Death of a Football Legend |Happy Birthday Greenwich |On the Waterfront: Top Patch Stories of 2015

Photo: Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford at the 2014 Greenwich Food + Wine Festival. Credit: Barbara Heins.

Epic snowstorms, the death of a football legend, and the opening of the much-anticipated Cos Cob Park were some of the stories that attracted the most attention of Greenwich residents in 2015.

The Town of Greenwich celebrated the 375th anniversary of its founding and the yearlong series of events culminated with a parade in September. In local elections with rather lopsided results, Republican First Selectman Peter Tesei won re-election to fifth two-year term.

Popular Greenwich High School band director John Yoon appealed the school superintendent’s recommendation that he be terminated after two students claimed they were bullied by the teacher, violating a last-chance agreement regarding Yoon’s behavior. After nine days of public hearings, an arbitrator recommended against termination — a decision reaffirmed by the school board.

Greenwich School Board Decides Fate of Popular HS Band Director

Also popular with readers was whether a middle school principal was resigning. She was the finalist and expected to be appointed principal at Staples High School in Westport. It all fell apart following a snafu by Greenwich administrators who prematurely announced the departure of Shelley Somers.

UPDATE: Greenwich School Superintendent Apologizes for ‘Premature’ Announcement

Here is a look at some of the top stories and most read stories in the news:

Football fans around the nation mourned the death of New York Giants legend Frank Gifford who died at his home in Riverside in August. The ‘heart of the Giants’ was the husband of television host and actress Kathie Lee Gifford.

New York Giants Football Legend Frank Gifford Dies At 84

After decades of planning and work, a nine-acre respite on Cos Cob Harbor on the site of the former Cos Cob power plant that provided power to the Metro-North Railroad opened in March. In September, the park’s September 11 memorial was dedicated in memory of those with Greenwich ties who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

On the Waterfront -- Cos Cob Park Finally Opens

Nearly a decade after he went missing from his honeymoon cruise, the FBI announced it closed the investigation into the disappearance of Greenwich resident George Smith IV. His family continues their pursuit of finding out what happened to George.

FBI Closes Investigation into Greenwich Honeymooner’s Disappearance

Crime certainly didn’t take a holiday this year. Among the most popular crime stories included the Greenwich Police search for a gun-toting woman suspect in the robbery of a Riverside bank and a teen charged with speeding was found to have drugs and knives in his car. Car thefts continue as thieves capitalize on residents leaving cars unlocked with the keys inside. A man escaped serious injury when an off-duty Stamford firefighter pulled him from a burning garage in Old Greenwich following an explosion in March.

• Greenwich Bank Is Robbed by Gun-Toting Woman
• Drugs, Knives, Booze Found in Speeding Teen’s Car: Greenwich PD

The deaths of a woman and a pair of basset hounds on the Metro-North Railroad also were among the most read stories of the year.

• Search for Linus and Dexter, The Riverside Basset Hounds, Has Ended
• UPDATE: A Day Before Her Birthday, A Stamford Woman Is Killed by Metro-North Train