For better or worse, the one thing about being an online newspaper is knowing exactly which stories hit a nerve with our readers and those that barely made a ripple.

It will probably come as no surprise that many of the best-read stories on Downers Grove Patch were those that had to do with crime, but there were also a few surprises.

Don't worry — if you're disheartened by the fact that so many sad stories made the cut, check back for our roundup of our favorite feel-good stories of the year. 

1. Teen Girl Tries to Fight Boy, Boy Punches Her: Two 16-year-old Downers Grove South students—one male, one female—were charged with battery after getting into a fight with each other in April.
2. Owner: Omega Restaurant Will Not Re-Open: Omega, 1300 Ogden, has been closed since mid-July after it lost water and electricity service. The owner has since announced plans to re-open the restaurant.
3. Body Discovered in Portable Toilet at Hillcrest School: The body of a 24-year-old Downers Grove resident was discovered inside a portable toilet at Hillcrest School. The cause of death was later revealed to be a heroin overdose.
4. UPDATED: No Ruling on Death of Man Who Fell From Garage for 10-12 Weeks: A 41-year-old Addison man died in August after falling from the top of a Downers Grove parking garage.
5. FBI: Downers Grove Dermatologist Charged in Nationwide Medicare Fraud Takedown: Dr. Robert Kolbusz of the Center for Dermatology and Skin Cancer was accused of defrauding Medicare and private health insurance companies by submitting false claims for hundreds of patients.
6. Humane Society: Happiness Is Pets in Downers Grove Linked to Puppy Mills: A dozen Chicago-area pet stores were listed in an undercover investigation released in December by the Puppy Mill Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States.
7. Sex Offender Watch: A Map of Homes to Keep on Your Radar this Halloween: Patch put together a map of registered sex offenders in Downers Grove, along with local laws and rules for Halloween.
8. Driver Gets $1,500 Fine, Community Service in Crash that Disabled Downers Grove Teen: Parents of 14-year-old Hunter Himes say he won't recover from injuries sustained in February, when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle home from a friend's house.
9. Downers Grove Named 8th Friendliest Town in America by Forbes Magazine: Community events, parks, highly-educated residents and a bustling downtown landed Downers Grove among the 15 friendliest places to live, according to Forbes.
10. North High School Grieving Death of Teacher and Coach Mike Amrhein: The assistant varsity baseball coach died in July at the age of 37.
11. Two Lemont Teens Accused of Residential Burglary in Unincorporated Downers Grove: Christopher G. Forzley and Jacob G. Carpenter were charged in August with felony counts of burglary and residential burglary.
12. Michael Phelps Meets Idol, Michael Jordan, While Taping Ryder Cup Show in Downers Grove: The Olympic swimmer had a surprise meeting with the Chicago Bulls legend during a taping of the Golf Channel's "Feherty Live" at the Tivoli Theater in September.

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