NJ recognizes same-sex marriages: This week in Central Jersey history, Oct. 16-22

At 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, New Jersey began recognizing same-sex marriages, becoming the 14th state to allow them.

Three days prior, the state Supreme Court unanimously rejected Gov. Chris Christie's request to delay the start of the nuptials.

Here's a look at events that happened in Central Jersey from five, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago this week.

Five years ago

Oct. 17, 2018: It was reported the Middlesex Borough school district notified the public on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, of high levels of carbon dioxide exposure in the borough's Von E. Mauger Middle School.

Oct. 17: A state appellate court ruled the Raritan Shopping Center, owner of the Raritan Mall in Raritan Borough, which was built over a landfill, must pay $66,200 in penalties to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Oct. 18: At the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, the top-seeded Metuchen High School field hockey team beat third-seeded Old Bridge, 2-1, to win its second-straight GMC Tournament title.

Oct. 19: Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Michael Toto said Freddy S. Garcia Jr., accused of the drag-racing death of New Brunswick High School vice principal Tyrone Harrison, would remain in jail pending the outcome of his case.

Oct. 19: It was reported Jerry Wolkowitz, a freelancer whose work appeared in the Asbury Park Press and on APP.com, had died nearly six months after a brutal, allegedly racially motivated beating left him on life support.

Oct. 19-20: Stand-up comic Tom Green performed at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick.

Oct. 22: Former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra, who was indicted earlier in the month on two drug charges and allegedly threatening an Uber driver, was arraigned in Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth.

10 years ago

Oct. 17, 2013: Eric Young Jr. of the New York Mets visited his alma mater, Quibbletown Middle School in Piscataway, where he encouraged children to follow their dreams.

Oct. 18: Christopher Conway was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Cash Johnson and Christian Tinli were sentenced to six months each by state Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz, sitting in New Brunswick, for their roles in the 2010 beating of Old Bridge resident Divyendu Sinha and his sons.

Oct. 18-19: The political comedy troupe, the Capitol Steps, performed on Friday, Oct. 18, 2013, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, and on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, at the Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College in the North Branch section of Branchburg.

Oct. 19: Jamount Atkins, 23, was apparently beaten to death, prosecutors said, during a brawl that broke out during a party at a bowling alley in Piscataway.

Oct. 19: The top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan High School field hockey team won its sixth straight county championship, beating third-seeded Ridge, 7-2.

Oct. 20: Styx performed at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

Oct. 22: Despite dozens of arrests on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, officials in Far Hills said the typically rowdy behavior by some of the 35,000 people who attended the annual Far Hills Race Meeting was less of a problem than the previous year.

1998

Oct. 17: In college football, Rutgers beat Pittsburgh, 25-21. It was their first road win in more than two years (a stretch of 13 games) and first Big East Conference road win ever.

Oct. 19: Robert Cusmano, 32, of Edison, whose high-speed driving led to a fiery collision that seriously injured another driver, was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Oct. 19: Theta Chi Fraternities announced it would go alcohol-free within five years at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, along with about 150 other Theta Chi chapters.

Oct. 22: About 550 Lucent Technologies workers in Piscataway were told they could be out of work as the telecommunications company announced it would shut down its mobile phone division.

Oct. 22: It was reported comedian Jimmie Walker would perform on Friday, Oct. 23, 1998, at the Villagers Theatre in the Somerset section of Franklin Township.

1973

Oct. 17, 1973: Almost 15 hours after they entered the conference room at the Red Bull Inn in Bridgewater, the Middlesex Education Association and the Board of Education emerged with a settlement of their nine-month contract dispute.

Oct. 17: It was reported that, with the exception of the first grade, Plainfield public school pupils were scoring below the norm compared with national averages in achievement tests.

Oct. 18: An unidentified Jamesburg woman, nervous and admittedly scared, was excused from serving on the Joanne Chesimard-Clark Squire murder trial jury by County Court Judge John E. Bachman.

Oct. 18: It was reported that meeting Federal Railroad Administration minimum track standards that went into effect on Monday, Oct. 15, 1973, had caused from four to 30-minute delays on Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) trains in the Plainfield, Raritan, Bound Brook and Lebanon areas, according to a CNJ official.

Oct. 18: It was reported "Luther," John Osborne's portrait of the defiant priest who fathered the Reformation, would be presented on Friday, Oct. 26, and Friday, Nov. 2, 1973, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Flemington.

Oct. 19: New Jersey collected more than $834,000 from the court-ordered sale of state supplied educational materials to private and parochial schools.

Oct. 20: In college football, Rutgers beat Delaware, 24-7, shattering Delaware's 20-game winning streak, before a crowd of 21,000 at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway.

1923

Oct. 17, 1923: It was reported New Brunswick was within 316 of the mark established the previous year, when a record registration of 9,576 voters took place.

Oct. 18: The movie, "Soft-Boiled," a William Fox special production starring Tom Mix, was shown at Reade's Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Oct. 18: It was reported tentative plans were underway for an immense celebration throughout Somerset County sometime during the first or second week of November, in honor of the completion of Somerset County's system of good roads.

Oct. 22: The Plainfield High School Reserves football team beat the Cranford High School Reserves, 21-0, with three touchdowns and a safety.

Oct. 22: It was reported damage estimated at more than $400,000 was the toll of two fires, one at the National Fireproofing Company in Keasbey and at the Raritan Hollow Tile Corporation, about a half mile up the Raritan River.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ history for the week of Oct. 16-22