Originally Published Thursday, December 27, 2001

Pick the top ten Record stories of 2001

Which stories were big news for you in 2001? Please number your top choices, 1 to 10, and mail to Assistant Metro Editor Dana Nichols, The Record, P.O. Box 900, Stockton, CA 95201 or e-mail to: Top10@recordnet.com, or vote on the ballot posted at www.recordnet.com. Ballots must be received by Monday.

On New Years Day, The Record will publish an overview of the paper's top stories of 2001 as chosen by top Record editors as well as a list of the top stories as chosen by readers.  

AIRLINE SERVICE: Stockton gets America West airline service.
CARPENTER ROAD KILLINGS: In May, Roger Johnson kills three children and their grandmother on Carpenter Road, then commits suicide a few days later on top of his wife's grave in a Lodi cemetery.
CENSUS: The new census shows dramatic population growth in San Joaquin County and triggers political redistricting, carving Stockton and the county into several Assembly and Congressional districts.
CHILDREN'S SHELTER: Report after report finds that the county-run Mary Graham Hall Children's Shelter is plagued by violence, runaways,vandalism and mismanagement.
CONDIT/LEVY AFFAIR: A relationship between Congressman Gary Condit and a former intern comes to light after her disappearance.
CRASH KILLS FOUR: Jamil Howard, 18, a Franklin High School student, kills four people when runs a stop sign in a stolen truck only a few blocks from the school.
DARBY FIRE: The Darby Fire burns 14,000 acres, cuts water to Angels Camp.
DIRTY AIR: A special report in July reveals that Valley air pollution is making kids sick, although technology and
regulations promise to eventually clean the air.
DOWNTOWN: A new waterfront plaza opens at the head of the Stockton Deep Water Channel, work proceeds to prepare a site for a new movie theater, and bat infestations and code crackdowns displace low-income residents from downtown hotels.
ENERGY: California's energy crisis brings outages, worries, and higher prices.
GONZALEZ/MOLINA SHOOTINGS: Ramiro Gonzalez Jr. and Jeanette Molina are arrested on murder charges after a shooting spree in which Gonzalez's father and a girlfriend are shot and his girlfriend's mother is shot and killed.
LODI SHOOTOUT: Jacob Torres is shot and critically wounded in a gun battle with police after he shot an officer in the leg and threatened several others during a car chase that was broadcast live
LOGGING: Federal officials release a plan for managing area forests while Sierra Pacific Industries modifies its logging plans in an attempt to appease outraged environmentalists and residents.
MANTECA BASEBALL: Manteca moves forward with plans to allow Big League Dreams to run a for-profit baseball complex within a city park.
MUSLIMS: San Joaquin County Muslims suffer fear and suspicion in the wake of terrorist attacks and a new war in Afghanistan.
RECESSION: As the economy goes into recession, local and state governments face a downturn in revenues and consider various local tax proposals and ballot measures.
RETAIL CHANGES: Retailers come and go in San Joaquin County as House2Home opens in Stockton and closes, Stockton gets a new Cost Plus store, and Lowe's announces it will come to Lodi.
SERIAL-KILLING CONVICTIONS: Childhood friends Wesley Shermantine Jr. and Loren Herzog are convicted murdering a number of people over several decades.
STOCKTON BASEBALL: Proposals for a new Stockton baseball stadium die and revive while the city's minor league team changes its name from the Mudville Nine back to the Stockton Ports.
TERRORISM: San Joaquin County residents respond to the Sept. 11 attacks, mourning the dead, rallying around the flag, and raising funds for victims.
UOP: University of the Pacific celebrates its 150th anniversary and brings a series of world-class speakers to town.
UTILITY TAX: Stockton's City Council grudgingly agrees to put a measure on the ballot that would cut the city's utility tax after tax reformers threatened to push forward a much more drastic proposal.
WENDLAND RIGHT TO DIE CASE: Robert Wendland, a man with severe brain injuries who spent eight years in a state somewhere between consciousness and coma, died of pneumonia July 17. In August, the California Supreme Court sides with Wendland's mother, who argued against Wendland's wife's request to remove his feeding tube.