Year in Review: Big Stories of 2011

Here’s a month-by-month look at the biggest events of the year.

January 2011

Wayne resident Mickey Flagg got a . By day, she’s a vice principle in Paterson. By night, she writes novels pioneered by the likes of Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris. 

The was a contentious issue in town. Opponents said that the towers pose a health risk and will negatively impact property values in the regions where they are built. Those in favor of the towers saw it as a way to get better cell phone reception.

February

John Reardon, who has worked in the Wayne Police Department for more than 30 years, was sworn in as .

Four of the district’s elementary schools, Packanack, Lafayette, Theunis Dey and A.P. Terhune had.  It is estimated that the installations could over the course of 15 years in energy costs.

March

at the intersection of Hamburg Turnpike and Black Oak Ridge Road to catch drivers who are running red lights. The cameras continuously operate, and violators have to pay a $85 fine.

Wayne residents by Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-35) for their dedication to helping victims of domestic violence. 

Saad is a case manager at St. Joseph’s Hospital and volunteers at the Wafa House in Clifton, a support center dedicated to assisting domestic violence victims.

Valdes is the Passaic County prosecutor; she is the youngest county prosecutor in the state, the first female prosecutor in Passaic County, and the first woman from the Dominican Republic to be named a county prosecutor in the United States. 

April

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-08) for artwork they entered in the 14th annual Congressional Art Competition.

Wayne resident , Teresa Giudice’s first cousin, joined the cast of Real Housewives of New Jersey for season 3.       

May

Wayne residents at the annual Memorial Day Parade.

Jennifer Grinberg, a Goddard School teacher, for the anti-bullying initiative she developed, bringing a sense of community to her classroom and teaching students about compassion and respect.

June

Popular frozen yogurt chain opened its doors on Berdan Avenue.

from the state's Regular Operating District Grant Program, helping fund 40 percent of a project to repair the roof at Wayne Valley.

to raise money for Brandon Petronzi, an eight-year-old who is affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In 2010, the school organized a walk-a-thon that raised $3,000 so the family could renovate their home to make it more accessible for Petronzi. This year, the event helped pay for a specialized attachment that increases the range of motion in Brandon’s right arm. The school’s Parent Teacher Organization has run the event for the last two years.

July

Dozens of people were displaced after a in July.

A police ranger tried to lure a 350-pound bear out of a tree using boston cream doughnuts.

A $99,000 grant was allocated to make a for the former W.R. Grace & Co. site on Black Oak Ridge Road near the intersection of Pompton Plains Crossroad. The park will contain separate fenced-in areas for large and smaller-sized dogs, a playground and a walking path. According to Mayor Christopher Vergano, the $99,000 comes from the Passaic County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund. The park will be ready by spring 2012, Vergano said.

The Wayne Board of Education began planning for a that covers everything from in-person harassment to cyber bullying.

August

Packanack Lake Elementary School , who was previously director of Wayne Community Programs, a non-profit organization.

The , causing millions of dollars in damage due to Tropical Storm Irene. Many .

President Obama , promising the township federal disaster aid.

after the floods, donating clothes and food to those who were displaced and . 

September

Scott Rumana was in which Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards considered charging him for his role in advocating for the Wayne Energy Corporation to bring an energy plant to Wayne during his term as a state assemblyman.

Mehta and Bhargav Maheta were driving and swerved to avoid hitting a deer. The car flipped over a few times and Maheta was left unconscious. Mehta administered CPR and kept him alive for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. Mehta was awarded the Dana Christmas Scholarship for Heroism by PSE&G for $10,000 for his heroic actions.

Wayne residents and remembered the seven residents who were lost during the attacks.

October

, a 16-year-old Wayne Valley High School student, and his friend were killed after being struck by a NJ Transit train walking home. Mendez’s friends and family for the boys at the Route 23 Transit Center.

A caused power outages throughout town. A few months later, officials announced that Passaic, Bergen and Middlesex county .

, a history teacher at DePaul Catholic, was named as a finalist for the 2011 non-public school teacher of the year award. Duane-Dacles is one of two finalists the state chooses each year.

A report found that Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino and his top four aides earn a combined $1 million in salaries and pensions, according to the website New Jersey Watchdog.

November

Nine Wayne Hills High School football players were after a party in October.

The nine players did not over Northern Valley Regional High School, its eighth in 10 years.

The , as residents rallied against big banks, corporate greed and a shrinking middle class.

Robert Burke, owner of Wayne Auto Spa who had a long-standing application with the Planning Board, has finally been in support of greener electricity at the auto spa. It took four years for this to happen.

The fully remodeled Grasshopper Too destroyed the town landmark in August.

December

Raymond Gonzalez, former interim superintendent in Hackensack, for the next three years. John Sico Jr. was the district’s last permanent superintendent who retired in 2009 after serving just nine months of his 3 1/2-year contract.

The township allocated , which the council unanimously approved between the town, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and the state’s Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency (HMFA).

The Louvis family finally moved back home after a long four months of being displaced due to . Wayne received an to buyout 56 homes in flood zones, out of the 150 homes in town that are eligible to be bought out, officials said.