2011 in Review: August

As 2011 comes to a close, Wauwatosa Patch looks back at the top stories of the year, month by month. Here’s a recap of the news that made headlines in August.

Fatal fire unfolded in bizarre fashion

Wauwatosa Fire Chief Rob Ugaste said that in more than 30 years fighting fires he had never heard of anything like the blaze that .

A neighbor and police officers who tried to reach Lorentz on the home's second floor were driven back by smoke and heat, but not before hearing him groaning, still alive. Moments later firefighters reached the second floor landing to save him and were almost within arm's reach when .

Fire crews had to stand off and try to fight the fire from a distance for an hour and a half as police feared that Lorentz was armed and dangerous. After the still-unexplained blaze was finally doused, . Two shotgun shells that had been made by Lorentz's father had "cooked off" in the fire – the likely cause of the sound of shots.

Videotaped beating shocks city

Wauwatosa and the whole metro area were shocked by on the grounds of by two teenagers that was videotaped and then posted on a hip-hop website. As appalling as the crime was, citizens admired the young victim, who was targeted because he had defended a girl in an earlier incident with the two assailants.

Developer's changes earn mayor's ire

Mayor Jill Didier issued on a former city landfill on North 113th Street after he came back after final approval of plans for upscale condos and asked for a change to assisted-living apartments. She also challenged the Common Council to defend the effectiveness of the city planning process after aldermen went ahead and approved the change.

Rash of burglaries solved, and then some

Six North Avenue businesses in a stretch of a few blocks east of Swan Boulevard. Just a week and a half later, Menomonee Falls police would catch a man in the act of breaking in to a restaurant there, and he would be , including those on North Avenue.

Tosa's wet night out

Despite dire warnings of severe weather in the offing, . The predicted storms did not come and conditions stayed perfect for all the games, activities and displays in Hart Park. But halfway through the highlight Family Flashlight Walk, the sky opened up and a brief but drenching rain soaked the crowd.

East wins long-awaited meeting with West

Tosa East triumphed over Tosa West in the at Hart Park stadium, the . The game was preceeded by arranged by the schools' booster clubs.

Shovels hit dirt for Innovation Park

After years of sometimes contentious negotiations and planning, UWM's . The university brushed off demands from Milwaukee that the engineering campus stay in the city and needed multiple extensions from Milwaukee County to pay for the project.

Also of note...

• The of on the grounds of the historic Kneeland-Walker House.
• The famous after nearly 30 years of family ownership, but its new owner promised he would not mess with success and guaranteed there would be no changes in the business.