Albany's Major News of 2012: How Do You See It?

‘Tis the season of end of year stories. Year-end reviews. Top 5/6/10/20 news stories of the year. Highlights of the year. Biggest news/events/experiences of 2012. And so on.

Some lists cover the world (wars in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya; EU debt crisis & global recession), or the nation (Newtown, Aurora, Presidential election, Sandy), or the state (passage of Prop. 30, democratic supermajority, cap & trade). Others are topical: top sports stories, celebrity, science. 

What about here?

It feels like 2012 was a big year in Albany, by many measures. By wrenching heartbreak and shock. By contentious occupations of public land. By passionate elections. By long-awaited openings (pool), and frustrating closings (Ohlone Greenway).

Of course, subjectivity is at play in all of these lists. One person’s “major” is off the personal radar of another.

How do you see the community’s top news of the year? Anything like this?

• The suicide of popular Albany Middle School teacher which came after he was accused of sexual misconduct with a student.(The media attention to this, became its own big story, with varied and strong views of how such a sensitive incident should be covered.)
• And soon after, the apparent suicide of Albany High senior Cathy Qiu.
• The year started with the Marin Avenue skateboarding death of Tyler De Martini; a Berkeley resident with close ties in Albany and El Cerrito.
• Occupy the Farm at the UC-Berkeley owned Gill Tract, thrusting Albany into two national conversations, the “occupy movement” and urban ag. 
• The contentious including the pull-out of Whole Foods. A long planning process; still dangling.
• Robust driven in large part by everything on this list, and more.
• The opening of the new Albany Aquatic Center after several delays (and much ado about funding).
• Under construction: The  awkwardly redirecting traffic along the Ohlone Greenway, Albany’s major pedestrian-bike path. Completion is in the works, block by block. 
• Cell phone towers and the good or the bad of the city; specifically attempts to upgrade ATT’s service. Stay tuned.
• Alas, the departure of Albany Patch's founding editor, Emilie Raguso.

What's your take? 

These Albany Patch articles got more comments than any others in 2012:

• Nine Arrested After Early-Morning Police Raid at Gill Tract, 282
• Whole Foods Pulls Out of University Village Project, 277
• , 260
• University of California Files Lawsuit Against Alleged Occupy the Farm Members, 256
• Seven Students Suspended After Albany High Assault, 238
• , 214
• 'Occupy the Farm' Rally Draws Scores to Albany Library, 184
• Activist to UC Police: No Need to Escalate the Situation, 176
• Occupiers Take Over Gill Tract to Plant Urban Farm, 172
• 'C+' in Chemistry Leads To Lawsuit Against School District, 142