THE VALLEY — This week we go back to 1992, when then candidate, President Bill Clinton proclaimed “I didn’t inhale” when grilled about trying marijuana for the first time.

It’s also when Johnny Carson made his last appearance on The Tonight Show and Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced that they were separating after 11 years of marriage.

Fun fact: In 1992, the largest McDonald’s restaurant in the world opened in Beijing, China. It had 28,000-square-feet and 700 seats and served 40,000 customers on the first day.

Here’s what was happening in our Valley!

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1992

Chargers Lead Class S Teams
ANSONIA – Ansonia High School continues to lead in the State Class S playoff ratings after winning its eighth game of the season last Saturday 55-14 against Crosby of Waterbury.

The ratings are compiled by Shore Line Newspapers for the CIAC.

The two teams in each class with the highest point average compete in the state class championship games Dec. 4-5.

The Chargers have compiled 1,170 points for an average of 146.25.

Derby’s Red Raiders maintained their No. 5 spot in the Class S ratings with 650 points, which equals an 81.25 average

Veterans Day Service Set At War Memorial
DERBY – John H. Collins Post, American Legion, will conduct Veterans Day services at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the war memorial on the Derby Green.

Assisting will be the Post Auxiliary, the Derby Senior Center Melodiers, Mayor Gino S. DiMauro, Jr., state Rep, Vincent Tonucci and Department of Connecticut Senior Vice Commander Erwin L. Williams.

$700G Keeps Oxford Afloat
OXFORD – The Finance Board authorized borrowing $700,000 in tax anticipation notes Monday to keep the town operational until the second half of tax payments are due in January.

The interest on the short-term bonds, $7,900, would be repaid by Feb. 25.

The administrative and financial assistant, Carl Serus, projected tax payments of $4.2 million would be paid in January. That amount, coupled with state education reimbursement grants due in December and February, should ease the cash flow problem through the end of March, he said.

Much Ado In Case Of Alleged Forgery
SHELTON – A police investigation into the alleged forgery of Second Ward Alderman Ann Dougherty’s name has revealed no intent of wrongdoing by the parties involved.

Shelton Police Sgt. Joseph Kudrak has completed an investigation of purchase orders and invoices bearing Dougherty’s typed name and misspelled signature. He concluded “there is no violation of the general statutes of the state of Connecticut in this matter.”

Kudrak recommended that fund expenditure requests be written out in the future and that invoices identify persons making a request as “requested by.”

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1992

Suspicious Action
ANSONIA – Police are investigating the report of three men on Lester Street acting suspiciously.

When police arrived, the three males were spotted hiding in bushes and fled on foot.

Police were unable to determine who the three men were but recovered a ski mask and three semiautomatic replica pellet guns.

‘Documentation’ Seeks To Justify Two Firings
DERBY – Insisting the firing of two City Hall employees is not politically motivated or an attempt at union busting, Mayor Gino S. DiMaruo, Jr. provided “documentation” to justify his action Tuesday.

In August, Tax Collector and Welfare Director Fay Foy was let go with two weeks pay in lieu of notice after an investigation into several complaints the mayor had received about her job performance.

“I approached her on several occasions asking for her help, but she refused to cooperate with the administration,” DiMauro said. “Tax checks were mislaid and the city lost money in accrued interest because they had not been deposited.”

Agnes Esposito, former welfare director who was supervised by Foy, was also found unqualified by the mayor, and she, too, was let go.

School Board Disapproves Proposal On Uniforms
OXFORD – A proposal to put Oxford’s school children in uniform was vetoed by the Board of Education Tuesday, after a survey revealed a majority was against the idea.

“It would have been strictly a voluntary thing,” School Board Chairman William H. Harrison said, adding that the school board could not impose the plan because of constitutional considerations.

A parents’ group, headed by Barbara Mason, suggested the idea, not only to save money on keeping up with fashion for their children, but as a resolution to the question of what to wear.

Plant Dealt Death Blow
SEYMOUR – No buyers showed up during the Seymour Specialty Wire Co. Board of Director’s meeting Monday, effectively killing the company’s chances to ever resume operations.

“The company as we knew it is dead,” said board member Michael Kearney, a former production control supervisor at the plant.

Kearney said a buyout deal had been put on the table, but there were no takers. He added if there are no takers by Friday, the book is closed on Seymour Specialty.

Lauretti Up In The Air About Pitman’s New Job
SHELTON – Word has it, from near and far, that Police Chief William K, Pitman is headed for a new job in a booming new gambling town called Wendover. Nev.

But, Mayor Mark A. Lauretti today said he has not been informed of the chief’s plans to head West and he continues to wait for answers to many questions surrounding Pitman’s turbulent four-year tenure in Shelton.

“I haven’t heard boo,” Lauretti said when asked if the chief has indicated he will resign. “As far as I’m concerned, he is the chief and I expect him to be performing his duties as chief until I know otherwise.”

According to Janice Fox, personnel director for the city of Wendover, Pitman has accepted verbally an offer to serve as the new city’s second chief.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 1992

Vets Honored For Their Service
ANSONIA – Ansonians Wednesday paid tribute to the sacrifices made by veterans for their country.

Those gathered were reminded not only of the sacrifices veterans during wartime, but of the continued war each veteran must face in order to obtain benefits promised for their service to their country.

The ceremonies began at 11 a.m., when whistles at police headquarters sounded, followed by a salute to dead veterans by a six-man rifle team from the Connecticut National Guard. A plaintive bugle sound echoed Taps.

Firefighter Is Appointed

DERBY – Fire Commissioner Ron Culmo has announced that past Capt. Paul DeGennaro has been named third assistant fire chief and drillmaster for the Derby Fire Department.

DeGennaro has been a firefighter for 20 years. In 1984, her was captain of the Storm Engine Company and is treasurer.

Besides being active in firefighting, DeGennaro is qualified as an emergency medical technician and as a hazardous materials technician. He and his wife and two children live on Grove Avenue.

On Jan. 3, Anthony Gianpoalo will succeed Charles M. Stankye III as chief. Kelly Curtis will advance to the rank of first assistant chief and Raymond Sadlik will move up to second assistant chief.

Chmielewski’s A Top Diver; Wants To Become A Surgeon
SEYMOUR – Motivation is a major part of Jill Chmielewski’s scholastic athletic career.

She is the only diver on the Seymour High School girls’ swimming team, which practices at a pool without a diving board.

A junior, she has qualified for the CIAC State Class S trials all three years and the State Open last season.

Part of the reason for her success might be her work ethic, which includes practicing three to four times a week on her own, in addition the regular daily workouts with her teammates.

Last week, Chmielewski broke her own school record and placed fourth at the Housatonic League One-Meter Driving Championships with a score of 349.5 points in the 11-dive competition.

“Sex” Just Doesn’t Sell At Libraries
VALLEY – Madonna will have to peddle her titillating book, “Sex” somewhere other than in the Valley.

Local librarians say they’re not buying the $50 book depicting the singer’s sexual fetishes and leather and lace fantasies.

According to a telephone survey, local public library officials have decided not to get the book based on low interest, cost and/or bad reviews.

While the book has gotten little attention here, it has sparked debate in communities such as Manchester, where the library tabled a decision to shelve the book after purchasing it.

Since libraries are among the first victims of municipal budget cuts, librarians say they’re deliberate in reviewing potential purchases.

Friday, Nov. 13, 1992

Potential Mall Buyer
ANSONIA – Although Ansonia Mall owners may have a buyer, merchants just want an end to the uncertainty which has dampened business.

“We are now moving ahead with a potential buyer,” mall spokesman Phillip Schechter said Thursday. “However, we have agreed to a confidentiality requirement and have no further comment on the buyer or the terms of any agreement. We may in about 30 days.”

Schechter would also not say if the buyer was a Connecticut party nor would he comment on whether the minimum bid of $1.15 million was received from this potential buyer.

Zoners Approve Cemetery
SEYMOUR – Despite opposition by neighbors, the Zoning Commission approved Trinity Cemetery Association’s application for a cemetery off Mountain Road.

At last month’s meeting, Town Engineer Alvin MacBrien and Town Planner Robert Looker suggested a number of site plan changes before they would the project their approval. The changes included lowering fencing at the front gate of Mountain Meadow Cemetery from six to four feet, changes in channel and erosion protection controls and delaying adding restrooms to the 20 by 30 foot chapel until a proposed sanitary system was installed.

Neighbors expressed concern that their property values would be decreased if the project was approved.       

Kerite Gets OK To Add In Seymour; 280 Jobs Preserved
SEYMOUR – The 138-year-old Kerite Co. got a new lease on its life in Seymour Thursday night when the Zoning Board of Appeals granted two variances the company needs to expand and improve its cable-making capabilities.

The action will retain the jobs of the company’s 280 employees and could pave the way for additional jobs once the expansion is complete.

Early last summer, the company was considering leaving Seymour and moving its operation south because of declining sales and profits. Manufacturing costs here were higher than those of competitors in the South.

In August, the company met with state and local officials to devise a plan which would keep the historic company in Seymour.

Agreement Near In Wetlands Dispute
SHELTON – Despite a volley of verbal jabs, the developer of a 50-unit cluster housing development and an opposing neighbor neared agreement on preserving wetlands on a 26.9-acre tract off Constitution Boulevard.

Regis Dognin, a Long Hill Avenue resident, has spent nearly a year challenging developer Chris Bargas and his partners, Shelton Heights Joint Venture, on plans to construct about 50 single and multi-family houses in his neighborhood.

Saturday, Nov. 14, 1992

Ansonia’s Tinney Proves Big Nightmare For Wolcott In Friday’s 40-0 Thrashing
ANSONIA – If Ansonia High School’s 40-0 win over Wolcott last evening were made into a movie, a fitting title would be “Friday the 13th – Jason Lives.”

Once again, the Chargers were led by their outstanding senior half-back Jason Tinney, who rolled up 252 yards on just eight carries.

The speedy Tinney scored the first two times he got his hands on the ball, on runs of 80 and 72 yards.

He led his team to a 40-0 victory over Wolcott in a Naugatuck Valley League game at Jarvis Field.

“Jason was just awesome tonight,” said Ansonia coach Jack Hunt. “Every time he gets the ball, he’s a threat to score. He makes a quick cut, and he’s gone.”

Pancake Breakfast To Benefit VARCA
DERBY – A pancake breakfast to benefit the Valley Association for Retarded Children and Adults will be held from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday at the George Hegyi Training Center, 5 Coon Hollow Rd.

Tickets will be $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for children and $10 for a family of four.

Wire Closing May Cost State $750G
SEYMOUR – Connecticut taxpayers could pay more than $750,000 for the closing of Seymour Specialty Wire Co., state officials say.

Foothill Financial Services, Inc, of Los Angeles, recently was paid $250,000 by the Connecticut Development Authority as part of the state’s guarantee of Foothill’s loans to the closed wire and rod maker.

An auction is planned Dec. 8 to liquidate Seymour Wire’s equipment, valued at $400,000.

In addition to the $750,000 in loan guarantees, the state provided $1 million in 1985 to help the company’s employees buy Seymour Wire from National Distillers & Chemical Co.

Shelton Mayor Accepts Official Pitman Resignation
SHELTON – Mayor Mark A. Lauretti accepted Police Chief William K. Pitman’s hand delivered resignation, which he submitted late Friday afternoon.

According to Lauretti, the chief noted in his letter that he was leaving to take another job. He also said that he wasn’t happy with the way things were going in the city and that it was time for a change.

The chief’s last day will be Dec. 1.

The chief’s resignation comes on the heels of formal and informal investigation into several matters.  

The Sentinel learned earlier this week that the chief planned to move to Nevada, to head that city’s eight-member police force.