It was a quite a year for Suffolk. The city contended with a wildfire, earthquake and hurricane all in the same month. Budget troubles on the local level caused the closing of two schools, and on the national level caused the closing of a military command. A population explosion brought on a contentious redistricting process. North Suffolk has its share of stories — a panel recommendation for city- and college-owned land there, an unsolved murder, a Homearama. And there were plenty more stories to go around.

Here’s our look at some of Suffolk’s biggest stories of 2011, in no particular order.

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Retired police officer Charles A. Duck shoots at a burglar in his front yard on Jan. 13. Duck is cleared of wrongdoing after a review by the Commonwealth’s Attorney; the burglar, Quamaine Lassiter, eventually pleads guilty after initially denying it was him. The bullet lodged between his scalp and his skull, and doctors recommended against removing it.

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A panel from the Urban Land Institute visits in February and makes a recommendation for a 444-acre parcel in North Suffolk owned by the city’s Economic Development Authority and the Tidewater Community College Real Estate Foundation. The recommendation included retail, office, restaurants, hotels, residential and public use spaces. The city has since taken a few measured steps toward making it a reality.

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The Suffolk School Board voted in April to close Mount Zion and Robertson elementary schools to help close a $2.3 million budget shortfall. Despite a cadre of angry parents, particularly from Robertson, the schools had their last day of school on June 17. The Robertson building was turned over to the city; the Mount Zion building still is being used by the school division for storage.

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Dontaz Latray Wilkerson is found guilty May 13 of the August 2010 murder of 18-year-old TyQuan Lewis. He is eventually sentenced to 63 years in prison. Evidence presented during his trial shows he fired 15 shots at Lewis on Walnut Street, striking him in the neck. A co-defendant, Randy Sherrod Copeland, was acquitted of first-degree murder in December. Prosecutors failed to prove their allegation that he provided the weapon Wilkerson used.

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Nansemond River High School graduate Brandon Alexander Alston, 20, is the city’s only murder of the year (besides two murder/suicides) when he is shot in his home just after 11 p.m. on June 29. Police responding to gunshots found bullet holes through the door and Alston lying on the other side. No suspects have yet been arrested in his murder.

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City administrators on July 20 unveil a redistricting map that draws Councilman Leroy Bennett out of his own district. Redistricting was necessary because the city’s population rose nearly 33 percent between 2000 and 2010, mainly in the northern section of the city. Bennett and the Suffolk chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People propose their own maps; the city shoots them down, and City Council eventually votes — with only Bennett in opposition — to approve the city-drawn map. The plan still is awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Two separate lightning strikes in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge turned into the biggest wildfire in refuge history. The smoke was first reported on Aug. 4, and the fire had grown to 2,500 acres in only four days. The fire burned heavily throughout August until it finally was nearly extinguished by Hurricane Irene. Smoke from the blaze was reported as far away as Baltimore and caused “super-fog” in Suffolk, resulting in several car accidents. The conflagration was finally declared officially out on Nov. 21 after consuming nearly 6,400 acres.

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The U.S. Joint Forces Command officially dismantled in an Aug. 4 ceremony at the North Suffolk facility. The event was held about a year after the first rumors began flying that then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates had proposed the closure to save money. A massive effort by local, state and federal officials helped save many jobs there. The facility now is known as Joint and Coalition Warfighting and encompasses many of the same personnel and duties.

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Hurricane Irene bore down on the city on Aug. 27, bringing tropical storm-force winds for a full 24 hours and nearly a foot of rain in some places. Damage was caused to buildings across the city, and more than 26,000 customers lost power during the storm. Numerous streets were impassable, some for several days, because of tidal flooding, ponding of water in the road or downed trees and power lines. Total damage is estimated at $7.7 million. The hurricane came only four days after an earthquake shook the East Coast.

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The Tidewater Builders Association Fall Homearama once again chooses Suffolk for its home. Thousands of visitors tour the nine custom homes during the two-week event held Oct. 15-30. Seven of the homes were sold or under contract before the event ended.