Helle Crafts has been missing since November 18 and there are not many clues as to her disappearance. Mrs Crafts, 39, lives with her husband Richard and their three children on Newfield Lane. She was last seen after she returned from a flight from West Germany on November 18. She is a flight attendant with Pan American Airlines. Her Toyota station wagon was found at the Kennedy Airport parking lot. Mr Crafts, a pilot with Eastern Airlines and a former Newtown volunteer police officer, and Keith Mayo, a private investigator, both filed missing person reports at the Newtown Police Department on December 1. Mr Mayo was hired by Mrs Crafts for personal reasons earlier this year. Newtown police said that the state police major crime squad has been called into the investigation, and so has the state’s attorney’s office.

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1987 looks like it will be another one of moderate building activity in Newtown. There are relatively few approved building lots in town available for immediate construction. Several large subdivisions now are in the planning stage, however, and quite a few proposals are not in the initial stages of review before the town’s land use agencies. For fiscal 1986, the building department issued 1,421 building permits, at an estimated cost of $36.6 million.

***

Town Highway Department workers on December 22 started putting together a prefabricated steel bridge over the existing Hanover Road bridge. Although the new temporary bridge should be completed by December 29, it could take another week before the bridge is reopened to traffic, because the approaches must be built up with asphalt.

December 29, 1961

Once again, area merchants are providing a bundle of gifts to the first baby born of Newtown residents in the new year. Everything from a boat ride on Lake Zoar to a start on a savings account and a brand new radio await the fortunate youngster who’s first to arrive next year.

***

With Christmas now just a very happy memory, the four post offices in town are able to catch their breath and a summary of holiday postal activities reveals some interesting figures. At the Newtown Post Office in the Queen Street Shopping Center, a record number of 188,000 pieces was handled from December 11 right up to Christmas Day. In Sandy Hook the “usual” heavy holiday mail was handled, with the help of three additional employees. The Hawleyville and Botsford Post Offices reported that the holiday mailings topped previous years.

***

At the meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners of Newtown, held on December 19, the board unanimously voted to study the space heater situation in Newtown, in order to recommend to the town an ordinance to control the sale, use and installation of such units for home heating.

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While it is still too early for The Bee to determine the comparative volume of this year’s Christmas business in town, it is pleased to learn from Martin Hull that the Hobby Horse had the biggest holiday season ever. It would appear that the new Yankee Expressway, taking the through traffic off the town’s streets, has made it more desirable and easier in Newtown.

December 25, 1936

Arthur J. Smith, Jr, Manager of the Edmond Theater, has announced that the matinee on Saturday will be free to all the children. The program will feature Nino Martini in “the Gay Desperado,” Also “Puss in Boots.”

***

Newell Tiemann had the misfortune to fall from an apple tree, which he was trimming on Monday. A part of the tree gave way under his weight and he received a fractured wrist and a general shaking up.

***

The peak day for the Christmas rush at the local post office was Monday of this week, when Postmaster McCarthy and his assistants were kept busy from 7:30 am until 9:30 pm. It was the largest day in the history of the Newtown office. The offices in Sandy Hook, Hawleyville, and Botsford have been experiencing the same unusually heavy Christmas mails, keeping the postmaster and rural delivery men busy.

There are still a great many persons who have neglected to send either the money or seals in connection with the annual sale of Christmas Seals for the Prevention of Tuberculosis. Please help out by sending in your contribution as soon as possible. Your Christmas holiday will be a happier one in the realization that you have done your share in helping to wipe out the dreaded disease known as “tuberculosis.”

 

December 29, 1911

Despite the pouring rain of Friday night, the Christmas entertainment of the Congregational Sunday school was carried out as planned. Two trees were provided for the Christmas gifts, one at each side and the church interior presented a bright and beautiful appearance.

***

Master Eddie Perkins is a successful trapper, this winter, having already caught and sold enough furs to make himself a Christmas present of a fine new bicycle.

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Rev Herbert K. Job, the state ornithologist, will lecture at the Town hall, Thursday evening, on “Birds.” The lecture will be illustrated by the stereopticon. Every lover of nature will want to attend. A special rate of 15 cents has been arranged for pupils of the Newtown High school, the main idea in bringing Mr Job here to promote educational and uplifting entertainments.

***

Ex-representative Michael Kilbride was the victim of a serious accident, Wednesday afternoon, in Bridgeport. While crossing Fairfield Avenue he was caught between two trolley cars and badly squeezed. On being extricated from his perilous position he was taken to the emergency hospital. He came up on the train arriving at 7:20. Dr W.H. Kiernan was called. He sustained a torn ligament in the shoulder and was badly bruised and squeezed in an uncomfortable manner. Mr Kilbride’s escape from death was almost miraculous.