* * *

After being tied up for 3½ years in a legal dispute about locating a microwave transmission tower, Housatonic Cable Vision company has informed town officials it expects to begin offering cable television in Newtown by late 1982. Television transmissions will be brought into Newtown by cables from two other towns that have microwave towers, Brookfield and Monroe, instead of from a microwave tower located in Newtown.

* * *

A recent upsurge in vandalism at the High School has caused administrators to form a committee to study the problem and try to get students to help curb the problem. Bathrooms in the school have been the hardest hit because each is difficult to supervise. In one bathroom, toured by the fire marshal, two sinks had been torn off the wall. Dispensers have been ripped off the walls and even whole stalls have been removed by vandals.

* * *

Assistant Fire Marshal George Lockwood, on Friday, March 19, issued a cease and desist order to stop using the doughnut machines installed at the Middle School and Head O’ Meadow School because the devices don’t comply with the state fire and safety codes. Mr Lockwood said that the machines have no hoods over the top to contain a fire if one were to start. He added that the two schools don’t have the proper dry chemical fire extinguishers necessary in fighting a grease fire if one were to occur.

* * *

Town employees reporting to work Monday morning at Town Hall South found a stream of water had leaked through a wall into three of the rooms, but town officials denied that the problem was caused by cutting corners to hold down costs in the renovation project which created the municipal building. Town Engineer William Gilbert said water flowed from the expansion space into the conference room, soaking the rug there. To remedy it, the town highway department dug a 16-foot deep hole on the northern side of the building on Tuesday, installing four-foot diameter drain pipe, a sump pump and outlet pipe, to lower the water table at the northern wall.

* * *

Good weather and a growing interest in wine production made for a sizable turnout last Thursday afternoon at a grape growing demonstration co-sponsored by the state Cooperative Extension Service and Bruce McLachlan of Newtown. More than 30 people gathered for the demonstration, held under sunny skies, at the McLachlan vineyard on Alberts Hill Road for tips on pruning and trellising grapes and other aspects of the burgeoning art.

* * *

The Newtown High School Marching Band played before 19,000 New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtic fans during half time of the basketball game March 12, at the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. On Wednesday, March 17, the marching band, Markettes and Color Guard participated in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. This marked the fourth year the band has participated in the parade.

March 29, 1957

A Newtown resident, John M. Ross, this week received the Christopher semiannual literary award for a feature story about Babe Didrikson Zaharias that appeared in The American Weekly Sunday magazine. Mr Ross explained that he wrote the story as told to him by George Zaharias, wrestler-husband of the late famous woman athlete. The Christopher Award was given to only six magazine writers in the country.

* * *

Newtown High School’s gym show pleased two large audiences last Thursday afternoon and Friday evening. Remarks about the two performances have all been favorable. Almost $250 was cleared for the Athletic Association Spring Sports program. The rope skipping drill started off the show after the grand parade of performers.

* * *

Preliminary planning is underway for Newtown’s proposed new junior high school. The firm of J. Gerald Phelan, AIA, architect, and Fletcher-Thompson, Inc, engineers have started on the architectural-engineering plans for the school. Recently selected by the Junior High School Building Committee, the firm has wide, recent experience in school planning.

* * *

NEW GRAND UNION MARKET NEWTOWN, CONN. The Grand Union Co. is about to launch a terrific expansion program in the Connecticut area. We are vitally interested in experienced and inexperienced men that we can train and develop as future market managers. INTERVIEWS DAILY 9 AM TO 5 PM

 

* * *

A real voting machine was set up in the corridor of Newtown High School this Monday to give the students a foretaste of a civic privilege. Kenneth Shaw set up the machine last Saturday to enable the students to add reality to their annual Student Town Government Day balloting. Mr Shaw is a member of the day’s steering committee and represents the Lions Club.

* * *

TOWN AROUSED OVER PROBLEMS OF RACE TRACK Construction of the sports car track has aroused a good deal of interest throughout the town for some time. In recent weeks, opposition has developed, particularly on the part of residents in the section of town where the track is under construction. Opposition to the race track, spearheaded by the residents of the area, took the form of a group meeting at the Edmond Town Hall on Sunday afternoon, when a petition was prepared requesting the Board of Selectmen to call a special town meeting to consider and take action upon a resolution to adopt an ordinance prohibiting vehicular racing within the boundaries of the town of Newtown.

 

March 25, 1932

William C. Johnson, president of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce and the popular foreman of the local State Highway sections was the victim of a painful accident, Sunday, while driving in Middlebury. A truck towing a car ahead of him suddenly stopped without any warning; and Mr Johnson’s sedan crashed into the rear of the truck. Mr Johnson is a careful driver and it appears he was in no sense to blame for the accident.

* * *

Spring, beautiful spring, came in on Monday, and it was beautiful indeed! The thermometer stood at about 25 degrees above zero and it snowed, not heavy, but kept up most of the day. By night anyone traveling had to keep a sharp look out on the road and the auto besides. This is the queer world that we are traveling through, isn’t it?

* * *

Dr J. Victor Donnel, prominent physician of New York City, has just purchased the beautiful 60-acre estate of William Balter, formerly know as the John Diamond farm, situated at the peak of Pine Swamp Hill in the Huntingtown district of Newtown. This property is on one of the highest points of Fairfield county and commands a most extensive view.

* * *

How American shipping affects the people of Newtown as well as the entire state of Connecticut will be explained by Miss Ruth Victory, editorial writer of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, in her address before the Newtown Chamber of Commerce at 8 o’clock in the Parker House here Thursday evening. Miss Victory comes to us with a full knowledge of this important subject.

* * *

About 100 taxpayers were present at the special town meeting held Saturday afternoon, in the Edmond Town hall to act on the recommendation of the board of finance in laying a 20½ mill tax on the 1931 budget. The entire recommendations as made by the board of finance following their joint meeting with the school board and the town officials were approved by the taxpayers. The meeting did not last over five minutes.

* * *

George Crofut, aged about 75, died in the ambulance on the way from his home in Dodgingtown district, Bethel, to the Danbury hospital, early Thursday afternoon. His death is believed to have been due to exposure. His brother, William, about 70, seriously ill, was at his side in the ambulance, and has since died at the Danbury hospital. The Crofut brothers owned a farm of about 50 or 60 acres and in the summertime, William worked about some on neighboring farms. Both George and William were friendly old men and their neighbors regretted their deaths. Their joint funeral was held on Sunday afternoon from Kyle’s Funeral Parlor in Bethel. The burial was in the Elmwood Cemetery.

 

March 29, 1907

The weather conditions for February: The period of low temperature that prevailed during the last half of January continued through February. The low average temperature made the month one of the coldest within the history of meteorological observations made at Boston. There have been only five Februaries with a lower average temperature than of the present year.

* * *

The wagon of Josiah Tilson, loaded with a piano, sank in the mud on the turnpike near A.P. Smith’s Tuesday, and the horses could not budge it. Selectman Peck and men were at work in the lot nearby. Planks were secured and Mr Tilson’s wagon was extricated from its position. In a short time along came a Bridgeport wagon loaded with Mr Alston’s household goods. It got stuck in the mud. Who will oppose a state road appropriation for this piece of highway? Is there a man?

* * *

The editor had a pleasant chat with C.E. Trowbridge of Woodbury, Saturday, a veteran cattle dealer. Shortly after wartime, when in partnership with Pliney Squires, he sold hundreds of cattle to Newtown farmers. On one occasion they drove into Newtown with 125 head of steers in the morning and had them all sold before noon.

* * *

Selectman Hermon H. Peck moved the long barn, which Henry M. Smith bought of A.P. Smith, to the lot which Mr Smith bought of his brother, where he will have it repaired and put in good shape. The work of moving the building required three days’ time and was done in an expeditious manner.

* * *

The almost impassable condition of the roads hereabouts was responsible for the light attendance at the churches, Sunday. Daniel G. Beers, rather than risk the journey through Queen street or via the turnpike, which has been and is in a horrible condition, made the trip to Trinity church via the Berkshire road and Sandy Hook.