Editor's Choice: Patch's 2011 Stories of the Year

On Thursday, Patch looked back at  based on page views. 

Today, we present the Editor's Choice Top 10—a collection of stories that defined the year in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills.

Some of the following stories are isolated incidents—a rifle hoax or a mid-parade heart attack—while others took place over several months—a court trial or sticky teacher negotiations. 

These stories are not presented in any particular order. If you feel there's a definitive story we missed, tell us in the comments.

Enjoy! Happy New Year!  

District 181 Teacher Negotiations

It wasn't easy for the District 181 Board of Education and the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Teachers Association (HCHTA) to reach an agreement on a new teachers contract. Negotiations began in the summer of 2010 and ended in mid-October, when . At two board meetings in between, negotiations were a hot topic among community members during public comment. ( and .) After the new contract, .  

Dianne Barrett v. District 86

 board member Dianne Barrett's lawsuit against Board President Dennis Brennan and Superintendant Dr. Nicholas Wahl seeking access to un-redacted district documents went on through much of 2011, . After the ruling,  it spent to fight her suit. One of Barrett's lawyers soon after .   

Wild and Crazy Weather

In case you forgot, the Chicagoland area was hit by a record blizzard in February. The storm . Warming temperatures didn't help the weather situation. On June 21, a severe thunderstorm hit that knocked power out for many Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills residents. Then on July 11, another severe storm hit, . 

Hinsdale Rifle Hoax

An unknown suspect called the Hinsdale Police Department's dispatch center on Aug. 15 to report . After arriving on the scene and hearing from the homeowner that no shots had been fired in or near the house, officers determined that the report had been a hoax. The next day,

Eden Supportive Living

Operators of Eden Supportive Living who aimed to take over the Washington Square property and create a new supportive living facility expecting a vote on their proposal. The final vote, however, didn't come until Oct. 25, . In between, Eden went back to the Plan Commission to clear up aspects of the facility's physical structure, promised a donation equal to one-half the cost of a new ambulance after receiving , got , and waited on the Plan Commission and Board of Trustees to make special room for the facility in the zoning code with the aforementioned text amendment. It was really easy. 

Clarendon Hills Considers Home Rule

The Clarendon Hills Village Board voted unanimously in early December to place . That vote came after a Home Rule Research Committee following its discussion of home rule pros and cons over several meetings in the summer. Village staff held .

Fourth of July "Miracle"

. Luckily, the Adventist Hinsdale Hospital float was directly behind the 61-year-old Raidy's group in the parade and medical staff onboard came to the rescue. It also just so happened that Hinsdale Police officer Tim Lennox decided on a whim that Monday to carry an automatic external defibrillator (AED) as he worked the event. The hospital workers used the AED to revive Raidy, who successfully recovered at Adventist. Hinsdale Fire Department spokesperson Steven Tullis called the sequence of events "miraculous."

Police Department Merger

The villages of Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills announced on Oct. 27 that , an unprecedented move in Illinois. Both villages were in favor of the idea as a money-saving measure. Patch reported the points of view of both towns: , and .    

Clarendon Hills Cop Arrested

Daniel Ryan turned himself in to the DuPage County Sheriff on May 13 after the DuPage County State's Attorney filed , alleging he stole five guns from the Clarendon Hills Police Department evidence room in 2007. Ryan pled not guilty and the case is ongoing.

Speaker Boehner Visits

 in August to promote the work of the Committee for a Fair and Balanced map, which at the time was fighting against the Democrat-drawn Illinois congressional map. .