Year in Review: Ex-Commissioner in Court in October

As 2011 nears an end, Patch takes a look at some of the stories that impacted our lives.

What were the biggest events for you? How did they affect you and your community? Tell us in the comments.

In September, Patch broke the story of theft charges against then-Bel Air Town Commissioner Terence Hanley. He has since been sentenced to serve probation after submitting an Alford Plea.

If he completes probation successfully, he could petition the court to have the charge removed from his record.

At the same time, Hanley was involved in a dispute with Aberdeen-based after he was

The dispute with the bank is ongoing.

The message a young woman took away from is not to cry over spilled coffee—at least when driving.

Catherine Bezanson went into the drive-thru and then spilled  coffee inside her Volvo while pulling onto Constant Friendship Boulevard on Oct. 5.

The 18-year-old crashed through a fence and over a short cliff to the parking lot below. Bezanson was not injured.