As we look back at 2012 in southern Denton County, it seems that grocery stores dominated the headlines.
From the Whole Foods Market announcement in July, to the much anticipated groundbreaking of Market Street, to the new Walmart Neighborhood Market and Tom Thumb in Flower Mound, to the planned makeovers at Kroger’s two aging stores in Flower Mound and Highland Village, to the news about the long awaited Lantana Corner grocery store, we were all about the checkout line gossip in 2012.
But there was much more to last year than supermarket supersizing. Here are our picks for the top news stories of 2012 (in no particular order):
Bug Battle: Denton County had the highest rate of West Nile virus in the U.S. this summer, prompting county health officials to participate in aerial mosquito spraying.
Manager Makeover: Flower Mound’s longtime town manager, Harlan Jefferson, was shown the door in October. Jimmy Stathatos, City Manager of Roanoke, was named as Jefferson’s replacement in November.
Manager Makeover II: Not to be outdone, Argyle switched town managers several times in 2012. Veteran town manager Lyle Dresher stepped down in March, interim manager Rod Hogan was ousted by council in August. Mayor Matt Smith became interim manager until Charles West was hired in November.
Mayor Passes: Double Oak Mayor Tom Pidcock died at the age of 72 in July due to complications associated with a prolonged battle with lung cancer.
Slow Down Showdown: Speeding tickets in Lantana have teeth after residents conducted a successful petition drive – the first of its kind in Texas – to reinstate traffic enforcement by the sheriff’s department.
NFL Sacked: Flower Mound voters swept the “NFL” trio of Mayor Melissa Northern, Al Filidoro and Steve Lyda out the door in May.
Rooftops Roll: Hillwood kick starts the stalled Belmont residential community in Argyle and breaks ground on the $1 billion Harvest project signaling a coming building boom along I-35W.
New Sheriff in Town: William Travis upset two-term incumbent Sheriff Benny Parkey in the May Republican Primary and went on to run unopposed in November.
Too Hot: The year got off to a bang after New Year’s Eve fireworks started grass fires on the iconic Flower Mound and the Lantana Golf Course. Lantana officials later banned the use of fireworks in the community.
District Reboot: The Highland Village City Council unanimously approved a new plan for The District of Highland Village development to allow for the addition of 168 apartments in November.
Atmos Angst: Flower Mound leaders and residents took Atmos Energy to task after learning about their plan to clear cut trees along their natural gas pipeline that runs through town. A compromise was later reached to minimize the tree removal.
Cone Zones: The long awaited widening of FM 407 around Lantana commenced and roadwork finally started back up on FM 407 between Briarhill Boulevard and Chinn Chapel Road.
Lakeside Liftoff: The Flower Mound Town Council approved rezoning in November that will pave the way for Lakeside DFW, a $1 billion proposed mixed-use development.
League Of Champions: Our kids excelled on the field as the Marcus High School band captured its fourth consecutive state title, the Argyle High School band won its third state title in a row, Guyer High School claimed their first state football championship and the Argyle Eagles won their first boys basketball state title.
What was your top story of 2012? Tell us in the comments below. Happy New Year!
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