Newtown voters, in an all-day referendum on July 17, again gave their stamp of approval to the $3,250,000 bonding issue which will result in the construction of a new elementary school on the former Boyle property on Boggs Hill Road.

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A large proportion of the responsibility for carrying on the various functions of town government will belong, after the November election, to the 18 members of Newtown’s first Town Council, which will serve as the town’s chief legislative body and budget-making authority. While the Council members may be considered to represent their districts, any town resident may bring any matter to the attention of any Council member with a request for action or assistance. The first selectman is an ex officio member of the Council, but can vote only to break a tie vote by the other members.

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Newtowners will be considering at the November 4 election whether they want to change the method of electing their Board of Education members as a result of action taken at a short town meeting on Wednesday night at Edmond Town Hall. This and three other resolutions were passed, including a special appropriation of $152,654 for retroactive pay for the teachers for the 1975-76 school year as a result of the May 16 contract agreement between the Board of Education and the Newtown Federation of Teachers.

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Frank DeLucia and Philip J. Kopp, incumbent and challenger, differ on who should contribute to their campaigns as they seek the Republican spot for Newtown’s first selectman on the November ballot. The men’s views were brought out at a debate last week as Mr DeLucia held contributions could be accepted as long as the state’s election laws were abided by and contributors recorded. Philip Kopp, on the other hand, felt it was unethical to accept contributions from anyone employed by the town and “morally wrong” to accept funds from someone associated with the town on a fee basis.

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At a recent troop meeting several Scouts from Troop 70 were recognized for their achievements in Scouting. The following Scouts were awarded merit badges for citizenship in the community and citizenship in the nation: Tim Corfey, Alan Crawford, Jim Fahrenholz, John Hannah, Steve Hannah, Brent Ingram, Dave Whippie and Steve Weymeyer. Jim Fahrenholz also earned the Swimming Merit Badge. J. Hiney was the counselor for the merit badges, and the troop is most appreciative for his time and interest. Steve Weymeyer was advanced to First Class Scout. Alan Crawford was advanced to Star Scout. Alan is also the Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 70.

“It’s almost a reality,” said Harvey Hubbell, Newtown Fund president, referring to the mini-bus for transporting the elderly which the fund applied for in mid-March. Word has been received by the Department of Transportation that the 14 programs which it has recommended to the federal Urban Mass Transportation Authority for funding have been approved. Newtown’s mini-bus was one of the 14, which were the survivors of 30 original applications from all over the state.

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Lena Gomberg Greenberg, a member of the Newtown (Hawley High School) graduating class of 1925, would like to see her classmates get together for a reunion and is seeking information of the whereabouts of the members of the class of ’25. If the reunion were to take place, it would be the first one for the class members in 50 years, so it should be fun and interesting. Members of the class of ’25, besides Mrs Greenberg, were William McGuire, Helen Curtiss, Florence Ferris, Lorene McCarthy, Agnes Bailey, Viola McGuire Kahle, Betsy Parker, Sanford Mead, Jr, Julia A. Perry, and William I. Brenner.

JULY 28, 1950

Richard Carlson, a vocational agriculture student at Newtown High School, received word this Thursday that he has won a prize in the farm and home safety contest being conducted by radio station WTIC in Hartford. Accompanied by his vocational agriculture teacher, Vincent P. Gaffney, he will go to Hartford this Saturday morning, where he will take part in the station’s program at 11:30 am.

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Not only Newtowners but people from many surrounding towns will regret to learn that the Newtown Orchestral Society, for so long an integral part of summer activities here, has recently been dissolved. After long deliberation, the officers of the society came reluctantly to the conclusion that the difficulties of maintaining such an organization are in these days so great, especially in regard to costs, that they must cease activities.

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The Bee, some local early morning radio listeners have informed us, was referred to over the airwaves of WCBS on Wednesday of this week by Jack Sterling. Sterling, who many months ago replaced Arthur Godfrey in the daily 6 to 7:45 am broadcast over the Columbia network, was alluding to newspapers with unusual or different-sounding names. The popular star’s knowledge of The Bee came about through a WCBS engineer, Joseph Travis, whose home is on Botsford Hill Road, Newtown.

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On Tuesday evening of this week, Pohatuck Grange held a short meeting in Grange Hall, with David Scott, master, presiding. At this time Mrs Rosa Lee Adams was elected treasurer, succeeding John Bergh, and Martha Jones was elected to the post of Pomona, succeeding Mrs John Bergh. The new officers were installed by Willis F. Arndt, secretary of Pohtatuck Grange and past master of Fairfield County Pomona Grange, assisted by Mrs Carolyn McCollam, master of Easton Grange and Flora of Fairfield County Pomona Grange, as marshal.

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The recently organized Newtown Women’s Republican Club will hold its next meeting in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall Tuesday afternoon, August 8, at 2:30, when officers will be elected.

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Hunting moose, bear and caribou just beneath the Arctic Circle, in the mountainous country 125 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska, was the subject of a motion picture shown at the meeting of the Newtown Rotary Club held in the Parker House Monday night. In the previous meeting, stressing international features, Alfred H. Jurgens had continued his description of the Rotary International convention held in Detroit.

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In recent weeks plans have been drawn and preparations made for a much-needed addition to The Bee office. Work began in earnest on Saturday morning, when John C. Stefanko, general contractor, who has been given the contract for the job, cleared the land and removed one or two trees which stood in the way. The addition, plans for which have been drawn by John B. Gill of Brushy Hill Road, will provide storage space for newsprint in the basement and space on the ground floor for the composing room and job printing equipment, as well as a small room for stereotyping. This will make it possible to convert the present composing room into additional offices, which have been lacking for The Bee’s enlarged staff for a long time.

JULY 24, 1925

Elliott H. Platt, son of F.W. Platt of Hopewell, and for the last year and a half a member of The Telegram staff, has tendered his resignation to take effect August 1 to become secretary to State Commissioner of Agriculture, Philo Platt.

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Permanent electric garden lanterns have been placed in the beautiful garden of Miss Mary E. Hawley by Harry Van Horn, the local electrician. When these lanterns are illuminated at night, the garden is bathed in a soft and colorful glow which lights up drowsing beds of hollyhocks, hydrangeas, roses, heliotrope, canna, gladioli, petunia and many other flowers.

JULY 27, 1900

The water in John Nichols’ pond has lowered so much as to cause all the fish to die.

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Miss Susie Camp has been engaged to teach the school in Taunton District for the ensuing year.