Top 10 Melrose Headlines—September 2011

Here's a look at the top headlines from Melrose Patch for the month of July.

In order, these were the 10 most-read stories last month:

1) : A 38-year-old Melrose man faces a conspiracy to distribute cocaine charge, and is one of 10 people indicted in connection with allegedly trafficking, possessing and distributing narcotics in Massachusetts, Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office announced.

2) : Melrosians and people from around the region gathered up and down Main Street to celebrate the 31st Annual Victorian Fair.

3) : Melrose Police and Fire responded to a high pressure natural gas line that was struck at Lebanon Street and Laurel Street, which leaked for about a half an hour before being shut off.

4) : The results of the 2011 MCAS exams were released and Melrose Patch pointed out eight things that stand out in Melrose's results.

5) : Melrose School Superintendent Joe Casey will retire at the end of the current school year, he announced at a School Committee meeting.

6) Our callout looking for your nominations for your favorite teachers in Melrose came in sixth, but only . Don't be afraid to speak up!

7) : Melrose School Committee member J.D. LaRock announced he was stepping down from the committee. LaRock, 37, said that he accepted a job in Paris at the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), an international agency that works with the United States and 33 other nations on various public policy issues.

8) : A phone scam going around Melrose and surrounding communities  purports to be an official notification from Eastern Bank and tells the potential scam victim that their MasterCard has been locked for security reasons.

9) Melrose Firefighters Remember Responding to Ground Zero: Melrose Fire Capt. Jim Winslow and Firefighter Daryl MacLeod stood in a line at Ground Zero on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001, helping to remove debris, finding voids in the rubble, checking for survivors. Ten years later, they told their stories.

10) POLL: Why Isn't Anyone Running For Office? At the time, there was only one School Committee challenger—now dropped out of the race—and only one alderman challenger, so Melrose Patch asked: Why so few candidates? Along with the votes, Melrosians got into a conversation in the comments section.