Editor's Picks: Favorite Stories of 2011—Part 1

I can hardly believe it's already the eve of 2012.

The year flew by for me and there were definitely some highlights—and low-lights—along the way.

As we continue the "best of" lists for 2011, these are my picks for the best, most interesting, most touching stories of the year. These are the stories that I was excited to write, or struggled with writing because of the sensitive topic or was pleased with how well it was received by the community.

Here is the first half of my top 12 picks—month by month.

January 2011:
I'm so thankful to Pete and Julie Dowley of Baltimore for sharing the story of the loss of their 2-½-year-old son Andrew. Andrew died in 2009 from something that doctors call Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC)—a diagnosis I knew nothing of.

The family held a fundraiser at Glen Burnie Bowl in January to raise awareness of the diagnosis, which is similar to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). While it was painful for Pete, Julie and for me to go over the details of Andrew's death, it was hopeful to see their friends and family supporting them as they search for an answer to SUDC.

February 2011:
As we approach one year since her death, Myra Cason's murder is still unsolved. The "feisty" retired teacher and Glen Burnie resident was .

In February, members of her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and the Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP held a candlelight vigil to honor her memory. I could feel the pain of those who knew and loved her that cold night in the Gavigan's parking lot and did my best to relay the emotion in my article.

March 2011:
In March I sat down with basketball star Larry Mike to talk about the struggles he had endured to get where he was.

I really felt he had an amazing story—a New Orleans native and victim of Hurricane Katrina, witnessing the shooting death of a football coach and having a close friend killed by gun violence and, despite it all, excelling on the basketball court in high school and going on to play at a junior college. I said it then and I still feel it now—this is one of my favorite articles I've written in a very long time.

April 2011:
I'm not sure about most journalists, but I know that I have a love-hate relationship with breaking news. I love the adrenaline rush that comes with rushing to the scene of a fire/accident/crime and rushing to get the news reported, but I hate the emotional—and sometimes physical crash that I feel once things are said and done.

All of this holds true for the fire at Cromwell Station in April. I set up my laptop on a big green electrical box and stood with Anne Arundel County fire spokesman Lt. Keith Hamilton to write my story as the firefighters worked to get the fire under control. By staying on the scene for a few hours I was able to see the rescue of two cats as they were pulled from a lower-level unit—and it made my presence there worthwhile.

The last time I checked with fire Chief Michael Cox a few months ago, he said with such extensive damage it was likely they never would be able to determine the cause of the fire.

May 2011:
We all know it—Glen Burnie, Brooklyn Park and Linthicum all see their fair share of crime. Since I go through every press release of reported incidents, it's easy to become numb to the crime (an occupational hazard of being a journalist).

But when this press release appeared in my email inbox in May, I couldn't help but chuckle: police arrested two Baltimore girls, ages 16 and 17, and charged them with robbery after they said the girls stole human hair from AK Beauty in Brooklyn Park. Stealing weave? You don't see that every day.

June 2011:
Every now and then a journalist walks into a story expecting one thing and finds something completely different. That was exactly my experience as I was doing routine high school graduation coverage—I was introduced to two extraordinary students who were preparing to graduate from  in June.

Alexandria Thomas and Julian Lane shared with me the intense struggles they faced while at North County. Both students graduated with GPAs higher than 4.0 and are headed for bright futures—Julian to study neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and Alexandria to attend the Naval Academy. But both said they faced blatant racism from students, staff and administration while at the school.

It hurt my heart to see such bright and promising young people in so much pain over their time in high school, but also took me back to the similar experience I had during my high school years at in Manassas, VA. I wish both of them the best.

Check back tomorrow to see my top picks for the .