2011 Year in Stories

What a year 2011 has been! While Missouri has tackled tornadoes, a downturned economy, and taken home a World Series Championship, the Mehlville-Oakville area has had its own great sports victories coupled with political change and touching moments.

Here’s a look at our most-read stories and an editor’s choice of the top five newsmakers in 2011.

Check back later in the week for our Year in Pictures (and maybe a little video, too).

Top 5 Newsmakers

1. : The April 5 election brought another five-year term for Mehlville fire board chairman Aaron Hilmer, but the Mehlville school board saw a significant change with three new faces. 

2. : When firefighters arrived at the , officials suspected his death was a homicide. Woods was a quadriplegic, and police later arrested his caretaker, , and charged him with first-degree murder and arson. Benedict is still awaiting his court date. 

3. : What a wild ride for the Oakville boys soccer team. The Tigers defeated Rock Bridge High School in penalty kicks in a double-overtime game to play for the state championship. Oakville fell to in the finals. 

4.  Parks activists gathered in masses when St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley announced he would shut down 23 St. Louis County Parks to close a gap in the 2012 budget. After , and , Dooley compromised with the county council, which passed a budget before the Dec. 31 deadline. 

5. : More than 200 residents attended the Mehlville school board meeting that had to relocate to the Mehlville High School library because of the crowd. Almost 30 residents spoke in support of the board rolling up the district's tax rate to keep revenues the same as last year. 

Most Read Stories

1. : Parenting column  explored the connection between today's dance routines and the minds of small girls. 

2. : Another  by Jenny Wescoat weighs in on the new Mehlville School District birthday treat policy. 

3. : A suicidal man was the cause of a five-car accident that shut down Interstate 255 for hours on Oct. 27. Both the man and car passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

4. : After Dr. Oz said he found larger-than-normal amounts of arsenic in AJ, local moms weighed in on whether they've axed the juice. 

5. : After 11 residents spoke out against raising the district's tax rate to stay revenue neutral, the Mehlville school board voted 4-3 to approve the increase. The article sparked a 200-person appearance at the next school board meeting to support the tax increase and to oppose a comment made by board member Rich Franz. 

Honorable Mention

Most fun story: : After a Mehlville family's two sons created a sarcastic Christmas present for their mother, the photo went viral and landed a spot in the book Awkward Family Pet Photos. 

Most touching story: : Just before the death of Osama bin Laden, 170 soldiers headed to Afghanistan and had a farewell ceremony at Mehlville High School.