The Biggest Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook Stories of 2013

It's been a busy year in Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook, but some stories just seem to grab readers' attention more than others. Here's a look back at some of 2013's biggest local stories:

5. In February, Dipset rapper Jim Jones came out of his Fair Lawn home to discover police were preparing his snowed-in car, which was illegally parked on the street. He agreed to pay the fee and move the vehicle.

While they were waiting, police ran Jones' name and found he had a pair of warrants out for traffic issues. It was then that Jones allegedly "got out of line," police said at the time. The rapper was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction for the incident.

4. USA Today ran a contest this year to determine which high school had the best mascot in the country. Fair Lawn's Cutters — named after football players who skipped class — were picked as the best in New Jersey by a wide margin, but ended up losing to out-of-state schools in the regional round.

3. USA Today also helped former Beatle Ringo Starr track down a crew of high school students who he had photographed when they came to see the band land at the airport in 1964. It turned out they were also Fair Lawn cutters, who had skipped class for a chance to see The Beatles. The five living photo subjects got to see Starr perform and meet him in Las Vegas in November.

2. Fair Lawn received numerous accolades this year, but the most recent was probably complimentary. Real estate blog Movoto declared the borough the "best city in New Jersey" last month.

How did Movoto decide that? The process reportedly involved some number crunching based on the borough's many pizzerias, bagel shops and diners per capita. Fair Lawn's low crime rate also helped, according to the blog.

1. Don't worry, Saddle Brook, we haven't forgotten you. The biggest local story this year comes out of the township, where police caught an Illinois man allegedly driving 42,000 pounds of stolen cheese. Detectives reportedly found the cheese — valued at $200,000 — in the back of a truck parked at a Turnpike rest area. The driver had allegedly brought the cheese cross-country in an attempt to sell it.