February 28, 1997

ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB — TOWN TALK: JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Now readers of The Newtown Bee can talk back to us on issues of importance, or even on matters of little significance, on our website at http://thebee.com. Look for the Town Talk section on our home page. On-line messages from readers will be posted a couple of times each day, so browsers can catch up on the conversation day-by-day. Messages that come in over the weekend will be posted Monday mornings. Depending on the topic, some of the messages may even spill over into the pages of The Bee. We hope Town Talk will be a convenient and easy way for Newtowners to speak out, to ask questions, and to interact with other Newtowners. Drop by today and join the conversation.

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The lack of heavy snowfall during the winter of 1996-97 has been the best news possible for Newtown Building and Site Commission Chairman Frank Krasnickas. Mr Krasnickas was keeping one eye on the sky and crossing fingers on both hands that the trend would continue as he prepared Tuesday for a job update and report to school administrators about progress at Newtown High and Hawley schools. The high school now presents a lengthened profile along Berkshire Road. The high school complex has been expanded considerably by a new addition at its north end. Meanwhile, the Hawley School addition shows cinder block walls and a completed roof at the Church Hill Road property.

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Newtown Police Chief James Lysaght, Jr, asks that motorists exercise caution while driving on local roads. Recent weather resulted in heavy sanding of some roads to allow motorists to continue driving during snow and ice conditions, he said. In some areas, however, heavy residual amounts of sand remain, posing traction difficulties and hazardous driving conditions, he added. The police chief urged that drivers use common sense while traveling and adjust their driving techniques to match road conditions. Chief Lysaght noted police have been using radar heavily recently to hold down traffic speeds.

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The town has started tax foreclosure proceedings against Richard B. Crafts, the local man convicted of murdering his wife, Helle, and then putting her remains through a woodchipper to destroy the evidence of her 1986 death. In an action filed in Danbury Superior Court, the town seeks to take possession of property at 49-53 Currituck Road that Mr Crafts owned. Property taxes on the 3.6-acre lot have not been paid for more than eight years. The Land is Lot 7 in the Meadow Lark Hills subdivision. While a Newtown resident, Mr Crafts lived at a different property on Newfield Lane.

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A unique mentoring program to help welfare recipients who are trying to enter the work force is being sponsored locally by the Newtown Business & Professional Women and the Connecticut Department of Social Services. “The Family to Family Mentoring Program is an employment support program that pairs people on welfare who want to work with people who have work experience,” said Joyce Lee, a project coordinator for the program. Newtown residents who wish to participate as mentors are invited to attend training sessions scheduled for March.

March 3, 1972

The Newtown Board of Education had a public hearing on its proposed 1972-73 budget at the Middle School on Tuesday night, February 29, and over 150 people turned out to express their opinions on the budget and ask questions. The one agreement of the night was that no one wanted higher taxes, but just how that was to be accomplished was a matter of disagreement. Many of those speaking were against any tax raise in town at all this year, and felt that one way this could be accomplished was not to have any increase in the Board of Education budget.

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Mr and Mrs Joseph F. Wiser of Newtown celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Sunday, February 20, at their home on Botsford Hill Road, at a buffet given by their sons Joseph F. Wiser Jr and family of New Milford; Kenneth R. Wiser and family of Middlebury; and daughter, Mrs Virginia Garcia and family of Sandy Hook. Family and friends were invited from Newtown, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Stratford, Seymour, Middlebury, New Milford, New Hampshire, Norwalk, Westport, New York, Rowayton, California, Milford, Arizona and Virginia.

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The office of the First Selectman received last week a letter from Governor Thomas Meskill, enclosing a report on discharge procedures at Fairfield Hills Hospital. First Selectman Timothy Treadwell had requested an investigation of these procedures after the alleged assault on a teenage Newtown girl on February 1, by a just-discharged patient. Governor Meskill, in his letter dated February 14, speaks of “this most regrettable incident” and enclosed a copy of Commissioner of Mental Health Ernest A. Shepherd’s report to the Governor. According to the report, the Governor says, the hospital’s personnel “unsuccessfully used all available means of control to direct the patient.” Other means of control, the Governor noted in his letter, will require legislative charges. It had been Mr Treadwell’s intent to push for legislation which would protect the public as well as the patient. (Mr Treadwell had died February 20 in a fire that destroyed his family’s home.)

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Dear Newtowners and friends everywhere, You have all helped so much and expressed so much love to me and the children that we can never really thank you adequately. But I want you to know how very grateful I am. I feel now, that we may be Tim’s family, but you are his larger family — and I know the sadness you feel is every bit as real as ours … Tim’s mother, and the boys and I have been immeasurably strengthened by the evidence from all over the town and the state, of the high regard in which he was held. … We must now, of course, get back to our own tasks and rejoice for having known him rather than grieve his passing. … I asked The Bee to print the above photograph [an image of Jeremy Hill House, circa 1790] because so many of you never saw it as it really was and will be again. We will rebuild immediately and when it is finished I want you all to feel welcome to come knock on the door … Thanks to the firemen and police and neighbors, many, many of our valuables were salvaged. Apparently the smoke did the worst damage, and some of it can be repaired. We are still missing a large and very affectionate cat named Francisco Morazan who I hope you’ll keep an eye out for. He is black with a white vest and paws and very furry … We are indebted to those neighbors and dear friends who met innumerable and other needs of ours and our relatives who came to Newtown from a distance … With love, Anne Treadwell (Mrs Timothy B. Treadwell) February 29, 1972

February 28, 1947

EDITORIAL INK DROPS: All during the winter of 1946-47 snow and extreme cold have been conspicuous by their absence — until February 20th and 21st! And then came a generous fall of snow which, driven by the force of a heavy wind on Saturday and Sunday, made drifts reminiscent of the last real blizzard in 1934. We mention this vigorous display of New England weather to provide the opportunity for a few words of appreciation for the long hours which road crews, both town and state highway, put in, in this vicinity, clearing the roads for travel. Their efforts did not attain success in all places, but generally speaking, a good job was done.

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The big snowstorm which began last Thursday evening, with its accompaniment of high winds blanketing all New England, stands well to go down in the annals of Newtown with the highly respected blizzard of 1934. Beginning early Thursday evening with a fine snow and considerable wind, the storm continued almost without let-up until it had covered the ground with 11 or more inches of snow on the level and in places with drifts as high as 12 feet.

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At the adjourned annual meeting of the Newtown Branch of the American Red Cross, held on Tuesday evening at the Edmond Town Hall, James S. Miner was appointment chairman, and Mrs Felix Baridon as vice chairman for the coming year. The present chairman, Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh and vice-chairman, Mrs Horace Sanford, who served in this capacity for the past four years, asked to be retired because of the pressure of other duties.

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BOOTH LIBRARY NOTES, List of New Books: The following books have been added to the library: Adult fiction: Clever Sister, Banning; Dulcimer Street, Collins; Mountain Time, DeVoto; Two Clues, Gardner; Where Two Ways Met, Hill; Thresher, Krause; Black Goatee, Little; Curtain Between, Siller; Dunkerley’s, Spring; The Wayward Bus, Steinbeck; Snow Piece, Tarkington; Walls of Jericho, Wellman. Adult non-fiction: Shelley: A Life Story, Blunden; Best Plays of 1945-1946, Burns-Mantle; Sixteen Famous American Plays, Cerf; Grandma Moses: American Primitive, Moses; Selected Writings, Thomas; Great Adventures and Explorations, Steffanson; Selected Letters, White.

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CARD OF THANKS: I wish, through the columns of The Bee, to express our thanks and deep appreciation for the many cards, phone calls and unusual kindnesses which have been extended to my husband and myself during the time he has been a patient at the Danbury hospital. We appreciate the evidences of friendship which have been most encouraging to both of us. We also wish to thank especially the ambulance drivers, Charles Hawley and John Murphy, who extended their services in transporting him to the hospital. —Mrs Harrie Wood

February 24, 1922

Newtown has been very fortunate during the past winter in the enjoyment of a Lyceum entertainment course of five numbers. The bewildering magic of Dr Davis was a source of amusement and pleasure to a large company. The musical numbers given by the Jordan trio and the Marshall duo were both of a high class and very charmingly rendered. Dr Carpenter’s lecture was of a quality that is rarely ever presented on the platforms of smaller communities.

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Fred Myers is prostrated with a severe cold.

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What is the relation between March 10 and the Newtown High School library? Ask any High school pupil.

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Ammon Taylor, who is 95 years old, and the oldest member of Hiram lodge, No 18, F. & A.M., is quite poorly.

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Miss Anna May Betts has been passing a few days with Miss May Hoyt of Mile Hill.

March 5, 1897

Philo Nichols of Bridgeport has been visiting friends in town, for a few days during the past week. He brought with him one of the graphophones manufactured in the Park City and his friends were highly entertained hearing the band play, and listening to comic songs and stump speeches. The machine works charmingly and is certainly one of the wonders of the day.

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F.H. Mitchell, who bought the Charles Beers property on Mile Hill, is making convenient improvements on the interior of the house. The old chimney has been removed and replaced by a smaller one. A bath room with all the modern improvements is being constructed by Carpenter Hine of Southbury. Also other rooms are being overhauled. A tank holding 75 barrels in the attic is being lined with copper by E.J. Hall’s men. Pipers are being laid to convey hot and cold water throughout the house.

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E.D. Rowland, who has taken a position as assistant to Agent James at the Hawleyville station, has moved his family from New York. He takes the house vacated by S.R. Libby.

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It has been decided to locate the new chapel at Hawleyville, north of the blacksmith shop, on land of S.A. Blackman.

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The membership of Newtown Hook & Ladder Co, No 1, has been increased by the mustering of the following men: James Lillis, John W. Webb, William Otto Shepard, Martin Shannon, Michael Shannon, Michael Lunch, Jesse Foley, Michael Finnell, Michael While. Several names yet remain to be acted on. The next meeting will occur on March 16. It is proposed to hold another sociable after Lent.

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.