What a year for news! There were heartbreaking stories, those that inspired us and ones that left us shaking our heads.
A college student lost several limbs, but fought to live after an unthinkable disease did its best to take her life. Aimee Copeland, however, proved she was a fighter. For Roswell’s “Chicken Man,” 2012 was the year the fight was over. And a popular television news anchor made headlines of her own.
Those were just some of the thousands of stories that pulled in readers to ajc.com during 2012. Readers also had photo galleries, blog posts and editorial cartoons right at their fingertips. Here's a look at the top 10 stories of the year on ajc.com, based solely on page views, which help us gauge the popularity of our web pages:
10. The Rev. Creflo Dollar accused of assaulting daughter: Supporters quickly came to his defense when the head of World Changers Church International in College Park was arrested in June for allegedly chocking and slapping his 15-year-old daughter.
“I want you to hear it personally from me: All is well in the Dollar household,” the minister told his congregation. “A family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional. Things escalated from there.”
9. France’s Hollande makes his debut: France’s new leader, Francois Hollande, made his debut on the international stage at the Group of Eight summit at Camp David and at the NATO summit in Chicago in May. (Editor’s note: This was an Associated Press story that appeared on ajc.com and was then linked on many other news sites.)
8. Aimee Copeland fights for her life: Hers was a story that terrified and then inspired readers. The University of West Georgia graduate student was on a zip-lining outing with friends in May and ended up in a fight for her life. She lost a leg, foot and both hands after contracting a deadly flesh-eating bacteria. By August, she was back home in Snellville.
7. Wreck kills wife of Braves trainer: Jeff Porter and his family were headed to the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl when their SUV was struck by a Georgia State Patrol trooper rushing to a chase on I-20. Kathy Porter, 54, died at the scene. Days later, Trooper Donald Crozier was fired.
6. Usher's stepson critically injured at Lake Lanier: Kile Glover, the 11-year-old son of the R&B singer's former wife, Tameka Foster Raymond, was was run over by a personal watercraft while riding on an inner tube. Kile died two weeks later.
5. Voters reject transportation tax: Metro Atlantans love to complain about traffic. But when given the chance to approve a 10-year, 1 percent sales tax, voters said "no thanks" in July. Business leaders had pushed the $7.2 billion plan as being essential to the region's future growth.
4. Couple held at gunpoint, arrested after buying home: Home, sweet home it wasn't for a couple who bought a Newton County home in April. Jean-Joseph and Angelica Kalonji had just closed on a foreclosed home in Porterdale when they were greeted by neighbors aiming semi-automatic rifles. Robert Canoles and his teenage son Branden said they thought the couple were robbers and held them at gunpoint until sheriff's deputies arrived. . The couple spent a night in jail, but charges were later dropped. Their two new neighbors were charged.
3. News anchor arrested on DUI charges: Amanda Davis, a longtime anchor for WAGA, was arrested in November after allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and striking another car as she drove on the wrong side of Piedmont Avenue. The wrong-way crash left the driver of the other vehicle hospitalized.
2. Home of "chicken man" explodes: Andrew Wordes, who had fought Roswell city leaders for years over his right to keep chickens in his backyard, was going to be evicted from his home in May. Instead of letting that happen, authorities said Wordes leveled his house in an explosion that rocked his quiet neighborhood, killing himself. . Here's a timeline of events that lead to his death.
1. Alleged shoplifter dies at Walmart: A suspected shoplifter died after being subdued by two store employees and a security officer in the parking lot of a Walmart in DeKalb County. Police, who found the trio on top of the man, said it appeared he'd stolen two DVD players.
