Top Windsor Stories of 2012, Part I

It's been an eventful year in Windsor. There has certainly been no shortage of news — some sad, some happy. We've seen new businesses come into town and some businesses close. We survived a monster storm just months after a marvelously mild winter, and praying for a repeat performance during the typically colder months.

There were certain stories, however, that captivated the Windsor community. On Patch, it was apparent which ones grabbed your attention, and we're spending the next two days identifying which stories those were and recapping the news.

Part one of our top-Windsor-stories countdown for 2012 include:

Windsor Schools Close in Anticipation of Hurricane Sandy - With "the perfect storm" barreling up the east coast and headed right for the tri-state area, all Windsor parents wanted to know was if school would be closed Monday morning. We broke the news and word spread quickly, with the story being recommended hundreds of times on Facebook.

Documents Reveal Alleged Month-Long Negotiation for Sexual Encounter with Teen - Windsor was shaken to its core back in March when former board of education Vice President Chris Watts was accused of negotiating a sexual liason with a 14-year-old girl. We dug through court documents and revealed the negotiation ocurred over a month and included quite a bit of planning.

Windsor Pics & Clips - It's no suprise that you love cathing a glimpse at what your neighbors have chosen to share. The Pics- & Clips gallery has been populated with photos from events, accomplishments, things spotted around town. Keep sharing!

Fatal Crash Subject of Windsor Police Investigation - The Windsor community lost 17-year-old Christopher Torres on Sept. 7 when the car he was riding in collided with a utility pole on Windsor Avenue. Negligent homicide charges have been filed against the driver, Rafael Quiroz, 22.

 - Not nearly enough can be said of the controversy stirred up by the board of education's decision to contract Loyola University's Dr. Marlon James to conduct an equity and excellence review at Windsor High School. If it wasn't clear that the community was passionately divided over the issue, it was crystal clear after board of education members engaged in a heated discourse.