1) Obama Victorious It happened everywhere, but it was especially fun here. See “Top 10 State Stories.”
2) Ott Ascends The new city manager was his own story and the end of an era: Toby Futrell’s. See “Top 10 City Council Stories.”
3) Mansion Burns We were so used to seeing it, we can’t believe it’s gone. See “Top 10 Public-Safety Stories.”
4) Budget Tanks With the foundering economy, Austin teeters, especially at City Hall. See “Top 10 City Council Stories.”
5) Lege Scrambled Dems made new gains, and Speaker Tom Craddick watches his back. See “Top 10 State Stories.”
6) Statesman Shingled What if they put up a “For Sale” sign, and nobody’s buying? See “Media Watch.”
7) Bush Bushed Crawling back to Texas, Crawford calls him home. See “Top 10 State Stories.”
8) Women Rising Who you gonna call? District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg or Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr? See “Top 10 Public-Safety Stories.”
9) Enviro Alerts Good news: new energy initiatives and single-stream recycling. Bad news: Solid Waste bungling and implacable drought. See “Top 10 Environmental Stories.”
10) Domain Defended A bitter rhetorical battle ended in a draw: The deal stayed a deal, but council nixed future retail subsidies. See “Top 10 Developing Stories.”
This article appears in 2008.