King Township newsmakers captured the spotlight in 2020

Racism in Schomberg, Iran plane crash, gypsy moth caterpillars and Mayor Steve Pellegrini were in the spotlight this year

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2021
Laura Broadley

Dr. Karim Kurji, medical officer of health for York Region Public Health, is the Newsmaker of the Year for King Township.

Here are four other newsmakers of 2020:

Racism in Schomberg
Two incidents of racism in Schomberg put the spotlight on the small King Township community.

When the Indigenous Lives Matter signs were stolen and subsequently burned, the community came out in full force. They put more signs up and spoke out against racism in all its forms.

About a month and a half later, another racist incident occurred when two Black children were playing at a park, and a person who drove by yelled a racial slur at them.

The community, again, came out in full force against racism by organizing an anti-racism drive-by rally.

Nobleton man loses wife and son
Shahin “Shawn” Moghaddam lost his wife, Shakiba Feghahati and their son, Rosstin, in the Ukrainian International Airlines plane crash on Jan. 8 that killed 176 people on board.

Feghahati and Rosstin were among 138 passengers who were on their way to Toronto aboard flight PS752 that crashed just outside Tehran, Iran, shortly after takeoff.

Gypsy moth caterpillars
The gypsy moth caterpillars took over trees in King Township -- and all over Ontario. Several complaints were made to York Region but there was nothing the region could do.

Several residents chose to schedule the spraying of insecticides for 2021 so the infestation levels would be lower.

An expert in the field of invasive species said the gypsy moths go in cycles and it’s not uncommon to see larger populations in some years.
Mayor Steve Pellegrini
King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini has been the face of the township’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pellegrini and the other council members have been tasked with making several decisions that will ultimately affect how King fares financially from the pandemic.