Community Corner

Best of Potomac 2012: Top 20 Most Read Stories

Potomac Patch counts down the top 20 stories from 2012.

What was the top story for Potomac in 2012? We're counting down the year's top 20 stories on Potomac Patch as 2012 comes to a close. Interested in more top stories? Check out the top 24 stories from across all Maryland Patch sites in 2012 on Potomac Patch.

20. Man's Body Pulled From Potomac River (Sept. 14, 2012) – First responders from both Fairfax County, VA, and Montgomery County responded to the Rivers Bend area of the Potomac River where the body of a young adult male was pulled from the river in September.

19. Armed Suspect Robs M&T Bank in Potomac (Jan. 27, 2012) – An armed suspect entered the M&T Bank on River Road in Potomac and approached a teller demanding cash, according to a police release. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect fled on foot via the front door of the bank towards River Road.

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18. Potomac River Threatens To Flood At Little Falls (Oct. 29, 2012) – Superstorm Sandy brought devastation to the northeastern United States, and here in Montgomery County, it threatened to cause the largest flooding the region has seen in 40 years. Luckily, many lives and homes were spared as the flood stage failed to reach expected numbers.

17. Three Charged With Robbing Potomac CVS (April 13, 2012) – Three suspects were in custody for what police have determined was an inside job in the robberies of the Potomac CVS.

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16. Small Fire Reported In Churchill Auditorium (March 21, 2012) – A small fire in the auditorium of Winston Churchill High School caused students and staff members at the Potomac high school to evacuate the building as fire rescue workers extinguished the flames. No one was hurt, though parts of the auditorium sustained fire and smoke damage.

15. Churchill Fight Caught On Tape (Feb. 23, 2012) – A fight in the school's main gym was caught on tape by students with mobile phones and posted on YouTube before being removed for violating the site's terms of service.

14. Retro 1940s-Themed Grill Plans 2013 Opening In Potomac (Sept. 12, 2012) – Benny Fischer promises big portions and reasonable prices when he opens Benny’s Bar and Grill. The new restaurant is renovating the former Popeye's space of the Cabin John Shopping Center, giving it a 1940s retro makeover and an 1800-square-foot addition to allow for seating for 200 or more guests, according to Fischer.

13. China Jade Bistro Replaces Popular Jade Billows (Sept. 18, 2012) – In October China Jade Bistro opened in the location of the former Jade Billows restaurant in the Cabin John Shopping Center.

12. Attman's Deli Plans May Opening In Potomac (Dec. 7, 2012) – The people asked, and the Attman family answered – a second location of Baltimore’s famed Attman’s Deli will open in May at the Cabin John Shopping Center in Potomac. 

11. Churchill Ranks Best School In Maryland (May 9, 2012) – Winston Churchill High School in Potomac tops Maryland high schools, according to the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings. The school placed first out of 232 public, charter and magnet schools in the state of Maryland, also coming in at No. 57 in the national rankings. 

10. Grilled Oyster Company Opens In Potomac’s Cabin John Shopping Center (Sept. 5, 2012) – Potomac’s latest seafood joint opened Sept. 5 in the Cabin John Shopping Center. Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents may recognize the founders from Clyde’s Restaurant Group and O’Donnell’s Sea Grill.

9. Batman Gets Pulled Over by Police in Montgomery County (March 27, 2012) – Montgomery County Police pulled over a man dressed as the caped superhero as he was driving southbound on Route 29 near Prelude Drive. The reason: his Batmobile didn't have any tags.

8. The Tavern At River Falls Opens In Potomac After Years of Construction (March 27, 2012) – Community members watched construction at the Potomac Village location for months, after the planned restaurant was announced last January. Since the announcement, building and construction reviews pushed the business's opening back, but owner Jeff Grolig finally opened in April.

7. Jade Billows Closes Doors For Good (July 24, 2012) – After more than 20 years in business, the owners of the popular decided to close up shop. "Twenty years here, it feels like a mission accomplished," said owner Richie Lee.

6. Severe Derecho Storm Cancels Montgomery County 4th of July Fireworks (July 2, 2012) – Citing continued disruption due to June's severe Derecho storm, the Montgomery County decided to cancel the annual fireworks display, concentrating its resources to cleanup and recovery, officials said.

5. (Nov. 8, 2012) – Potomac drivers experienced long traffic lines on River Road early November and later learned it was because British actress Judi Dench was in town filming a BBC production.

4. African President Reportedly Purchases Potomac Home (Jan. 10, 2012) – Potomac, MD is home to some noteworthy names. Now that list may include a sitting African leader, President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia.

3. Sugo Cicchetti Opens Today in Potomac Park (May 1, 2012) – Buzz started building in 2010 about Sugo Cicchetti—the result of the union between the owners of Cava and Mamma Lucia restaurants. The opening of the store in Park Potomac in May was the third most widely read story on Potomac Patch in 2012.

2. Police Confirm Shooting On Victory Lane In Potomac (April 9, 2012) – In April, the community was shocked to learn of a shooting that took place near Winston Churchill High School. A 19-year-old was later arrested in connection with the shooting. Both articles come in as Potomac Patch’s second most read story for 2012.

1. Missing 15-Year-Old Found Safe In California (April 12, 2012) – A, was located thousands of miles from her Potomac home. This story and the updates surrounding the search for the young girl comprised the most read article on Potomac Patch in 2012.


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