Top Medford Stories in 2011 Countdown: Whitey Bulger, a Death in the Fells, City Councilors Spar

We're ringing in the new year this week by counting down the top 20 stories from Medford Patch in 2011. This list is ranked according to page views. Today, we're starting off the countdown at 20:

The news that the infamous Boston mob leader had been arrested after 16 years on the lam shook New England. This story looks back at a couple of crime incidents in Medford from the 1980s - the robbery of the Bank Depositor Trust and an Italian mafia ceremony that was recorded in a Medford home - that were indirectly connected to Bulger.

The body of a 20-year-old man was found by and State Police in Middlesex Fells on Oct. 11, having died of an apparent suicide. The body was found in the woods near the entrance to the Fells off of South Border Road in Medford after police received a phone call from relatives.

A resolution to ban city councilors from using electronic devices during meetings drew heated debate in an April council meeting before ultimately being defeated. The council voted 4-3 to defeat the resolution, which was brought forth by councilors Robert Penta and Michael Marks, but not before Penta and fellow councilor Paul Camuso had an impassioned exchange.

: Three city councilors were not invited to a press conference held by Mayor Michael McGlynn days before city elections, and they weren’t pleased about it. One said McGlynn’s actions were "Hitler-like," and another ended up getting into a shouting match with the city solicitor during a city council meeting.

Il Faro, an Italian eatery located at 21 Main St., was seized by the Department of Revenue in May because it owed the state a total of $142,784.20 in taxes and penalty fees, department spokesman Bob Bliss said at the time. Nearly all of the back taxes, which date back to 2006, stemmed from the meals tax, he said. The Medford Square restaurant charged patrons a meals tax but didn't pay what they collected to the state, Bliss said.

Tune in tomorrow for 15-11 in the countdown.