Punish President Clinton, NJ poll says: This week in Central Jersey history, Sept. 18-24

In a Gannett New Jersey poll released on Sunday, Sept. 20, 1998, nearly 73% of the 476 adults surveyed thought President Bill Clinton deserved punishment for lying about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Only 23% favored impeachment, while 28% called for a public censure by Congress.

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

Sept. 18, 2018: Acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced in a news release Jose Romero-Aguirre, aka "Conejo," 32, of North Plainfield, pleaded guilty to the 2011 aggravated manslaughter of Andres Chach, 22, of Plainfield.

Sept. 19: It was reported The Far Hills Race Meeting Association, which conducts the annual fall event at Moorland Farm, donated $500,000 to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, for behavioral health services.

Sept. 20: It was announced Rutgers University junior Nick Suriano was ranked No. 2 in the nation in FloWrestling's preseason 125 pound rankings.

Sept. 21: Almost 100 years to the day Douglass College of Rutgers University in New Brunswick became the first public college for women in New Jersey, the university hosted a public dialogue between global thought leader Naomi Klein and feminist journalist and social political activist Gloria Marie Steinem.

Sept. 22: Country musician Jet Weston and his band, the Atomic Ranch Hands, performed at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park.

Sept. 24: It was reported, as evidenced by the Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018, fatal crash in New Brunswick, pedestrian deaths were keeping pace with the previous year's march to 184 fatalities ― the deadliest record in 24 years.

10 years ago

Sept. 18, 2013: Coach William Bills of Timothy Christian in Piscataway, who coached basketball, baseball and soccer during his tenure at the school, notched an historic 1,000th coaching win.

Sept. 19: Chris Paladino, president of the nonprofit New Brunswick Development Corp., joined Gov. Chris Christie, Mayor James Cahill and Rutgers officials in a groundbreaking ceremony to redevelop the heart of the College Avenue Campus in New Brunswick.

Sept. 20: It was reported former "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of East Hanover, was part of the cast of the latest season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which premiered on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013.

Sept. 20: It was reported the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said New Jersey's unemployment rate fell from 8.6% to 8.5 percent in August 2013, but the state lost 1,500 jobs, led by a big drop in professional and business services.

Sept. 20: In Superior Court in Freehold, former Middlesex County Sheriff Joseph Spicuzzo was sentenced to nine years in state prison for accepting bribes.

Sept. 23: It was reported a Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press Poll found nearly two of three New Jersey voters said they would support raising the minimum wage by a dollar to $8.25 per hour, and they didn't think it would adversely impact jobs or businesses.

1998

Sept. 18, 1998: At Krausche Field in North Plainfield, the North Plainfield High School football team beat Manville, 41-12. North Plainfield outscored Manville 126-19 during the last five meetings.

Sept. 19: It was reported a state panel ruled on Thursday, Sept. 17, 1998, that despite his convictions on state and federal charges, former Superior Court Judge Michael Imbriani should receive his full state pension.

Sept. 21: James Krivacska, a former school psychologist from Milltown, who was acquitted of molesting a 10-year-old South River boy 12 years prior, was convicted of charges he sexually abused two mentally disabled teenage boys in Neptune.

Sept. 22: A car traveling over Interstate 287 at Whitman Avenue in Edison toppled off the road and crashed onto the highway below. All four occupants of the car did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Sept. 23: Police evacuated Kilmer Square on Albany Street in New Brunswick after an unidentified person called in a bomb threat. No bomb had been found hours later.

Sept. 24: It was reported country music singer Crystal Gayle would perform on Friday, Sept. 25, 1998, at The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College in the North Branch section of Branchburg.

1973

Sept. 19: After failing to resolve a class size problem in a meeting the night before with the Board of Education, parents of third and fourth graders who had boycotted classes at Woodland School in Plainfield for two days sent their children back to school.

Sept. 21: In a district-wide school boycott, about 100 parents picketed in front of North Brunswick's new high school. More than 90% of the students in the kindergarten through ninth grade stayed home.

Sept. 22: In the college football season opener, Rutgers beat twice-victorious Lehigh, 31-13.

Sept. 23: William Swartz, 2, of Jamesburg, was saved from drowning in his backyard swimming pool by his pregnant mother, Mrs. D.D. Swartz. A neighbor, Bernard Rahl, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the boy.

Sept. 23: Concert Masters opened its autumn season in the Little Theatre at Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington with a performance by the Concord String Quartet.

1923

Sept. 19, 1923: Fire totally destroyed a 14-room boarding house on Roosevelt Avenue in Carteret, with an estimated loss of $14,000.

Sept. 20: It was reported it cost Union County $5,968,200.25 to conduct its schools during the 1922-1923 season, according to figures prepared by County Superintendent Dr. A.L. Johnson.

Sept. 21-22: Elmer Clifton's film, "Down to the Sea in Ships," designed to perpetuate the golden days of whaling, was shown at Reade's Strand Theatre in Perth Amboy.

Sept. 22: In the first division of the semi-final round golf match play in the special Fall tournament at the Plainfield Country Club, J.H. Ackerman beat A.L. Wills 1 up (19 holes); W. Lester Glenney beat G.E. Pierson 5 and 4.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ history for the week of Sept. 18-24