I'm counting down the 20 most-read stories on Owings Mills Patch in 2011. Below, you'll find the 10 most-read stories, including our No. 1 story of the year. You can see Nos. 11 to 20 here. 10. Locals Disagree on What Future Holds for Owings Mills Mall 9. Olive Garden Should Open in January 8. Solo Cup Property to Become 'Small Scale Hunt Valley' 7. Developers Release Site Plan for Wegmans, Rest of Solo Cup Land 6. Owings Mills Mall at 25: Quiet and Lonely 5. Owings Mills May Get Wegmans, Mall Revamp 4. Wegmans Coming to Owings Mills 3. Two Killed in Upperco Car Crash 2. Olive Garden Gears Up…

Owings Mills Patch is just a little over 1-year-old, and in that year there has been plenty in northwest Baltimore County to catch our editorial eye. So, at the end of 2011, let's take a look back at the stories you were most interested in, as decided by page views. I'll do this in two parts, starting with No. 20 and counting down to No. 11 today. Check in on New Year's Eve day for the top 10, including the No. 1 story of 2011 in Owings Mills. 20. Body of Missing Fire Recruit Found in Liberty Reservoir 19. Owings Mills Mall at 25: Not Aging Well 18. Owings Mills Mall at 25: An Uncertain …

I remember when I first heard about Patch. Do you? For me, it was fall 2010, and I was a graduate student at the University of Maryland, while also working as a live-in facilities coordinator for UMBC's Office of Residential Life. I desperately wanted to graduate and get back to work as a reporter. When Catonsville Patch and Arbutus Patch launched that fall, I got half my wish. I was hired to be the College Sports Editor in southwest Baltimore County, a job I held until taking on a larger reporting roll at Patch in May 2011. I loved it. At Patch, I was being allowed to talk to folks who had …

Nationally, the economy is still a wreck, Congress fiddles while Rome burns, jobs are too hard to find and, darn, if Wegmans is more than two years away. But none of that means there isn't plenty to be thankful for, especially locally. Some things are easy to name. I'm thankful to be in good health, to have a job and to have wonderful friends and family. I'm thankful the Ravens are good this year, too. There's plenty more. So, here are a few other things I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving, in no particular order. I hope you'll join me by commenting on what you're thankful for below. You might…

1. The Baltimore County Department of Public Works will host a meeting Thursday evening to discuss the future location of a water tower in the Owings Mills and Reisterstown area. I'll be preparing for that and updating you on what I hear heading into the meeting. 2. I'm currently reviewing crime statistics from in and around the Owings Mills Mall. I'll report back on my findings soon. 3. I'm heading to the Franklin Precinct today to catch up on crime in the area for the last week. 4. A little has already been written about Dave Berdan, the Owings Mills man who led the first 11 miles of the …

Way to go, Owings Mills. You really got out there for the Baltimore Running Festival on Saturday. According to the festival's website, more than 200 Owings Mills residents finished either the marathon, half marathon or 5K through the streets of Baltimore on what was a beautiful day for a run. You performed well, too, with Garrison Forest School teacher Dave Berdan leading the area by finishing the marathon in a blazing 2 hours, 21 minutes. Berdan's time made him the fastest American and Marylander in the race. He even led until mile 11, The Baltimore Sun reported. "They were just going slow, …

1. With a meeting to determine the fate of a water tower in the Owings Mills and Reisterstown area scheduled for Oct. 27, I'm still looking into the potential impact a tower might have on residents, where ever it ends up being placed. 2. I'll be taking a look at crime statistics this week from in and around the Owings Mills Mall, and will report back on my findings. 3. I'm looking into when an Olive Garden might open on Red Run Boulevard in Owings Mills. I placed two calls last week, but received no response. I'll work more on getting the answer this week. 4. I'll be covering a mock vehicle …

Hopefully everyone got rested over the weekend, because there will be a lot to be looking for on Patch in the coming days. Here's just a few stories I'll be working on today, with more coming toward the end of the week: 1. There are plenty of rumors about what will become of the Owings Mills Mall, but no real answers. So, I turn to you to tell me what you would like to see happen to the mall. Should it be torn down and replaced? Or should it just be revamped? I've talked to a few of you out there. I want to hear from the rest of you: alexander.pyles@patch.com. 2. I'll be making my way over to…

I'll be attending this evenings' PTSA meeting at Owings Mills High School, and also dropping by the ribbon cutting at Centric Business Systems' new Owings Mills headquarters. When I'm not out and about, here's what I'll be looking into, some of which are things I've already started work on this week: 1. A resolution was entered at a Baltimore County Council work session on Sept. 13 that would have created a committee to discuss future development in Owings Mills, but that resolution was withdrawn Monday evening. I'm trying to find out why. 2. County officials and business stakeholders don't …

The biggest news today is that Public Works is still waiting on approval from Baltimore County Public Schools before confirming that it will hold a public meeting to discuss water tower options at the end of the month. I'll continue to chase that, as well as the following stories. As always, if you have suggestions or questions, comment here or otherwise get in touch. 1. Metro Subway shut down its underground stations in Baltimore yesterday, after reports of a suspicious gas odor. Trains were back running again by 1:36 p.m., an MTA spokesman told me, but I'm still looking into exactly what …

Here are the stories I’m working on today, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, while also looking into who I need to pay off in order to stop the seemingly daily rain we're enduring. 1. The Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council meets this evening. I’ll check into the agenda and let you know what to expect, should you choose to attend. 2. County officials and business stakeholders don't have much to say about development and redevelopment in Owings Mills -- except that it's going to happen. I'll keep on this until I have some good information for you. 3. A major reason residents in Owings …

I've written it before: This website is for you, the residents and stakeholders of Owings Mills. So, to prove to you I meant that, I'll use this space to share a few things that I'll be working on each day. Much of the time, the issues I look into are ones that you have let me know about. So, if there's something you're curious about -- if there's something I'm missing -- this is the spot to let me know. Comment below with your ideas, or use any combination of Twitter, Facebook or e-mail to get in touch. Without further ado, here's today's three: 1. A meeting that will take steps toward …

Your stories, the successes and struggles of everyday life, are the stuff of which America is made. That's why we're inaugurating a new series for our Patch readers here and across the country: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."Every day, you see national stories on the economy, politics, social issues, health and policy. Debates seem to be raging about unemployment, the housing market, the national debt, education and the nation's infrastructure. American families, business leaders, workers and entrepreneurs are trying to adjust to trying times. Patch wants to explore the effects of …

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "A slight chance of …

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "Mostly cloudy, with a low…

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "A chance of showers and …

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "Showers, mainly before …

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "Showers, mainly before …

Welcome to the Daily Dose, Owings Mills Patch's attempt to equate itself to your morning cup of coffee.  Check back with the Daily Dose each morning to find a new question of the day, a featured event, a recap of yesterday's news, featured stories and more!  We hope you'll make the Daily Dose part of your daily routine. And we'd love to hear from you on how we can make the Daily Dose a more integral part of your morning. Any suggestions can be sent to Local Editor Diana Soliwon at diana.soliwon@patch.com.  TODAY'S DOSE:  The WeatherFrom the National Weather Service: "Showers and thunderstorms…

We recently launched a new look for our local listings pages, changing the name from "Directory" to "Places" on our navigation bar. You'll notice on our Places page an increase in featured local listings as well as an easier way to rate and review listings you have visited. Here are a few things to check out: - Rate your neighborhood right from our Places page and quickly reshuffle listings by clicking "Get More" at the top or bottom of the page. - To rate a listing, simply click the number of stars under the business name. - Have something to say about a listing? Write a review by clicking "…