Top 5 Golden Valley Patch Stories of 2011

Golden Valley was home to several important news events in 2011, but the most significant events are always the most popular. And many would likely argue the most popular is

Of the thousands of posts made to Golden Valley Patch, these five individual stories were the most-viewed of 2011.

1) The NBA and the Players Association came to terms in time for the season to begin on Christmas Day. As players and teams worked to get ready for the upcoming shortened season, Hopkins High School alum Kris Humphries was waiting for a contract offer.

Many speculated that teams were keeping their distance from Humphries because of his off-the-court drama—like his 72-day marriage to Kim Kardashian or his questionable remarks on the reality TV show "Kourtney & Kim Take New York."

Days after we initially posted this story, Humphries' agent was reportedly in talks with the New Jersey Nets. Humphries ended up re-signing with the Nets for one year for a reported $8 million.

2) According to the National Weather Service, an EF 2 tornado formed near Interstate 394 and Highway 100 on May 22. The tornado then traveled northeast for about six miles, through and then north Minneapolis, before hitting Fridley and Mounds View.

One person was killed, thousands of trees were uprooted or damaged, and many people had to find a new place to live because of the damage. Golden Valley escaped most of the major damage to property, and there were no reports of injuries. However, the tornado hit Theodore Wirth Park hard. Much of the landscape near Glenwood Avenue and Theodore Wirth Parkway has been changed permanently.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is still working on its cleanup efforts, and some of the work is now being put on hold until spring, when the MPRB hopes to do plenty of re-planting. While many agree the MPRB's progress was swift, not everyone is pleased with the final results. Patch will be reporting more on this story later this week.

3) As news of Humphries' lack of an NBA contract started circulating, one minor league hockey team profited from the publicity.

The Syracuse Crunch, the minor league affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, offered the 6-foot-9-inch Hopkins High School grad a spot on the roster or in the front office. Many called the offer a publicity stunt, as the team was also selling ticket packages for $72—Humphries' marriage to Kim Kardashian lasted 72 days.

"We would welcome Kris Humphries to Syracuse, where unlike Hollywood there are no paparazzi within hundreds of miles and he could reclaim his privacy and self-esteem," Crunch General Manager Vance Lederman said in a statement. "Being from Minnesota, Humphries will surely enjoy the hockey and feel right at home in the cold, gray, dismal weather we experience this time of year in central New York."

Humphries acknowledged the offer in a tweet, but did not accept it. He signed a one-year deal with the New Jersey Nets days before the shortened NBA season began.

4) Last fall, four Robbinsdale Armstrong High School students were suspended 10 days after an alleged choking incident that resulted in a male student passing out in the hallway. The students suspended also went through an expulsion hearing, but in the end, they were able to return to school. Three that were hockey players were not allowed to play in the first two games of the season.

Mike Terres, the father of one the boys suspended, sat down with Superintendent Aldo Sicoli to discuss the hearing and process. Terres believed that due to the ruling and no charges coming forth, that his son's record should be expunged of the incident, but the district said that was not possible.

"We pleaded our case to him and the fact that the hearing officer that assessed everything said the incident was no more than a Level 2 infraction, which should result with an in-school punishment," Terres said. "But Sicoli said that was just an opinion, when in fact it was the ruling."

Terres had considered pursuing legal action, but is no longer doing so. But legal and other expenses have been hard on his family and the other suspended students' families. To help them, a group of Armstrong school community members and parents have formed Community United, which will have a benefit on Feb. 17, 2012, at the Bayview Event Center in Excelsior to raise money for those expenses.

"There will be a known-musician there and a lot going on," Terres said. "This has all been humbling for us, to have so many people in our favor and willing to take action on the bad action taken against us."

District administration and board members have told Patch because of student privacy data they cannot comment on the incident or expulsion hearing.

5.) Early last fall, a cluster of nine white tents, peaks reaching to the sky, had become part of the landscape where Golden Valley and St. Louis Park meet at highways 100 and I-394. 

The equestrian show Cavalia is the creation of Normand Latourelle, who is a co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, and the show was so popular that it was extended twice and ended up running from Sept. 21 through Oct. 16.

The tent city, the parking, the performers... it all took place in an area that was part Golden Valley and part St. Louis Park. At a time when many items on the city council's agenda can take months to get approval, both cities were approached by Cavalia, considered the plan to bring the show to the area, and then voted to approve it—all in a matter of weeks.

Patch was there, getting video and behind-the-scenes photos, as Cavalia entertained thousands in their sold-out performances.

In the area where Cavalia stood for nearly a month, there's nothing more than a large, vacant lot. But Cavalia did leave some promise behind—members of both city councils have said they'd welcome similar shows that would like to make the area a temporary home in the future.

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Editor's Note: These were the most-viewed individual posts on Golden Valley Patch in 2011. A substantial amount of people viewed our coverage of the Nov. 8 election, the I-394 shooting, crime trends, and other topics throughout the year. However, those topics were comprised of more than one post and more than one article.