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Patch Poll: You Pick the Top Stories of 2011
For the most part, this is what editors do at the end of the year. We'll let you decide: What stories do you think were "tops" in 2011?
Picking the "top" stories of the year is a fun exercise, but it's also challenging.
What qualifies as "tops," anyway?
Is it an event of historic significance? In that case, you might say the Blizzard of 2011 or the Delnor/DCH merger or the closing of the Fermillab Tevatron.
Is it the story that got the most national headlines and sound bites? Then the Karen Dobner campaign against synthetic drugs or the Geneva dance grinding stories might be among your top 10.
Is it the truly compelling story, like that of Randy Suchy, who drowned in an attempt to save two boys at the Geneva dam?
Or, if conflict is at the center of all storytelling, is it the cantankerous battles over fire pits, sandwich boards, School Board spending or the Kane County Board chairmanship?
I'm very curious to know what you think.
Below is the extraordinarily unscientific poll. I'll be posting my picks for the tops stories of the year, but honestly, who cares about that? Long gone are the days when folks blindly followed the newspaper editorial or political endorsement—indeed, if that day ever truly existed.
Rise up. State your case. And if you don't see the really big story on the list, let us know in the comments field. (The links are below, for your E-Z reference, and the poll is below that.)
- Store Closings: Mill Race Inn, Merra-Lee Shops Close Doors
- Property Taxes Rise as Economy Flounders
- Methane Gas Discovered Outside Settler's Hill Landfill
- Fermilab's Tevatron Shuts Down
- Max Dobner's Crash, Karen Dobner's Fight Against Pot Pourri
- Dance Grinding Grinds to a Halt
- Burns Vs. Lauzen for Kane County Board chair
- Blizzard of 2011
- Incumbents Hold Serve in Spring Elections
- Armed Robbery Spree at End of the Year
- Lip Dubs and Flash Mobs Rule
- Big Changes at Geneva History Center
- The Fire Pits of Hell
- FACTS Vs. School Board
- Delnor Merges With Central DuPage
- Northern Illinois Food Bank Moves In
- Water/Sewer Rates Rise
- Man Drowns Saving Kids in Fox
- Sandwich Boards
- Bed and Breakfast
- Structure Fire at Delnor Hospital
- Celebrity Sightings: Russell Crowe in Batavia, Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron in Geneva
- Adult Faces Charges After Underage Drinking Party
- Threat made to St. Peter School
Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.
Betty Collins
8:50 pm on Thursday, December 29, 2011
These stories are all very important ones, each for different reasons & in different catagories. Great picks.
Mike
11:30 am on Friday, December 30, 2011
The economic condition of our cities, county, state and country are very important.
Everytime we turn around, take a breath or scratch our head we are getting hit over the head with another frivilous "brainchild" and/or another TAX INCREASE.
Where does it end? Property taxes? Sin Tax? etc., etc., etc.
Tax Facts regardless of their approach is doing the right thing by keeping the SB's feet to the Fire. If they didn't, how long would it take before no one and I mean no one would notice where 70% of your Property Taxes go and how it is being spent/mis-spent by the SB?
Kudo's to Bob and Rich for their constant, knowledgable and persistent pressure.
My vote goes to (TaxFacts) FACTS vs School board.
Amazing how most citizens "scream and hollar" when their Property Tax come due but can't take the time to spend even one night at a School Board meeting. Get involved or "ZIP IT"!