Weymouth Year In Review: Top Stories Of 2017

WEMOUTH, MA — The year is almost in the books and needless to say, 2017 had some notable stories.

If you were looking for something to talk about, there was not a lack of topics and issues. Below are the top 10 Weymouth stories of 2017:

10. Firefighter Honored For Saving 3 From Weymouth FireTalk about a first impression. Braintree firefighter Jackie Giacchetti was on her way back from an obstacle course test in July when she saw smoke coming from a nail salon on Washington Street in Weymouth. She rushed into the building and saved two people, and a third person in a nearby home.

9. Weymouth Fire: 4-Alarm Blaze Destroys Apartments At Union Point

The fire began around 3 a.m., and crews spent the morning fighting the blaze, according to the Boston Globe. Reports say the building was destroyed by the blaze.

8. GE Partnering With Union Point

Through the partnership, GE will act as the preferred technology partner of Union Point. The company will implement existing technologies and test concepts that enhance resource productivity and reduce environmental impact across the entire city's operations, according to LStar.

7. Work On $20 Million Condo Project Set To Start

Construction $20 million condominium project on Weymouth Neck was set to start in November, the developers told WATD. The building on Broad Reach Road will be six stories tall and house 50 units.

6. Three Charged With Threatening to Shoot Weymouth Minor on Facebook Live

Three Boston men who allegedly threatened to shoot a person in a Facebook Live video were ordered held by a judge.

Police allege that the three were involved in the making of a video aimed at a juvenile who lives in Weymouth. Police received a report of a person waving a gun while inside a vehicle near the Weymouth Commons apartment complex. When officers located the vehicle, they found a loaded gun and a mason jar containing marijuana inside a bag in the backseat, according to a police report.

5. Traffic Light Comes to Middle Street

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) moved forward with a construction project in Weymouth which involved the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Middle Street, Libbey Industrial Parkway and Tara Drive.

4. Weymouth Man Faked Water Wizz Kidnapping Story: Police

A Weymouth man was arrested in July and charged with falsifying a report about an attempted child kidnapping at a Wareham water park. Matthew McGonnigal, 27, claimed he interrupted the attempted abduction of a girl in the Water Wizz parking lot and reported what happened to police.

McGonnigal's alleged actions became the subject of a viral social media post by his girlfriend, who hailed him as a hero. The only problem? Police say it never happened.

3. Decorated Mass. State Police Trooper Dies Unexpectedly

The Massachusetts State Police mourned the unexpected passing of one of their own in August. Patrick Ahl, 40, died at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth after suffering a medical emergency.

Ahl, a Weymouth native, had been assigned to the Norwell barracks since April. He previously served in Revere and Danvers.

Ahl and two other troopers were awarded the Massachusetts State Police Medal of Valor in 2010 for saving a young woman's life after her car went off the road during a rainstorm.

2. Weymouth Man Gets 'Guardian Angel' In Form Of State Trooper

When a Weymouth man on Interstate 93 South was in need of a prayer and a new tire, he got his angel in the form of a Massachusetts trooper who happened to be in the right place in the right time.

The 71-year-old man wrote police about Trooper Steven Hanafin of the Andover Barracks in a letter to Troop A Major Pat Russolill. About a month ago, the man was traveling down Interstate 93 from New Hampshire when he began to have problems with a tire.

1. Weymouth Murder: Police Believe Suspect In Florida

Police believe the man wanted for the homicide of a 33-year-old Weymouth woman is in the Coral Gables, Florida area. Police have already issued an arrest warrant for the Dorchester man wanted in the murder of Michele Clark. Cornel Bell, 46, is wanted for the death of Michele Clarke.