2011 in Review: 5 of the Most Read Stories

As the saying goes, time flies and boy did 2011 fly on by. As we prepare to welcome in 2012 and whatever the New Year will bring, we are going to take a moment to reflect on 2011 and the stories that were some of the most read on Naperville Patch.

While looking back on the biggest stories of the year is pretty standard, we’ve decided to share some of the stories that were our readers’ favorites on Naperville Patch.

Here’s a look back at five of our most read stories of 2011:

5.

 In the summer of 2011, Cooper’s Hawk opened its Naperville location, which boasted the restaurant chain’s largest wine bar to date.

Ground was broken in February for the restaurant, which is located adjacent to Interstate 88 on Freedom Drive, near other restaurants including , and . The restaurant opened to the public in August. 

The owners of the 11,000 square foot restaurant hired more than 100 people to fill positions at the Naperville location. 

4.

In August, Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow went to the Illinois Supreme Court in an effort to make sure 8 of 14 hearsay statements could be spoken aloud at Drew Peterson’s murder trial. A Will County Judge and the appellate court both ruled the eight statements should not be used at trial. The appellate court ruled Glasgow had missed a filing deadline and dismissed the appeal without merit.

In late November, the , asking them to revisit the issue.

Peterson spent another Christmas in jail and it is expected it may be several months before a trial might even start.

3.

Shopping was on the minds of readers who were clicking away on the story about the grand opening for a new Ross store in Naperville. Ross is one of the largest discount retailers in the country, with more than 1,000 stores in 27 states. The chain opened 12 stores in the Chicago area on Oct. 8, adding about 600 jobs at all of its stores.

Ross is best known for offering name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear and home décor at savings of 20 percent to 60 percent off department and specialty store regular prices.

Ross Dress for Less is located in the Naperwest Plaza, 514 S. Route 59, near retailers  and .

2.

Nobody wants to cook a meal that will leave guests feeling ill or wishing they ate elsewhere. Apparently for Thanksgiving 2011 readers wanted to make sure they cooked the holiday meal of the year to perfection.

This story shared tips on buying, thawing and cooking the turkey so that the Thanksgiving meal was tasty and would leave diners in a happy Tryptophan coma dreaming of leftovers.

1.

The most read story of the year was also one of the most bizarre. Jose Pedro Jimenez-Alejo, 25, of the 1200 block of Whispering Hills Court, was arrested in August after he lured two children to his home.

Police reported that Jimenez-Alejo had started talking with the children while he was in his car and he had them follow him to his apartment. Once at his apartment, police said he gave the children chocolate and proceeded to lick the lips of one of the children.

The children fled the apartment and alerted the victim’s mother who called police.

In November, . He was sentenced to concurrent one-year prison sentences with credit for time served in DuPage County Jail after his arrest. Once he gets out, he will spend another year on supervised release, typically called parole. The judge also ordered Alejo to pay $1,325 in court-related costs.