Most-Read Articles on Mount Vernon Patch in 2011

Pedestrian accidents and the death of prominent community members dominated the news in Mount Vernon this year.

Here’s a month-by-month round-up of the most-read stories on Mount Vernon Patch in 2011:

January: A , the first of many such unfortunate accidents this year.

February: Consumers got excited about the on Richmond Highway. MVCCA with a call for alternative plans with every proposal.

March: A caused many to wonder about the safety of a particular of Richmond Highway.

April: A Fairfax County Police Department in Mount Vernon.

May: An Alexandria designer created a , drawing a lot of attention.

June: A drew the attention of local parents. And a , concerning environmentalists. In late June, Mount Vernon Patch published information from the police stating the thanks in part to awareness campaigns.

July: A on Richmond Highway in Mount Vernon.

August: Two prominent community leaders died in August— and .

September: stepped up to the plate in running his Roy Rogers restaurants and more. Community support was strong.

October: Mount Vernon High School’s is among the highest in Fairfax County, but parents are passionate about the school. Mount Vernon Patch columnist Ron Fitzsimmons .

November: in Washington in November.

December: A fatal fire on Fort Belvoir claimed the life of a . Also in December, Patch published a on transportation and development along the Richmond Highway corridor.

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.