The hope of the Newtown Water Company to locate a well on a portion of state-owned property near its Commerce Road headquarters was dashed this week. Robert E. Johnstone, engineer for the parent General Waterworks, Northeast Region, said test drillings conducted Monday eliminated the site from consideration.

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The Emergency Medical Technicians of the Newtown Ambulance Corps are trained to handle any medical emergency, and early on Saturday morning, December 9, a facet of that training was put to practical use. The EMTs delivered a fine six-pound, nine-ounce baby girl. The baby is Audra Jean Shepard, daughter of Mr and Mrs Charles Shepard of Capitol Drive.

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One of the major issues the State Legislature will be tackling during this year’s session will be the suggested program for a guaranteed tax base, giving each town in Connecticut an equal ability to pay for public education. Under the GTB, which was drawn up by a 25-member Connecticut School Finance Advisory Panel in a two-year period, financial support to towns to provide this equal ability is based on calculating community wealth, educational need, and local effort.

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When not dimmed by clouds, the night sky is a beautiful sight, filled with twinkling stars. Right now the moon is full, making the sight even more wondrous. But, over Newtown, are the only things to be seen in the sky the stars and the moon? In the Sandy Hook area there are those who will say definitely “no” — that there are some other objects to be watched. Maybe it might even be more appropriate to say, watching us. Unidentified flying objects have been seen in the Sandy Hook area, very recently, too, and what they are remains a mystery, but there is a theory that they truly are UFOs; and two men from Greenwich, Fred Dennis and Philip Imbrogno, field investigators for the Center for UFO Studies in Evanston, Ill., are looking into the reported sightings.

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The state Health Department laboratory has concluded tests of stool samples from Newtown residents for the disease-causing parasite, Giardia lambia. Dr Thomas F. Draper, local health director, announced Wednesday, “The conclusion in the minds of epidemiologists is that there is no evidence of any water-borne infection attributed to the Newtown water supply.”

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Road improvements in Pootatuck Park, assistance to Riverside residents with water problems, buying another seniors minibus, funding of a library expansion were among the shopping list given to the Board of Selectmen Monday night in a public hearing on uses for possible federal HUD grants under the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program.

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Legislative Council Chairman William A. Honan, Jr, said the council finance committee plans to hold a public hearing on the $11.3 million capital improvement play for 1979-84 on Wednesday, January 3. The plan, compiled by Director of Finance Robert Shaw, will be presented to the council at its meeting at 8 pm in town hall, Wednesday, December 20, Mr Honan added.

DECEMBER 18, 1953

Townspeople have been gratified to notice the new traffic control signs being placed along the main highways of town by the State Highway Department this month. The signs on Main Street, calling for a 30 miles per hour limit, are hoped to reduce the hazard of excessive speeding through the center of town.

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The Newtown Manufacturing Company, Newtown-Bridgeport Road, was host to its employees at a Christmas party held at the Yankee Drover Inn last Saturday evening, December 12.

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The SAC varsity basketball squad has two games scheduled over the holidays, both of them to be played on the Edmond Town Hall court. The first takes place next Wednesday, December 23, at 7:30 when the local team meets Barden’s of Danbury, current leaders in the Industrial League. The second game takes place Sunday, December 27, same hour, when the SAC boys take on Henry Abbott Tech.

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Santa Claus will be driven to Newtown in a brand new car furnished by the Fair-Cadillac Company of Danbury. He will arrive at the Tru Valu Store in the Shopping Center at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 22, with over 2,000 toys for all the children. Santa will be at the store to wish everyone a Merry Christmas until Thursday afternoon, December 24.

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A group of townspeople interested in various aspects of horticulture met recently at the home of Mr and Mrs Herman deVries of Hawleyville and formed an organization that would combine garden club activities and civic projects pertaining to the beautification of the town. After some discussion, a motion was made and passed that the group be called The Horticulture Club of  Newtown.

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Plans to dispose of the club house of the Newtown Country Club on South Main Street and to rebuild the present pro shop as a modest but comfortable and complete club house were announced by the club following a meeting of the Board of Governors and officers Wednesday, December 9.

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An enthusiastic audience of approximately 300 patients and guests enjoyed the efforts of a group of stage-minded staff members, sudents and patients of Fairfield State Hospital who presented “Christmas Package,” the annual holiday show, Wednesday night in Bridgeport Hall.

DECEMBER 14, 1928

The special town meeting called by the selectmen for the purpose of taking action on the proposed location in the town of Newtown by the State of Connecticut of a state hospital for the insane will take place on Saturday, December 15, at 2 pm at the Hawley High School auditorium.

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The Girls’ Friendly Society, on Thanksgiving, brought sunshine to many homes. The girls, divided into groups of two and three, made calls upon shut-ins and well people, bringing with bright faces, a word of cheer and greeting.

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The young people in the Episcopal Church are sending a petition to President Coolidge, expressing their “highest appreciation of the efforts of Secretary Kellogg for the conclusion of the General Pact for the renunciation of war as constituting a long step towards the elimination of the war method of settling international differences.” The 22 young people present signed the petition.

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A driver of a big Buick sedan, who had a perilous trip in descending Mt Pleasant hill early Sunday morning, was pleased beyond measure to find Liberty Garage open, where he outfitted himself with new chains and went forth with a smile and the anxious look in his countenance removed.

DECEMBER 18, 1903

John S. Peck of Obtuse has bought a heavy pair of mules for farm work of Seth Pratt of Litchfield.

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James Madigan is the proud owner of a fat duck which he drew in a raffle. His young friends are expecting an invitation to a feast.

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Mrs Charles Ferris was quite badly bitten in the face by a horse the other day.

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Mr Wildman, who was carting logs for E.E. Nettleton near Botsford had one of his horses get a foreleg cut very badly on a stump in the woods recently.

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A man about 70 years old wearing a white tie and looking like a clergyman or a teacher, drfited into the Central House Tuesday night about 7 o’clock, registered as Thomas C. Robertson, and asked for a warm room. He claimed to be a newspaper man just returned from Puerto Rico, and appeared to be a man of education and refinement. Wednesday afternoon he walked to the railroad station. The same time, Thursday, while Mr Houlihan was absent from the office, he left again, this time not to return. The mysterious gentleman forgot to pay his bill. The last time he was seen was in the Newtown depot, about 5 pm. Mr Robertson, as he called himself, paid a visit to The Bee office and made a courteous call.