Lyme Disease Epidemic, Nude Olympians, High School Principal Resigns: 2015 Needham Year in Review

Needham’s news in 2015 produced the good, the bad, the ugly, the inspirational and everything in between.

A Needham resident was exposed on the national stage in 2015, literally. U.S. Olympic gymnast and Needham native Aly Raisman posed almost completely nude in ESPN’s 2015 edition of the Body Issue. Raisman appeared in the issue with athletes such as baseball’s Bryce Harper, football’s O’Dell Beckham Jr., Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and basketball’s DeAndre Jordan.

This was one of the most clicked-on stories posted on Needham Patch in 2014. A full link to the story can be found here: Needham Olympian Aly Raisman Shows Off Nude Body for ESPN

That’s not all that caught eyes in 2015. Residents and readers of Needham Patch clicked on articles regarding disease, politics, crime and restaurant openings. If there were any articles that caught your eye this year, please let us know in the comments section.

Here are ten of the most clicked-on stories posted on Needham Patch in 2015:

1. Health Officials Declare Epidemic as Lyme Disease Risk Grows: Health officials declared a Lyme Disease epidemic for the area in July. Lyme disease has become a problem due to the increasing deer population.
2. Needham, Wellesley to Play Thanksgiving Football at Fenway: The Needham Rockets were selected to play the Wellesley Raiders on Thanksgiving Day. Needham won a 12-7 defensive struggle.
3. Son of Boston Police Captain Charged in Terrorism Plot: Alexander Ciccolo of Adams was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms back in July. Ciccolo is a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
4. Needham PD Investigating Fatal Pedestrian Accident: The Needham Police started an investigation regarding a fatal pedestrian accident involving a 75-year-old woman in March.
5. Needham HS Principal Resigns After Apparent Investigation: Former Needham High School principal Jonathan Pizzi resigned back in May after he became the subject of a workplace conduct investigation. No students were involved in the incident.
6. Needham Ranked Among Nation’s Best Small Cities: Needham was ranked No. 171 out of 1,268 in a polling of the nation’s best small cities by WalletHub in November. The rankings were based on metrics ranging from housing costs to school-system quality.
7. Euro-Pro Changes Name to SharkNinja, Moves Headquarters to Needham:SharkNinja, formerly Euro-Pro, changed its name to reflect its well-known product. The firm also moved from Newton to Needham, both happening in July.
8. Needham Driver to Face Charges in Homicide: The suspect in March’s fatal pedestrian accident was charged with motor vehicle homicide and faced two-and-a-half years in prison back in May.
9. Victim in Metro-North Crash was Raised in Needham and Wellesley: One of the six victims killed in February’s Harlem Line crash was announced to be a Needham resident. Joseph Nadol, 42, was an alumnus of the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury.
10. Masked Needham Man Arrested For Armed Robbery: Kostya Ragin, 19, was charged with armed robbery from an incident at the Savin Hill MBTA station in October.

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