Business:

• Moe's Fights Against Downtown Chipotle Location
  Attorneys for Chipotle and Moe's Southwest Grill argued over whether the former should be allowed to open a location at 36 Market Space. The Board of Appeals will decide on the case at its January 2013 meeting.
• Annapolis Says Goodbye to Stevens Hardware
  After 53 years on City Dock, the hardware store closed its doors for good on Christmas Eve.
• Religious Wedding Vendor Seeks Exemption for Gay Marriages
  Discover Annapolis Tours says they have shut down their wedding services—which earn the company $50,000 a year—indefinitely rather than serve gay couples.
• City Dock Restaurant Closes One Month After Opening
  Five weeks after opening its doors on City Dock, the Crown and Anchor announced it would be closing.
• City Pays $82,500 to Former Market House Vendor
  The city of Annapolis and Vaccaro's, an Italian pastry shop, have reached a settlement after more than a year of litigation.

Weather:

• PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy Strikes Annapolis
  City Dock in downtown Annapolis flooded up to Randall Street and Memorial Circle as water levels rose by more than 4 feet due to Hurricane Sandy.
• Sandy's Impact on Chesapeake Bay Less Than Expected
  The impact of Hurricane Sandy on the Chesapeake Bay was less than expected by Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.
• State Calls For Commentary on BGE Storm Performance
  After June's derecho storm, it took Baltimore Gas & Electric employees eight days to restore power to 748,000 customers, including 93,000 in Anne Arundel County.
• Woman Unharmed After Tree Crashes Into Her Bedroom
  Amanda Shank celebrated four months cancer free just hours before June's derecho storm brought a tree and the roof of her family's house crashing down on top of her.
• PHOTOS, VIDEO: Annapolis City Dock Flooding 'Worse Than Sandy'
  Annapolis residents awoke to nearly 4 feet of flood waters on City Dock after going to bed in December without power after strange lights lit up the sky.

Schools:

• Academy Loses Another Midshipman to Car Crash
  Two midshipmen died in unrelated car crashes while on summer leave from the academy.
• Key School Development Plans Met with Concern
  The proposal by the Key School to develop the Annapolis Golf Club into athletic fields has resulted in a lawsuit and an argument amongst neighbors in the Annapolis Roads Community.
• Tensions Rise in County, Schools Debate Over ‘Unpaid’ $5 Million
  Tempers flared in the Anne Arundel County Council’s chambers in October when council members sparred with a school official over a $5 million bill they thought was already paid. 
• School System Still Battles Referral Gap
  Auditors report that African-American students make up 22 percent of total enrollment, but receive nearly 45 percent of all referrals issued by educators.
• City To Add Speed Cameras Around School Zones
  Annapolis will soon install speed cameras at area schools.

Crime and Courts:

• Physicians Board Suspends Annapolis Doctor For Prescription Abuse
  An Annapolis doctor lost his medical license after an investigation by Maryland's Board of Physicians concluded that he abused prescription medications among other things.
• Annapolis Man Accused of Murder-For-Hire Plot Heads to Trial
  An Annapolis man accused of trying to hire a man from Virginia to murder his wife will face trial in 2013.
• Police: Man Shot in Eastport Early Saturday
  Orlando Sherman McDaniel, 29, of Annapolis died as a result of gunshots wounds he suffered near the 1100 block of Madison Street in June.
• Police Release Photo of Suspect in Double Shooting
  Annapolis Police are still searching for an Annapolis man in connection with a double shooting that killed one man inside a home in the Robinwood community in December.
• City Wrangles With Eastport Shooting
  A double shooting in the Eastport Terrace community lead to a community discussion about whether the Eastport Community Center was a safe place to go vote.

Politics:

• Mayor Supports Snowden Despite Marijuana Conviction
  Mayor Josh Cohen supports keeping Carl Snowden as chairman of the Housing Authority for the City of Annapolis despite Snowden's conviction for marijuana possession.
• County Executive's Trial Postponed Until 2013
  Leopold is set to stand trial in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in January 2013 on charges of misconduct in office and fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. A grand jury indicted Leopold in March 2012.
• Jones Asks Appeals Court To Reinstate His County Council Seat
  Ousted Anne Arundel County Councilman Daryl Jones asked Maryland's Court of Appeals to return him to his District 1 seat. In January, County Council removed Jones from office a few days before he started serving a five-month sentence in a federal prison in South Carolina for failure to file a tax return.
• Jared Littmann To Replace Silverman on City Council
  Littmann, who owns K&B True Value Hardware, will replace first-term alderman Mathew Silverman who resigned earlier in December citing increased work obligations.
• UPDATED: New Chief Named After Teare Announces Retirement
  A criminal investigation into Police Chief James Teare was dropped by the state after he announced his retirement in July. Teare was subpoenaed before the Anne Arundel County Council in March, but did not answer most questions posed to him about his alleged involvement in the charges against Leopold. 

Development:

• Appeals Board Axes Quiet Waters Development
  The Annapolis Board of Appeals voted 3-1 to reject the plan to build 160 new homes near Quiet Waters Park at its September meeting.
• City Council Receives City Dock Master Plan
  After two years of planning by the advisory committee, the master plan to revamp City Dock took the next step towards implementation when City Council formally received the proposal in December.
• Council Approves $35 Million for New Water Treatment Plant
  The way Annapolis gets its drinking water will change in 2014 thanks to a 5-2 vote by City Council to approve up to $35 million for a new water treatment plant. It will be the largest construction project to date for the city.
• Mayor To Walk Plank When Market House Reopens
  Mayor Josh Cohen promised to take a plunge into Spa Creek after he failed to re-open the Market House in October 2012.
• School Board Delivers 'Damaging Blow' to Garage Plans
  The Anne Arundel County Board of Education put an end to a proposed parking garage on Compromise Street in May by voting 8-0 against the plan.

Arts:

• Arts Council 'Hatches' the Arts on West Street
  Six artists were chosen to decorate 5 and a half-foot chicken sculptures for Annapolis. All five are now on display along West Street.
  
• Graduating Into War: Navy Class of 2002 Publishes Book
  The first class to graduate from the Naval Academy after 9/11 published a book of short stories that chronicles their lives in the decade since.
• PHOTOS: New Sculpture Goes Up at Westgate Circle
  Artist Bobby Donovan said the wooden installation is meant to have a nautical reference that evokes images of the ribs of a ship or fish.
• Irish Dance Flash Mob Hits Westfield Annapolis
  The Teelin School of Irish Dance performed an impromptu dance at the center court of the Parole mall on St. Patrick's Day.
• Annapolis Idol Winner Croons His Way to Victory
  Rob Spengler of Severn, a regular voice at karaoke nights at Stan and Joe's Saloon in Annapolis, sang his way into the top three singers out of the 14 finalists who performed at Wild Willy's Rock House in Parole.