November 11, 1988

A woman threatening to jump from the Church Hill Road bridge over I-84 November 4 caught the attention of Newtown, state, and Fairfield Hills police, as well as Newtown Hook and Ladder and Newtown Ambulance. Police received a call from a woman threatening to jump. The woman was identified as a 19-year-old Bridgeport resident and former Fairfield Hills patient. While Sgt Michael Hugo of Fairfield Hills police tried to convince the woman not to jump, a fire truck was positioned on the highway under the bridge. Newtown Hook and Ladder Chief Mike McCarthy went over the side of the bridge in rappelling gear, and when the woman was convinced not to jump, Chief McCarthy helped secure her and she was lowered on an aerial ladder.

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Recent donations to Funspace Unlimited of Newtown have pushed its playground fund to nearly $17,000. All the money goes toward helping purchase the elaborate, fortress-like playground, designed by architect Robert Leathers of Ithaca, N.Y., for Dickinson Park. The coffers of Funspace Unlimited should be filled even higher after Saturday, November 19, which is the day the townwide penny drive, known as Pennies From Heaven, ends and all the pennies are counted.

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Irony accompanied startling success at the tri-town Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, held Saturday in Bethel, when almost as many residents were turned away as contributed to the disposal effort. An increase in public awareness was offset by a lack of funds budgeted for the program, organizers said. A total of 215 residents from Newtown, Brookfield, and Bethel ventured into cold, rainy weather to deliver their pesticides, oil-based paints and other hazardous products. But 150 residents who headed for the Bethel-based program found themselves leaving with the products they came with, midway through the six-hour program. Solvents, Inc estimated that as much as $40,000 would have been needed to dispose of all the waste residents brought to the Stony Hill site. All told, the tree towns spent a combined total of $19,000.

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The eight-year projection figure for enrollment in the Newtown school system is 3,750 students. Ken Freeston, assistant to the superintendent, reported to the Board of Education on November 7 that he expected there would be a sharp increase in enrollment in the elementary schools, beginning next year. “The enrollment increase is much more dramatic when broken down in grade levels,” he added. He said the projection was based on the normal housing starts over the last three years.

November 15, 1963

Santa Claus has a new address this year. His home is still at the North Pole, but something new has been added. Santa will have a ZIP code number all his own. Children addressing mail to Santa this year should address it to him at “North Pole 99701.” Children also should include on the envelope their own return address and their own ZIP code number. The Bee has reliable information that if Santa is supplied with sender’s return address, including the ZIP code number, children may expect a reply.

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The new clubhouse of the Newtown Country Club will be dedicated at a dinner-dance planned for Saturday evening, November 16. This building has a large banquet room, meeting rooms, kitchen and large locker rooms. The front porch, measuring 80 feet in length, will be screened in the future.

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Earle H. Megan, zoning officer of the Town of Newtown, has advised F. Francis D’Addario, Williams Road, Trumbull, that “The installation and operation upon your land” of a portable sand and gravel processing plant “violates the use regulations for the zoning district in which this property is located.” The property involved lies on the northerly side of Button Shop Road in Newtown.

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Dr Russell F. Strasburger was named chairman of the Board of Education Tuesday night by the Board of Selectmen in a decision which followed a three-three tie vote by members of the school board at a regular meeting a month ago. A 30-day period having passed without the board having resolved the tie, the decision fell to the Selectmen, two of whom are Republican and one a Democrat.

November 11, 1938

In observance of Armistice Day, the Newtown and Sandy Hook post offices will close the middle of the morning, this Friday. There will be only the morning mails in and out of town, with no deliveries in the afternoon, because of the legal holiday.

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Despite the inclement weather, Newtown residents cast a large vote in Tuesday’s State Election. A total of 1,755 votes were recorded out of a total list of 1,926 eligible voters, which was a sizeable number, considering the fact that it was on “off-year” election. The final vote gave the Republican party a majority in every office except that of the Judge of Probate.

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Harry Tomlinson has recently completed extensive alterations at his refreshment stand, “Pleasant Point,” in South Center district. A large dining room has been arranged for the serving of food during the winter months and the south portion of the building has been glassed in, with sliding windows for those who wish lunches served outside.

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An attempt was made during the early hours of Saturday morning to steal a car from the garage of Frederick H. Duncombe on Church street. Upon going to his garage on Saturday morning, Mr Duncombe discovered that the lock on the door had been forced and the three cars in the garage had been thoroughly ransacked. Later, it was discovered that telephone wires leading into Mr Duncombe’s house had been cut. Sometime during the same night, thieves entered the garage of Mrs Stephen Budd on Main street. A 1938 Ford sedan was taken, also two valuable guns and two hunting coats that lay on a bench nearby. State police and the local constables are working on the case, but so far no clues to the whereabouts of the car have been discovered.

 

November 14, 1913

At the Half-Way River school, last week, Thursday evening, about 40 gathered for the Hallowe’en party given by Miss Annie Murphy and her scholars. A program consisting of recitations and dialogues was given, followed by a “dog roast,” when cake and coffee was also served. Zoar district has a remarkably large school, this year, 25 being registered. Miss Lillis, the efficient teacher, is doing a splendid job.

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In place of the old stone-covered culvert leading from St John’s rectory to the Pootatuck river, at the Sandy Hook bridge, Selectman Johnson is having laid 18-inch American wrought iron piping to carry the surface drainage. The piping is manufactures at Middletown, O., and is said to be very durable.

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COMMISSIONER BENNETT WITHHOLDS PERMISSION Will Not Allow Committee to Place Liberty Pole in Old Location: Mr H.N. Tiemann, Newtown, Conn. Dear Sir: In reply to your letter of November 3 addressed to Mr C.J. Bennett, would say that I have investigated conditions on which you wish to install a flag-pole in the highway in Newtown Center. I am fully convinced that the same is in a dangerous location, and the State will not give permission for the same, to be erected. Yours truly, W. Leroy Ulrich, Supt. Of Repairs

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Martin A. Corbett, a member of the popular firm of Corbett & Crowe, hunted on Cady Mountain at Sandy Hook, Wednesday. No damage to the birds was reported, although he came back with many shells. By a coincidence, George F. Taylor, another popular merchant, also hunted on the same mountain, the same afternoon. He, too, came back empty handed, but with a roaring old appetite for supper.