April 23, 1993

A riot erupted Wednesday night among gang members in the high security Garner Correctional Institution. The total number of injured was not available at press time, but 20 inmates and three guards went to area hospitals by Thursday morning. The most seriously injured, Lt Victor Real, 33, a correction officer from Newtown, was listed as stable at Waterbury Hospital. State Department of Corrections spokesperson Mary Dunn said Wednesday that the problem started around 7 pm after inmates returned from dinner. They launched a planned attack on members of 20-Love, a Hartford street gang. The 20-Love gang is one of several at Garner, including Latin Kings, Jungle Boys, Pop Love, and Nation. Prison officials said Cell Block B was the site of some of the worst fighting, with prisoners there refusing to reenter their cells in the locked block after the trouble started. They have since been transferred to other cells. At about 2 o'clock Thursday morning, specially trained correction officers wearing riot gear entered Cell Block B just after inmates were ordered to reenter their cells. Earlier in the evening, an inmate had lit fire to a mattress, setting off a high-pressure water system which doused prisoners, quelling fighting and causing water damage.

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KITE CONTEST SUNDAY: Go fly a kite this Sunday, April 25, at the annual Kite Flying Contest sponsored by The Newtown Bee and Parks and Recreation at Ram Pasture. Children and parents are welcome to enjoy an afternoon flying their kites. Spectators welcome too. In past years kites have ranged from two-inch models made of rice paper to a giant shark kite. Participants are invited to make their own kites. Patterns are available in the Parks and Rec office in Town Hall South.

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Responding to Washbrook Road residents who like their dirt road, the Board of Selectman Tuesday voted 2-1 to approve a roadwork agreement that no longer calls for paving the road. The original proposed agreement between the town and the estate of Francis D'Addario called for widening the road to 22 feet from current widths of 12 to 16 feet, for drainage work and for paving the road. The estate is the developer of a 14-lot subdivision planned for land between Washbrook and Meadowbrook Roads and Route 25. Nine of the lots would have driveways off Washbrook. Residents had previously petitioned against the proposed changes to their road; they reiterated their opposition at the selectmen's meeting Monday.

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A Donkey Basketball game will be played Monday at Newtown High School to raise money for a new scholarship. Sponsored by the Parent-Teacher-Student Association, the hope is to fund a scholarship to go to a deserving high school senior. In donkey basketball, players pass and shoot the ball while riding donkeys, which are fitted with rubber-soled shoes to protect the gym floor. Teams will be made up of varsity players and cheerleaders, plus local business leaders and professionals.

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Workmen from the Connecticut Department of Transportation began this week to lay underground cable for a traffic signal at the corner of Route 25 and Botsford Hill Road and Meadowbrook road. The light had been approved by the state more than 18 months ago for the corner which has been the site of many serious motor vehicle accidents.

April 26, 1968

As The Bee goes to press it has learned that Walter J. McCarthy intends to seek the Democratic nomination for the First Selectman in a primary on June 6. Miles Harris is the candidate endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee. The Republican primary date is June 4. If Harvey Hubbell IV fails to win endorsement at the GOP caucus on April 30, there can be two primaries. The special election is scheduled for July 16.

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The Cyrenius H. Booth Library has arranged a display of new books in observance of National Library Week, April 21 to 28. A number of new nonfiction books are also on display. Among the new fiction titles are The Ballon Man, Another Day, Another Death, The Last Unicorn, New Year, The Gossip Truth, The Survivor, A Wonderous Moment Then, A Bridge That Went Nowhere, The Girl in Cabin B24 and The Money That Money Can't Buy.

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Spring weather is arriving very early this year. With it comes the sudden flowering of fruit trees, the dramatic appearance of leaves and green grass, and the rush of gardeners and homeowners to catch up with it all. But try as hard as possible, the dress of spring does not conceal the scars of winter. The roadside debris is still there, and places have that unkempt appearance from the litter careless people have discarded. More than one person has spoken to us about the shabby appearance of the town, suggesting that officials, garden clubs, service groups, and volunteers should come together in a townwide clean-up week. A clean up week will do it. Who will put it in motion?

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The talented all-girl color guard unit from Newtown with high hopes and enthusiasm, put their best foot forward Sunday, April 21, by receiving their highest achievement of the competitive season. They won the championship and first honors of the B Division of the Southern Regional Championship Meet of the New England International All American Color Guard Circuit. The Competition, "Pageantry In Motion," was held in Terryville. There were 23 competing color guards, in A, B, and C Divisions.

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Architect's renderings show a professional building to be erected at the corner of Wendover Road and Church Hill Road in The Borough. The building was proposed by Drs Lawrence Daum and Charles E. Ray. The office will contain about 5,000 square feet of which half has been reserved. Over a half acre of lawn and boundary of evergreens will add to the attractiveness of the building. Construction is scheduled to start in early May.

April 30, 1943

"Doc" Crowe, Sandy Hook's genial druggist, has received notice from Alice Esther Garvin, Secretary of the American Pharmaceutical Association, that he has been named a life member of the group, having served as a member for over forty years. Doc has the honor of being the youngest life member in the state. Miss Garvin will be remembered as daughter of the late J.P. Garvin, Bethel druggist, who often took part in entertainments at Newtown Congregational Church.

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Mrs Frannie Edwards, who sustained a fractured shoulder when she fell on Main Street last Wednesday, is still confined to Bridgeport hospital. Mrs Edwards continues to suffer considerable pain due to the injury.

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Residents will be much interested in a proposed bill, printed elsewhere in this issue, which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and is receiving help in Hartford by Newtown's two representatives. When passed in Hartford and at town meeting, it will give Newtown the legal right to start the accumulation of unexpended appropriations at the end of each fiscal year for a fund to provide expanded school facilities. The measure makes start of a fund to provide the town's most pressing need, so that when the war is over and it is possible to construct a school, the town will at least have made a start in paying the bill. We call it to attention as a most sensible measure, and when the time comes, we are sure will be received with wide approval.

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The test blackout on Tuesday night caught Newtown by surprise, as it did the rest of the state. The Report Center was not fully manned, and there were gaps in the ranks of the sector wardens. After delay in some districts, the town was pretty completely blacked-out, although the need for an audible "all clear" signal was very obvious. State Police Commissioner Edward J. Hickey has announced that he will seek an "all clear" signal in Connecticut.

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LATE SPRING: A robin lights upon the lawn with earnest mien and determined brawn, pulls forth an angleworm. Spear-fingered iris along the path venture to touch the new spring bath of sun and balmy air. I loll beneath the old ash tree where summer shade will later be, and read, and close my eyes and yawn. -Elmer Allison, Plumtrees, Bethel.

April 26, 1918

Stephen Stafonko of Gas Street bought a horse and wagon off John Egan of Walnut Tree Hill.

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Salvatoro Valdero of Newtown has sold his 120 acre farm to C.W. Lawless of Bridgeport, through the agency of Stanley Botsford.

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James Sexton and Sons have erected a very handsome monument for Dennis Quinlivan in the Sandy Hook cemetery. Also for the late Mary A. Burnes and John Bailey. Mr Sexton does some very fine work in the monument department.

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The public ought to appear in large numbers at the Town Hall this Friday evening to see the great war play, General Joffre in France. This show will give you some idea of the actual scenes taking place on the western front in France. A show of this kind does not often appear in small towns and the people of Newtown ought to appreciate the efforts of the managers in booking this attraction.

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Mrs Edward Taylor, who passed the winter in Danbury, returned to Sandy Hook last week and reopened her residence.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.

[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-315474" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/way-we-were-April-20-2018.jpg" alt="way we were - April 20, 2018 -- Cassandra Lincoln" width="800" height="610" /]

Found in a forgotten envelope at the Newtown Bee office was this image labeled 1982, with writing on the back: hike bike participants, Cassandra Lincoln.