Community Corner
Looking Back: Birmingham's Top Stories of 2011
The past year was marked by political battles, tragedy and continued development of the city's business district.
From elections to tragedy to inspiring stories of hope, 2011 was a big year for Birmingham.
From the number of comments, interaction from readers and clicks, it was also a big year for Birmingham Patch while we strived to provide you with the news and information you need about your city and neighborhood.
Here are the big stories that made a splash in Birmingham in 2011:
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A year of big headlines
February: Birmingham's new city manager, Bob Bruner, officially took over on Valentine's Day 2011. City commissioners hired Bruner on Dec. 12, 2010, to replace longtime manager Tom Markus, who had left for Iowa City at the beginning of that month.
April-May: senior Courtney Thomas was after scrawling a racial slur on the wall of a boys restroom. In August, he and was .
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November: During the November elections, the incumbents running for the after a contentious race with various challengers. Meanwhile, incumbent David Underdown and challengers James Suhay and Robert Tera won three open spots on the library board. Voters also passed a millage renewal for .
November: After elections ended, first-term Commissioner . Commissioner Tom Dilgard, who was re-elected for his second term just a week earlier, was elected as the new mayor pro tem.
A year of entertainment
March: Hollywood came to Birmingham in March with the . The festival was also the home for the second annual Michigan Film Awards, where Michigan-made films Answer This! and Sleeping Bear won big.
April: The Palladium 12 was also the site of the , starring Kim Cattrall and Dustin Ingram.
A year of tragedy
February: One morning in February, Birmingham woke to a shock: a body of a young man had been discovered on Woodward Avenue. by jumping to his death from the roof of Birmingham Place, a condominium complex.
May: The Birmingham community mourned the loss of . According to Leo's owner, Keena Catanzaro, Leo was a familar site downtown while he waited for Catanzaro at and was oftentimes referred to as Birmingham's "canine ambassador."
June: In June, the community received news that the high school's new head football coach, . The following fall, students from both Birmingham high schools raised funds for the American Heart Association — in honor of Deane — with a .
June: Barely a week after Deane's death, the Birmingham schools community received word that Redi Abazi, a math teacher from , Redi Abazi, . In December, Yatooma's Foundation for the Kids surprised the Abazi family — including his three young children — with an .
A year of getting down to business
July: The Ann Arbor-based bookstore chain Borders stunned the business world when it announced bankruptcy and later liquidation plans, closing stores across the country. In Birmingham, the , leaving the city without a bookstore and an empty hole on Birmingham's main thoroughfare.
September: The Birmingham City Commission changed how the city handles bistro license applicants this year. Applicants for the city's two yearly bistro licenses now go before the City Commission for a prescreening hearing, then the top two are passed on to the Planning Board. In 2011, the city approved licenses for and .
A year of inspiration
October: for her work leading the high school's Gay Straight Alliance, working with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and heading an .
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