This Week In History: 1989

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This week, we head back to 1989!

George H. W. Bush was president, the UK Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher and Pope St John Paul II was leading the Catholic Church.

Baseball legend Pete Rose meets with Major League Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth to discuss his gambling (Rose was ultimately banned for life from MLB in 1989 over gambling on games while he was managing the Cincinnati Reds).

These were the top five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

Two Hearts” — Phil Collins

When I’m With You” — Sheriff

Armageddon It” — Def Leppard

Don’t Rush Me” — Taylor Dayne

When The Children Cry” — White Lion

Here is what was happening in our Valley, as stolen from the microfilm edition of The Evening Sentinel!

Friday, Feb. 3, 1989

Condors To Fly Independently

ANSONIA – Emmett J. O’Brien Regional Vocational Technical School will be ending its membership in the Cross County Interscholastic Athletic Conference after the 1989 – 1990 season.

Richard Marazzi, O’Brien’s athletic director, said the school has decided that it is not in the best interest of the school’s overall program to be in any league at this time.

We can’t compete equitably with teams like Notre Dame of Fairfield, Foran and some others in the league,” he said. It’s not fair to our kids to send them into basketball games where they are overwhelming underdogs. What we intend to do now is step back and catch our athletic breaths. We are scheduling games with schools that are competitive with us, and we are going to reestablish some old rivalries that were lost when we first joined the league (CCIAC).”

YMCA To Hold Vacation Camp

ANSONIA – The Valley YMCA will hold a Winter Vacation Camp for children ages 6 to 12 during February’s school vacation. It will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 13 through Feb. 20. Cost is $9 per day or $45 for the week. For YMCA members, the cost is $35.

The Vacation Camp will include a variety of activities, including sports, games, arts and crafts, swimming and a special event.

Shoplifter Escapes

DERBY – A shoplifter escaped from Caldor’s Department Store Wednesday after taking a cordless telephone and answering machine valued at $150.

Seymour Schools Face Deficit

SEYMOUR – The Board of Education is facing a deficit of about $266,000 in its $9 million budget for 1988 – 89, Donald E. Flood, business manager, told the panel Thursday in the central office in Annex School.

Flood attributed a major part of the shortage – about $200,000 – to the charges for a special education student who had to be placed at a school in Texas.

The monthly charge for the student, who he did not identify, was about $18,000. The school is the nearest one to Connecticut that meets the needs of the student.

Although the state Department of Education will reimburse the town for a major part of the costs, the funds will not come into the town’s treasury until the state’s next fiscal year.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 1989

Lathrop Shatters AHS 3‑Point Mark

ANSONIA – Sharpshooting Tanya Lathrop set an Ansonia High School single-game record for three-point field goals, canning six of them in a losing cause as the Chargerettes fell to Torrington’s Red Raidettes 55 – 42 in a Naugatuck Valley League game.

The new record encompasses both Ansonia girls’ and boys’ basketball programs.

Teenager Charged In Two-City Chase

DERBY – Four days after police were involved in a high-speed chase that resulted in critical injuries to an Orange resident, Derby and Ansonia police took part in another one Thursday night that resulted in the arrest of a 17-year-old Ansonian on a number of charges.

The chase started on Seymour Avenue in Derby when a patrolman attempted to stop the car for motor vehicle violations.

The chase ended on Cherry Street in Ansonia, where the car, operated by the teenager, was surrounded by police vehicles from the two cities.

The teen was booked in Derby for having a weapon in his motor vehicle, an axe handle, possession of drug paraphernalia, engaging pursuit, misuse of plates, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and failure to have mandatory security.

Pizzeria Ready To Re-Open

SEYMOUR – Six months after a disastrous fire wiped out a Main Street pizza parlor, it is ready to re-open early next week.

Zois Tzepos, the 45-year-old owner of the pizzeria at 48 Main St., grinned broadly Friday afternoon as he surveyed the reconstructed restaurant interior.

There were no reminders left of the once-blackened walls, now covered with oak wainscoting and harmonizing, vinyl wallpaper. The equipment used to prepare pizzas that was damaged in the August 15 fire has been replaced with shiny stainless steel units.

Light oak booths and tables with chairs upholstered in a cinnamon color material harmonize with mauve carpeting in the floors and the tiled walls in the preparation area.

We’re excited,” Tzepos said as he and his wife and other family members stepped up efforts to get the restaurant ready for the reopening.

His mood was in contrast to the days after fire ripped through the three-story brick building causing extensive damage and forcing the popular pizza parlor to close.

Sunday, Feb. 5, 1989

The Evening Sentinel didn’t publish on Sundays!

Monday, Feb. 6, 1989

Dog Saves Pigeon From Certain Death

ANSONIA – If a city animal lover is to be believed, a tan, brown and white beagle saved a wounded pigeon from probable death last week.

William Kozak, Jr., of Hodge Avenue, said he was looking out his window last Wednesday when he saw his pet beagle, Buddy, with a pigeon in his mouth.

He was not biting it, Kozak said, but carrying it. When he went outside he saw the bird was still alive. He has been caring for it ever since.

Last Friday, he gently lifted the wounded pigeon out of its cage and placed it onto his shoulder. The gray bird flapped its damaged wing incessantly for a minute but made no attempt to leap off.

I can’t believe he’s staying on my shoulder,” Kozak said. This is the first time I’ve ever tried to do this.”

Kozak, who is Russian, was hanging a Holy Water receptacle near the entrance to his apartment –an orthodox custom – when he heard Buddy barking in the backyard and spotted the bird in his mouth.

I thought it was ironic that it should happen while I was hanging the religious symbol,” Kozak said.

Moscato Seeks Return To Seat As Alderman

DERBY – Former Aldermanic President Leo Moscato wants to return to politics.

Moscato, who had been president of the Board of Aldermen for seven of the 10 years he served, was ousted in his last bid during the 1985 municipal election.

The Lewis Street resident and owner of the Olde Birmingham Restaurant announced today that he wants to return to a 2nd Ward aldermanic seat.

Lady Wildcats Tourney Bound

SEYMOUR – The Seymour Lady Wildcats weathered a fantastic first period by the Amity Lady Spartans to clinch a berth in the CIAC State Class L Tournament with a 43 – 35 victory.

This was a big win for us tonight, because for the last three weeks, we’ve had a tough time of it,” commented Seymour coach Joe Frager. I believe our losing streak (six games) can be attributed to some key injuries, illness and a lack of confidence. Tonight our kids really worked their butts off.”

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1989

Condo Plan Gets Clear Sailing

ANSONIA – A proposal for a 99-unit condominium project on Jewett Street sailed through a public hearing of the Inland Wetlands Commission Monday with no opposition from neighbors.

Plans call for condominiums to be constructed on a vacant 17-acre site with a narrow entrance to Jewett Street. The bulk of the units would be built in a steeply sloped area between Berkshire Road and Kiely’s Lane.

Developers of the project, called Westbrook,” were granted a necessary zone change for the project last year by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Chimney Fire

DERBY – Firefighters extinguished a chimney fire in an apartment on McLaughlin Terrace Sunday night. A defective chimney was blamed for the fire that caused minor damage to the home. Fire Chief Phillip Hawks was in charge.

Jade East Cases Get Continuance

SEYMOUR – The cases of the manager of Jade East Club at 52 Main St., and two employees arrested on prostitution charges Jan. 31 were continued to Feb. 15 by Judge Hugh Curran Monday in Derby Superior Court.

The manager was charged with promoting prostitution in the second degree after the Valley Street Crime Unit and Seymour police raided the Main Street facility.

Two employees were charged with prostitution.

Jade East Club has been closed since the police raid.

Seymour Teen Takes Junior Miss Award, $2,000 Scholarship

SEYMOUR –Alison Kichar of Seymour recently took her first shot at a scholarship pageant and won.

The Seymour High School senior was chosen 1989 Beacon Falls Junior Miss,” in a contest sponsored by the Beacon Falls Junior Woman’s Club. And in winning, she received more than $2,000 in scholarships.

Kichar, who maintains a 91.5 grade average, has been a member of the National Honor Society for three years, the Math Club and Prom Committee and took part in the pre-Christmas Toys for Tots campaign. She also does tutoring in math and French at the high school.

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 1989

Burglaries Down In City

ANSONIA – Burglaries and larcenies in the city decreased in January, compared to the same month last year, according to a monthly report filed Friday by Chief of Police James J. McGrath.

The January drop broke a string of four consecutive months during which burglaries and larcenies had increased, compared to the same months in the previous year.

Last month, McGrath reported just six burglaries, down from seven in January 1988. At the asme time, larcenies decreased in number from 44 to 38, with larcenies over $50 dropping from 22 to 15 and those over $50 increasing from 20 to 23.

The number of robberies, meanwhile, jumped to six in January, compared to just one in the same month of 1988, the report said.

Cubs To Hold Annual Banquet

DERBY –The annual Blue and Gold banquet of Cub Pack 3, sponsored by the Derby United Methodist Church, will be held in the church hall Feb. 25.

The pack, organized in 1925, is the oldest in the country. The pack is conducting a Pinewood Derby with Anthony Pepe and Peter Saccu in charge.

Town Clerk Marks 35th Anniversary

SEYMOUR –Town Clerk Norma Drummer was the center of attention this week as she celebrated her 35th anniversary in the Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall.

A Seymour native, Drummer was educated in the local school system, specializing in the business course at Seymour High School. She did take some night courses after leaving high school but discounts them as too unimportant to mention.

Drummer began working with former town clerk, the late Richard Pearson, Feb. 1, 1954, serving as his assistant for 23 years. After Pearson’s death in June of 1977, Drummer filled his unexpired term, then ran for office in her own right.

There have been a lot of changes since she started 35 years ago. At that time, the town clerk and tax collector share the same office. The office also handled much of the assessor’s duties, as well.


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