The most-viewed stories on News 12 Hudson Valley and New 12 Westschester in 2022

Some stories on the minds of viewers included a deer inside a TJ Maxx store, the sudden death of a beloved pizzeria owner, and a tour of the Jehovah's Witnesses property where production studios are planned.

Below are the Top 5 most viewed stories on News12.com for 2022 from News 12 Westchester.

5 - Parents outraged by 'vulgar' sex education lesson in Croton-Harmon HS (June 14)

A lesson on sex education at Croton-Harmon High School was called vulgar and inappropriate by some parents back in June.

The controversary arose after a photo taken by a student in a health class for ninth and tenth graders began circulating among parents in the district. The photo showed a white board with a list of sex acts, some of which are expletives.

4 - Kirk Cameron requests to read controversial children's book at Scarsdale library (Dec. 28)

Famed 1980s child star turned author Kirk Cameron requested to read his controversial children's book in Scarsdale.

Cameron, the author of "As You Grow" and his publisher – Brave Publishing – had requested to rent a room to hold a story hour at Scarsdale Public Library on Dec. 30. This is not the first time his events have faced pushback.

3 - Eastchester father, owner of pizzerias suddenly dies at 52 (Dec. 27)

Mike Provenzale, 52, ran several pizzerias and delis in Westchester, including the Pizza Shop in Eastchester and Villagio Ristorante and Pizzeria in Pelham. He died suddenly at the end of December.

2 - Caught on video: Deer struggles inside Yonkers TJ Maxx store (Dec. 23)

Video from a last-minute holiday shopper showed a deer entering a Yonkers TJ Maxx Friday and having a rough time.

David Eisele says he was at the store in Ridge Hill to grab some stocking stuffers when he captured the moments a deer strolled in and then slipped around the glossy tile floors.

1 - Galleria at White Plains to close next March (Dec. 21)

The Galleria at White Plains, part of the downtown for over 40 years, will close next March, according to the mall's owners, Pacific Retail Capital Partners.

It comes one month after they announced they plan to redevelop the site into mixed-use commercial and residential space.

MORE: Most-viewed stories on News12.com around the tri-state

Below are the Top 5 most viewed stories on News12.com for 2022 from News 12 Hudson Valley.

5 - Newburgh woman calls on police to make an arrest after daughter allegedly drugged, left to die (June 30)

Myla Williams, 22, died on Oct. 23, 2020. She was allegedly with three men who gave her drugs inside their apartment on South William Street. Williams says her daughter called for help in the middle of the night from inside the men's apartment but hung up before she could say where she was.

4 - Undercover narcotics bust nabs nearly 40 alleged drug dealers, including Hudson Valley teacher (Sept. 28)

The evidence was seized in the Port Jervis-based operation authorities call "Operation Final Blow."

They say 16 search warrants were executed, and six people are facing drugs sales charges and 30 are facing conspiracy charges.

3 - News 12 tours Jehovah's Witnesses 249-acre property where massive production studios are planned (Dec. 6)

Jehovah's Witnesses world headquarters is doubling its size. Jehovah's Witnesses gave News 12 a tour of the 249-acre wooded property in Sloatsburg to show where they are planning to build their massive production studios.

2 - NYPD: Rockland County doctor found dead in NYC park with throat slashed (Dec. 24)

A Rockland County doctor was found dead in Harlem Park in New York City. He had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the park.

1 - Nonprofit: Body of missing woman found in car that was submerged in Orange County pond (Dec. 8)

A car with the body of a missing woman inside was found in an Orange County pond Thursday, according to a missing persons group. Nicole Brown, 45, went missing on Nov. 30. Her body was found a week later in a Goshen pond.

Editor's note: Top News 12 Westchester and News 12 Hudson Valley stories as of 12/30/22. Weather forecast and category pages were excluded from results to solely focus on story content.

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