Politics & Government
The Most Read Stories On Woburn Patch In 2021
Find out what your neighbors were most interested in over the past year in Woburn.
WOBURN, MA — Unlike 2020, it wasn't all about the coronavirus pandemic when we took our annual look back at the most-read stories on Woburn Patch in 2021. What follows is a list of the most-read stories on Woburn Patch sites in 2021.
1. Woburn Library Leadership Resigns, Citing 'Political Takeover'
Library Director Bonnie Roalsen stepped down in Feb. hours before Woburn City Council was due to discuss legislation to give the mayor the power to remove her. Roalsen cited the "political takeover" of the library in her letter.
The power struggle at the library was sparked by a Jan. 19 meeting where it emerged that two trustees had been excluded from a recent meeting and traced back to a conflict the prior summer over potential layoffs. A public campaign in support of library staff morphed into a broader conflict, with multiple staff members resigning amid other complaints about the library's leadership.
Find out what's happening in Woburnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Other library-related stories also drew lots of readers, including nominations of new library trustees, the appointment of a new director and one trustee fighting her removal from the board.
2. Police: Violent Home Invasion Under Investigation, Not Random
In April, Woburn police denied that a violent March home invasion was random. The denial was sparked by the victim sharing details of the attack on Facebook.
Find out what's happening in Woburnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
3. Woburn Man Wanted In Connection With Violent Stabbing
In August, the police said they were searching for a suspect in an attack on a man and a pregnant woman. The man, known to the victims, may have fled the area, officials said.
4. Falsely Accused's Mother: 'This Could've Been So Bad'
The mother of a man falsely accused of shooting someone in the neck said in an interview with Patch that authorities should have acted quicker to hold the actual shooter accountable for falsely incriminating her son.
Alec Braz, 22 of Woburn, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon shortly after his friend Jemil Evans, 19, was shot in the neck June 12.
But Braz, who is white, first told the police that it was a Black man he knew from Woburn who was the shooter, officials said. He gave the person's name and a "specific description of the clothing," officials said. The lie prompted police to interview the teen Braz named — 18-year-old Giovanni Aleo — outside his home, with his family, friends and neighbors looking on, his mother Sharla Aleo said.
5. Three More Eateries Planned For Woburn Village: Developer Website
The Woburn Village website revealed in August that Tavern in the Square, Grainmaker and Crumbl Cookies are coming to the city, as first reported by Boston Restaurant Talk.
More Year In Review Coverage On Patch:
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.