December 13, 1991

While on routine patrol, police discovered a Fairfield Hills Hospital patient with a ten-speed bicycle in the parking lot of Sand Hill Plaza at 7:15 pm on December 5. The FHH police returned the patient to the hospital but the ten-speed owner needs to claim the property at the Newtown Police Department. According to the police, the patient had left FHH earlier in the day and somewhere between the hospital and the plaza he took a white Columbia charger bicycle with no fenders and a brown seat.

***

The school board has accepted for a second reading a reworked truancy policy to meet new state guidelines. The new policy will show that unexplained absences at the elementary and middle school level means an absence without parental permission. "We don't have a major problem, or even a minor problem," said Assistant Superintendent Ken Freeston. He had said at the most, unexcused absences might amount to three a year in the kindergarten through eighth grade level. Under the new policy a truant is a child in a grade from kindergarten to eighth grade who has four unexcused absences in one month or 10 unexcused absences in a year. A habitual truant means any child who has 20 unexcused absences within a school year.

***

Supervisor Michael Comoletti of the Medford, Mass., Lawlor Corporation has been overseeing the clearing of the site for the $2 million United States Post Office on Commerce Road for about three weeks. About seven or eight acres have been cleared. "They want to finish about eight months from now," he said. The building will be about 17,000 square feet and was designed by architectural firm Quinn Associates of New Britain.

***

Newtown police are investigating the theft of chain saws from a storage area at the Williams Construction Office on South Main Street. According to police, the theft occurred sometime overnight between December 10 and 11, when an unknown person or persons entered the storage area and took two chain saws. Anyone with any information regarding the theft can call Newtown police at 426-5841.

December 9, 1966

At no time is the feeling of loneliness more intense than at Christmas for those who must remain in hospitals away from family and friends. Patients at Fairfield Hills Hospital are especially in need of friends this Christmas. Boxes for donations are at Grand Union, Borodenko's Market, Trade Well, Hayes Department Store in Sandy Hook, and Dodgingtown Market. No matches, nothing sharp, and please do not wrap gifts. Mrs Hans Kretsch, Newtown mental health chairman, or Mrs Jane Wilson at Fairfield Hills Hospital will be glad to answer questions.

***

Douglass Hewitt, chairman of the pancake feast, said that Rotarians all over town are practicing for the grand flipping contest on December 10. The Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall will be filled with the marvelous aroma of pancakes, sausage, tea, coffee. Serving is 11 am to 8 pm. Come when your favorite chef is at the griddle. Perhaps a late weekend brunch then take the families to the movies and come back for supper. Remember that the best cooks are always men and you can't miss. Did anybody ever really have enough pancakes?

***

The Newtown Ambulance Drivers Corps is trying to locate the person who so kindly furnished the blanket to cover Walter Peterson who was struck by an automobile on Glen Road, Newtown, at 5:10 pm October 31. He is asked to stop at the telephone operators' room in the Edmond Town Hall and pick up the blanket, after proper identification.

***

Postmasters at Newtown's four post offices have announced special Christmas mailing hours, and an added midday mailing each day beginning December 12. Postmaster Al Nichols says that Newtown's Queen Street Post Office will be open on December 10 and 17 until 4 pm instead of closing at noon. In addition, there will be an extra express trip at 7:50 pm on an as-needed basis to handle Christmas mail.

December 5, 1941

Despite the recent springlike weather, the group of faithful workers who engineered last year's skating rink on the Newtown Country Club grounds has started preparation for the erection of the skating rink again this year. A new and more convenient location is being sought, and already the boards have been taken out of mothballs and the painting job started. It is hoped that the rink will be completely erected within the next ten days. Meanwhile, volunteer workers will be most welcome.

***

An important meeting of the Board of Finance was held at the Edmond Town Hall Tuesday, when the board acted unanimously in favor of the request of the Board of Selectmen for an appropriation not exceeding $5,000 to cover the cost of paid police protection in Newtown. In approving the request, the finance board recommended that selectmen be empowered to borrow such sum or sums of money as may be necessary to meet the cost. It is expected that the selectmen will call a special town meeting in the near future for approval of the taxpayers and voters and for the adoption of whatever plan is voted at the meeting.

***

With temperatures in the fifties and a rose bud here and there, Christmas Day seems much further away than is indicated on the calendar. In fact, it is a scarce twenty days off. Those people who are forehanded about everything they do, are already well along with their holiday shopping. Others are reminded that it is easier shopping in the stores now, than it will be in the hustle and bustle of the 23 and 24. To all, The Bee recommends the wares as advertised within this and succeeding issues.

***

At a well-attended meeting of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce held last Thursday evening at the Parker House, future activities of the organization were discussed at some length, with Paul S. Smith, president, presiding. Those present voted that the Chamber be continued, undertaking specific projects in the future. For the third year, a Christmas Doorway Decoration contest will be held, with cash prized for the winners in various classes. The municipal tree near the monument at the head of the street will again be lighted by the Chamber, with Paul S. Smith in charge.

December 8, 1916

Sanford Underhill was the victim of a serious and painful accident while at work on his Glover land farm Tuesday. He fell from a load of cornstalks, striking on a rock and cutting a serious gash in his head. He was taken to his residence in South Center District, and Dr W.H. Kiernan summoned and six stitches were necessary to close the wound.

***

We the undersigned women of the township of Newtown hereby appeal to all citizens of the town and its environs to aid in preserving the most famous spot within its limits. Our Glen is famous throughout the state and beyond. Motoring parties from New York, Massachusetts and more distant states have come many miles out of their way to see and enjoy its beauties. It has been classed with the famous glens of the White Mountains and the Adirondacks, and yet we are allowing it to be desecrated and spoiled. Within the last three years, 30 or 40 trees have been cut along both sides of the driveway. During the year just past, many of the trees within the Glen itself have been cut down and so cut as to destroy, in their fall, the beauty and promise of the younger trees that might otherwise have grown up in their places. Indiscriminate dumping has been allowed all along the steep banks of the stream and the very spot where passersby would naturally stop to watch the waterfalls have been rendered so offensive to sight and smell that those who cared most for their beauty have been forced to hurry away from them.

***

A.C. Griscom is installing a 20-horsepower gasoline engine in his place at Berkshire.

***

One of the first attempts at highway robbery in our Borough occurred on Thanksgiving eve, about 6 o'clock, when Mrs Frank Drew had her pocketbook snatched from her hand by some young man. It was very dark and raining and the rascal disappeared before she had a look at him. She hastened to Mr Beardsley's and gave the alarm and Mr Beardsley got busy but no clues could be secured by the constables. Mrs Drew was greatly frightened by the attack.

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.