2013 Rewind: What Got Westminster Talking

Carroll County residents took to Patch to share thoughts and opinions on hot topics in 2013.

Some of the most commented-on articles include those dealing with government.

Carroll County Sheriff's Candidates weighed in on drone usage in late July. This article resulted from a board of Carroll County Commissioners discussion in which Commissioner Robin Frazier said she intended to draft a resolution about drone use in the county. Read the story here. 

In early August, Carroll Countians spoke out about the idea of forming a new state made up the five Western Counties in Maryland (including Carroll County). The initiative's Facebook page that had 326 likes in early August now has more than 7,700 likes. Read the story here. 

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners engaged in a heated debate over the termination of Commissioner Robin Frazier's assistant, Lyn Mallick. Frazier accused several of her fellow commissioners of behaving maliciously in terminating Mallick's contract without Frazier's input. Read the story here. 

But government isn't the only topic that gets folks talking in Carroll County. There has been a lot happening in the education arena and people shared their comments on several different articles. 

Common Core has become a household term in 2013. Common Core was designed to set universal education standards across the United States, and it has many concerned that the federal government is stepping into areas where it should not. The controversy was heightened in Carroll County as some members of the Board of Carroll County Commissioners advocated for "getting out of it [Common Core]." There were several Common Core forums held in the county this fall. Read the story here. 

When the state Board of Education proposed making state-wide discipline standards for schools, Carroll County residents and local school officials spoke out. Read the story here.