2011 was a year of extreme weather in Maplewood and environs. It was a year when we lost some community members in tragic, untimely manners. When a new law in New York made us yearn for the same in New Jersey. When an incident at the high school made us realize we have more work to do in communicating across our diverse backgrounds and experiences. And it was a year when we reached out en masse to help a family in need.

Here are the top stories of 2011 as they ranked by page views on Maplewood Patch:

1. No story of 2011 generated more views than Hurricane Irene which swept through Maplewood as a tropical storm on August 28 and 29. Locals visited Patch to find out about the power situation, the water situation, the high school situation, to see photos of devastation in Maplewood and particularly in neighboring Millburn. And Maplewoodians worried about the forgotten residents flooded out on Franklin Street in Vauxhall.
2. The sudden death of Maplewood Volunteer First Aid Squad Chief Bruce Mandel, 47, on Oct. 3 shook our community. Bruce's death was made more tragic by the fact that he succumbed just after rescuing another, and by the fact that he left a young family behind.
3. An early morning fire at the Maplewood Diner on March 6 injured two police officers and gutted the local institution. The fire was declared accidental and the cause electrical. The diner has yet to re-open.
4. After Gov. Christie cancelled the ARC Hudson Rail Tunnel project in 2010, locals were keenly interested to hear that the project was being brought back to life in February 2011 as the $13.5 billion Trans-Hudson "Gateway Project" as revealed by U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez. Congress approved $15 million toward preliminary studies on Nov. 1.
5. The passage of the marriage equality bill in New York State was big news in New Jersey — and Maplewood. On Maplewood Patch, "A SOMA Kid's View of Marriage Equality" went viral and was our No. 5 story of the year.
6. Restaurant openings and closings always make for big news on Patch, but Wild Ginger led the pack this year, as Lauren Bright Pacheco's profile of the new Thai restaurant was our No. 6 story on Maplewood Patch.
7. The tragic death of 11-year-old Nikhil Badlani of West Orange was a heartrending story that impacted the communities of Maplewood, South Orange and West Orange — Nikhil's home town. Maplewood and South Orange emergency personnel responded to the Wyoming Avenue automotive accident that took Nikhil's life. Later, Nikhil's mother created a foundation in her son's name.
8. When parents and students from Columbia High School complained that a student volleyball team wore offensive "pro-slavery" t-shirts to an in-school tournament in November, reaction from the school district was swift. CHS Principal Lovie Lilly addressed the student body in an assembly soon after the incident and the district stated that "this matter is the subject of ongoing investigation.... The district’s Code of Conduct provides a spectrum of consequences and interventions based on the history of the student and the severity of behavior." Patch continues to follow this story.
9. When the HK Community Fund rallied Maplewood and South Orange in December to support the Angelo family as they helped 11-year-old son Kohl battle a rare brain tumor, the community responded.
10. The armed robbery on Kensington Terrace of a Maplewood man returning from the train station shortly after 7 p.m. on a Monday night in November was cause for great concern to many. Police are still seeking the three suspects in the case who fled in vehicle headed north on Valley Street.

Other notable stories that didn't make the top ten but generated many visits across multiple postings were the proposed Hua Mei Charter School, the SOMEA contract negotiations and settlement and related work-to-rule imbroglio, and the sale of the Woman's Club and subsequent legal action by neighbors.