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POLL: Top 10 news stories of 2011
The killing of Osama bin Laden during a raid by Navy SEALs on his hideout in Pakistan was the top news story of 2011, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. Here are 2011's top 10 stories, in order, along with a poll for you to cast your vote on the biggest story of the year.
Osama bin Laden's death
He'd been the world's most-wanted terrorist for nearly a decade, ever since a team of his al-Qaida followers carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In May, the long and often-frustrating manhunt ended with a nighttime assault by a helicopter-borne special operations squad on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was shot dead by one of the raiders, and within hours his body was buried at sea. Japan's triple disaster
A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeast coast in March unleashed a tsunami that devastated scores of communities, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and wreaking an estimated $218 billion in damage. The tsunami triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl after waves knocked out the cooling system at a nuclear power plant, causing it to spew radiation that turned up in local produce. About 100,000 people evacuated from the area have not returned to their homes. Arab Spring
It began with demonstrations in Tunisia that rapidly toppled the longtime strongman. Spreading like a wildfire, the Arab Spring protests sparked a revolution in Egypt that ousted Hosni Mubarak, fueled a civil war in Libya that climaxed with Moammar Gadhafi's death, and fomented a bloody uprising in Syria against the Assad regime. Bahrain and Yemen also experienced major protests and unrest. EU fiscal crisis
The European Union was wracked by relentless fiscal turmoil. In Greece, austerity measures triggered strikes, protests and riots, while Italy's economic woes toppled Premier Silvio Berlusconi. France and Germany led urgent efforts to ease the debt crisis; Britain balked at proposed changes. U.S. economy
By some measures, the U.S. economy gained strength as the year progressed. Hiring picked up a bit, consumers were spending more, and the unemployment rate finally dipped below 9 percent. But millions of Americans remained buffeted by foreclosures, joblessness and benefit cutbacks, and investors were on edge monitoring the chain of fiscal crises in Europe. Penn State sex abuse scandal
One of America's most storied college football programs was tarnished in a scandal that prompted the firing of Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno. One of his former assistants, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of sexually molesting 10 boys; two senior Penn State officials were charged with perjury; and the longtime president was ousted. Paterno wasn't charged, but expressed regret he didn't do more after being told there was a problem. Gadhafi toppled in Libya
After nearly 42 years of mercurial and often brutal rule, Moammar Gadhafi was toppled by his own people. Anti-government protests escalated into an eight-month rebellion, backed by NATO bombing, that shattered his regime, and Gadhafi finally was tracked down and killed in the fishing village where he was born. Fiscal showdown in Congress
Partisan divisions in Congress led to several showdowns on fiscal issues. A fight over the debt ceiling prompted Standard & Poor's to strip the U.S. of its AAA credit rating. Later, the so-called "supercommittee" failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion — potentially triggering automatic spending cuts of that amount starting in 2013. Occupy Wall Street protests
It began Sept. 17 with a protest at a New York City park near Wall Street, and within weeks spread to scores of communities across the U.S. and abroad. The movement depicted itself as leaderless and shied away from specific demands, but succeeded in airing its complaint that the richest 1 percent of Americans benefit at the expense of the rest. As winter approached, local police dismantled several of the protest encampments. Gabrielle Giffords shot
The popular third-term congresswoman from Arizona suffered a severe brain injury when she and 18 other people were shot by a gunman as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket in January. Six people died, and Giffords' painstaking recovery is still in progress. Cast your vote |
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VIDEO: 'Ring of fire' solar eclipse
The solar eclipse that took place Sunday evening was an annular eclipse, one in which the moon blocks almost all of the sun. Some of the best viewing was in Asia, as with this video filmed in Japan.
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VIDEO: Suspected TB case at Woodrow Wilson
A suspected case of tuberculosis at Woodrow Wilson Middle School has prompted free testing next week for students and staff at the east side Terre Haute school. Testing is not mandatory and parental permission is required for students.
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AUDIO: Sidewalk Prophets singer discusses Terre Haute boyhood, and Saturday's concert
Terre Haute native Dave Frey leads his Dove Award-winning band, Sidewalk Prophets, into a 7 p.m. Saturday concert at his hometown church, Maryland Community Church, joining opening performers Justin Hoeppner and Josh Wilson.
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Video: President Obama endorses same-sex marriage
A day after an amendment banning gay marriage passed in North Carolina, President Barack Obama tells ABC News that he believes same-sex couples should be able to get married.
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Viral video: Family sings 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on way to school
One dad starts the weekdays off right by staging a sing-along to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" with his three kids during their morning ride to school.
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PHOTO TRIBUTE: 100 years of baseball at Fenway Park
This year Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, celebrates its 100th anniversary as America's oldest Major League stadium -- and the setting for some of baseball's greatest players, historic wins and crushing losses. That sacred magic is captured in two exhibits at the 20-year-old Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, a Boston suburb.
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VIDEO: Lightning illuminates tornado as it hits Okla. town
The assistant editor from the Woodward News in Oklahoma captured this video as a tornado touched down early Sunday morning, killing five people and injuring dozens more.
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VIDEO: Tales of survival from Woodward's deadly tornado
Stirring stories of survival are emerging from Woodward's tornado, but none was more compelling than that of an 87-year-old widow who escaped unscathed by hiding in her bedroom closet while her house exploded around her. Sixty-five years earlier she survived Oklahoma's deadliest tornado, one that killed 116 of her neighbors, by hiding under a dining room table.
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He is Risen
An onerous cross dragged along the ground, as a bloodied man portraying Jesus hauled it uphill to the site of his own crucifixion.
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Viral video: Rain delay antics at college baseball game
Fans aren't the only ones who get bored during rain delays in college baseball -- the players do too. But the teams from the Southern Miss and Ole Miss found some creative ways to pass the time this week during an extended delay at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
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VIDEO: Texas tornado tosses truck trailers
A TV station helicopter captured amazing video of a Dallas-area tornado picking up truck trailers and tossing them hundreds of feet in the air. A powerful storm system caused several reported tornadoes across north Texas on Tuesday.
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7 reasons why 'Hunger Games' slays 'Twilight'
The next great young-adult movie franchise is already giving some sparkly, angst-ridden vampires a run for their money. Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" book trilogy has already caught fire among a wider demographic of readers, and the movie – that opened Friday, March 23 -- was poised to break opening weekend records set by "Twilight."
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SLIDESHOW: Peyton Manning through the years
Peyton Manning's storied career with the Colts is over. Take a look back at some of the legendary quarterback's most memorable moments in this photo gallery.
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VIDEO: Mending Broken Hearts
Regina Nieft calmly entered Union Hospital early Thursday, confident and hopeful that the complicated cardiac surgery scheduled for most of the day would improve and extend her life.
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VIDEO: 5 vehicles in Tuesday morning crash
Six people suffered injuries on Tuesday morning in a fiery five-vehicle crash that featured what a witness called an amazing, selfless rescue of one driver who was trapped in a car after it was struck from behind at a Terre Haute intersection.
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VIDEO: New display at Historical Society looks back at golden days of radio in Wabash Valley
You can almost hear the nostalgic sounds of radio broadcasts long past in newest exhibit on display at the Vigo County Historical Society.
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VIDEO: On the Banks of the Wabash far away …
Paul Dresser left Terre Haute a niche in history.
Opportunism, squabbling and fading memories gradually washed that gift away, like the unending flow of the Wabash River he immortalized in song.
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VIDEO: Social media command center helps Super Bowl visitors
Indianapolis is the first Super Bowl host city to utilize the power of Twitter and other social media to help football fans get the most out of football's biggest event.
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VIDEO: Steve Weatherford homecoming
The only three New York Giants players who touched the football on a field goal that propelled their team into Sunday’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots visited Terre Haute North Vigo High School Tuesday — where a throng of Patriots cheered for the Giants.
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VIDEO: Tavern in Colts country welcomes Pats fans
The Super Bowl host city loves its Colts and loves to hate the archrival Patriots. But a bar on the doorstep of Lucas Oil Stadium stands out as a geographic anomaly.
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SLIDESHOW: Super Bowl Media Day
Thousands of fans and members of the press turned out in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI Media Day.
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SLIDESHOW: Giants arrive in Indianapolis
The New York Giants arrived in Indianapolis Monday to begin preparations for their matchup with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
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SLIDESHOW: Week-long Super Bowl celebration begins
Football fans descend on Super Bowl Village in downtown Indianapolis in advance of Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.
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SLIDESHOW: Patriots best Ravens in AFC Championship
The Patriots defeat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in the AFC Championship game, securing a spot in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants.
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VIDEO/POLL: Websites go dark in protest of anti-piracy bill
Dozens of internet websites – from web resources like Wikipedia to online communities like Reddit – went dark Wednesday in protest of a bill in Congress that aims to stop online piracy.
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VIDEO: Total-ly In: Education students ‘totally immersed in the schools’
Kayla Blackburn stood in front of the fourth grade classroom with a book clasped in her hands.
“I am excited to see what happens next because I have never read this story before,” said the senior elementary and special education major from Carmel. “Fingers up, on the first word. I’m going to start reading, then I’ll take volunteers.”
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VIDEO: Building trades may be cut from right-to-work bill
A conservative Republican lawmaker will push to exempt 15 building trade unions from a controversial labor bill that would put an end to mandatory union dues.
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VIDEO: 4 Indiana Guard soldiers’ bodies return to homeland
The bodies of four members of an Indiana National Guard unit killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan have been returned to the United States. The father of the only survivor of the roadside bombing says his son is in a drug-induced coma at a Virginia hospital.
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VIDEO: 2012 Indiana General Assembly: Right-to-work and GOP are back, but most Democrats stay away as session opens
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels rolled back new Statehouse security rules aimed at limiting the number of protesters in the building as a contentious legislative session got underway Wednesday.
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SLIDESHOW: Feed the birds
Bill Cardwell loaded another bag of nyjer seed into his shopping cart on a recent afternoon in Rural King. He has purchased 300 pounds of seed so far this winter to keep his five finch feeders filled. Meanwhile, Eric Parker and his stepson, Alex Lugiewicz, recently filled bird feeders behind their home near Carbon. Parker said he bought and fed about 1,000 pounds of bird feed last year, but due to higher prices has had to cut back a little this year.
Photos by Tribune-Star photographer Jim Avelis
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