May 11, 1990

About 300 students, parents and alumni of Newtown High School filled the cafeteria May 9. The topic of the meeting was whether or not to retain the Indian as the mascot for the school. A decision to recommend changing the mascot had been made by the Leadership Council on May 1. Since that time, a committee has been formed to bring the issue back to the student body and community. Members of the student council had said their decision was based on what they thought was an offense to the American Indian. But at the meeting last night, Princess Chikara, representing the Mohegan Tribe, and Paulette Cron, vice president of the Schaghticoke Tribe and chairman of the CIAC, asked the student body to keep the Indian as its mascot. “That shows we were here in the past, are here today, and will be here tomorrow,” said Princess Chikara, pointing to a mural on the wall. The Indian portrayed is in full-feathered headdress astride a horse.

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There was a lively group at the Grown-Up Prom last Saturday night in the gym at the Edmond Town Hall. The event was sponsored by Newtown Youth Services and drew a good crowd of grown-ups eager to live out their own prom memories for the evening. Crowned King and Queen for the evening were Gary and Marie Difilippantonio.

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Anyone passing the Grand Union shopping center in Newtown around noon on April 26, may have noticed something new at the Queen Street entrance to the parking lot — three new trees. The trees, “Norway Maples,” are roughly ten to 15 feet tall with roots approximately five to six feet in diameter at its base. South Farms Nursery worked in conjunction with the general contractors Gar San Corporation of Watertown in this effort to spruce up the ground around the Grand Union.

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Even with two key runners out, the Newtown High girls’ track and field team managed to overcome a solid Bethel Squad, 70-57, Tuesday afternoon to remain undefeated. At the tri meet run at Bethel’s all-weather track, Newtown also beat Immaculate, 106-20. The two victories raised the Indians’ record to 10-0. The Indians are now one meet away from completing an unbeaten season.

May 14, 1965

Firemen in Newtown have been put to a lot of unnecessary work and trouble the past week, resulting in unwarranted danger and risk to firemen and unnecessary cost to taxpayers. There were a number of fires found to have been caused by children, said Fire Marshal Millard Goodsell, who reminds parents that they are responsible for unnecessary fires caused by their children.

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Newtown will have an unusual situation for the next two years. The town treasurer and the agent for the town deposit fund will be two different individuals, instead of one man holding both offices as heretofore. The incumbent treasurer, Herbert H. Cutler, has been re-elected to that office by 10 votes. John W. August, his Democratic opponent for both offices, has been elected to agent for the town deposit fund by seven votes.

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First Selectman Russell V. Carlson was returned for another two years to office, Monday, May 10, by a plurality of 951, when he defeated his Democratic opponent, James W. Reynolds, by a count of 1,934 to 938. Mr Reynolds, believed to be the youngest candidate to ever make a bid for the first selectman’s office, was seeking his first public office in the biennial election.

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A new service for the convenience of people dialing their own long distance calls was introduced in Newtown on May 7, according to Arthur G. Potts, manager of the Southern New England Telephone Company. Known as Automatic Number Identification, or ANI for short, the new service enables most telephone customers to dial their own long distance calls without an operator asking for the calling party’s number.

 

May 10,1940

The United States Treasury Department has just released a report regarding the sales of US Government bonds through the Post Office Department. Among the 63 third class post offices in Connecticut, the Newtown office ranks second. The sales from this office for the calendar year ending December 31, 1939, amounts to $21,450, which should be a source of real satisfaction of Postmaster P.H. McCarthy.

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The Danbury Hospital has issued a “Communique from the American Health Front,” telling of the winning fight being waged against accident and disease by doctors, nurses, employees, women’s auxiliary members, trustees, and other “soldiers in health” in the six thousand hospitals of the United States. The hospital will participate in observing National Hospital Day on Sunday, May 12, and is accompanied by a cordial invitation to the public to “see what your hospital is doing to protect your health.” Hours for inspection of the hospital and the recent addition, are set at 10 o’clock, Sunday morning, to 12 noon; and 1:30 to 4:30, Sunday afternoon.

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Pupils representing all Newtown schools will collaborate in staging a May Festival in observance of Music Week, this Friday evening, May 10, in the gymnasium of the Edmond Town Hall. It will be arranged as a calendar musical. Each teacher will exhibit work taught during the year in the month they have chosen to represent. Although there has been no opportunity for rehearsal due to transportation difficulties, the entertainment promises to be extremely pleasing, since it is a resume of music activities taught as lessons.

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The Hawley High school baseball team made its first appearance on the diamond in six years last Friday afternoon, at Pine Grove Park in Sandy Hook, when they defeated a hard-hitting Danbury State Trade School nine, by the score of six to four. Although the local school boys were unable to get more than two safe singles from the opposing twirler, Haajanen, they capitalized in a large measure on the loose fielding of the Traders.

 

May 14, 1915

Morris & Shepard have planted a 600-gallon gasoline tank and installed one of the new up-to-date Standard Oil gasoline pumps. Autoists can drive up and have their car filled up with gasoline without any trouble.

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The correspondent of the Evening Farmer ate humble pie and publicly got down on his knees (so to speak) by an apology in his paper for the outrageous, wicked and libelous attack on the character and integrity of Borough Clerk Beardsley and the other borough officials. On Friday, Mr Beardsley paid a visit to the office of the publication and demanded a public retraction. A left-handed attempt in that direction appeared, but this did not satisfy the borough clerk. Mr Corbett’s personal apology was printed on Monday night. On Wednesday, Borough Warden Peck had his innings with the editorial staff of the Farmer, and the end is not yet. Every borough official has ground for legal action against the Evening Farmer.

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Words of praise come to the Bee for the mighty good road work that is being done in the northern part of the town. Selectman Reynolds is on the road with the road workers. They are using the road machine and four yoke of cattle belonging to James Bakey, Michael Melcher, and Amos T. Camp. The road from the Danbury state road to the Hawleyville station has been worked up in splendid shape.

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On Friday of last week at the home of Miss Adeline Hurd there was a meeting of a number of the young ladies of the town, interested in the organization of a branch of the Girls’ Friendly society. Miss Margaret Jackson, of Middletown, the president of the society in Connecticut, was present and gave an interesting talk on its aims and work.