2009 Top 10 Utah stories
December not only brings traditions of holiday celebrations, but the annual Deseret News' contest inviting readers to pick Utah's Top 10 stories of the year.
In the last 12 months, there have been plenty of choices, with 21 nominations culled from the headlines.
Readers tested their own news judgment against the newspaper's editors by ranking the stories they believed were the biggest of the year in Utah. Readers whose Top 10 picks matched closest with the choices of the Deseret News editors are the winners of the contest. Contest entries were first tested to see how many of the choices were in the editors' top ten. Then the lists were compared with the editors' rankings for exact matches.
Results for other years: 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
2009 winners
1 |
Chris Thomas |
2 |
Doug Mumford |
3 |
Bryan Duncan |
4 |
Jordan Rasmussen |
5 |
Howard M. Fish |
6 |
Jamie Duncan |
7 |
Tyler Bailey |
8 |
Joe Hadfield |
9 |
nathan miller |
10 |
B Hunt |
Deseret News editors' top 10 stories for 2009
1 |
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. resigns to become ambassador to China. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, largely unknown in the state outside of political circles, takes over as governor. |
2 |
The LDS Church throws its support behind Salt Lake City ordinances that make it illegal to fire people from a job or evict them from an apartment because of their sexual orientation. Gay-rights groups stage a "kiss-ins" series around church temples in Utah and elsewhere to protest the church's support of a California proposition that banned gay marriage. |
3 |
Utah Jazz owner and businessman Larry H. Miller, 64, dies of complications from diabetes. |
4 |
Elizabeth Smart testifies for first time about her 2002 abduction as competency hearings are renewed for Brian David Mitchell, her accused kidnapper. Wanda Barzee, the woman charged with helping keep the teenager in captivity, pleads guilty and agrees to testify against Mitchell. |
5 |
The unemployment rate in Utah hits 6.5 percent in October, nearly double the 3.5 percent rate in October of 2008. |
6 |
Utah upsets Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, finishes season ranked No. 2 nationally and is the only undefeated team not invited to play in national championship, spurring controversy and congressional hearings about fairness of BCS system. |
7 |
A looming $850 million budget deficit, which some say could reach $1 billion, forces state agencies to cut back on everything from education to human services to prisons and state parks. |
8 |
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and the Utah Legislature change the state's liquor laws by breaking up a 40-year old private club system that made getting inside a bar without a membership difficult. |
9 |
Swine flu arrives in Utah as health officials scramble to distribute a limited number of vaccines. Deaths totaled 23 as of Nov. 29. |
10 |
Real Salt Lake wins the MLS Cup. It is the first major professional sports championship won by a team from Utah in almost 40 years. |
Contest respondents' top 10 stories for 2009
1 |
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. resigns to become ambassador to China. Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, largely unknown in the state outside of political circles, takes over as governor. |
2 |
Utah upsets Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, finishes season ranked No. 2 nationally and is the only undefeated team not invited to play in national championship, spurring controversy and congressional hearings about fairness of BCS system. |
3 |
Utah Jazz owner and businessman Larry H. Miller, 64, dies of complications from diabetes. |
4 |
Elizabeth Smart testifies for first time about her 2002 abduction as competency hearings are renewed for Brian David Mitchell, her accused kidnapper. Wanda Barzee, the woman charged with helping keep the teenager in captivity, pleads guilty and agrees to testify against Mitchell. |
5 |
The LDS Church throws its support behind Salt Lake City ordinances that make it illegal to fire people from a job or evict them from an apartment because of their sexual orientation. Gay-rights groups stage a "kiss-ins" series around church temples in Utah and elsewhere to protest the church's support of a California proposition that banned gay marriage. |
6 |
Swine flu arrives in Utah as health officials scramble to distribute a limited number of vaccines. Deaths totaled 23 as of Nov. 29. |
7 |
A looming $850 million budget deficit, which some say could reach $1 billion, forces state agencies to cut back on everything from education to human services to prisons and state parks. |
8 |
Real Salt Lake wins the MLS Cup. It is the first major professional sports championship won by a team from Utah in almost 40 years. |
9 |
The unemployment rate in Utah hits 6.5 percent in October, nearly double the 3.5 percent rate in October of 2008. |
10 |
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and the Utah Legislature change the state's liquor laws by breaking up a 40-year old private club system that made getting inside a bar without a membership difficult. |
Stories are given 10 for a No. 1 ranking, 9 for No. 2 and so on, down to 1 for a 10th place ranking.
(First place votes in parentheses)