Year in Review: June

As 2011 comes to a close, Brookfield Patch is looking back at the year's biggest local stories and conversation starters, month by month. Here’s a recap from June:

• See all Brookfield Patch Year in Review stories

Brookfield businessman John Aegerter was never late. So when he failed to show up for a meeting he had confirmed just the night before, his associates called police to check on his welfare at home. Police , lying face down in his garage, his ankles and neck bound with electrical cords, his face duct-taped and several plastic grocery bags over his head.

It was the city's first homicide since the 2005 mass murder during a church service in the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel. Friends described Aegerter who lived alone as eccentric and highly intelligent — whether it be his taxes, car repairs and most of his radio communications companies' work.

Police arrested and filed homicide charges against two suspects — Lynn Hajny, whose husband Albert worked for one of Aegerter's businesses, and Tommy Douyette. The two told police they confronted Aegerter about money they said he owed Albert Hajny. Friends of Aegerter told Brookfield Patch Aegerter planned to . 

After a developer resolved some , the city for demolition of the closed Quebecor World printing plant and construction of the Underwood Crossing complex, anchored by a Target. The project will remediates a brownfield site, with the company footing the estimated $1 million in clean-up costs.

June is graduation time, and Brookfield Patch was there to record the speeches and images to remember for , and , where two South Korean sisters living in Brookfield earned honors as valedictorian and salutatorian.

A record 58 teachers and staff retired in June, mirroring a statewide trend after an intense winter of protests in Madison over the governor's effective end to collective bargaining for most public employees and changes to the pension system. The school district created a at a retirement ceremony.

And students gave special sendoffs to staff, such as Brookfield East choir teacher . Swanson Elementary School retired after a gratifying 32-year career.

Elmbrook administrators say the $6 million tax cut — required by Gov. Scott Walker's 5.5 percent reduction in school revenue caps — is too deep and not in keeping with the Legislature's intent to hold the line on taxes. The lowered revenue caps mean Elmbrook can collect $647 less per pupil after years of having state permission to collect about $200 more per pupil annually.

Some volunteers serve as poll workers for a few city elections, but how about more than 60 elections? In the two decades they served before retiring as chief inspectors in 2011, Howard and Joyce Washechek saw many election changes. Four different machines were introduced. New laws were passed, making changes to registration and other rules.

Woman Says She Lost $34,750 Wedding Ring

And strangely enough, it wasn't the only ring reported stolen in June. There actually was a in the Brookfield police reports.