Morris County in 2021: Tragedies, comebacks and national 'woke' culture debate in Randolph

The COVID-19 pandemic that dominated the headlines in 2020 and cost so many lives carried over into 2021. Slowly, signs of normal life began to return until the fast-spreading delta and omicron variants emerged and sent us into the new year with many towns enacting mask mandates.

In between, Morris County residents experienced tragedies, triumphs and milestones. The following are some of the biggest local headlines of the year.

Drowning in Boonton

With the coronavirus pandemic limiting indoor gatherings, hundreds of mourners attended a funeral outside Jam-e-Masjid Islamic Center in Boonton for Warda Syed, 35, and her 11-year-old son, Uzair Ahmed.

Their bodies were discovered in the water at the top of a dam in the Upper Pond of Grace Lord Park, where a waterfall empties into a river gorge. Her 6-year-old son, Unais Ahmed, was the only witness as his mother lost her life trying to save his brother.

The drownings were ruled accidental. Two months later, Syed's husband, Zeeshan Hamayun, died after a long battle with cancer.

Randolph Board of Education faces backlash

Facing hundreds of riled residents, angry Italian Americans and others enraged by a school calendar that removed references to named holidays, the Randoph Board of Education reversed course at a June meeting and voted to return to its original school calendar. The meeting was called after a swift backlash from parents and national press coverage after the board's earlier decision to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day.

The board members endured a nearly four-hour onslaught of boos, jeers, calls for their resignation and about 50 speakers during the public session. The overwhelming majority of speakers accused the board of bringing what they called "woke" and "cancel culture" actions into their school system.

Towns consider legal marijuana businesses

Many Morris County towns joined the majority of New Jersey in opting out of a commitment to the first wave of legal cannabis business classifications authorized by New Jersey voters in 2020. But some, including Boonton, Butler, Dover, Rockaway Township and Morristown opened the door to retail recreational marijuana sales, which are expected to begin next year.

Rockaway Township was the first to authorize all forms of cannabis business, including cultivation, distribution and delivery. Parsippany approved warehousing and distribution but banned retail sales and other related businesses. A medical marijuana grow facility already operates in Boonton Township, which voted to allow an exception for cultivation.

Delbarton sex abuse scandal grows

Ten additional sex abuse lawsuits were filed in October against the Catholic order that runs the Delbarton School in Morris Township, which now faces 32 lawsuits. At least 12 of its monks and one lay teacher have been publicly accused of abusing children decades ago.

The most recent lawsuits, filed in Morris County, accuse two monks and a Delbarton lay teacher of sexually abusing 10 children from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s.

St. Elizabeth University hires first Black, male president

Saint Elizabeth University installed Gary B. Crosby in the fall as its new president, marking two firsts for the 121-year-old formerly all-women's school in Morris County.

Crosby, who succeeded Helen J. Streubert, is the first Black president and the first male president at the school, established in 1899 as the College of Saint Elizabeth. Streubert was the first lay president of the Roman Catholic school and oversaw its elevation to university status.

Parsippany votes for 'comeback kid' James Barberio

Defeated by Democrat Michael Soriano in the 2017 Parsippany mayoral election, former two-term mayor James Barberio won his old office back, leading a GOP sweep over the Soriano ticket in Morris County's largest municipality, with his council running mates Justin Musella and Frank Neglia.

'DeCroce Era' ends in Morris County

In a surprise move to many, the Morris County Republican Committee withheld an endorsement of BettyLou DeCroce, longtime assemblywoman in the Morris County-dominated 26th Legislative District. The other District 26 Assembly incumbent, Jay Webber, breezed through the primary and general elections. DeCroce finished a close third in the primary to former Pompton Lakes Councilman Christian Barranco, who branded her "a fake Republican" and won her Assembly seat in November.

The stunning turnaround ends more than three decades of DeCroce representation in District 26. DeCroce succeeded her husband, Alex DeCroce, who represented the district from 1989 until his death in 2012. He also had served as the Assembly's Republican Leader since 2003.

Leiter goes No. 2 in MLB draft

Delbarton graduate Jack Leiter, who had just finished his sophomore season at Vanderbilt University, was selected second overall by the Texas Rangers in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in July.

The son of former Mets and Yankees pitcher Al Leiter, the 21-year-old later signed a $7.9 million rookie contract.

Time's up for Tom's Diner in Roxbury

After years of preservation efforts and clashes between the owner and Roxbury officials, Tom's Diner on Route 10 was demolished.

Built in the 1930s, the diner, which had fallen into disrepair, achieved iconic status when it was used as the setting for Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" music video.

Invasion of the spotted lanternfly

Residents in Morris County and throughout New Jersey were directed by government officials in August to "destroy" the invasive spotted lanternfly and its egg masses.

Native to Southeast Asia, the invasive pest is believed to have hitchhiked to Pennsylvania on wooden packing crates or skids. It was discovered in New Jersey in 2018 and in New York in 2020. The first reports of their arrival in Morris County came in the spring and summer.

Although the colorful bug is no threat to humans or animals, it is known to feed on 70 types of plants and trees, causing damage.

Both the nymph and adult stages of life have a strong preference for agricultural plants, including grapevines and maple, black walnut, birch, willow and other trees. The feeding damage stresses the plants, leading to disease and potentially death.

It shows a strong preference for the "tree of heaven" or ailanthus. Since surveys and treatments for the spotted lanternfly in New Jersey began in 2018, more than 200,000 trees of heaven have been treated on almost 19,000 acres.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County NJ: 2021 in review in Randolph, Boonton