April 14, 1995

An Unexpected Flurry. The Newtown High girls’ lacrosse team didn’t let the April 8 snowstorm interfere with its game against state-power Hand High of Madison. Instead, Newtown weathered the storm, falling 7-4 in the end. The morning’s big story was the unexpected snowstorm, which started a little after 10 am and blanketed the playing field well before the game’s 11 am start. The field was deemed playable though, and Hand filed off its bus in its spunky new hundred-dollar sweat suits. As things turned out, the morning’s steady snowfall may have been a godsend, as it seemed to serve as a distraction from last year’s 12-3 and 16-5 defeats the Lady Indians suffered at the hand of Hand. While the visitors did come out on the winning end of a 7-4 score, the results were far more respectable than last year’s fiasco.

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Nearly 700 homes in Newtown and Sandy Hook lost electrical power for several hours in two separate outages early Thursday. Donna Devino, a spokesman for Connecticut Light and Power, said 534 customers in the Church Hill Road area lost power from 11:12 pm Wednesday to 2:40 am Thursday due to equipment failure which may have been weather related. In the Bradley Lane neighborhood in Sandy Hook, 140 customers lost power from 12:45 am to 3:55 am because a tree limb fell across electrical lines.

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Police report that during the weekend of April 7-10, someone stole an 80-horsepower Suzuki dirt bike from the rear yard of a Bears Hill Road residence. The theft constitutes third-degree larceny.

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Firefighters from Newtown Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook responded to the Grand Union on Church Hill Road late on the morning of April 7 to find a burning book atop the building near a rear entrance. Fire Marshal George Lockwood said fire and police officials have spent much time investigating the peculiar incident which firefighters initially thought was a case of arson. Mr Lockwood termed it an “accidental fire,” adding there was no apparent intent to set the store on fire. A pair of boys who like to skateboard in the store parking lot apparently tossed the book onto the supermarket, not realizing that the book was burning, Mr Lockwood said. He did not identify the youths as they are under 16. Mr Lockwood said the book probably rekindled on the roof and caused a couple hundred dollars of damage. The unusual incident amounted to children fooling around in the parking lot, he said. The youth’s parents plan to make restitution.

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LATE CLASSIFIED. Single male looking for small cottage or house to rent. Available to do yard and handyman work in exchange for reduced rent. Call Joe 270-8640.

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Telephone companies have agreed to block calls to a proposed 800 national lottery number, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. “The national lottery would clearly violate state and national laws,” he said. Officials have cited laws that prohibit the sale of out-of-state lottery tickets and the interstate transmission of gambling information. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho plans to run a national lottery that would operate a toll-free number in 36 states where lotteries are legal. Southern New England Telephone and AT&T have agreed to block the lottery calls.

April 10, 1970

Earth Day set by President Nixon. On Monday evening, April 6, representatives from various conservation-minded town organizations met at Trinity Church to consider undertaking some dramatic activity to highlight “Earth Day.” President Nixon has declared April 22 as “Earth Day” in conjunction with the Environmental Teach-Ins on college campuses across the nation. Teach-Ins are an effort to initiate action at three levels: college, high school, and community. “Earth Day” was selected as a day of nationwide action when people will receive the opportunity to examine the facts about the environmental crisis and to look at what must be done. The meeting was organized by the Newtown Conservation Commission and resulted from attendance by members of the commission at a series of lectures on conservation and ecology at the RESCUE Educational Center in Bridgewater.

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Friends of Mr and Mrs Earl Meyers will be glad to learn that Mrs Meyers, who has been in the Danbury Hospital for the past week, is improving and has been moved from intensive care to 6 West. Limited visiting is allowed.

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The date for the new Middle School addition dedication has been postponed. More work has to be done before the school authorities can fully accept the addition from the contractor. The dedication will tentatively be in conjunction with the Spring Concert, May 22.

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A large piece of property totaling approximately 168 acres located on Brushy Hill, Platts Hill, and Hundred Acres Roads in the Palestine district has been sold. The four tracts, which also include buildings, are from the estate of Leonard Mayer, and were sold to Julian Gregory, trustee, of Wilton, for $375,000. The City Trust Company of Danbury released the property with Joseph Dunser acting as administrator. The date of the sale as recorded in the town clerk’s office is April 3.

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At its meeting of April 3, the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission acted to approve the final map for subdivision of land of Noris Donlon, 16.518 acres into seven lots. The property is located off Hattertown Road and Aunt Park Lane.

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Dr Doolittle, a popular family movie starring Rex Harrison will be presented jointly by Packs 70, 170, and 270 on April 23 at 2, 6, and 9 pm in Edmond Town Hall. Price of admission is $1 and tickets will be sold by the Cubs, or may be purchased at the box office on April 23.

April 6, 1945

Mrs W.F. Desmond, who has been in poor health for some time, became seriously ill on Monday and was rushed to the Danbury Hospital where she is under the care of Dr William Sunderland. Her condition has been critical for several days, but at present she shows considerable improvement and is able to take nourishments, although of course, she is unable to see visitors.

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Corporal Donald S. Walker, son of Mr and Mrs Reginald Walker of Sandy Hook, an Aerial Gunner in the Army Air Force, received his wings on March 23 at the Army Air Field, Harlingen, Texas. Cpl. Walker received his basic training at Greensboro, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina and is now awaiting a furlough before being assigned to active duty.

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Mrs Jacob Nezvesky of Huntingtown recently received a letter from her brother, Pfc. Abraham Pulver, who has been a prisoner of war in Germany for more than two years, in which he had informed his sister that he had been freed, and is somewhere in the Near East with the American Armed Forces. Pvt Pulver expects to return to his country in the near future.

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The scarlet fever situation has improved in town, only one case having appeared in the past week. The victim is Sarah Steck, daughter of Mr and Mrs Wallis Steck of Palestine district.

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The H.G. Warner Store in Sandy Hook will be closed all day Monday, April 9, while inventory is being taken.

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A Tuesday morning fire of undetermined origin destroyed the milk house and part of the main barn at the Bridge End Farm in Sandy Hook, owned by Mr and Mrs Theodore Becker. The prompt response of the Newtown and Sandy Hook Fire Companies is credited for the fact that the entire main barn was only slightly damaged. No estimate of the loss has been made.

April 2, 1920

The microfilm containing 1920 Newtown Bee editions is kept at the C.H. Booth Library, which is temporarily closed due to coronavirus health precautions.

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