November 20, 1992

Inmates began arriving this week at Garner Correctional Institution, the new state prison on Nunnawauk Road designed to hold more than 700 high-security convicts. Garner Warden Frank Crose said 45 prisoners arrived Tuesday afternoon and evening. The inmates, who were transported from other state prisons, are Level 2 and Level 3 prisoners, not the higher security Level 4 inmates the prison was designed to hold, he said. The 45 men are among those who will have relatively short stays at the facility. They, along with another 45 prisoners scheduled to arrive next week, will perform kitchen duty, maintenance work, cleaning jobs, and painting, he said. These inmates will be working at Garner "for a short period," possibly a month before the facility starts filling up with Level 4 prisoners. Mr Crose estimated Garner may reach its capacity by the end of January, relieving some pressure in the overcrowded state prison system.

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Ask Edie Tschorn anything about the many ways Edmond Town Hall is used and she can tell you. As office manager for the town's unofficial community center, she is also the unofficial traffic cop for the building. The gym is easy. "On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, it's booked every night. We've got Lathrop School of Dance, we've got dog training, basketball," said Edie. Rockin' Roosters rents it two Friday nights a month. And the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors uses it once every other month. This time of year is busy for the gym, with all the craft fairs and the ski sale. The gym, by the way, also is rented for birthday parties. The theater? "Every night except the first Thursday of the month we have movies," said Edie. The Alexandria Room? "During the week, we have the Legislative Council and Weight Watchers," she said.

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People who are suspicious of Friday the 13th, especially people living in Sandy Hook, might be justified. Friday, November 13, roared into Newtown with a vengeance. At the peak of the storm at 4:30 am, about 33 percent of Newtown customers were without electricity and for some, power was not restored until 6 o'clock that evening. Nearly half the outages, about 1,300 customers, occurred in Sandy Hook in the Toddy Hill area. There were 120 outages on Taunton Hill Road and other scattered areas. A spokesman for Northeast Utilities said that by 3:30 pm power had been restored to all but 73 customers. Most of the damage was from tree limbs falling on the wires.

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When George Mayo, 82, stopped by The Bee this week to pick up his 1993 Bee Calendar, he noted that he sees many motorists these days who are ignoring the state law requiring that headlights be turned on when it rains. He suggested that some Newtowners need a reminder of their obligations under the law. We agreed and offer the reminder: when you turn on the wipers, turn on the lights.

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Pat Walsh has a mission, and her dedication to that cause has earned her the 1992 Connecticut Business Educator of the Year Award. Mrs Walsh is determined that no student should leave Newtown High School without knowing how to type or without a working knowledge of business practices. Why is she so determined? "When I went to high school I had all kinds of college preparatory courses, but I never learned how to type," she said. Not knowing how to type turned out to be a handicap when she looked for part-time jobs while in college. "That's what started me on my quest. I truly believe that keyboarding and some type of computer application should be required in high school programming," she said. No student should receive a diploma without having an introduction to business course, she added.

December 1, 1967

The Republican party's $100-a-plate fund-raising dinner on Thursday, December 7, will feature California Governor Ronald Reagan as speaker. The dinner, one of the GOP's largest fundraising events in recent years, will be in the Hilton Hotel ballroom, Hartford. It will be preceded by a cocktail hour at 5:30 pm, with dinner served at 6:30.

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One of the older residents in the center of Sandy Hook reports to The Bee that on several recent occasions garbage and refuse have been thrown on their lawn. The most recent occurrence was on Tuesday night. Not only is this an unlawful act, it is also a sign of great disrespect for other people and works a hardship on the homeowner who must clear the mess away. The guilty person is warned to desist from any further offense.

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The Sandy Hook firemen report a construction slow-down in their new fire substation on Route 34 at Checkerberry Lane, because they are temporarily out of funds. The three-bay structure and the site represent an approximate $13,000 investment to date. It is estimated that an additional $10,000 is needed. Also needed is clean fill to raise the site to the level of Route 34 and to cover drainage tile as required by the State Highway Department. According to Chief Herb Lewis, a loan has been applied for and a spring completion date is scheduled. The Sandy Hook firemen are especially grateful to the Ladies' Auxiliary for their $500 donation raised from a bake sale and other activities.

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A packed town meeting on Tuesday night rejected the proposed purchase of the Edward Camp property on Taunton Lake by a vote of 149 to 143. After a vigorous 2½-hour session the issue was decided by a show of hands when Moderator Timothy Treadwell found the voice vote indecisive. Approximately 300 townspeople attended, and much thoughtful comment was expressed, both for and against. Purchase of the property for open space had been recommended by the Conservation Commission, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and First Selectman Francis J. Hiney. When the meeting was thrown open to general discussion, Board of Finance member Jack Rosenthal made the point that open space, while desirable, should be placed at the end of the list of urgent financial needs facing the town. Richard Winship of Mount Pleasant questioned the assumption that development meant inescapable pollution to the water supply. Others taking turns at the microphone spoke against the purchase, or for it.

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DATE WITH SANTA: Newtown's young people have a date with Santa Claus at noon on Saturday, December 16, in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium. Santa will arrive by four-wheeled sleigh behind the town hall with a pack of gifts for girls and boys. Children will have a chance to speak with him personally. He will then tour the town during the early afternoon, stopping in stores and offices to greet grown ups as well as his young friends.

November 27, 1942

Rotary Club announces that all Christmas packages have been sent to Newtown men in the armed forces. The following items have been mailed: 138 cartons of cigarettes, and 142 subscriptions to Reader's Digest. The total sum expended to date is $562.11. There is a balance of $225.25. The latter sum will be used to send gifts to men who have been inducted within the past ten days and those who will be in the near future. An open invitation is extended to all servicemen who are on furlough to have dinner with them any Monday evening at 6 o'clock at the Parker House.

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The string section of the Orchestral Society is planning to get its instruments out of moth balls and begin to rehearse for the annual Christmas Concert at the Congregational Church under the direction of Marion DeCecco. The program will include the singing of selections from Handel's Messiah by a chorus, a cello concerto with Adolph Abbenande, some selections by the orchestra, and the singing of Christmas carols by the audience, accompanied by the strings supplemented by other instruments and by the music students in Hawley School. The date is Sunday evening, December 20, at 8 o'clock.

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A MATTER OF WIDE IMPORTANCE TO THE TOWN: With a public hearing to be held in the Borough of Newtown on December 14, relative to a request for reclassification of a piece of residential property on Main Street for business purposes, the residents of the Borough will be faced again with a decision affecting the ultimate character of our town's main street. The Bee, therefore, thinks this an appropriate time to call once more to general attention the beauty of our street as it now exists and the harm to the whole town if the street's character is allowed to change. It is safe to say that practically every new resident in town, and there have been many in the past few years, has been attracted by the beauty of our main street and its rural, home-like appearance. That appearance is of distinct value, not only aesthetically, but of monetary value to property owners, in and out of the Borough. We do not consider it wise to alter Main Street's character, and we go further to say that we, as a town and borough, will be remiss if we do not work for the removal of Route 6, not only from the main street, but the center of Sandy Hook as well. Not everyone will agree, but who is to say that Southbury has benefited from the drastic changes borough to their main street by the construction of Route 6 right through the center of everything?

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Book week was celebrated at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library with a series of appropriate events during the week of November 15-22, which proved of particular interest to a large number of friends of the library who attended programs. On Thursday afternoon a program of dramatized stories was presented by the Book Club members. The program ended with a quiz contest, which was won by Mary Pat Carroll. The bookmarks, which had been on exhibit, were judged at the time and prizes were awarded to Ann Heath Richardson and Jack Bresson.

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It is announced that a Forest Fire Prevention and Suppression course will be held in Newtown, starting as soon as 25 interested people have enrolled. The course is open to anyone 16 years of age or over, both men and women. William Wallock, forest ranger for this district, has arranged with Vincent Gaffney of the Hawley School faculty, to take charge of enrollment. Anyone interested is asked to communicate with him. The course will meet one evening a week for eight weeks, from 8-10 pm, and will be given by Mr Wallock and others from the State Forestry Department, covering the following subjects pertaining to forest fire work: duties of fire wardens, duties of patrolmen, safety at fires, prevention of fires, fire-fighting equipment, power pumps and hose used, relation of forest fires and fires in buildings, fire suppression, and state set up for control.

November 23, 1917

Willis Lockwood, a highly respectable resident of the Pootatuck section in Southbury, just across the river from the Sandy Hook station on the Highland division, met death in a rather tragic manner, Tuesday morning. While chopping wood near the Housatonic River, a tree he was cutting down became lodged in another tree. Mr Lockwood attempted to lean on it, as he often did, when he was taken with a heart seizure and rolled onto the ground. A man employed by R.C. Mitchell, coming along, saw him and carried him to the store of Arthur J. Gallagher, where he sat in a chair a few minutes, while the attendant went to telephone to Dr W.H. Kiernan. In short time Mr Lockwood rolled off his chair to the floor and died. Mr Lockwood was 61 years old and had been a resident of Southbury for 35 years. Years ago, Mr Lockwood, in addition to his farming, was engaged extensively in the charcoal and wood business. He was a man of energy and respected for his honesty.

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NEWTOWN BOY AT CAMP DEVENS: Thank you for

The Bee. It is fine to get the news from home and The Bee gives it to us. Edward Carmody has been transferred and goes to Governor's Island tomorrow. We are all well and commencing to get used to the soldier's life. Hope to see you at Thanksgiving. -Robert Fairchild

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New England Homestead and American Agriculturalist editor, was in town Sunday, stopping at the Newtown Inn. He paid a visit to the herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle of A.W. Reynolds at Currituck farm, and was quite enthusiastic over them. Mr Myrick also called on Allison P. Smith, who for eight years was in the employ of Mr Myrick on the Homestead staff.

Hon Herbert Myrick,

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Hon A.P. Hine and I.D. Atwood, the hustling auto dealer of Woodbury, were visitors in town Wednesday.

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Miss Mabel Orgleman of Bristol, head of the Rhode Island Equal Suffrage association, and a former resident of Sandy Hook, has been in New York at the request of Mrs Carrie Chapman Catt, assisting in the campaign for equal suffrage. She has been speaking and organizing suffrage leagues in the Bronx and Manhattan and also has been furthering the work of The Liberty Loan committee of the New York Suffrage Party in New York City by delivering addresses at various gatherings.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.

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