The continuing saga of Newtown's revered but rusty flagpole has developed a new twist. The state DOT recently informed Police Chief Louis Marchese in a strongly worded letter that the flagpole at the intersection of Main Street and Church Hill Road constitutes a "definite hazard" to motorists and "We cannot allow this situation to continue any longer."

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The Edmond Town Hall theater has started a midweek matinee movie program. This was begun with senior citizens in mind, but has a popular audience with the younger at home set: the nonworking mother.

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Friday, March 28, issued in a new era in construction of industrial, commercial or institutional buildings in Newtown, as that was the effective date of a new set of zoning regulations which give the town's Planning and Zoning Commission control over development plans.

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Police are still looking for a fourth Newtown youth allegedly involved in the theft of silver from various Newtown homes which was traded in New Milford for cocaine.

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The public in invited to an evening of excitement and intellectual challenge Friday, April 11, starting at 8 pm at Newtown High School auditorium, when teams from area high schools compete for prizes and awards in the third annual high school quiz bowl, sponsored by the Newtown Jaycees.

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A concern that if Newtown doesn't plan itself for alternative housing it could be faced with federal or state mandates, and general support of cluster zoning to preserve land in open space as an alternative to conventional subdivision highlighted the Planning and Zoning Commission's hearing Monday night on the update of the town's 1969 plan of development.

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If you’ve been seeing toddlers at Sandy Hook School recently, it’s not because they’ve lowered the kindergarten age. It’s because there are three new Toddler’s and Parent’s groups which meet at the school. The focus of the groups is on “learning through play experiences which parent and child can share.”

April 8, 1955

Saturday, April 2, was a day guaranteed to give spring fever to country dwellers — but Sunday was different. Toward evening, rain turned to slushy snow, which fell through the night, piling up a blanket a foot thick by morning. The night’s snow, which exceeded any of the winter’s storms, blocked highway traffic, closed the schools and caused extensive outages in the town’s power and telephone facilities.

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By his excellency Abraham Ribicoff, Governor: a PROCLAMATION. In keeping with the laws of our state and the continuous tradition of my predecessors, I hereby designate Good Friday, the eighth day of April, as a day of FASTING AND PRAYER.

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 An attention-getting exhibit at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library is an “egg tree”, prepared by a group of Hattertown girls in keeping with the Easter season. The “tree” is made of a branch of forced flowering quince and is decorated with painted egg shells.

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SCHOOL NOTES: The Queen Street Journal will again be sold at the high school next Thursday, April 7. This issue with its purple and yellow cover depicting Easter, will contain as usual various new items plus "Snoop — Scoop," the gossip sheet.

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Louis Lorenzo, proprietor of Lorenzo's Grill, Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, has returned from his winter's stay in Stuart, Fla. He announced his restaurant will be open every evening starting Tuesday, April 12.

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Herbert (Skip) Hempstead, son of Mr and Mrs Herbert G. Hempstead of Middle Gate District, was host at a "sweet sixteen party" in his honor last Sunday, April 3. Roller skating was enjoyed at the Candlewood Arena in the afternoon.

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A successful drive for funds to provide a mobile water tanker to add to its firefighting facilities was reported by Fire Commissioner Michael Grubisa at a meeting of the United Fire Company of Botsford. Funds collected to date were said to amount of $803 and it is expected that enough additional money will be forthcoming by donations to enable the company to complete its previously announced plans in the near future.

April 4 , 1930

Peter Kline, son of Mr and Mrs Abram Kline, about 14 years old, fractured an arm while cranking a car on Sunday morning. Dr W.F. Desmond attended to the young man's injuries.

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Mr and Mrs Albert Pinkham, formerly of New York City, have returned from their sojourn in the South. Their fellow townsmen will be pleased to learn that Mrs Pinkham's 80-year-old mother is much better, though she will probably never wholly recover from the injuries she received when she was thrown by a passing auto, much as Mr Maloney was in front of the Country Club. The faithful daughter shows the strain of her strenuous nursing as her two week's vacation grew into two months of ceaseless anxiety with many sleepless nights, while she waited for the end: but death passed and our librarian has returned to her duties.

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Vernon Godfrey of New Haven, familiarly known as "Pop," claimed the honor of paying the first dollar over the counter of the Sandy Hook Confectionery store. Al Fatool immediately had it framed under glass, and it hangs on the walls of their new store and restaurant in the Troy Block at Sandy Hook.

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The old Sandy Hook school has been sold by the selectmen to Virgilius Council, Knights of Columbus for $700. The Council will make some interior changes and use it as a club hall.

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An almost unheard of catastrophe at an auction took place on Saturday afternoon at Birdsey Beardsley's auction of live stock and farm tools at his Mile Hill farm, when a usually mild type of black and white cow ran wild in the barnyard among the crowd of 75 men and women. There were several narrow escapes from the rushes of the cow. The coat of one man was almost torn off his back.

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Postmaster Hervey W. Wheeler will sort the last incoming mail Saturday afternoon, in the old post office, and on Monday morning will begin doing business for Uncle Sam in the beautiful new post office quarters that have been completed in the north wing of the new Edmond Town hall.

April 7 , 1905

John T. Sheehan, the West Street blacksmith, deserves a word of praise for filling in the big mud hole just west of the bridge, which is a terror to foot travelers every spring. If Selectman Blackman would supplement this by a few loads of gravel it would greatly improve things.

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L.C. Nicholson will furnish horses and take charge of the church wagon, sent out by the Congregational Sunday school through Huntingtown and Palestine districts, succeeding Leonard Kindle, who has resigned the position.

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George R. Wilson is the owner of a Sheperd dog, a gift from Ernest Pitcher of Bridgewater.

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Mrs H.W. Wright is to be complimented on the beautiful window full of flowers she has, this spring. As one passes her house he cannot but help see the beautiful bank of blossoms in the south window of her residence.

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The road from David Glover's, leading up the hill to Z.S. Peck's, has been closed on account of the bad condition of the bridge near the railroad crossing.

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Thomas F. Cavanaugh of the Boulevard was unfortunate enough to have a stack of hay containing about three tons burn up on Sunday. The stack caught fire from a grass fire started by a neighbor that got beyond his control because of the high wind.