December 27, 1991

NEW HAVEN - In US District Court here on December 19, Rod Mac Kenzie pleaded "not guilty" to three charges in connection with the defrauding of a New Haven bank in 1987. Mr Mac Kenzie was Newtown's first selectman in 1988 and 1989. He now lives in Massachusetts. Mr Mac Kenzie pleaded not guilty to three counts, and was released on a $50,000 bond, with the understanding that he would abide with certain travel restrictions. Mr Mac Kenzie was charged with aiding and abetting bank fraud, and with two counts of making false statements. The maximum penalty for conviction is five years and $250,000. He was indicted by a grand jury following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He had been an attorney for David Grossman, who had previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud, and one count of making a false statement. Mr Grossman is awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors charged that in 1987, Mr Grossman submitted a false contract to the First Bank of Connecticut. The grand jury maintains that in 1987 Mr Mac Kenzie did knowingly and intentionally aid and abet Mr Grossman in his scheme to obtain money under false pretenses.

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The Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers has decided that it will not ask the Board of Selectmen for any town funding for the fiscal year that starts in July 1992. Managers Chairman Betty Lou Osborne said the managers have been continuing to do a good job in raising money through theater revenues and Alexandria Room rentals and renting the gym and other rooms in Town Hall. At the same time, Mrs Osborne said the managers realize that Newtown, like all other towns, is "in trouble," financially. "We have kept our belt tightened this past year. We don't need to do some extravagant spending."

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On a mild winter morning on Monday, neighbors gathered at the edge of Hattertown Pond, eager to learn of changes that will come when the dam there is rebuilt. "I can't wait to see it happen," said Charlie Lewis of Maltbie Road. Mr Lewis is a member of the family that long ago named Lewis Brook the stream that leads into the man-made pond, said Doug Rogers, Newtown Forest Association (NFA) director. "That's all there was in 1867, before the pond was built." The town recently received $100,000 to rebuild the dam through the Iroquois Gas Transmission System's Land Preservation and Enhancement Program. The piece is being preserved for an area of passive recreation and is surrounded by 95 acres of woodlands preserved by the NFA.

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State and federal scientists will study cat-scratch disease in Connecticut, where six cases of the bacterium-linked illness have been reported. Doctors believe the disease caused two Windsor Locks boys to fall into comas recently. Cat-scratch disease, which is fairly common and usually harmless is characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes, and is sometimes accompanied by a rash, according to the Center for Disease Control. The disease got its name because doctors believe humans can get it from the scratch of a cat. One fifth-grade boy in Windsor Locks became ill October 4. A fourth-grade became ill at home on November 4. Both boys came out of their comas after several days and have since returned to school.

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December 23, 1966

May I take this opportunity to wish all of my fellow citizens the happiest and most joyous of all Christmases. May the new year treat you with kindness and bestow upon you peace, prosperity and abundant health. I am sure that the members of this administration join me in these thoughts and add to our citizens thanks for their many kindnesses and considerations to us during the year. We shall continue to strive and have striven to make Newtown a better, more prosperous and more beautiful town for our people and for all future citizens to enjoy. Carl M. Schutz, First Selectman, Town of Newtown.

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Jerry Pannozza won the floral arrangement at the December 17 Christmas party of the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department. It was donated by Bob Lockwood of Burtch's Flower Shop. A "bottle of beer" was won by Mrs Herbert Lewis.

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At 1:55 am this Wednesday morning, December 21, a town truck driver saw heavy smoke in the sky over Sandy Hook and reported it to the town hall switchboard. The Sandy Hook Fire Company was immediately dispatched but by the time they arrived at the home of the John Lorenzo on Old Green Road the whole house was engulfed in flames. No one had been at home to make the call earlier. The two dogs were outside and they too, were safe. A call to Mr Lorenzo brought him from Stamford where he works to hear the sad news that the house and all it contained were a total loss, including, of course, all the Christmas gifts. The Lorenzos spent the night with members of their family but are in immediate need of rental quarters.

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Incidents reported to police over the weekend included theft of a car and Christmas lights and vandalism to street signs and mailboxes in Sandy Hook. The car, a 1962 Volkswagen, was reported taken sometime between 9 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday from the home of Roland Beardsley of Washington Avenue. Also in Sandy Hook at the home of Herbert Earl on Vining Road a string of Christmas tree lights was disconnected and removed from the tree. The Earls believe the lights were taken Saturday evening although they did not discover the theft until they attempted to light the tree Sunday evening.

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December 19, 1941

On Christmas Eve afternoon the children of Newtown will, as usual, will sing carols before the Christmas tree in the children's room of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. The processional down the wide stairway will begin at 4 o'clock, candlelight time. In additional to the traditional carols many of us know and love, the children will sing three less well-known but very beautiful ones of English origin - "What Child Is This," "The Coventry Carol," and "Angels We Have Heard." This Christmas season the library is fortunate to have for display in the children's room a number of original illustrations by Ingri and Edgar d'Aulaire for three of their well-known and well-loved books for children.

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In step with similar preparations by Aircraft Warning Posts in other towns, the local post is now building a waterproof shelter which will be located on the grounds of the Fairfield State Hospital . This shelter will be heated, and as soon as it is erected, observers will keep 24-hour watch to detect all planes in flight in this vicinity. Twenty-four-hour service has been temporarily discontinued because there have not been sufficient volunteers to relieve the hospital employees who were standing practically all of the watches and could not continue to do so without relief. It is hoped that there will be at least 168 volunteers to stand watch - two at a time - in two-hour shifts so that one person will be on full duty for only one definite two-hour period once a week.

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All basketball and square dance fans. Be sure to be on hand this Friday evening when the PTA will sponsor another square dance after the Bethel-Newtown basketball games at the Edmond gym. This will be the third of these dances. Music for the evening will be furnished by the Ramblin' Rangers of Easton. A hat will be passed for donations to cover the expenses and Coca Cola will be on sale, as usual. The Bethel teams and their rooters are also welcome to come and swing their partners.

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Mrs Florence Ruffles of Stratford was the happy winner of the Hotpoint Electric Range in a recent Times-Star cooking contest. Mr George Ruffles was a former resident of Newtown.

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December 22, 1916

As the moon lifts the great waters of the deep to floodtide, so Christ's magnetic personality lifts our great human race at the Christmas season, as by the irresistible compulsion of love, out of our sordid selfishness into the practice of peace and good will. Those who have struggled against each other in business, society and politics forget the plotting of selfish preferment in the contagion of wellness. Oh, that this good spirit of Jesus might abide with us through all the days of the new year. It is here if only we will practice it. Let us cultivate the fine art of expressing the best that is in us for and toward each other. Surely every man wants his neighbor to prosper and be happy.

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How natural it is for the old people to look back upon their youthful days, while we when young were looking ahead with great expectation of what we would do when we became men, grown to mature years. Well, few of us have ever met our anticipations. I cannot keep myself from looking back to my youth, and thinking how we had to live 65 or 70 years ago. In summer we went bare-footed from the time the dandelions were in bloom until the frost came. I have had my feet so tough that I could crack the chestnut burrs with my heels; would go huckleberrying and blackberrying with bare feet; in fact hated to put on a pair of shoes in warm weather.

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The meeting of the Ladies Sewing Society will be postponed this week on account of the Missionaries society meeting. The next meeting will be held at the home of Mrs Hubbell on January 4 at 2 pm. The Congregational Sunday School will give its annual Christmas entertainment on Sunday evening, Christmas Eve at 7:30 o'clock. The choir will render the cantata "The Star Divine."

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A Polish citizen by the name of Adams, residing in the Russell place, was struck in the head by a piece of machinery from a stalk cutter Wednesday afternoon. He sustained a bad cut on the head and was knocked into an unconscious condition. Dr F.J. Gale attended him.

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Harry Gomberg, W.A. Honan, and John Murphy have purchased Ford cars through J.B. Nichols.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with The Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com, or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.