Top 10 Stories From 2011

A pivotal City Council election, the closure of Crescent Heights Methodist Church, Occupy Plummer Park, and a missing autistic boy found at The Abbey. Those were just some of the big news stories West Hollywood Patch covered in 2011.

Longtime businesses closed and residents rallied for many causes. It was a year of change and remembrance. Read on for a look back at the top stories of the past year:

1. A new era officially began in West Hollywood politics in March when the newly elected to join the City Council. Residents in the auditorium and at home watching on TV witnessed a peaceful transition, a symbolic passing of the baton from outgoing Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath to D’Amico.

2. Not too long after the election, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office launched an inquiry into by West Hollywood City Hall employees after documents surfaced showing $13,000 worth of questionable charges on the city’s credit cards in 2010.

3. When the upscale high-rise Sofitel hotel on Beverly across from the Beverly Center proposed to use its emergency evacuation in late March, the city of West Hollywood fought back. The hotel dropped its plan the next month.

4. . Councilmen John Heilman and John Duran took the lead on the idea in April, announcing that they were in favor of recognizing the area of Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega and La Peer Drive—historically the center of the city’s gay population.

5. Shock, sadness and frustration were just a few of the emotions people were feeling in August at the news that . Pastor Scott Imler cited an increasingly conservative Methodist denomination for the discontinuance of the West Hollywood congregation.

6. In September, a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control report revealed , the long-standing family-owned and operated restaurant at 8171 Santa Monica Blvd., had been bought by two partners. Many people mourned the loss of the cherished diner, and none more than its most famous patron, .

7. The in late September. Joycie Fickett, wife of the late Edward H. Fickett, who designed the building, was devastated. “I think it’s the most sneaky, disgusting thing that I’ve experienced in my lifetime,” she told Patch.

8. , 14, was traveling alone to Salt Lake City from Burbank on the morning of Oct. 19 when his plane was returned to the gate due to a mechanical problem. Smith departed the plane at Bob Hope Airport and hopped onto the parking shuttle, headed to West Hollywood's Abbey Food and Bar. Airport police found Smith at about 6 p.m. after a manager alerted the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station.

9. West Hollywood made headlines around the globe in September with the passage of the , championed by Councilman D'Amico during his election campaign. The city became the first in the nation to ban the sale of any clothing item containing fur, but .

10. Residents were angry about plans to close a major portion of Plummer Park for up to two years as it undergoes a $41 million renovation. About 100 people turned out for an "" rally in November, followed by a march to City Hall.

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