Another year bites the dust…and with it goes all the people, events, and places that made the headlines. So, to bid 2009 farewell, “The Patriot” has compiled and ranked its picks for the top news topics of the year.
1. Barack Obama – It’s probably no surprise that Barack Obama made the top of our list. From his inauguration as the first African-American president to his Nobel Peace Prize win, the Democratic president was certainly a headline maker. After entering the White House in January, President Obama shook up the political agenda of the country, bringing to light economic and health care issues. However, according to rasmussenreports.com, only 25 percent of Americans “strongly approve” of Obama’s presidency.
2. Swine Flu – Starting in a small Mexican town back in April, the H1N1 virus launched itself into an international frenzy. Vice President Joe Biden mistakenly said on national morning television he would advise his family to avoid flying or being in confined spaces, while the European Union told Europeans to avoid travel to the United States. By November, vaccines were available, some of which were later determined not to be effective. Despite the frenzy, however, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said swine is no worse than the regular flu. And now, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are reporting a decline in the flu. According to the CDC, swine flu activity in Maryland is “local,” behind “regional” and “widespread.”
3. Health Care – As President Obama and his administration moved into their new digs in January, health care rose to the top of their to-do list. Both houses of Congress created their own versions of the health care bill. The House of Representatives version alone clocked in at 1,990 pages, according to politico.com. As three different proposals were created simultaneously, confusion sparked as to what the final health care bill would include. Republicans outraged at the bill vowed to voters that they would not allow it to pass. In the end, both the House and Senate passed their respective bills in December. The two bills have made their way to a joint committee, where they will later be combined by representatives from both houses.
4. Plane Scares – From a plane landing in the Hudson to a bomb scare on Christmas Day, the skies were certainly filled with drama this year. It all started in January with “The Miracle on the Hudson.” US Airways pilot Sully Sullenberger safely landed a Boeing 737 with 155 people on board in the Hudson River after the plane encountered engine problems. In February, a Colgan Air flight operating for Continental Airlines crashed near Buffalo, killing all 49 people on board and one on the ground. The skies remained relatively calm until June, when an Air France plane flying from Brazil suddenly crashed into the Atlantic off the Brazilian coast, killing all 228 passengers. The cause of the crash was never fully determined, as the flight data boxes were not recovered. Then just three days before Christmas, an American Airlines 737 overran the runway in Kingston, Jamaica, stopping just feet from the Caribbean Sea. Forty people on board were injured after the fuselage broke into three pieces. And, to round out the year, a Nigerian man aboard a flight to Detroit from Amsterdam on Christmas Day attempted to blow up the plane before landing. The explosive device failed, resulting in a fire on the alleged terrorist’s lap. Stricter security measures in the U.S. and around the world followed the incident.
5. Cheaters –The list this year included the usual politicians, athletes, and even comedian David Letterman. Politicians included John Edwards, who, as a result of his affair during his presidential campaign, has a child out of wedlock, and South Carolina governor John Sanford, who, while supposedly hiking the Appalachian Trail, flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina to be with his mistress. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was found cheating with pop-superstar Madonna, and huffingtonpost.com has confirmed 11 women that slept with professional golfer Tiger Woods.
Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at [email protected].