Most Important Stories of 2011

Leading the list of the Top 10 Stories of 2011 is an end-of-the year tragedy that killed five people and a family dog.

On Dec. 20, a small plane, a Socata TBM 700, crashed into Route 285 in Morris Township.

Pilot Jeffrey F. Buckalew was recorded by the tower at Ronconcoma, NY, mentioning ice on his wings, but the investigation into the crash continues.

Buckalew, a managing director of Greenhill and Co. bank, was killed along with his wife, Corinne, children, Jackson and Meriwether, and fellow managing director Rakesh Chawla, and the Buckalew family dog.

The plane took off from Teterboro and was headed for Georgia.

2) Natural Disasters

Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and a freak pre-Halloween snowstorm shared the number 2 spot for most important stories of the year. All three disasters caused extensive power outages and brought down trees, especially the Oct. 29 storm which dumped wet snow on trees that had not shed their leaves.

3) 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Every area municipality commemorated the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at the memorials constructed from steel recovered from the Twin Towers.

4) Evacuation

On Aug. 12 the Mennen Building on Hanover Avenue in Morris Township was evacuated when fumes filled the building. The fumes turned out to be xylene that apparently resulted from residue in a truck that was picking up soap-related materials from the company.

5) Identity

Among the Post offices listed as possibly slated for closure on July 27 were Convent Station and the Morris Street branch of the Morristown Post Office. The Postal Service says people no longer need a physical Post Office, but some Morris Township residents consider the Convent Station Post Office to be a source of identity for the sprawling township.

 6) Political Controversy

Gov. Chris Christie ignited a firestorm when he arrived at Delbarton for to watch his son in a game riding in a state police helicopter.

7)  Election Excitement

A close election in Morris Township brought Democrat Jeff Grayzel back to the township committee and re-elected Republican Dan Caffrey.

And 7 ½) County Election Excitement

Back in September, the GOP candidate for freeholder was chosen by a special convention after a Superior Court Judge threw out the narrow primary victory of newcomer William “Hank” Lyon over veteran Freeholder Margaret Nordstrom.

 8) Also a County/Regional Story

On Sept. 6 a sinkhole opened up on Cory Road in Morristown closing access to Speedwell Village and creating traffic problems in Morris Township. The road remained closed nearly until Christmas.

 And now for some good news:

 9) Piano Prodigy

On March 22, Ethan Huang, 7, made his piano solo debut at New Jersey Youth Symphony Hall in New Providence.

 10) New Home

A Morris Township family won its dream home from the Regis and Kelly show after seventh-grader Mackenzie Garrity wrote a letter saying the family members needed a house after they lost their house to foreclosure.

 And as a bonus, a Cincinnati story with a local angle:

 11) Fake Bomb

 A Cincinnati bomb square was called to the Courtyard by Marriott in Erlanger, Ky, at 8 a.m. April 2, after a suitcase was delivered to the hotel with no delivery paperwork. Hotel managers opened the case and saw what appeared to be C4 and a pipe bomb. A hotel employee took the suitcase to a grassy area and the hotel was evacuated. Before the bomb squad arrived a guest claimed the suitcase and said it was material used to test airport security systems. The fake bomb was from Smith’s Detection, a division of UK-based Smith Technologies with an office on Columbia Road in Morris Township.