Top 10 Medford Headlines, August 2011

Here's a look at the top headlines from Medford Patch for the month of August.

These ten stories received the most visits for the month:

1. and as result of . It took three days for power to be restored in Medford, and the cleanup is still a work in progress.
2. Off-duty Woburn Police Officer Charles Stock, 44, of Woburn, allegedly repeatedly punched a woman in the face during an argument in Medford Square after having a few drinks at a local restaurant. Stock was charged with assault and battery and placed on administrative leave by Woburn Police.
3. Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222 were on strike at the Verizon office on Mystic Ave. Contracts with IBEW expired, leading the union to strike.
4. A small pool of mosquitoes infected by the West Nile Virus was found in Medford in early August, according to a press release from the city's board of health. "It was a very small pool of mosquitos, but it means it is time to remind the citizens to use prevention," Karen Rose, city's public health director said in an email.
5. One man died and another was seriously injured after the Chevy Van driven by Greg Galanopolous, 49, swerved from the southbound passing lane into the middle lane and struck a box truck about 5 p.m. Monday, police said. Galanopolous is charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, according to a State Police press release.
6. Following a four-month-long cost and schedule analysis, the Green Line Extension project team decided the completion of the project, previously projected for October 2015, will take until fall of 2018 at the soonest or summer 2020 at the latest, according to a press release from the Department of Transportation.
7. Medford's Mayor and municipal unions signed off on a new health care agreement where union workers will leave the city's health plan for the state's Group Insurance Commission health coverage. The 6 1/2 year agreement projects to save the city over $25 million and save union employees about $9.7 million, Mayor Michael McGlynn said. The agreement, if approved by the city council, would be the biggest impact on the municipal budget in Medford's history, McGlynn said.
8. a 5.8 or 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., also struck Washington, D.C. and was felt as far north as New York City, Providence, R.I. and Boston on the afternoon of Aug. 23.
9. Clifford Weeks, who worked as a mediator during the busing integration in the 1970s, was honored as Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us recipient at a State House ceremony in August. Weeks dedicated over 37 years of his life to working with Boston public schools, the Boston communities and Berklee City Music. During that time, he served as a music teacher, curriculum advisor, administrator and mentor.
10. Nikita Yanakopulos, 34, of Medford was arrested on Boston Street in Everett on Aug. 26 after investigators watched him load boxes full of marijuana into the back of his pick-up truck, according to a press release from district attorney Gerry Leone. The grass weighed in at 250 pounds and was valued at over $750,000.

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