If you’ve been following our “Look Back At 2011 On Naugatuck Patch” columns, it’s been noted that all top picks were editorially decided.
Now, we’ll present to you the top hit articles of the year based solely by the number of clicks they got. These are completely objective and were all decided by you.
So here are the top stories:
10. Obituary: Chad Miller Dies at 30 – Sept. 6, 2011
A Seymour man, Chad Miller, died on Sept. 4, 2011, at the age of 30. He had family in the Naugatuck Valley, and in the borough, and leaves behind a wife and sons. Buckmiller Brothers Funeral home provided Naugatuck Patch with his obituary, which we posted on our site. .
9. The Wrath of Irene On Naugatuck – Aug. 28, 2011
For all of us Patch editors along the eastern seaboard — and for that matter, in the entire news media — covering Tropical Storm Irene was the an ultimate test of our abilities in gathering information and disseminating it to the public.
. We published an entire rap sheet of everything that we could, including all information about power outages, road closures, school notices and information from the mayor.
That coupled with photos made this the top hit article during the entire time Irene doused the borough, the state and the region. .
8. Naugatuck Man Dies and ‘Unresponsive’ Wife Taken to Hospital – July 24, 2011
In a tragic event, Naugatuck resident Krzysztof Wojcik, 58, . His wife, Danuta, 61, was found unconscious. Police said they were discovered by a family friend who dropped by. revealed the man died of a hear attack and the woman had fallen, and that there was no criminal intent in the case.
Many news organizations flooded into town to cover the case, and we were there along with them. We also stayed on the story well after all the others left.
7. PHOTOS: Man Climbs Through Drive-Thru Window to Rob Naugatuck McDonald’s – Nov. 7, 2011
A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt was able to climb through a drive-up window at a McDonald’s restaurant on New Haven Road . He made off with case after the early morning crime.
When police released several photos showing the suspect, courtesy of McDonald’s security cameras, the story got around pretty quickly. It's also up there among one of our top shared articles on Facebook, garnering 172 recommendations. The suspect is still at large, but hopefully someone in the public will come forward and identify who this person was.
6. VIDEO: Raging Naugatuck River, Flooded Rubber Avenue – Aug. 28, 2011
Yep, another Tropical Storm Irene piece.
This was just one of a few we ran during the hectic storm process, and it showcased how Long Meadow Brook flooded for a second time in 2011 due to weather events. .
5. No Indication of Foul Play in Naugatuck Death, Say Police – June 21, 2011
A Naugatuck man, Terrance Noss Jr., . Neighbors first called 911 after hearing reports of a “gunshot,” however the cause of death was later determined to be traumatic head injury. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide.
, he was well known in the borough.
4. Naugatuck Woman Killed in Crash Had a ‘Heart of Gold’ – June 19, 2011
In another tragic story to hit Naugatuck in 2011, a 22-year-old recent college graduate, Katie Karlak, died following a three-car accident on I-84. , Katie’s mother talked about how her daughter recently finished schooling at the Culinary Institute of America and had aspirations to head to California. .
We hope that, as family and friends mounred her loss, our story could be a small token of solice to highlight how great of a person she was.
3. CL&P To Start Posting Projections On When Power Will be Restored – Nov. 1, 2011
In the midst of days of coverage regarding the October snowstorm, and CL&P promises, this article shot up as one of the top hit pieces during the whole ordeal. It was also the first article when we published then-President Jeffrey Butler’s statement that the power company would soon list projections when 99 percent of towns would get power back online. See the article here.
2. Search Continues for Missing Orange Girl – March 23, 2011
When a story has a big impact in the region, we will sometimes share it with other Patch sites surrounding our towns. that caught the attention of hundreds of people.
Orange Patch had been following the case of a missing 12-year-old girl, Isabella Oleschuk, for days and because it was such an important story we republished some of their articles.
The missing girl was later found and, in the end, the police thanked the media for its assistance in keeping this story alive. .
1. Overflowed Brook Floods Rubber Avenue Section, Takes Out Embankment – March 7, 2011
This stole the show in 2011. It stood at the top of our most hit list back in March and stayed there. Not a single crime story, Irene story or other major news event exceeded it.
, it's pretty clear why.
Seeing Rubber Avenue — a regularly travelled commercial corridor in Naugatuck — completely superseded by water showed how much of an effect this March storm had. It's a clear example of the classic phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words." The visual impact is powerful.
And, on top of all that, we’ve posted on Naugatuck Patch, garnering 379 recommendations.
Take that Irene.
