With New Year's just around the corner, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the stories that shaped Brookline in 2010, for better or for worse. From new town leaders and budget-busting educational challenges to tree-killing beetles and career pedophiles, we had plenty of headlines to choose from. Speaking of big news, we pulled the lever on Brookline Patch back in early July, so our list only includes stories from the last six months. We'll get you a full 12-month recap next Decembver. Town Administrator Leaves Job After 15 Years at the Helm Two monumentally important things happened …

With the countless tiny shops and tucked-away restaurants in Brookline's dense commercial districts, it's impossible to stay on top of all the businesses opening and closing their doors in town each month. So, as we prepare to bid farewell to 2010, we thought we'd look back and ten of the business that left town or moved in this year. Speaking of new businesses: Brookline Patch only launched in late June, so most of these come from the last six months of the year: Opened The Abbey – 1657 Beacon St. Grape Leaves – 414 Harvard St. Meat House – 1285 Beacon St. Vinodivino – 1669 Beacon St. …

Hello sports fans! Get out the hot chocolate and ear muffs as we kick off the winter season and say so long to fall with a salute to some of the best moments in Brookline sports during the first semester. 'So much relief' for boys soccer First, let's set the scene in boys soccer, where No. 13 Brookline delivered the knock-out punch on No. 5 host Lincoln-Sudbury with a thrilling 1-0 win on penalty kicks in the Division 1 North quarterfinals on Nov. 10. "So much relief," Brookline goalie Matt Hillman said after he outlasted L-S keeper Eric Steinbrook, 2-1, in the penalty kick round. "The …

In the six months since we started sifting through arrest reports and dispatch logs for Brookline Patch, we've come across some of the strangest and most disturbing crimes we've ever seen in our career covering Brookline. Was it something about 2010 that brought out the strangest elements of our town, or have we just forgotten the strangeness of years past? We're not sure, but here are just a few of the crime stories that stick out in our minds from the last six months, for better or worse: Angry Off-Roading at Olmsted Park: We see a lot of road rage incident in the dispatch logs, but …

In the six months since Brookline Patch launched at the end of June, we've been at nearly every major event and milestone in town—with notebook, camera and recorder in hand. We were in Town Hall when Richard Kelliher celebrated his last day leading the town and we were on the field when four of Brookline's Pop-Warner teams took their perfect season into the play offs. And at each event, our photographers were there in the background, ready to capture the moment. As we get ready for the New Year, Brookline Patch looked back at our first six months on the web and sorted out ten of our favorite …