North Plainfield man charged in murder: This week in Central Jersey history, Aug. 21-27

John Korman Jr., 48, of North Plainfield, was charged with murdering a woman and burying her in a shallow grave behind his home, authorities said on Sunday, Aug. 23, 1998.

Korman appeared on Monday, Aug. 24, 1998, in state Superior Court to answer a charge of first-degree murder in the death of the woman, who was identified as Nancy N. Nott, 21, of Plainfield.

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

Aug. 21, 2018: A "Drag Queen Story Hour," held by the Friends of the Rahway Public Library, was conducted at the library.

Aug. 22: It was reported the Bridgewater Township Council had introduced by unanimous vote an ordinance to prohibit stores in the township from selling marijuana.

Aug. 23: Curtis Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels nearly four decades prior, would come to Manville on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, to tell residents how they could fight crime in their neighborhoods, it was reported.

Aug. 23: The Somerset Patriots beat the first half Freedom Division champion Sugar Land Skeeters, 11-9, with multiple ejections, four lead changes and two interruptions for in-game fireworks.

Aug. 25: Comedian Wayne Brady performed at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

Aug. 27: It was reported mayors of towns along NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line had written a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy and state legislators to express "profound dissatisfaction" with the "ongoing deterioration" of NJ Transit's service on the commuter line.

Aug. 27: Gov. Phil Murphy issued vetoes and conditional vetoes, cutting a proposed $1 billion bond act in half, blocking a 5-cent fee on plastic grocery bags and asking for further changes to a measure meant to remove onerous licensing requirements on traditional hair braiders.

10 years ago

Aug.. 21, 2013: Ethanuel Williamson, 12, of Franklin (Somerset), went missing, but was found in good condition. He wanted to try out for a middle school football team so much that he walked nine miles to get his chance.

Aug. 22: A front-end loader was used to rescue an unidentified woman in Bedminster after her car was swept up in a flash flood caused by severe weather, which brought flooding, power outages and lightning strikes across Central Jersey.

Aug. 23: Singer Toni Braxton, while performing at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2013, suffered a wardrobe malfunction when of her dress fell low to reveal her rear end, according to TMZ, it was reported.

Aug. 25: The Smithereens performed at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater.

Aug. 26: It was reported with the summer installment of a press box and home-side bleachers, all four of the Franklin High School Warriors' varsity football team's regular-season home games would be played on the turf next to the high school on Elizabeth Avenue.

Aug. 26: The Bridgewater Township Council voted the week prior to approve a 10-year agreement to have Somerset County handle the township's 911 calls and to provide dispatching service for the townships' fire companies, emergency medical services and police department, it was reported.

1998

Aug. 22-23, 1998: Pete Seeger and David Crosby were among the performers at the 23rd annual Clearwater Festival in Sandy Hook.

Aug. 23: Traffic on Main Street in Woodbridge was partially blocked for five hours by a disabled tanker truck, with the truck cab separating from the tanker.

Aug. 25: The body of Lora Marie Fryer, 21, of Sayreville, was found near the parking lot in Bailey Park in the borough. The death was being treated as a homicide.

Aug. 26: Peter Nnanna, 9, of the Somerset section of Franklin Township, who was in his neighbor's pool without permission, was rescued by the neighbor's 15-year-old son, Alberto Ruiz.

Aug. 26: It was reported Sarah Metler, an Old Bridge teenager with Buddhist beliefs, who was denied admission to St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel, a Roman Catholic high school, because she would not be vaccinated, was denied admission to public school for the same reason.

Aug. 27: Toms River became the United States champion at the Little League World Series, beating South Region champion Greenville, N.C., 5-2, becoming the first District 18 All-Star team to win a national championship in 23 years.

Aug. 27: A fire ripped through the Mel Farr Chevrolet dealership in Metuchen, a 45-year-old car dealership. Nearly 100 firefighters struggled to keep the blaze from leaping onto cars in late rush-hour traffic along nearby Interstate 287.

1973

Aug. 21, 1973: Whitehouse continued its dominance in the Plainfield Twilight Baseball League with a 7-1, 4 1/2 inning victory over LePores.

Aug. 22: The Franklin Township council and Board of Education ironed out their differences over the police officer-in-the-school program.

Aug. 22: Gov. William T. Cahill said he might be leaving his successor in the governor's office a surplus of as much as $200 million in the state treasury.

Aug. 23: Violet J. Crouse, 44, of Edison, while vainly trying to save her drowning daughter, Jacqueline, 11, also died in the Atlantic Ocean surf in Long Branch.

Aug. 24: The Atomic Energy Commission ordered 10 nuclear power generating plants —including Jersey Central Power & Light's Oyster Creek facility ― to cut back operations as a safety measure.

Aug. 24-25: "Environmentrics 4," the fourth annual environment light and sound show, was held at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield.

Aug. 25: Two men, wearing suits and ties and carrying attache cases, robbed the Acme Food Store in Madison, handcuffing eight employees at the meat counter and taking more than $200.

1923

Aug. 21, 1923: In baseball, Jamesburg suffered its first setback of the season in a 10-inning game with the South River Polish Giants winning 2-0.

Aug. 22: A Ku Klux Klan initiation meeting in Plainfield ended with the arrest of seven men, one of whom said he was a minister, on a charge of carrying firearms in an automobile.

Aug. 22: A new departure would take place with the drawing of the panel of petit jurors for the September term of court on Friday, Sept. 7, 1923, it was reported. Judge John P. Kirkpatrick decreed there should be 120 names drawn for the grand jury service instead of the customary 60.

Aug. 23-34: The movie, "The Primitive Lover," starring Constance Talmadge, Harrison Ford and Kenneth Harlan, was shown at Reade's Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Aug. 25: Josephine Scala, 5, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died at Middlesex General Hospital, two hours after she had been struck by a Lehigh Valley Railroad train in Metuchen.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: This week in NJ history, Aug. 21-27