The Oregon Zoo will ring out 2011 in record fashion this weekend with the final nights of its best-attended ZooLights ever – and then ring in 2012 with a celebratory day of free admission on Monday, Jan. 2.

Heavy rains have temporarily closed Oxbow Regional Park.

The park, east of Gresham, hugs the Sandy River, which is quickly approaching road level in the area. The closure is expected to last until Saturday, when colder weather is forecast to turn the rain that's flooding the Sandy into snow that gradually melts.

You know it's been a busy year at Metro when a list of the Top 10 stories in regional governance has an urban growth boundary expansion at No. 6.

But 2011 was just that - a year of new faces, big decisions and even a bit of pop culture. Here's a look back at what made news at Metro in 2011.

For some people, taking transit is a choice; for others, it's a necessity. For Diana Mirkovic, transit provided the lifeline for making a fresh start some 5,800 miles from her home. Diana came to the Portland area in February 1996 with only her daughter, a few belongings and the desperation to put years of horror behind them.

With more than 185,000 visitors pouring through its gates so far this month, the Oregon Zoo is on the verge of an attendance milestone: Sometime before 8 p.m., the zoo expects to welcome its 50 millionth visitor since 1959, the year it moved to its Washington Park location.

Ready to step up your green game in 2012? Watch Metro recycling expert Betty Shelley as she walks KATU’s AM Northwest hosts through reuse and recycling options for items that might typically get thrown away.

News and blogosphere mentions for the week of Dec. 26, 2011

With a grant from Metro, the Community Cycling Center studied the cultural and socioeconomic barriers to bicycling in some of Portland’s poorer neighborhoods. Now, the center is using the study’s findings to leverage additional funding and roll through barriers to riding a bike.

A statement from the district attorney's office said there was no evidence of criminal intent on the part of the employee. An administrative investigation is ongoing by the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board.

Rodent feces can transmit some diseases and rats can bite people and damage structures. But beware of toxic baits, too.