May 1, 1992

The bizarre burglary of the first selectman's office in Edmond Town Hall has left First Selectman Zita McMahon, the police, and staff puzzled. The burglary was discovered Thursday morning, April 23, when one of Mrs McMahon's assistants, Agnes Haynos, arrived for work. "I think it's very unfortunate town property was stolen," Mrs McMahon said. In addition to a conference-style telephone and Walkman-sized cassette tape recorder, thieves removed petty change from the first selectman's desk and left one of the windows in her office open. Although Mrs McMahon noted that her papers and other items were not disturbed, she said her chair had been moved. Bob Tschorn was locking up the building the previous evening at approximately 11 - shortly after the second evening screening of the movie Medicine Man - when he noticed a door to the first selectman's office reception area was ajar. Poking his head into the doorway, Mr Tschorn asked if anyone was there. When no one answered, he shut the door. The next morning at approximately 8:30 Mrs Haynos arrived and discovered the theft. "My phone was upside down and the door was locked, and it's never locked," she said. After discovering that the first selectman's phone was missing, Mrs Haynos called Newtown police. She found that a piece of the first selectman's phone was in her desk drawer, adding to the mystery.

***

Business is great in Connecticut. If you don't believe it, just ask the moving companies who are helping increasing numbers of people escape the unemployment, taxes, and high cost of housing in this state. Last year, for every two families moving in, nearly three families moved out, according to the Household Goods Carriers Bureau Inc, a Virginia firm that compiles statistics from the country's nine largest moving companies. That's the highest ration of flight from the state since 1985. For the second year in a row, Allied Van Lines has ranked Connecticut one of the top three states in the nation for outbound moves. Who is moving out? It's not just elderly retirees heading south for sunshine. Young, educated, and skilled citizens are finding fewer reasons to stay. If you are young, smart, and ambitious, it doesn't take long to realize that there is no future in a place where rents are high and jobs are scarce.

***

A variance for a proposed Main Street restaurant and inn at the location of the old Yankee Drover will be considered at the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing Tuesday, May 5. Gary Kurtz, owner of Rosy Tomorrows restaurant in Danbury, has applied to the ZBA for modifications of conditions of variance. The original variance was granted to property owners John Vouros and Judy Riebe. Mr Kurtz needs of the building's proposed appearance and permission to build the project in three phases. If built, the proposed restaurant and inn would replace the former Yankee Drover Inn at 29 Main Street. The inn was destroyed by fire in 1981.

***

A short history and a chance to try the craft of grave stone rubbing will be offered at C.H. Booth Library on Sunday, May 3, at 2 pm, by Sylvia Vuillemenot. Participants will meet at the library to learn about the background of the stones, and then go to a local cemetery to try a rubbing. Space is limited. Registration and a $2 materials fee is required.

May 5, 1967

Generous response continues from the people of Newtown to the Hickey-Loughman Fund which has now passed the $600 mark. Including many contributions from sympathetic individuals, the Newtown Fish & Game Club and Couples Club of the Congregational Church have made good-sized gifts from their membership. A car has also been donated and the landlord has canceled the rent for a generous period of time for each family. The Democratic Women's Club is also donating the proceeds from a dance being held Saturday evening. As should be well known in town, the Hickey and Loughman families suffered the loss of husband and father with the death of James Hickey in an auto accident and the death of Patrick Loughman from a heart attack. Through the effort of Arthur Spector, a committee was organized to help the families.

***

Members of Newtown Historical Society and their guests came away from the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Monday evening with a much better understanding of "Witchcraft in Connecticut" than they previously possessed. The speaker who gave a most informative talk on that subject was William J. Finan of Woodmont. He has made an extensive study of witches in the state during the 17th Century and the extent of witch-hunting attacks made on them. Monday's meeting was also the historical society's annual meeting. Scudder Smith gave the president's report, showing an active year, including the recent "Stars in Daytime" program. Mr Smith made mention of the special gift to the society from the Land's End School as well as the old Middle Gate School given by Harry Gould, which is to be moved to the site of the new Middle Gate School.

***

It is doubtful that those who attacked the home of Earl Smith, high school assistant principal, set out deliberately to kill or maim a nine-month-old baby. But this came, literally, within one inch of happening. Mr and Mrs Smith were awakened about 1:30 last Sunday morning by what sounded like an explosion. It was rocks hitting the house, apparently intended to break the bedroom windows. One rock thrown at the nursery window made a large dent about an inch from the glass. (These were not pebbles.) Had it come through it could scarcely have avoided landing in the crib. Before a second round could be fired, Mr Smith was up, had turned on the light and yelled out the window. A car was heard pulling out about 90 feet from the home. Newtown police are investigating. What concerns Mr Smith, above all other concern, is the intent to do serious harm to people. This goes beyond malicious mischief. The Bee prints this story in the hope that not only those guilty of this incident, but other people will realize the seriousness of such actions.

***

Last week's Bee reported action taken by two teacher groups protesting the town's failure to renew the contract of Diarmid Lucey, who has been on the Newtown High School faculty for the past year. The contract has now been renewed. Statements that follow are self-explanatory. The first is that of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools John Sommi. The Board of Education voted at a special meeting to re-employ Mr Lucey without normal increment for the 67-68 school year. Following a careful study of a report by the Connecticut Education Association of Newtown's decision to not renew Mr Lucey's contract because of his temporary emergency certificate, the superintendent met with advisory staff and decided to follow the CEA recommendations to reassess Mr Lucey's status. After additional classroom observation, the superintendent recommended Mr Lucey for reemployment without normal increment and with special supervisory procedures designed to improve his teaching.

***

Miss Sylvia Davis spoke on drying and preserving flowers at a recent meeting of the Garden Club of Newtown at the Cyrenius Booth Library. Members and a number of guests were entertained and instructed as Miss Davis explained techniques and practices. The speaker became interested in flower drying because she disliked losing too quickly a whole array of flowers she grew on her New York penthouse terrace. Miss Davis encouraged her hearers to become addicted to a very rewarding pastime provided they had three basic ingredients: a love of flowers, patience, and courage to experiment.

May 1, 1942

About 40 acres of land was burned over the Sandy Hook section on Sunday afternoon. The fire's origin is not known, but it is thought that a carelessly thrown cigarette by someone walking through the woods may have started it. The Newtown Fire Company responded to the alarm and Harold Bassett, local Forest Fire Warden, and a group of men who finally brought the fire under control.

***

Newtown's "old men," numbering 495, reported at the Alexandria Room on Monday to register under the fourth registration of the Selective Service Act for men between the ages of 45 and 65. This was the largest registration for any town outside of Sheltonin Draft Board 25-B and just about doubled the estimated figure. Trumbull came in next at 449 registering.

***

After 43 wholesale users of sugar registered at Hawley School on April 28, the local Sugar Rationing Board is now preparing for the registration of individual consumers, which will take place May 4-7, at Hawley School and the schools in Sandy Hook, Dodgingtown and Hawleyville. The board states that everyone must be registered, one member appearing for each family unit to register each member of the unit and obtain a war ration book for each member. It is pointed out that the ration books will probably be used for other articles than sugar and so it is important that every person obtain one, including employees at the Fairfield Hills Hospital, boarders in private homes, etc. The board appreciates the cooperation that has so far been extended by the public and asks that patience be shown during the registration as several changes in instruction have made it difficult.

***

A close game of baseball was played at Pine Grove Park on Sunday afternoon when Jack Leavy's Sandy Hook team nosed out a team from Naugatuck, 9-8. Behind the able pitching of John Liebold the Sandy Hook boys held the visitors scoreless for the first five innings, gathering 9 runs in the meantime. However, the last four innings found the locals a bit unsteady in the field, dropping flies and missing grounders until the visitors scored two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, four in the eighth, and one in the ninth, where they stopped one run short of evening the score.

***

Two men employed at the plant of The Plastic Molding Company in Sandy Hook were seriously injured on Friday afternoon, when a baking oven exploded. The injured men, Henry Chestnut of Sandy Hook and Donald Lund of Hawleyville, were taken in the Newtown ambulance to Danbury Hospital where it was found that Mr Chestnut was suffering from broken ribs, cuts, and bruises and burs. Both men are recovering nicely and it is hoped they will return home shortly. Considerable damage was done to the ovens and interior of the small building where ovens were located, but repairs were rushed so operations could resume Monday.

May 4, 1917

Edgar T. Andrews of Hanover is setting out two large Maple trees in front of the bungalow owned by Miss Mary L. Martin. Miss Martin will open her new home on The Boulevard on June 1.

***

Henry Lang of Walnut Tree Hill now has 348 chickens in his yard on Walnut Tree Hill, all thriving and doing well. He expects to reach the 600 mark soon.

***

A jolly crowd of young people gathered at the Club House on Saturday night for the first Club dance. A new Victrola furnished music for the dancing, and during the intermission out of town guests provided entertainment with music. Readings, and song. All reported a royal good time.

***

William G. Mahoney, that prince of druggists, located in Shelton and known as the Corner Drug Store, has made extensive improvements to the interior, which greatly improve the appearance of the place. The entire store has received several coats of paint, brightening it up, and the partition in the rear has been moved back several feet, making the store much larger. The windows have also been painted and arranged in a way that makes them especially attractive.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with 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.