Iraq and crime define the year

1991

At war

In 1991, the United States was headed into recession and war in Iraq, and Riverdale wasn’t immune to either event.

Soldiers were mobilized and served, while The Press reported from the home front, talking to soldiers’ families and telling the story of their long, tense wait.

The Press also ran a series on budget cuts that were affecting every aspect of life in Riverdale, including senior centers, police and schools, all facing the ax as the year wore on.

The crime rate was high. Murders, muggings and car thefts took up much of the space on front pages that year.

And it wasn’t just street crime that concerned people: stories of political patronage and corruption led many papers, leading to intervention by the larger city Board of Education.

Longtime Riverdale Press police reporter Maggi Waters died in a tragic fire at her Kingsbridge home that summer.