gathered a few kindlings and a feeble blaze was started. Mr Houlihan waived his constitutional right to compel the state to make a prima facie case on the allegations contained in the complaint. Justice Platt then bound him over to the criminal Superior court under bonds of $4000.