Crime & Safety

Top Stories on Fairfax Station Patch in 2011

Accidents, animals and the Clifton School dominated local news this year.

The closure of Clifton Elementary School dominated news on Fairfax Station Patch this year, but other stories (especially vehicle accidents and animal stories) popped up on the radar this year, too.

Here’s a month-by-month round-up of the most-read articles this year.

January: A fire near Clifton , sending one person to the hospital.

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February: The in Clifton and the held readers’ attention in February.

March: Resident in an accident on Rte. 1 in March, leaving behind a family.

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April: Sadly, the bodies of the chocolate labs missing in February were .

May: Plans for a at the site of Heart in Hand were approved in May.

June: A Fairfax Station-area in June.

July: Charles Blevins after a late-June car accident, but passed away July 1. A woman was in the incident. A drunk driver from Burke caused in the same area on July 4.

August: The and caused damage to Fairfax Station and Clifton properties. News of the hurricane so quickly that some people reportedly read about the earthquake before feeling it. Earlier in the month, a just northwest of Fairfax Station on Lee Highway.

September: Tropical Storm Lee to and Clifton. A Robinson Secondary School with solicitation of a minor.

October: Local firefighter while at the Crosspointe Fire Station in early October.

November: A reportedly without the owner’s consent at a Fairfax Station animal hospital November, sparking controversy.

December: Teenagers in December and police are still looking for those responsible. Fairfax Station Patch reported the story first, and several other local news outlets picked it up. Later in the month, crossing Silverbrook Road.

Clifton Elementary School Coverage

Fairfax Station Patch stayed on top of the Clifton Elementary School issue throughout the year, from the and through the and .

Across Fairfax County

Elsewhere in Fairfax County, several issues throughout the year drove comments and interest on Patch.

Full-Day Kindergarten: Early this year, parents and some school board officials fought to have full-day kindergarten implemented across Fairfax County Public Schools.

Discipline in Fairfax County Public Schools: In February, school officials and parents started debating Fairfax County Public Schools’ disciplinary policies and whether they do more harm than good for some students. The after a student, Nicholas Stuben, apparently committed suicide following disciplinary proceedings. His father, , ran for a position on the FCPS school board this fall, but .

November’s Elections: Leadership positions on the Fairfax County School Board, County Board of Supervisors, the Virginia House and Senate and many other positions were up for grabs in this year’s elections in November. Turnout was around 30 percent—about standard for a non-presidential election year in this area. Patch live-blogged the results from the and races in addition to running profiles of candidates, and covering controversies from the to the .

“The Butt Slasher”: Female shoppers at area malls and stores were watching their backsides this spring and summer, as a person allegedly while the women were shopping.  Earlier this week, Fairfax County police officials reported they the suspect was seen in Peru, and police are working with Peruvian officials now.


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