Year in Review: The 7 Most Read Stories of 2012

Board of Ed Hires Lawyer To Investigate Allegations Of Misconduct

In May of 2012, the Kings Park Board of Education voted to approve hiring a lawyer to investigate an allegation that board member, Liz Barrett, exposed confidential information to a third party. A petition was filed in June and eventually denied based on procedural errors including the  failure to serve Barrett within the required 30 days from learning of the alleged breech.

Adorned in purple shirts, ties, blouses and dresses, friends and family filled St. Joseph's Church to its capacity in January to give a final farewell to 17-year-old high school senior Nick Hein.

Purple was Hein's favorite color.

Hein died Friday evening after a dirt bike he was driving collided with a car on Cedar Road.

"He was just a kid that no matter what type of day you were having, after five minutes of talking to him he was making you smile," said Matt Cahill, 17, a Kings Park High School senior.

Stranded Teens Rescued From Psych Center Building

Three teens illegally entered an abandoned building at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Hospital had to be rescued by police and fire crews back in March. The teens entered Building 93, the biggest and most well known, through a broken window after climbing a tree.

Kings Park firefighters climbed 11 flights of stairs to free the teens who called 911 from their cell phone.

16 Kings Park Residents Charged in Operation Heroin Highway

16 Kings Park residents were part of a heroin bust organized by the Queens District Attorney's office back in January.

The bust, dubbed "Operation Heroin Highway" played out over the course of a year, originating in Queens and expanding into Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

WATCH: Flag Thieves Caught on Video

A large American flag, hung on the front of Kings Park High School was stolen in September. The theft, which was caught on video tape, shows two men throwing the flag from the roof as they stole it. The flag has yet to be recovered, but in the spirit of this tight knit community,

YOUR PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy Hits Kings Park

It was called the storm of the century and many of our readers captured it in pictures they shared on Patch.

Kitchen Closed at Plum Crazy

A little over a year after it opened, Plum Crazy Gourmet Kitchen, on Pulaski Road, shut its doors.

The eatery, a gourmet deli offering prepared foods to go as well as a small area for dining on the premises, opened in December of 2010 and closed in April of this year. Italian eatery becoming a Kings Park favorite.

Aging Baby Boomer Makes New Career Around Weight Loss

Facing retirement after a long and successful career in finance, Robert Rossilli found himslef with a growing portfolio, and an expanded waistline. But after making dramatic changes to his eating and exercise habits, he not only lost 89 pounds at 64 years old, he gained a new line of work.

Rossilli became a fitness professional, and a few months ago started Fitness Over Fifty, which helps other retirement-age individuals stay fit and healthy.