Top 10 Most-Read Darien Stories In 2023

DARIEN, IL – By page views, the story on the arrest of a Darien resident who coaches in Downers Grove was the most-read of 2023.

Check out what made this year's list, ranked by page views:

1. Downers Grove Coach Arrested On Child Porn Charges (April 28): An assistant girls track coach at Downers Grove South High School was arrested Tuesday on federal child pornography charges. Darien resident Glenn Clifford Messmer resigned that same day as coach, the school said in an email Wednesday night to District 99's families.

2. Darien Principal Arrested On DUI Charge (Feb. 22): A Darien principal was arrested earlier this month in Elmhurst on a DUI charge, telling an officer she was coming home from a work function, police said.

3. Child Drinks Suspected Bleach At Darien Day Care: Cops (Dec. 5): A child took a sip of suspected bleach Monday at a Darien day care, prompting an emergency response, a police official said Tuesday.

4. Duplexes Planned In Darien Neighborhood (Oct. 9): A developer planning duplexes in a Darien neighborhood is asking to convert the zoning to multifamily residential, from single-family.

5. Family Feud At Darien Funeral Home Leads To Arrest: Cops (March 10): Darien police were called last week to a disturbance at a local funeral home. The funeral director told officers that a family was having a heated argument during a service, but they quickly calmed down, according to a police report obtained by Patch.

6. Darien Restaurant Being Replaced With New One (June 21): A deli is replacing the longtime Uncle Mao's Chinese Restaurant in the Darien Plaza, officials said this week. Tony and Tina's Deli is set to open at 8133 S. Cass Ave. in the shopping center that includes Q Bar.

7. Amazon Driver Held Up At Gunpoint In Darien: Cops (March 23): A delivery driver for Amazon told police that two men robbed her at gunpoint just after she took a package to a house, according to a report.

8. Problem With Hinsdale South Fieldhouse Project (July 31): The new flooring on the track in the Hinsdale South High School's fieldhouse has a problem – it lacks the traction that runners need around the curved portions, the school district said last week.

9. Ex-Darien Official Opposes Duplex Development (Oct. 25): A former Darien official is opposed to a planned duplex development in west Darien. Earlier this month, former Ward 6 Alderwoman Sylvia McIvor said her area already has seen a big increase in noise, traffic and pollution, with continuing construction and developments along Woodward Avenue.

10. Darien Gas Station Burglarized: Cops (Jan. 12): Speedway gas station, 8301 Lemont Road, was burglarized about 2 a.m. Friday. The glass door was shattered, and the business was ransacked.