The Greenville Mountain View Pioneer (no website) lists the top 11 stories of 2011, though the 11th is about the Sheriff's jail lieutenant that shot a fellow hunter in 2010. Here are the top ten stories for the paper that covers the northern part of Greene County and southern Albany county:
• 10) "Ex-Durham cop sentenced to prison," about former police officer Nathan Van Fleet, who got an additional two-year sentence for weapons charges.
• 9) "Police probe Town of Greenville Highway Department," about an investigation later dropped for, "lack of of witnesses and evidence."
• 8) "Slater sells Cairo's Great American supermarket to Hannaford," By the end of the year, the Cairo Planning Board approved plans for the 40,000-square foot supermarket to be built.
• 7) "Superintendent Zeh resigns," about how Gary Zeh left after 18 acrimonious months fighting the town board in Rensselaerville.
• 6) "Direction of hilltown voting is shifting right," about how Tea Party candidate Deborah Busch defeated Alexander "Sandy" Gordon for the 39th Assembly seat in Albany that represents Westerlo, Rensselaerville, and parts of Berne and Knox.
• 5) "Water park makes waves in Greene," about proposed Great Wolf water park for New Baltimore with help from the Greene County Industrial Development Agency.
• 4) "Fire, crash claim the lives of two local high school students," about the deaths of 17-year-old Erika Cook and 18-year-old Samantha Pagan that occurred in a traffic accident as they turned into the Cairo-Durham High School entrance.
• 3) "Frey steps down," about Durham legislator Sean Frey's resignation as part of a deal with the Greene County District Attorney's office.
• 2) "Resignations shakeup the Greene County IDA," as Alexander "Sandy" Mathes and, later, four board members resigned from the Industrial Development Agency.
• 1) "Irene," and the storms and flooding associated with that Hurricane that hit Greene County in late August, devastating several towns.