September 30, 1988

Amie came home. Jim and Jo Morris of Russett Road wondered whether they’d ever see their cat again, after they found that boa constrictor on their porch on September 20. When they noticed a slight bulge in the boa, they started to worry. On Saturday, however, Jo said Amie “casually walked in like she hadn’t even been gone.” As for the boa, it was returned to its owner, Greg Oliger of Lakeview Terrace, on September 21.

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It appears the town is leaning toward dropping its plan for building, in the police station, an E-911 center that would serve as the dispatching center for all of the town’s emergency operations, including police, fire, and ambulance calls. Because fire officials are wary of having fire dispatching done under police supervision, town officials are considering the alternative of putting the E-911 center in Edmond Town Hall.

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Overriding a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Legislative Council unanimously agreed on September 22 the town should own the former Newtown Congregational Church. Supporters said the building is not just a historic structure, but a landmark as inseparable from Newtown as the flagpole.

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One hundred citizens are petitioning the Legislative Council to form a new town agency that would inventory land uses over the Pootatuck Aquifer, its mapped recharge areas, and wellfields. “It’s critical to have this, with the advent of the Route 25 bypass and the jail,” said Rep Mae Schmidle. Petition efforts are in keeping with recently enacted state legislation, which requires aquifer mapping and local land inventorying to protect the drinking water supply.

October 4, 1963

At the quarterly meeting of the board of trustees of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library held on Tuesday evening, Mrs Hawley Warner, chairman of the Library’s annual appeal, reported that Friends of the Library had substantially increased their contributions to the Library. As of October 1st, 320 contributors have given $2,258, whereas a year ago 240 contributors had by October 1st given $2,049.50. Annual gifts from the Friends of the Library supply slightly more than eight per cent of the annual Library income.

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William Allen Hellauer, son of Mr and Mrs Joseph F. Hellauer of Glover Avenue, was sworn into service last Friday at the US Air Force Recruiting Station in New Haven by his brother, Captain Joseph F. Hellauer, Jr, USAF Reserves. William is following in the footsteps of his father and two brothers. Joseph Hellauer, Sr graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1927. He swore in his son, James Carroll Hellauer as a plebe at the Naval Academy in 1957.

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Garrett Becker, coordinating officer of Newtown Civil Defense, has requested that all persons owning station wagons and bus type cars register them with CD headquarters for use in a maximum emergency. Registrations may be made by telephone to the operator at Edmond Town Hall or by mail.

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The cases of the five youths apprehended in efforts to raise the gates at the town park pond September 1, vanished from public view this week when Judge Yale Matzkin of Waterbury, presiding in Third Circuit Court in Newtown on Tuesday, ordered four of the cases transferred to juvenile court along with all files pertaining thereto. The case of the fifth lad was in juvenile court from the beginning. The four young men who had been charged with breach of peace, willful injury to public property, were in court accompanied by their fathers. The cases of the young men aroused considerable interest among townspeople because had efforts to drain the pond in the A. Fenn Dickinson Memorial Park proved successful, it would have ruined the water carnival, an important part of the Progress Festival.

 

September 30, 1938

Telephone repair crews in many parts of the state are still forced to fight their way through fallen trees, high water and washed out roads as they carry on the gigantic task of restoring the state’s telephone service. Damage to both local and long distance lines as a result of the devastating hurricane and flood of a week ago was the most severe in the history of The Southern New England Telephone Company. Poles and overhead wires felt the full fury of the hurricane, while underground cables suffered the ravages of the flood.

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After remaining hidden for well over one hundred years, a large copper cent, dated 1817, was brought to light again following the big blow of last Wednesday. Raymond Crouch, while chopping up the remains of the old maple which fell back of the Newtown Congregational Church, picked up the coin among the upturned roots. This tree, planted some time between the years 1825 and 1830, was one of two set out during the pastorate of Rev William Mitchell, and has stood the rigors of New England weather since that time, but like many other old landmarks was not able to cope with the hurricane of last week.

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The Newtown Bowling League, composed of eight teams of five men each, will open its season on Tuesday, October 4, at 8 pm, at the alleys of the Edmond Town Hall. Entrance fee of $1.50 will be due and payable to the treasurer, Irwin H. Baker, on the first night that each member bowls.

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The Bee office often receives calls to furnish information of one kind or another, which it is always a pleasure to do whenever possible. Last Friday afternoon a long distance telephone call came from Mrs Robert Lynch at Passaic, N.J., a niece of Mrs John Maloney. Mrs Lynch wished to know how her aunt had weathered the storm but had not been able to call her direct. She next thought of The Bee and called our office to know how serious the storm had been here. Mrs Lynch’s phone call was relayed to Mrs Maloney by The Bee, which bit of kindness it was only too glad to do.

 

October 3, 1913

The Board of Education in New Haven do not believe in the new dances, the Tango, Turkey Trot, etc. In the future no dances of this description will be allowed. The Board of Education Friday night issued its ukase [order] against the possible introduction of any indecorous dances such as the tango, the turkey trot, the bunny hug and the like at public dances under the auspices of high school students or societies by decreeing that in the future no public dance of this description shall be held without the presence of a dancing master, designated or approved by the principal who shall have the power to dismiss summarily from the floor any persons dancing in what he deems an objectionable manner.

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Joseph Durand has begun work rebuilding his barn, recently burned. Mr Durand found it necessary to lay over the side walls, which are of field stone. Norman B. Glover is improving his residence in new roofs. Charles Winton and son are doing the work.

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Sandy Hook has been the scene of a number or wordy and fistic encounters, the past few days. If it keeps up it may be necessary for the citizens to don armor as in the days of the Normans of old, or to take out extra life insurance. There has been one fatalities (sic) and the water is flowing down the Pootatuck just the same.

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Representatives of the Warner Brothers Corset Co. of Bridgeport have been looking over the Dutch Rubber shop at Sandy Hook with a view of locating a branch of the establishment here. The fine brick factory at Sandy Hook and excellent prospect of obtaining here such help as they desire, are big factors in favor of the Sandy Hook location. The establishment of the branch factory here would be a great benefit to the town.