***

The owners of the Hawley Manor have filed another lawsuit to appeal the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals’ decision to grant a variance to John Vouros and William Riege to allow them to rebuild the former Yankee Drover Inn on a residential tract of land at 29 Main Street. This suit is the second one filed by the plaintiffs this year, who filed a similar suit in March, which was dismissed. Judge Howard J. Moraghan dismissed the suit because the writ was served by Mrs St Jean, who is the clerk of the town Zoning Board of Appeals and not the ZBA clerk. The only thing the judge found was that if the Yankee Drover Inn were to be reconstructed it would provide competition to the Hawley Manor Inn and that is not a concern of zoning.

***

The wandering bull moose that created such a sensation in Newtown last week has died in a New Hampshire marsh, apparently from complications after it was tranquilized. The moose was found dead Wednesday, September 10, by a New Hampshire Fish and Game Department biologist about 50 hours after it had been drugged in Newtown and transported to a wildlife management area. Before the moose was moved north, Woodbury veterinarian Brad Davis cautioned that drugging such a large animal was very difficult and that typically there was only a fifty-fifty chance of survival in such cases.

***

The Legislative Council on September 17 heard presentations from most of the 20 individuals or groups making requests for a portion of the $202,680 in state surplus funds that the town has to give away. The council made no decisions on allocations at its meeting in the Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria Room, attended by an unusually large crowd of 50 persons. Resident Arthur Spector asked that the town set aside a portion of the money towards creation of a fund allowing the town to preserve the Congregational Church on Main Street. The congregation plans to replace its church with a new one, raising the possibility that the present church could be torn down eventually.

September 22, 1961

Hurricane Esther’s outer fringe caused considerable confusion and some discomfort in Newtown this Thursday, closing schools and sending this week’s issue of The Bee to press against tremendous difficulties. First Selectman Charles W. Terrell noted that this was the first time that the new radios, recently installed in all of the highway department trucks, had been used for an emergency. The Connecticut Light and Power Company had a hard day of it, starting early Thursday morning, with most of the trouble caused by tree damage. Almost 4,000 homes and businesses were affected. The crews started working at 6:30 am and planned a dawn to dusk attack on fallen limbs. There were nine crews at work in Newtown in the late afternoon. By 3:30, all but 350 townspeople had their electric service restored. The telephone company reported that its crews also were out the entire day fixing the breaks. It also said that the force of the storm was greater than expected, but it hopes to have all service fully restored by Friday afternoon.

***

The Cyrenius H. Booth Library this week opened an exhibition of 30 reproductions of paintings by modern artists, which, at the end of the two-week exhibit, may be borrowed by holders of library cards, one picture at a time, for a month, renewable for a month. The circulation of pictures is a new service to the people of Newtown, which has recently been inaugurated at the library.

***

Tax Collector George A. Jackson is very pleased to report the fine cooperation of the citizens of Newtown for the way in which they have been paying their taxes. As a result, he is happy to announce a collection of 97.42 percent on the last full reportable tax collection year, May 1, 1980 through April 30, 1981.

***

The Board of Directors of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce has arranged for an open meeting for all members, to be held on Wednesday evening, September 27, at the Hawley Manor Inn, at 8 o’clock. W. Russell Sloan, speaking for the board of directors, says, “This will be a no-holds-barred meeting. With hopes that all members express their gripes, accolades, etc., if any, an the result will be constructive.”

September 18, 1936

Announcement has been made of an exhibition flight by the Zeppelin, Hindenburg, which will take it over Danbury on Friday, October 9. The Danbury Fair will then be in progress, so that fair goers will be afforded an added treat on that day. The Zeppelin is scheduled to cruise over six states, with a line of flight over 30 of the principal cities and towns along the northeastern seaboard.

***

A bad automobile accident in which two local men were seriously injured at Dead Man’s Curve Road occurred early Monday morning, when a truck owned and operated by Jesse Ghion of Huntington district skidded off the highway, tearing down several state road fence posts, and plunged over the heavy guard cable down a 20-foot embankment. Riding with Ghion was Joseph Regenatto of Hanover Road. Both received severe cuts and bruises and deep lacerations about the head.

***

Two Bridgeport youths, Marin Hodkowski and Walter Zvlinski, both 19, who with faces covered held up and robbed two Bridgeport men of their money and car in Fairchild Memorial Park, Bridgeport, last Wednesday night, were captured in the woods at Botsford by Constables Blake and Stanton and State Policeman Mayo of the Ridgefield Barracks, after they had failed to make Dead Man’s Curve and had wrecked their stolen car.

***

Dr and Mrs Charles Mayo of Rochester, Minn., have been visiting Mrs Charles H. Peck, in the Street, for several days. They motored from Minnesota with their completely equipped auto trailer and left town on Monday, accompanied by Mrs Peck, for a trip to the Gaspe Peninsula. The trailer is equipped with sleeping quarters for three people, electric lights, radio, shower bath, gas stove, refrigerator, and all the comforts of home.

 

September 23, 1911

Selectman Blackman has done effective work in blasting out the rocks near the Mrs Addie Nichols’ place at Mt Pleasant, at a point on the Danbury road east of William Ruffells’ residence. Toward the Danbury line some excellent work in road improvements has been done.

***

Claiming that sparks from passing engines repeatedly set fire to his woodland, Frank H. Mitchell of Newtown, Tuesday morning, brought suit against the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co, asking $2,000 damages. Mr Mitchell is a large property owner in Newtown and his woodland tract, which is along side of the Highland division railroad tracks, has suffered greatly because of fires.

***

In company with Charles F. Beardsley, president of the Land’s End Cemetery Association, the Editor paid a visit to the cemetery at Hawleyville, Tuesday afternoon, to inspect the improvements which are now completed. Twenty-eight large hemlock trees were removed. Mr Beardsley and Amos T. Camp have given freely of their time all summer, while Mr Camp has contributed the use of his oxen and hired man and Mr Beardsley his hired man. The grounds have been uniformly graded all over the cemetery and the edge of the roadway has been turfed around the entire length of the driveway, the turf kindly contributed by Amos Hawley. Messrs Beardsley and Camp deserve the hearty thanks of every resident of Hawleyville and the entire town.

***

A number of local farmers are posting their land against the depredations of outside hunters, who in some cases have been seen to cut wire fences, tear down stone walls, and leave bars down.