It took something like three and a half to four hours of shouting and table-pounding argument by the Planning & Zoning Commission members at their meetings on Friday, October 15, and Monday, October 18, to resolve what on the surface seemed like a simple question. Arthur Scherer of Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc came into the commission Friday evening to find out how to get permission from P&Z to construct a 20 by 20-foot storage shed, and eight additional parking spaces on their property of Nunnawauk Road. Nunnawauk Meadows, the housing for the elderly project, is now under construction there. NHE has since formally applied for a hearing on the matter, which the commission has scheduled for November. The question came up because the Planning & Zoning Commission, under provisions in the zoning regulations, granted in 1975 a special exception permit to allow the housing facility to be built. Special exceptions are granted after a public hearing, and a list of wide-ranging criteria must be met before such permits are approved.

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The annual meeting of the Newtown Forest Association, held Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 at the Congregational Church House, proved to be one of the most significant meetings which the Association has had in a long time. Several important matters involving the Association's holdings and its future policies were discussed at length as a part of the report of Atty Thomas L. Cheney, secretary. Several gifts made to the Association during the past year were announced and gratefully acknowledged. The largest was a gift of some 35 acres in Taunton District by James Brunot, adjoining another tract previously given, which will be known as the Brunot Wildlife Preserve. Mrs Robert W. Hellum has given $1,000 in memory of her late husband, Alexander Lyman Abbott, and the Horticulture Club of Newtown has planted 19 flowering trees on the Nettleton Tract in the Borough.

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Town Counsel William Lavery has advised the Board of Selectmen that, under the Newtown charter, it has the authority to raise the salary for nonunion or administrative employees or make salary changes for nonunion employees in the town's highway department. The question was raised at the selectmen's October 5 meeting by Selectman Frank DeLucia as a result of wage and salary adjustments that had been made by First Selectman Jack Rosenthal.

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The Eagle Hill Corporation has until December 1, 1976, to obtain all necessary permits relative to the alcoholism treatment facility planned for Albert's Hill Road, Sandy Hook, Newtown's Planning & Zoning Commission decided Friday night.

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Loaded questions from the audience were the main features of the Newtown League of Women Voters-Junior Women's Club debate Sunday between Democratic State Representative John W. Anderson of the 106th District and his Republican challenger, Newtown Town Clerk Mae S. Schmidle. The district covers all of Newtown and the eastern half of Redding.

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Thirty or more residents of Newtown's private communities attended the Wednesday, October 20, Legislative Council meeting with two purposes in mind. Generally, they wanted to elicit council support for a new Town policy that would gradually upgrade certain key private roads and bring them into the town road system. Specifically, they wanted the council to mandate that all funds in the selectmen's private road budget be distributed among the private communities without any reference to a fifty-fifty matching road repair fund stipulation currently in force between the town and the private communities.

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At the October 18 meeting of the Committee on Aging, new officers were elected. Chairman is Mrs Betty Parrella; vice-chairman, William Mack; secretary-treasurer, Lois McAuliffe.

OCTOBER 26, 1951

A record of some significance was set recently when Captain Charles R. Spaulding of South Main Street, one of Newtown's airline pilots, made the 13,000th radar controlled landing of a trans-Atlantic transport plane at Gander Airport, Newfoundland, it was announced this week. Captain Spaulding, who has been flying Pan American World Airways Clippers since 1941, landed the plane for a routine stop on the flight between New York and Europe. The landing, controlled by radar from the ground at the frequently fog-bound field, was smooth and uneventful. Developed by the armed forces during World War II, Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) has been in use by all major trans-Atlantic airlines using the field for nearly five years. It was installed by Pan American in December, 1946.

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The annual meeting of the corporators of the Newtown Savings Bank was held at the bank on Tuesday evening at 6 o'clock, when the present officers and trustees were reelected for another year as follows: George M. Stuart, president; Robert C. Mitchell, vice president; Robert J. Clark, vice president; Richard F. Burdett, treasurer; Herbert C. Hubbell, secretary; trustees, the above officers and Nelson G. Curtis, Newton M. Curtis, S. Curtis Glover, John J. Keane, and Walter A. Reynolds. Richard F. Burdett was also elected a corporator to fill a vacancy.

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On Tuesday evening at the Avalon Inn, Stony Hill District, the employees who have been connected with the Fabric Fire Hose Company for over 25 years were honored with a dinner, given by the management of the Fabric Fire Hose Company to celebrate the newly formed Twenty-five Year Service Club. Following a steak dinner, Robert Ehrhardt, treasurer of the company, acted as toastmaster and called upon Walter McCarthy, factory manager, who in fitting words welcomed the gathering.

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The formal opening of the Newtown Inn, Newtown-Bridgeport Road, took place last Saturday night, with more than 150 reservations royally taken care of during a gay evening by Mr and Mrs Bassato, managers.

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Coach Harold S. DeGroat reported early this week that the Hawley Athletic Association was $66.21 richer as a result of John McMahon's generosity and the work put in by a group of students and faculty members at the former's filling station on the Newtown-Sandy Hook road last Saturday. The day's profits from cash sales went to Hawley AA.

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The sixth anniversary of the formation of the United Nations was observed in Newtown on Wednesday with appropriate exercises at Edmond Town Hall and an assembly in the Hawley School auditorium, attended by all students of the school. In spite of forbidding weather, a group of Intermediate Girl Scouts with Mrs Morton Baker, leader, raised the UN flag over Edmond Town Hall at 8 am and at 8:50 under sponsorship of the League of Women Voters, five students of Hawley School, under leadership of Caroline Hill, conducted a forum on various phases of United Nations activities.

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Last Saturday evening the boys and girls of Taunton District enjoyed a fancy-dress hallowe'en party in the Wynne living room at Wagner's Morning Star Farm. For the fourth year during the summer they had earned the money themselves for the decorations and refreshments for their yearly party. This past July they had presented an artistic little play, 'Cinderella,' in Wagner's orchard one moonlight evening, with most of the neighborhood as audience. Ginny Wynne directed the play and took the part of the Prince, with Bubbles Quintard as 'Cinderella.' Katie Green was the fairy godmother, Christie Norrin of Portland, Ore., then visiting her grandparents, Mr and Mrs Rea Irvin, was the ambitious stepmother. Darcy Helstead and Linda McJennett, visiting her aunt, Mrs Fred Herring, were the haughty stepsisters. Jimmy Green played the part of the King, while Bruce Herring, Mickey and Petie Green, Willie Synne, Jaimie Norrin and Denny Quintard were page boys and stage hands. The children designed their own costumes and scenery and were responsible for the whole successful production.

OCTOBER 22, 1926

To Chester Northrop of Taunton the editor is indebted for a box of luscious raspberries, picked in his garden on October 18.

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W.B. Bentley has bought the Keating property in Sandy Hook of Mrs Agusta Peck of Lebanon, Ohio, and expects later to move to Sandy Hook. The property comprises two houses and a garage.

OCTOBER 25, 1901

The Rev and Mrs O.W. Barker have been in New Haven this week, taking in the sights and scenes of the Yale Bicentennial celebration.

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William C. Brigham, who has conducted a blacksmith and carriage repair shop at the head of the Street, has given it up and entered the employ of John T. Sheehan, the blacksmith.

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John J. Keating has entered the employ of the Fabric Fire Hose Company.

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Misses Nellie Carley, Mary Talty, Catherine Blake, and Nellie McNamara have lately taken positions with the Fabric Fire Hose Company.

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Mr and Mrs F.E. Gilbert, with Mr and Mrs M.B. Hawley, started Thursday for Buffalo to see the sights at the Pan-American. While there they will visit Niagara Falls and other points of interest.