With the end of the year only a few days away I was wondering what you considered the top news story of this year to be.

In compiling this (short) list I tried to consider which stories affected most of us, and which stories held our interest the most.

If you choose the "Other" option please include a short description in a reply.

Thanks.

The Iraqi War. Saddam's capture is really just part of that story.

All of those were pretty significant except the recall for me. I had to pick Saddam though because his reign of evil is finally over. My dad knows a restaurant owner here in saskatoon who used to cook for Saddam in one of his palaces. Saddam would make him taste the food before he would it. And he said that one day a woman came in pleading and crying for her husband, so he said okay here have him. Then some people gave her her husband chobbed up in a bag. i could list several things hes done that you all know of. i'm glad he has finally came to an end.

I said the capture of Sadamm. I dont really think we know yet the impact that will have. While it was very great, I believe it will lead to a whole shrew of new terrorism, but it still had to be done.

I voted for the war. It occupied the news for a long period of time -and still does- and there was very dramatic TV coverage. Our local newspaper prints the "Honor Roll" everyday (those soldiers who have lost there lives in Iraq.) Its a reminder everyday of the price that's paid for the war. The Honor Roll includes photos and stories of the soldiers. I read a few, but mostly I skip that page as its too sad. The continued war has had the most profound affect on me of the ones you list. Saddam's capture is just another event in the sequence of the war.

but that war was coming no matter what and we knew it. Saddam's capturing was breaking news, so I guess it had a bigger impact on me.

for me personal, being a Dutchman, the biggest news of 2003 was the birth of Amalia, the first child of our crown prince; our future queen! the whole country went nuts.

and of course Holland qualifying for Euro2004 - but that's soccer and I'll leave you Americans out of this

I went with the war in Iraq also. I agree with PLaw, that the capture of Sadam is only a part of it. Hopefully, next year at this time, there won't be a war any longer. However, I seriously doubt that will be the case.


TIS

Most definatley the war. Even if you turn off the TV and try to ignore the whole situation....you still end up hearing about it.

The runnerup would definatley be the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Columbia. I live close to Johnson Space Center in Texas. The community took it rather hard, because that area of Houston takes great pride in NASA. Many people work for Nasa and it's contractors (Lockheed Martin and Boeing) And many astronauts (including former astronauts Neil Armstrong and Micheal Collins as well as astronauts on Columbia) live/or formerly lived in the area. I will always remember going to the gate of Johnson Space Center and adding some flowers to the makeshit memorial. And I also remember people crying, putting up signs of respect, lighting candles,as well as the presence of the media for a couple of weeks after the event. The tragedies of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia will never be forgotten.

I choosed the war on Iraq. it was no doubt the most debated subject of the year, including all that followed and preceded it, like the debates on the UN, all the talks about George Bush and the capture of Saddam

The Blackout as it affected me more personally, I don't mean to sound selfish, but as of right now it felt the biggest news story for me. I consider the Iraqi war a big news story, but it didn't directyl affect me on the home front I admit and I remember and experinced the black out first hand.

Wow! The Blackout must have sucked. I remember seeing all the New Yorkers and such on TV when that happened. That must have been crazy.

The biggest event for me is the blackout. it not as important as the war. But lets face it, the war was a slam dunk win. Iraq did not have a chance. However, I am worried about Korea failing to turn over their WMD.

"war is a big expense"---Sollozo

I remember the black out. I was home alone, and I turned on the car radio and heard nothing but static and wierd noises. I was sure that there was a huge attack or something. Turned out that my radio was broken. Thank god that was it.

I picked the Shuttle Columbia crashing because that was on the news for months and months. That's all they could talk about. When I first heard about it, I thought, "Who cares? Don't thinks like this happen all the time?" I found out it was the first in a long time. -Pat

The blackout was crazy...Trying to get home, took like 7 hours. All I kept saying is, please let me get home before they start shooting and looting. The next weekend Times Square was back to normal.

Damn, 7 hours to get home? I assume it was because all the traffic lights were out? That certainly is nuts.

The war on Iraq.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought the Blackout was a top news story of 2003.

I chose the war in Iraq.

The birthday of the new princess in Holland. The second in the row of the trone.