If 2018 Serves as a Guide, What Might the Stories of 2019 Look Like?

Compiled by The Bedford Citizen

The Bedford Citizen welcomed a new Town Manager in 2018 and covered board and committee meetings along with Town Meetings, news about Bedford’s schools and organizations’ and residents. But the year’s top story (and multiple others) focused on Bedford visits by one or more bears.

There was also interest in flight activity at Hanscom and the auction of the Navy hangar (with a top bid of $9,020,000 the auction is on hold until the Federal government shutdown ends). Stories about Bedford businesses ranged from the success of the town’s oldest business, Bedford Farms, to the abrupt closure of Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo’s. And there were multiple Letters to the Editor in the top 25.

The Bedford Citizen has topped 2 million page views and welcomed more than 1M visitors since its inception in 2012. You can search for stories posted in various categories (Boards and Committees, Schools, Organizations, Sports, and more) or in a particular month (back to 2012!) by clicking this link to reach our website and looking in the right-hand column.

New features introduced in 2018? Obituaries, humorous comments from the Bedford Scallion, news stories from Bedford in 1918, Bedford Explained, and Know No’s about recycling.

Here’s the list of The Bedford Citizen’s top 25 stories of 2018. Each of them was read more than 1,000 times, and another 150 stories snagged more than 500 readers.

1. Tourist in Our Town – A Bear Visits Bedford
2. Will Your Vote Catapult Bedford Farms into the Final 4 in NBC10’s Boston’s Favorite Ice Cream Shop Contest?
3. A Beary Busy Day in Bedford
4. Multiple Bear Sightings in West Bedford on Monday Evening
5. Waking Sounds: A Pair of F-18s Leaving Hanscom Field
6. Barrett-Sotheby’s Bedford High School Prom Stroll
7. Abrupt Closure of Company-Owned Papa Gino’s and D’Angelo’s Grilled Sandwich Stores in Bedford
8. Selectmen Choose Sarah Stanton to be Town Manager
9. Hartwell Avenue Rezoning Initiative Comes Close to Bedford
10. One Parent’s Response to the Issue of Racism in Schools
11. Bedford Day in Pictures
12. Letter to the Editor – A Connection to Wider Issues: Mourning Jerry Rabinowitz
13. National Walkout Day – BHS Students Respond
14. Letter to the Editor – Thirty-nine Years
15. Transportation Advisory Committee Hears Criticism of Changes to Old Billerica Road
16. Bears in Bedford ~ Wednesday and Thursday
17. Superior Court Rules in Favor of First Parish in Bedford’s Solar Panel Project
18. Letter to the Editor: Residents Opposed to Locating the Dog Park at Springs Brook Park
19. Letter to the Editor: National School Walkout Day
20. Bedford Police Department Employees Honored for Lifesaving Work
21. Bedford Explained: Nike Missiles in Bedford
22. Getting the Goods on Bedford Day – A Reference List
23. Disposition of the Navy Hangar Site Off Hartwell Road
24. Celebrating Bedford Farms
25. Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere – A Team Initiative

And mixed in the list, just for fun, Another New Business in Bedford: The Wonder of Snacks