Top 21: School Lockdown, Abortion Doc Sentenced, 'Love Your Show, Babe,' and Plate of Cicadas and a Glass of Wine?

Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week.

21. Council Approves Plans to Replace Layton Hall Apartments

The Fairfax City Council approved a developer’s plans to replace the Layton Hall garden style apartments with a 360-unit complex. Councilmembers, developers, and residents debated on the issue in a five-hour meeting Tuesday evening before the council ultimately approved the plans despite passionate pleas from current residents who resisted the move.

20. Are Cicadas Safe to Eat? Cicada Recipes and Cooking Tips

If you're brave enough to eat them, cicadas are apparently a surprisingly good source of protein, according to nutritionists, and they can be tasty. With the arrival of the 17-year Brood II cicadas, some adventurous chefs are offering a variety of bug-based appetizers, snacks and even desserts.

19. Beloved Forest Edge Principal Honored

Frank Bensinger, who was the principal of Forest Edge Elementary School for 21 years, was honored by students, parents, teachers and alumni on Tuesday when the PTA dedicated a walkway in his honor.

18. Arcuri Eying Early June Opening

Arcuri, a new American-Italian restaurant coming to Glover Park, hopes to open by June 4 or 5 at 2400 Wisconsin Ave. NW, the former home of Kavanagh's Pizza Pub.

17. Woman Assaulted Outside 7-Eleven

A Fredericksburg resident reported that an unknown female exchanged words with her in the parking lot at the 7-Eleven at 905 Lafayette Blvd. at 8:15 p.m. on May 10, and punched her several times in the face.

16. French Bakery Coming to Kingstowne Next Year

Get ready for croissants and French onion soup. The French-themed bakery and cafe La Madeleine will expand its locations over the next three or four years. One of those locations will be in the Kingstowne area of Alexandria, opening in 2014, according to a recent article in The Washington Post.

15. Widening of Richmond Highway to Start Soon

Discussion surrounding the widening of Richmond Highway has been circling for years now, and Alexandria residents will soon see the beginning of that project. The section of the road between Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and Telegraph Road will go from four to six lanes. Edythe Kelleher, executive director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) said motorists should see the work on the road begin in the near future.

14. 'Love Your Show Babe:' Jack Diamond Exits MIX 107.3 FM

For those who listen to Mix-107.3 FM, "Love your show babe," was the signature sign-off for morning show host Jack Diamond and it was also how listeners signed off when calling in to the show. Loyal listeners may have noticed that Diamond was missing in the mornings the past two weeks, replaced temporarily by various hosts. But Diamond's not on vacation — he's off the station for good.

13. Washington Mill Elementary Briefly in Lockdown

Washington Mill Elementary, 9100 Cherry Tree Dr., was briefly in lockdown Friday because of police activity outside the building, according to a letter (see full letter, PDF) that went home to parents from the principal. A 25-year-old wanted man tried to run away from authorities when confronted by officers, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

12. Royal Street Bus Depot Poised to Hit the Road

After years of legal wrangling, the North Old Town, Alexandria, bus depot owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, is finally moving to Newington, Va., in Fairfax County.

11. Police Looking for Suspect in Afternoon Stabbing in Falls Church

One man was stabbed in the hand and his alleged attacker is on the run after an altercation in Falls Church Tuesday afternoon.

10. Babysitter Indicted in Death of Manassas Toddler 

A grand jury has indicted a Manassas babysitter in connection with the August death of the toddler she was expected to watch, Prince William County Circuit Court documents show. Jessica Fraraccio, 21, was arrested in mid-March and charged with murder and child abuse after her 23-month-old charge died Aug. 22 at a home on the 9300 block of Birchwood Court in Manassas. 

9.

Alexandria City Council eliminated the mechanism of set-aside funding for affordable housing and open space acquisition when it adopted its fiscal year 2014 budget last week in a move that is being chalked up to miscommunication between city staff and council.

8. Teen arrested in Rape Near Manassas Park 

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in the rape of a Herndon woman March 28 and two armed robberies at a barbershop in the same area near Manassas Park, Prince William Count Police said Wednesday afternoon.

7. VDOT Removes Homeless Encampment

The Virginia Department of Transportation on Monday demolished a substantial structure near Rosslyn that was built by a homeless man, WJLA reported. The structure took several years for Francisco Fernandez Diaz to build, and was made of "tree limbs, branches, ropes and clothing," according to WJLA. Residents were divided on whether the structure was impressive or an eyesore.

6. Burke Life Scout Receives Medal of Merit Award for Heroic Act 

Chris Mayhew, a Life Scout with the Braddock District Boy Scout Troop 1131, was awarded this week  for helping the occupants of a car that veered off the road and flipped into an embankment last July.

5. Police Make Arrests in Serial Burglaries

Fairfax County police have arrested three people in connection with a series of burglaries that hit homes across three jurisdictions this month — and more charges could be coming, police said Wednesday. Craig Hopta, 29, Michael Lewis, 29 and Diana Seaborn, 34, all of Maryland, were arrested this week and charged with four counts of burglary, two counts of grand larceny, two counts of larceny for resale, and possession of burglarious tools.

4. Silver Line Funding: Board Moves Forward on TIFIA Loan

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors moved towards submitting an application for a federal transportation loan Tuesday that could help the county and its partners pay for $1.9 billion of the Silver Line Metro project.

The notion of riding Metro from a station in Ashburn to Reston Town Center, Tysons Corner or Washington, DC, moved another small step toward reality Wednesday when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors cemented its selection of Capital Rail Constructors to build Phase 2 of the Silver Line.

2. Remembering Vienna's 'Unofficial Historian'

As an Army veteran and former member of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mayo Stuntz had traveled the world — he spent three years across the Pacific Southwest, and later, served tours in Japan and Nicaragua. But it was Vienna, Va. that Stuntz loved to call home — a place, by many accounts, that will forever be marked by his contributions toward preserving and celebrating its past. Stuntz died last week of natural causes at age 97.

1. Abortion Doctor Sentenced in Death of Woodbridge Woman

Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion doctor who made nationwide headlines for killing babies born alive during procedures at his clinic, was also sentenced Wednesday for the 2009 death of a Woodbridge woman.