NJ soldier killed, JCP&L takes heat, Snooki eyes Morristown, other top Morris ... - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

It's been quite a year for Morris County.

The community sobbed as it lost a proud soldier to war, and a young teen to the pressures caused by bullying. It rejoiced as it fought its way back from superstorm Sandy's damage, all the while eying utility companies that many say should have done better.

Parsippany teens clamed victory over the USDA. Law enforcement claimed victory over an alleged bank robber with a sense of style. And Morristown claimed victory over Snooki.

Here's some of the top stories of 2012 for Morris County:

Morristown saw tragedy this year, when high school freshman Lennon Baldwin killed himself after being assaulted and robbed by other teens, authorities say. "I know in my heart that Lennon took his life out of fear," John Baldwin, his father, told a court as two teens were sentenced to community service for their roles in the bullying. A 19-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to lying to police about the bullying as well.

Parsippany had a school lunch controversy to chew on. Students who said new USDA regulations for school menus had them paying more for meals and leaving the lunchroom with empty stomachs went on a "lunch strike," joining something of a national movement against the requirements. Eventually, the USDA relented, in the face of many similar complaints.

Morris County had a near-miss with new mama Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi. 495 Productions sought to bring its "Jersey Shore" spinoff "Snooki & JWoww" to Morristown, but ultimately did an about-face and decided to take the show to Manchester.  Morristown officials said they would welcome the show, but not everyone in the community was thrilled. The "Say No to Snooki in Morristown" petition got nearly 300 signatures.

It took less than three hours for a jury to decide Kleber Cordova is a murderer.  Cordova, 32, was found guilty in April on all counts in the 2008 drowning of his 26-year-old wife, Eliana Torres, in the bathtub at their Morristown home. The couple's daughter, then 8, witnessed part of the killing.

A 48-year-old Dover man accused of running over a Paramus woman in Pennsylvania July 14 had a troubling and storied history of run-ins with law enforcement. Earlier in July, he allegedly wielded an axe at a Rockaway McDonald's, threatening people there. He's accused of stealing a truck in Jefferson a few days later, and stealing $20,000 from Morris County in 2008 by falsely claiming to have been injured in a Dover accident involving a county-owned vehicle. In the Pennsylvania case, he's accused of  homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. "They're throwing the book at him," Jacqueline Reuveni, mother of the Paramus woman, Gabrielle Reuveni, said. "It's justice rearing its beautiful head."

Kinnelon lost an honored son and soldier over the summer. Army Spc. Jonathan Batista, who moved to Kinnelon three years ago, was killed July 8 in Zharay, a part of Afghanistan's Kandahar province. He was on his first tour, working as a mine detector. Hundreds came to his funeral, and hundreds more lined the streets of Kinnelon Road to pay their respects the day before. His stepfather, Erik Gaston, said it was a sign of how "community comes together, how people come together, how strangers come together."

Hurricane Sandy caused its share of pain and suffering in Morris County. A large tree came crashing down into Jefferson resident Bruce Latteri's home after the storm, killing him and collapsing his small building. Richard R. Everett, 54, was driving in Mendham Township with wife Elizabeth A. Everett when a 100-foot-high, 3-foot-wide tree fell, crushing the front of the cabin of their car and killing them both.

Even after Sandy's devastation, there were signs of good news and hope. A Wayne police officer from Oak Ridge was crushed under a tree, initially costing him use of his legs and arms. But he has making steady strides toward recovery, and has enjoyed overwhelming community support. "When I get these arms working, there's going to be a lot of bear hugs going around," Officer Bob Franco said.

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Speaking of Sandy, local officials weren't very happy with JCP&L's response. "I'm totally fed up by (JCP&L) and their lies and their lack of service," Washington Township Mayor Short said. For their part, JCP&L representatives said the sheer size of the storm made it difficult to communicate progress and priorities.

Dover's police department saw plenty of political intrigue. Nearly a dozen Morris County police chiefs objected when Mayor James Dodd convinced the board of aldermen to hire a $90,000 public safety director, with the chiefs saying such positions are just about political influence. The board ruffled more feathers when it agreed to give the director, Richard Rosell, a car for his 150-mile commute from his Point Pleasant home. Police Chief Harold "Butch" Valentine even said he'd sue the mayor over the hiring. The local police union also didn't take too kindly to the idea of rehiring a former officer for $103,000 this fall.

Lake Hiawatha's North Beverwyk road became a murder scene, when a 34-year-old Parsippany woman and restaurant owner was stabbed to death by her husband, police said in October. The owner of Kazumi Sushi was remembered as a "beautiful, kind lady" by a nearby store owner.  The sushi restaurant reopened a few days later.

It took months, but police captured the man they say robbed several Morris County banks, all while sharply dressed, and all while wearing hats. The big break came when an off-duty cop spotted a car that had been seen near each robbery.

The strange and sad case of a Brooklyn's Kashif Parvaiz continued to make its way through the courts. Parvaiz is accused of plotting with a female friend, Antoinette Stephen, to kill his wife. And when Stephen allegedly shot Parvaiz's wife as the couple pushed their toddler along a Boonton Street, Stephen also allegedly shot Parvaiz to make the incident look like a racially motivated attack. Most recently, defense lawyers have sought to move the murder trial away from Morris County.

When 7,000 fireworks shells went off simultaneously over San Diego Bay on July 4, the explosive mishap caught the world's attention. It turns out a Morris County fireworks company was behind the display, and eventually figured out what went wrong. Company officials say they don't expect a repeat of the glitch that made the Big Bay Boom an awfully fitting name for the event.

Several former Delbarton students came forward alleging sexual abuse at the school in Morris Township this year. The accusations go back decades, and in some cases, accusers say the monk who presides over the school knew about the abuse. Delbarton itself is suing an attorney it says violated a confidentiality agreement by publicly disclosing terms of a 1988 settlement of a lawsuit filed by a teenager who was a victim of sexual misconduct by a monk.

From Mount Olive to Rockefeller Center The Rockefeller center Christmas tree was cut down in the Flanders section of Mount Olive in November in front of several hundred wet onlookers. (Video by Andre Malok / The Star-Ledger) Watch video

Mount Olive helped make the season bright — and green —  when Flanders resident Joseph Balku donated his tree to be Rockefeller Center's Christmas Tree. Edy Toussaint, of Route 206 in Mount Olive, left a hand-written sign in her window: "Flanders lights up the NYC skies." "Nobody's going to see it, but I had to show some pride," she said.

Who's in charge of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office? It can get hard to keep track. Prosecutor Robert Bianchi's term expired this year, but the state Senate went most of the year without voting on Gov. Chris Christie's appointment for the next term. This month, Christie had his choice, Fredric Knapp, named an assistant attorney general, then acting Morris County prosecutor. The Senate finally voted on the appointment Dec. 20 — and rejected it. Despite that, Knapp remains the man in charge.