Straight From The Microfilm At The Library, It's This Week In Valley History

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Jean Falbo-Sosnovich traveled to Seymour Library to hijack their microfilm to bring to you exactly what was happening in the lower Naugatuck Valley back in 1972!

Groovy!

Saturday, Sept. 30, 1972

Radar Arrests Top 300 Mark
ANSONIA – The number of speeding and stop sign violations topped the 300 mark yesterday as police added 27 more names to their list of drivers ticketed during the three-week crackdown. There have been a total of 307 arrests in the campaign. Police were out early yesterday, starting at 6:30 a.m. to test the driving of persons headed for work. The radar surveillance united netted 14 alleged speeders in the early morning hours.

School Board In Derby Eases Smoking Penalty
DERBY – Students will no longer face a one-week suspension from school if they are caught smoking on school property because of action taken by the Board of Education at its monthly meeting Thursday. Superintendent Angelo Dirienzo recommended that the board relax its policy because the present one forms an easy way to get a week off.”

Elderly To Hear Sarasin, Aide To President
SEYMOUR – Ronald A. Sarasin, Republican candidate for Congress from the 5th District, will be a guest of the Seymour Center Monday afternoon. Sarasin will be accompanied by Harry Dent, special assistant to President Richard M. Nixon, and Leonard Lamphorie of Australia, who is studying American campaign practices. Friends of the Senior Citizens are invited to attend the meeting.

Sunday, Oct. 1, 1972

No paper published.

Monday, Oct. 2, 1972

Motor Causes Griffin Alarm
DERBY – Firemen from Derby, Ansonia and Shelton responded to Griffin Hospital at 5 a.m. today when Box 9 sounded. Firemen said that a motor burned out in the basement of the east wing and the smoke set off a detector that sounded the alarm. Firemen were returned to their stations immediately.

Fire In Furnace Doused In Seymour
SEYMOUR – Firemen were called to the home of Joseph Pawlak, 175 West St., to extinguish a fire in a furnace Saturday. Firemen used extinguishers and smoke ejector fans to rid the house of smoke. There were no injuries and no report of smoke damage.

Police Car Hits Horse
SHELTON – A loose horse on Booth Hill Road was struck over the weekend by a police car operated by Patrolman Vincent Casertano. The horse was uninjured. The car received a dent in one of the fenders. The horse belonged to Clinton Strong, 566 Booth Hill Road. There were no charges.

Tuesday, Oct. 3, 1972

Recreational Swim Starting On Friday
ANSONIA – A coed recreational swim period for members will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the YMCA. The program will run every Friday throughout the winter. Information can be obtained by calling the Y.

Derby Patrol Names Officers
DERBY – Thomas Chebro has been elected leader of Flaming Arrow Patrol of Boy Scout Troop 3. Other officers are Paul Fritz, assistant leader; Robert Chebro, treasurer; David Bomba, scribe and Kenneth Moffat, quartermaster. The election was held at a meeting at the home of Chebro, 54 Sunset Drive. The patrol will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Moffat home, Hillcrest Drive.

Ghost Couple Plans Lecture In Seymour
SEYMOUR – Tickets are available for two lectures by Ed and Lorraine Warren, New England’s ghost-hunting couple, at 8 p.m. Nov. 3 and 10 in the Seymour High School auditorium under the sponsorship of the Bungay School PTA. The Warrens have been investigating haunted homes” for more than 25 years and have acquired over 300 case histories they use as a basis for their lectures throughout the country. The subject of the first lecture will be Witches and Ghosts,” while Demonology” will be explored in the second.

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 1972

Ansonia Police To Seek Bids On 3 Cruisers
ANSONIA – The Board of Police Commissioners last night voted to advertise for the purchase of three new police cruisers to replace older models. Mayor Sturgis A. Sobin said the commissioners had decided to stagger the delivery of the three vehicles so that the department would not have to break in all the cruisers at once. Sobin said the vehicles would be delivered at 30 days, 60 days and 90 days after the contract is awarded. The commissioners asked the Board of Apportionment and Taxation for funds to cover the purchase of the vehicles.

Work Near On Scar’ In Derby
DERBY – Roland Beausoleil of Ray-n-Beau Construction co., Shelton, told The Sentinel he intends to start construction of 70 one and two bedroom units in hill climbing” townhouses on the former Vellaco property on Derby Avenue. He said work on the estimated $1.2 million project would be started within a few months. Equipment will be moved onto the site by the end of the week, Beausoleil said. The site has been a land scar on Derby Avenue for many years, since fill and gravel was removed from the bank.

Selectmen Transfer $10,000
SEYMOUR – The Board of Selectmen approved the transfer of $10,000 from the general fund surplus to the Sewer Authority to make repairs to sewer lines. The selectmen approved the transfer by a vote of 6 to 1. Selectman Richard J. McConville, Democrat, was the lone dissenter.

Thursday, Oct. 5, 1972

Know Your Candidate
DERBY –James E. Cohen, 25-year old Derby lawyer and Democratic candidate for state representative from the 103rd Assembly District, has two unique proposals he will introduce if he is elected Nov. 7. He would propose to his colleagues from the Valley assembly and senatorial districts that they organize as a group to become a voting bloc for the benefit of Valley communities. He would also propose a volunteer group to work with probation departments inundated by cases of boys and girls placed on probation after arrests.

This is being done in other states and I am ready to sponsor such legislation in Connecticut if I am elected,” he told The Sentinel.

Seymour Oxen To Compete At Danbury
SEYMOUR – A pair of brown Swiss oxen, owned by Bomba Bros. Dairy, and driven by Edward Bomba, will be entered in the weight-pulling competition at the Danbury Fair Sunday and in the free-for-all sweepstakes Monday. Mike and Harry, who are 4 years old and weigh 4,000 pounds, are expected to reach 5,500 pounds when they are 6 or 7 years old. Last year the team placed first in the 3,400-pound class pulling a given load of 7,600 pounds a distance of 72 inches.

Weicker Guest For GOP Fete In Seymour
SEYMOUR – U.S. Sen. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. will be a guest at a Seymour Republican Town Committee spaghetti dinner Sunday at the Grange Hall, Great Hill Road. It will kick off the Seymour campaign of William Powanda, Jr., GOP candidate for state senator from the 17th District. The dinner will be served family style from 1 to 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 6, 1972

Valley Schools Weigh Eased Smoking Rules
There may be a change coming to smoking policies in the Valley high schools. Committees in Derby, Ansonia and Shelton are considering changing their policies. Currently, Shelton students are forbidden to smoke in their school, Edward C. Finn, assistant superintendent of schools told The Sentinel.

Derby’s Board of Education is considering a change in the suspension rules for students caught smoking in the schools.

Ansonia’s high school faculty is also considering the smoking policy and will submit a recommendation to the Board of Education. In an area of the school, students may smoke before and after school starts and during a five-minute break in the middle of the day.

Seymour High School students are not supposed to smoke in school. They, too, have a smoking area outside the school.

Marching Unit Makes Debut In Seymour
SEYMOUR – A new marching unit, the Pom Pon Girls, was introduced at Seymour High School recently. The group of 26 girls is coached by Mrs. Rita Tottenham, a former head majorette and dancing instructor. The squad was organized at the close of school in June and held drills during the summer. The squad will participate in Band Day activities at the University of Connecticut Oct. 14 with the band, majorettes and colorguards.

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