Excitement is building in Hollywood in advance of Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. WestportNow contributing photographer Phyllis Groner was on the scene at The Hollywood and Highland Center (newly changed from The Kodak Theatre), home to the Oscars since 2002. It is located in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue adjacent to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, home to the Oscars ceremony in 1944-46. Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

The year 2011 in Westport was the busiest news year since WestportNow began publishing in 2003 and we were there every day, 24 hours a day, providing news and photos – many of them exclusive – to our readers. Click HERE for the year in review in pictures..

When a gunman killed a jeweler in December at his Post Road East business, WestportNow was first to break the news and publish pictures of the crime scene. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Snow, rain, winds, power outages, a successful hunt for a suspected killer, a devastating church fire, and the murder of a popular jeweler with his killer still on the loose brought readers in record numbers to WestportNow.

So many, in fact, that our servers strained under the load in the final two months of the year. November and December brought more than half a million page views each month and unique monthly visitors topped out at just under 82,000 as measured by third party media monitors.

The year 2011 also saw new features on WestportNow, including a weekly in-depth look at the real estate market – a popular subject among readers – and occasional views of events around the world through the eyes of contributing photographers, including riots in Athens, an art fair in Miami, political happenings in Hartford, and protests and concerts in New York.

We are deeply indebted to our contributing reporters and photographers and the hundreds of WestportNow readers who sent us their news and pictures to share with readers. We also thank our advertisers for their support—WestportNow is still the most cost-effective media buy in the market. We wish all of them and you a happy and healthy 2012.

For Westport, the year 2010 brought much news—storms and tragedies but also many times of joy and the breathtaking beauty. And WestportNow was there every day to document it all.
A traveler just off the train at Westport in May 2010 looks for a ride. It was not known why she was dressed in costume—a picture from WestportNow’s 2010 Year in Review. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

So once again, WestportNow presents as a New Year’s gift to our readers a review of the past year through the eyes of Westporters who contributed photos, video and illustrations to WestportNow in 2010. CLICK HERE

Dozens of persons contributed to WestportNow this year, and we are grateful for your help. Whenever you have a photo, video, or news item to share with your neighbors, send them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

We are pleased to continue to be your No. 1 online source for breaking and ongoing news coverage. Even though you now have more choices online, you continue to come to WestportNow in increasing numbers—just as you have every day since 2003.

We now average more than 400,000 page views a month and 55,000 unique visitors, making WestportNow the most cost-effective advertising medium in Westport. Please patronize our advertisers and spread the word about WestporNow.

We are grateful for your ongoing support and look forward to continue to serve Westport in 2011. Best New Year wishes!