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As 2014 comes to a close, USA TODAY revisits one story from each state — the big news, the best investigations and the moments we still can't stop talking about.(Photo: Composite by Tory Hargro, USA TODAY)
When the year ends, we reflect. We look back at the stories that changed the national conversation, the people who inspired us, the painful events we bore witness to, and the shifts in public opinion that showed us how America is evolving on issues both big and small.
As 2014 comes to a close, USA TODAY revisits one story from each state — the big news, the best investigations and the moments we still can't stop talking about.
Alabama: 5-year-old fan sends $1 allowance to help save UAB football
When 5-year-old Ohio State fan Bennett Williams found out that the University of Alabama at Birmingham would be shutting down its football program, he asked his parents how much money the university needed to keep it running. Bennett decided to write a note and send it to UAB, and he included his dollar allowance to help keep the Blazers on the field. The UAB athletics department sent Bennett a few gifts for his amazing act of kindness.
Alaska: The Palin family brawl
It was a birthday party gone bad, starring former governor Sarah Palin and her family. According to reports, the clan got into a big fight at a party in Anchorage, and Palin was even said to have screamed, "Don't you know who I am!?" In October, Radar Online and Extra unearthed what they say is the police recording from the scene. Listen for yourself. Palin eventually addressed the brawl on Facebook, pointing us to her daughter Bristol's version of what went down. Bristol said someone messed with her little sister.
Sarah Palin and her family were at a birthday party gone bad in Anchorage.(Photo: Saul Young, AP)
Arizona: Dreamers get to drive
The courts ruled and on Dec. 22 the Arizona Department of Transportation began accepting driver's license applications from young undocumented immigrants known as "dreamers" who qualify under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Gov. Jan Brewer had fought to keep driver's licenses out of the hands of dreamers since August 2012, when she issued an executive order denying licenses to anyone approved for President Obama's program.
Dreamers wait in line at the Motor Vehicle Division office in Maryvale, Ariz., on Dec. 22.(Photo: Mark Henle, The Arizona Republic)
More from Arizona: Veterans health care controversy began with whistle-blower allegations in Phoenix VA hospital
Arkansas: Voter ID law struck down
It was unanimous. The Arkansas Supreme Court in October declared the state's voter-identification law unconstitutional. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Arkansas Public Law Center had filed suit on behalf of four voters who argued that the photo ID requirement would disenfranchise them. The justices ruled that Act 595, which required voters to show government-issued photo identification, "imposes a requirement that falls outside" the four qualifications outlined in the state constitution.
"Please Have Photo ID Ready" signs greet Arkansas voters during the May 5 primary election.(Photo: Danny Johnston, AP)
California: Storms put dent in state's drought
NASA has said that about 11 trillion gallons of water is needed to end the historic drought in California. That's about 130,000 Rose Bowls full of water. Storms this December offered some relief, but they weren't nearly enough to end the multiyear drought. After the storms, the percentage of the state in the worst drought category — "exceptional" drought — dropped from 55% to 32%. That's the state's lowest percentage in six months.
More from California: Steve Ballmer buys Los Angeles Clippers from Donald Sterling; 'Six Californias' fails to make California ballot
People use kayaks and a canoe to make their way around a flooded parking lot at a shopping center on Dec. 11 in Healdsburg, Calif.(Photo: Eric Risberg, AP)
Colorado: Lighting up the new year
Jan. 1 brought the first sales of legal recreational marijuana to Colorado and the state hasn't looked back. Three more states have now either begun or approved recreational sales, and tens of millions of dollars in new tax money is flowing into Colorado's coffers. The fast-growing industry in 2014 struggled to manage the vast piles of cash it's been generating, and state regulators clamped down on the popular pot-infused candies and treats known as edibles.
Connecticut: Sandy Hook killer carefully planned attack
It's been two years since the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., shook the nation to its core. A Connecticut agency investigating the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre issued a report in November that found the killer, Adam Lanza, did not "snap" but was obsessed with mass murder and had carefully planned the attack. Lanza, 20, killed his mother at their home on the morning of Dec. 14, then went to the school he had once attended and gunned down 20 children and six staff members before killing himself.
This undated identification photo provided by Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Conn., shows former student Adam Lanza.(Photo: Western Connecticut State University via AP)
Delaware: Beauty queen dethroned for being too old
Here's your dose of Miss America drama. A new Miss Delaware was crowned in June after the one selected earlier that month got the boot — for being too old. Brittany Lewis, 24, originally the contest's first runner-up as Miss Wilmington, got the sparkly crown lost by Amanda Longacre, who was also 24 when she competed. The Miss America Organization website says contestants must be 17 to 24 years old. Longacre was stripped of her crown because she was turning 25 in October. In July, Longacre sued the state and national scholarship pageant organizations.
Former Miss Delaware, Amanda Longacre, was stripped of her crown and has "lost everything." Longacre will turn 25 in October and Miss America contestants must be between 17 and 24 years old. She is preparing to fight back to regain her title. VPC
Florida: Jeb Bush may ask you to extend his family's presidential dynasty
The Republican establishment likely has its first candidate for 2016. Jeb Bush made a surprise announcement this December that he will "actively explore" a 2016 presidential bid, giving his strongest signal yet about wanting to follow his father and brother to the White House (see how "actively explore" became the new "conscious uncoupling"). Bush was Florida's governor from 1999 to 2007.
More from Florida: Officials propose making 'South Florida' 51st state; Red-light camera abuses exposed
Georgia: Father indicted for murder in son's hot-car death
Immediately after Georgia dad Justin Harris left his 22-month-old son in a hot car, where he died, people rallied around him. But then evidence started mounting that Harris may have actually left his son in the sealed car on purpose. Police found that Harris, 33, and his wife had researched hot car deaths and had two life insurance policies out on their son. In September, Harris was indicted for murder. His trial is scheduled to begin next month.
Justin Ross Harris is seen here with his son.(Photo: VPC)
Hawaii: Lava flow is slow-motion horror story
Imagine you're kicking back at home and someone tells you that 2,000-degree Fahrenheit lava is flowing toward your house. That's been Hawaii's reality this year. Molten lava emerged from a vent in the Kilauea volcano in June, and a long stretch of the flow began slowly moving toward the town of Pahoa, in a rural region of the Big Island of Hawaii. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. In late October, the lava crossed a country road at the edge of town, covering a cemetery and claiming a home. Now, the lava is headed for a shopping center.
Lava that was filling the driveway of a Hawaii trash transfer station has stopped. Hawaii County Civil Defense officials said Friday that a breakout of the lava flow near the transfer station was no longer active. (Nov. 14) AP
Idaho: The saga of Bowe Bergdahl
It was a roller coaster of emotions in Hailey, Idaho. On May 31, the town learned that local boy Bowe Bergdahl, 28, had been released from Taliban captivity in Afghanistan after five years. But joy soon turned to shock. Calls and e-mails blasted locals for planning a celebration June 28 for the Army sergeant who may have walked off his post and whose release involved the Obama administration trading five Taliban leaders. Bergdahl has been accused by some members of his former unit of intentionally leaving his post before he was captured by Taliban insurgents in 2009. This December, the Army decided to forward the Bergdahl investigation for possible court-martial. For now Bergdahl remains assigned to a desk job at an Army headquarters unit in San Antonio.
Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl, before his capture by the Taliban in Afghanistan.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Illinois: Rahm to Hillary: 'Dead broke? Really?'
Hillary Clinton took a lot of heat this summer after she said in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer that she and Bill Clinton left the White House in 2001 "dead broke." Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, her old political pal, didn't let the comment slide at an event in Chicago celebrating her memoir, Hard Choices. "Hillary dead broke?" Emanuel asked. "Really?" Clinton acknowledged to Emanuel that it "may not have been the most artful way" of talking about her finances.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, accompanied by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, waves to the crowd during her visit to Chicago on June 11.(Photo: Stacy Thacker, AP)
Indiana: Colts owner arrested
It was a tough year for Jim Irsay. The Colts owner was arrested in March for driving under the influence and illegal possession of prescription drugs. Commissioner Roger Goodell disciplined Irsay with a six-game suspension and a $500,000 fine — the maximum allowed under NFL rules. "I acknowledge the mistake I made last March and stand responsible for the consequences of that mistake, for which I sincerely apologize to our community and to Colts fans everywhere," Irsay said in a statement. Irsay, 55, has battled drug addictions and alcoholism for decades.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay returned to the team in October after serving a six-game suspension.(Photo: AJ Mast, AP)
Iowa: Farm families adapt to food-conscious America
The farm family, with deep community roots and generations living close to the soil, has found itself at the center of profound demographic, technological, economic and environmental change. The Des Moines Register introduced readers to four Iowa farm families navigating this changing world. And, in a journalistic first, invited readers to step into the century-old Dammann farm through 360-degree video and virtual reality.
'Harvest of Change', a groundbreaking immersive journalism project fusing virtual storytelling and full 360-degree video, chronicles the sweeping changes facing Iowa farmers. Des Moines Register
Kansas: Sen. Roberts survives close call for GOP
Veteran Republican Sen. Pat Roberts survived a surprisingly strong challenge from independent Greg Orman in November, ensuring that Republicans would continue their 82-year string of U.S. senators from the Sunflower State. Orman, a 45-year-old millionaire businessman who has never held elected office, scared Republicans with his upstart campaign against the three-term, 78-year-old Republican.
Senator Pat Roberts speaks to supporters after defeating independent candidate Greg Orman in Topeka, Kansas on Nov. 4 2014.(Photo: Ed Zurga, EPA)
Kentucky: Cars crash in an unlikely mishap
A 40-foot-wide sinkhole at Kentucky's National Corvette Museum opened up in February and swallowed eight Corvettes. The museum owned six and General Motors owned two. GM's Bowling Green Corvette plant, the only factory that builds the cars, is across a highway less than a half mile from the museum. Security cameras caught the moment the cars slipped into the massive hole as the floor caved in.
A huge sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY swallowed 8 of the sports cars. Watch as it happens from a surveillance camera, then see the aftermath as a drone flies into the sinkhole. VPC
Louisiana: Smithsonian will honor family's civil rights efforts
Small communities like Bogalusa, La., often are overlooked in histories of the civil rights movement, but a new museum on the National Mall aims to change that. Charles Hicks said it "feels good" to know his native town's civil rights contributions will be recognized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Hicks' father, Robert Hicks, a legendary civil rights activist, died in 2010. The family's involvement in the civil rights movement will be part of an exhibit at the museum, scheduled to open in 2016.
Charles Hicks of Bogalusa, La.(Photo: Deborah Barfield Barry, USA TODAY)
Maine: Unlikely lobsters caught days apart
First, a rare sight landed in a lobsterman's trap in October. Jay LaPlante and his 14-year-old daughter, Meghan, caught a blue lobster about 10 miles southwest of Portland. The find is like winning the lottery: Oceanographers estimate that only 1 in 2 million lobsters is blue. Then, a week later farther up the coast, veteran lobsterman Joe Bates discovered what researchers consider a 1-in-100-million find: a white lobster.
Maryland: Boardwalk pole dancer makes waves in Ocean City
It was a mixture of outrage and awe on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., this summer. A 27-year-old dancer raised First Amendment issues when she set up her own pole-dancing operation on one of the busiest tourist thoroughfares in America. The resort community's officials didn't like it, but thanks in part to two federal court decisions involving Ocean City, Chelsea Plymale's show is legal. That doesn't mean it hasn't riled people, including a nearby store owner.
More from Maryland: Ray Rice won his appeal, but it's likely he still lost his NFL career
Chelsea Plymale, 27, discusses the controversey surrounding her recent pole-dancing on the Ocean City boardwalk.
Massachusetts: Going back in time
A time capsule buried in 1795 by Paul Revere and Samuel Adams was unearthed in Boston at the Massachusetts Statehouse this December, possibly the oldest such U.S. artifact ever uncovered. About the size of a cigar box, the copper container — green from oxidation and caked in plaster — was found in the cornerstone of the "new" statehouse on Beacon Hill, which was completed in 1798. The contents of the capsule will be unveiled on Jan. 6.
A time capsule buried in 1795 by Paul Revere and Samuel Adams was unearthed at the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston. It is possibly the oldest such U.S. artifact ever uncovered. VPC
Michigan: Detroit bankruptcy ends
The nightmare is over. The city of Detroit's historic Chapter 9 bankruptcy ended this December, setting in motion a sweeping plan to slash $7 billion in debt and reinvest $1.4 billion over 10 years to improve city services. Judge Steven Rhodes approved the city's restructuring plan, giving the city the authority to implement the grand bargain to help reduce pension cuts, preserve the Detroit Institute of Arts and start improving basic services. The Detroit Free Press looks at how the case proceeded and where the Motor City goes from here.
Detroit skyline.(Photo: Carlos Osorio, AP)
More from Michigan: 11-year-old hunter bags rare albino deer
Minnesota: Toddler ignores military protocol
Cooper Waldvogel loves his mom way more than military protocol. The 3-year-old couldn't wait to be with his mother this September after she served nine months in Afghanistan with the National Guard's 114th Transportation Company based in Chisholm, Minn. He ran to her while she and her fellow soldiers stood in line waiting to be dismissed. "I was longing to hold him, that's all that I thought about," said his mother, Kathryn Waldvogel, 25.
A 3-year-old boy could not wait for his mom to be dismissed after serving nine months in Afghanistan with the National Guard. As soon as he saw her, he ran over while she was still in line waiting to be dismissed. VPC
Mississippi: Southaven one of worst U.S. cities for LGBT rights
Across the United States, cities are increasingly embracing equal treatment and access for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. Ten years ago, gay marriage was explicitly legal in just one state — Massachusetts. Same-sex couples now can marry in 35 states. But there are many parts of the U.S. where LGBT citizens not only lack the right to marry but also lack other fundamental protections. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Southaven, Miss., is one of just five cities scoring zero on their 2014 Municipal Equality Index. Others are in Texas: Irving, Lubbock, McAllen and Mesquite.
There are many places where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens lack fundamental protections.(Photo: Thinkstock)
Missouri: Michael Brown sparks conversation on race in America
Michael Brown's death in Ferguson this summer set off protests throughout the nation. Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, was fatally shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Witness reports differ on whether Brown had his hands raised. Wilson said Brown became overpoweringly violent after the officer asked him to stop walking in the middle of a street. In November, a grand jury decided Wilson would not face charges in Brown's death, setting off riots. USA TODAY reporter Yamiche Alcindor was there from the beginning and was with Brown's family when they learned of the grand jury's decision. You can explore all our coverage of the shooting and its aftermath here.
Montana: State women mark 100 years of voting
The suffragette torch passed to a new generation of Montanans this November at a celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote. On Nov. 3, 1914, after decades of debate, marches and politicking, Montana male voters passed the suffrage referendum, with 53% in favor. It took six more years for women across the USA to get the right to vote.
Nebraska: Rare twin tornadoes devastate town
Two powerful tornadoes leveled about half the town of Pilge in June. The twin twisters touched down within a mile of each other, demolishing homes and businesses in their path. Meteorologists said two such tornadoes from the same thunderstorm system are extremely rare.
Two people killed including a 5-year-old child when two tornadoes tore through the town of Pilger, Nebraska. About half the town was leveled in the rare weather phenomenon.
Nevada: Tesla heads to Reno
After months of playing states against each other to boost tax incentives, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced on Sept. 4 that Nevada had beat out Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico for its planned $5 billion battery gigafactory to be built in the desert outside Reno. The project is expected to bring 6,500 jobs to an area still struggling to rebound from the recession.
See Tesla CEO Elon Musk discuss why he picked Nevada for his gigafactory at a Sept. 4, 2014 news event. Aurora Sain/RGJ
New Hampshire: 'Father of video games' dies
Ralph Baer, the creator of the first home video game console system, died at 92 in December. While working as an engineer for New Hampshire-based company Sanders Associates, Baer created the Magnavox Odyssey, a battery-powered console that included a controller with two knobs players could twist to move horizontally or vertically.
In this Feb. 3, 1977, photo, Ralph Baer, an engineer for Sanders Associates of Nashua, N.H., is seen in front of his TV hockey game.(Photo: AP)
New Jersey: The Bridgegate scandal
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie faced a scandal this year over lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that gridlocked a town. The traffic jam became a major political liability for the possible Republican presidential prospect. Though a report in December suggests Christie's allies had the lanes closed because of political considerations, the New Jersey governor's role remains unknown.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie(Photo: Mel Evans, AP)
More from New Jersey: Sayreville High School cancels football season after hazing scandal
New Mexico: DOJ and Albuquerque police reach deal on police use of force
Less than three weeks before Michael Brown's fatal shooting in Ferguson opened a national debate on the use of deadly force by police, city and federal authorities in Albuquerque set forth a plan to transform a local law enforcement agency with a stunningly violent reputation. The Justice Department and the city of Albuquerque announced an agreement this October that will require the police department to transform its practice of "routinely'' taking lethal action against its residents.
USA TODAY
Before Ferguson, there was Albuquerque
New York: NYC explodes with protests for Eric Garner
Demonstrations erupted in NYC this December after a grand jury decided NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo would not face charges in the July death of Eric Garner, 43, an asthmatic who was subjected to a chokehold. Garner was suspected of selling cigarettes illegally. On a cellphone video of the incident, Garner is heard saying repeatedly, "I can't breathe." A few weeks after the ruling, a gunman executed two New York Police Department officers in an apparent revenge killing for the deaths of Garner and Michael Brown.
More from New York: Buffalo Bills' famed quarterback Jim Kelly goes through cancer treatments; 14 troubled boys forsaken in life and deserted in death
Desiree Griffiths, 31, of Miami, holds up a sign saying "Black Lives Matter", with the names of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, two black men recently killed by police, during a protest Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, in Miami. People are protesting nationwide against recent decisions not to prosecute white police officers involved in the killing of black men. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) ORG XMIT: FLLS107<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Lynne Sladky, AP)
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North Carolina: Charlotte's ex-mayor heads to prison
Patrick Cannon went from mayor to inmate. Charlotte's former mayor was sentenced in October to three years and eight months in a federal corruption case that stunned North Carolina's largest city. In a deal with prosecutors, Cannon, a Democrat, pleaded guilty in June to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors say Cannon accepted nearly $50,000 in bribes between January 2013, when he was a city councilman, and February 2014, three months after he was elected mayor.
Former Charlotte mayor Patrick Cannon, center right, leaves the federal courthouse in Charlotte, N.C., after being sentenced to 44 months in prison. Cannon pleaded guilty in June to one count of honest services wire fraud. Cannon had accepted nearly $50,000 in bribes.(Photo: Chuck Burton, AP)
North Dakota: Where the jobs are
In North Dakota, where the gas and oil industries are booming, petroleum workers are needed. But so are the electricians, pipefitters, carpenters and others who build the infrastructure. By 2017, an estimated 2.5 million new, middle-skill jobs like these are expected to be added to the workforce, accounting for nearly 40% of all job growth, according to a USA TODAY analysis of local data from Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. and CareerBuilder. Take a deeper look at USA TODAY's investigation "Where the Jobs Are."
The sun begins to rise behind a pump jack and oil storage tanks on Dec. 19 near Williston, N.D.(Photo: Eric Gay, AP)
Ohio: Lauren Hill inspires the nation
Basketball player Lauren Hill is dying of cancer, but she's not letting that stop her. The 19-year-old freshman at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and given a short time to live, but she has made a tremendous impact both on and off the court this season. She fulfilled her dream to play college basketball, starting a game with the Lions women's basketball team and scoring a basket (or two) in front of a sold-out arena. Most importantly, she began a massive effort to raise funds for cancer research. Hill is now an honorary coach with the Lions and she's not giving up her fight to live — or the fight to raise awareness.
Lauren Hill, the freshman basketball player suffering from a rare, incurable cancer, says her body is shutting down, but she believes God has the last say. Learn more at org.grouprev.com/layupcampaign. Video by Carrie Cochran, Cincinnati Enquirer VPC
Oklahoma: Death row inmates appeal lethal injection ruling
Capital punishment in America is in a curious state. Manufacturers are cutting off supplies of lethal injection drugs because of opposition to the death penalty, and prison officials are improvising to make up the deficit — sharing drugs, buying them from under-regulated pharmacies or using drug combinations never employed before in putting someone to death. A group of Oklahoma death row inmates scheduled to die early next year filed notice in December that they intend to appeal the ruling of a federal judge in Oklahoma City who says the state's new lethal injection protocol is constitutional. The four condemned men who have pending execution dates, beginning with Charles Frederick Warner on Jan. 15, maintain the state's use of the sedative midazolam in a three-drug combination poses a substantial risk of unconstitutional pain and suffering.
An arm restraint on the gurney in the execution chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla.(Photo: Sue Ogrocki, AP)
Oregon: Brittany Maynard leaves a legacy
Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old face of the controversial right-to-death movement, died in November in Portland. When you're 29 years old, you typically don't think about your legacy. You think about the family you want to start, the house you want to buy, the promotion you want to get, the trip you want to take. You think about turning 30 and the amazing life that stretches before you. Maynard moved from California to Portland so she could have access to Oregon's Death With Dignity Act and die as she had planned – in her bedroom, encircled by family and friends. Oregon became the first state in the U.S. with a death-with-dignity law in 1997. Since then, four other states have followed suit.
Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old face of the controversial right-to-death movement, died Saturday. Diagnosed with a brain tumor, she captivated millions with her choice to move to Oregon where she could legally end her life with a prescribed pill.
Pennsylvania: One of FBI's Most Wanted captured
It was a lengthy manhunt that had Pocono Mountain communities near the search area on edge. Eric Frein, suspected of killing one Pennsylvania trooper and wounding another in a September ambush, was captured in October after 48 days on the run. In addition to first-degree murder charges, Frein is accused of terrorism for allegedly trying to start a revolution by shooting the two state troopers.
Police escort Eric Frein into the Pike County Courthouse for his arraignment in Milford, Pa. Frein was captured seven weeks after he allegedly killed a Pennsylvania State trooper in an ambush outside a barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania.(Photo: Rich Schultz, AP)
Rhode Island: Obama's sleepover makes history
The president made a little bit of history this October in Rhode Island — he spent the night there. The Providence Journal reported that the last sitting president to sleep in the nation's smallest state was John F. Kennedy, more than 50 years ago. Kennedy stayed at Newport's Hammersmith Farm, home of Jacqueline Kennedy's family, according to the Journal. Obama stayed overnight for a morning speech on the economy.
President Obama smiles as he speaks on the economy at Rhode Island College on Oct. 31.(Photo: Stephan Savoia, AP)
South Carolina: Judge throws out black teen's conviction from 1944
When George Stinney Jr., 14, was sent to the electric chair in June 1944, he was the youngest person in the country ever executed. In December, a judge threw out Stinney's conviction for the deaths of two white girls. Stinney was convicted of the grisly murders of Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7, in Alcolu, S.C. The teen's prosecution had "fundamental, constitutional violations of due process," Judge Carmen Mullen of South Carolina's 14th Judicial Circuit said in her ruling. Her decision effectively exonerates the teen. Stinney's supporters have said he was forced to confess.
George Stinney Jr.(Photo: WLTX)
South Dakota: Case of missing girls solved after 40 years
Finally, some closure. Authorities announced in April that the skeletal remains found inside a car belonged to two teens who had been missing for 40 years. Attorney General Marty Jackley said Pamela Jackson and Cheryl Miller died when their vehicle ran off the road while they were on their way to a party in rural Union County in 1971. Jackley said there was no evidence of foul play. The final results put an end to speculation in the decades-long mystery.
From left, Cheryl Miller and Pamela Jackson(Photo: Submitted photos)
More from South Dakota: S.D. teen finishes flight around the world
Tennessee: Ex-Titans kicker Rob Bironas dies in crash
On the football field, kicker Rob Bironas became known for his strong leg and his ability to come through in clutch situations. In the locker room, he was a prankster. He was the guy who would throw the rookies' clothes in the cold tub every training camp. He was quick with a joke. He liked to make people laugh. The popular kicker died in September in a single-vehicle crash in Nashville. He was 36. A toxicology report revealed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.218%, well over the legal limit (0.08).
The Titans released Rob Bironas following the 2013 season.(Photo: Don McPeak, USA TODAY Sports)
Texas: Pipeline of children creates border crisis
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children crossed the border into the U.S. this year. The pipeline carrying migrants ends at the Rio Grande, where the surge of thousands of women and children from Central America overwhelmed the Border Patrol in southern Texas. More than 70 percent are from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, three Central American countries plagued by poverty and crime. The Arizona Republic's weeklong investigative "Pipeline of Children" project looked at how gang violence, lack of opportunity and misinformation lead to a mass exodus north to the United States.
More from Texas: Rick Perry becomes first Texas governor in nearly 100 years to be indicted
Migrants are released from ICE custody at a Greyhound Bus station in Phoenix on May 28.(Photo: Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic)
Utah: Mom admits killing 6 newborns because of meth addiction
It was hard to comprehend. A Utah woman admitted to police that she strangled or suffocated at least six of her newborns between 1996 and 2006, stuffed the bodies into cardboard boxes and hid them in the garage of her home. Megan Huntsman was arrested in April after police discovered the remains of the infants at a house in Pleasant Grove, Utah, where she lived until 2011. Police said she killed her newborns because she was addicted to methamphetamine and couldn't cope with caring for the children.
Megan Huntsman, accused of killing six of her newborn babies and storing their bodies in her garage, appears in court on Oct. 20.(Photo: Pool photo by Rick Bowmer)
Vermont: Former FBI director in serious accident
Former FBI director Louis Freeh was seriously injured in a car crash in Barnard in August. He later said he had no recollection of wrecking his SUV. State police theorize that Freeh, 64, may have fallen asleep during the early afternoon accident. Freeh was the FBI's director from 1993 to 2001. Freeh conducted a nearly eight-month investigation into Penn State's handling of assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's misconduct.
Former FBI director Louis Freeh.(Photo: Matt Rourke, AP)
More from Vermont: Local inventor battles unsafe drinking water in Africa
Virginia: The murder of Hannah Graham
The nation was captivated by the search for the freckle-faced University of Virginia sophomore who vanished from the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Va., in the early morning hours of Sept. 13. Hannah Graham, 18, became everyone's sister, daughter, and friend. In October, her remains were found on an abandoned farm on Old Lynchburg Road, just 10 miles from the mall where she was last seen. Read more about her story here.
University of Virginia student Hannah Graham(Photo: AP)
More: Ex-Va. governor Bob McDonnell guilty of public corruption; NASA rocket explodes during launch
Washington: Massive mudslide sweeps over neighborhood
The country watched in disbelief as a devastating mudslide in March wiped out an entire neighborhood in the community of Oso about 60 miles from Seattle. Dozens of people died in the disaster that destroyed homes, completely covered State Route 530 and dammed up the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River. While rescuers were searching for survivors, Snohomish County officials said they could hear cries for help from people trapped under debris. President Obama toured the devastation in Oso in April and met with families who lost loved ones.
More from Washington: 'Homecoming prince' opens fire at Marysville-Pilchuck High School
West Virginia: Shelley Moore Capito makes history
Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito won the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller in November. She called her victory "a turning point" for West Virginia. Capito became the first woman to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate and is also the first West Virginia Republican elected to the Senate since the late 1950s.
Shelley Moore Capito will be the first woman to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate and is also the first West Virginia Republican elected to the Senate since the late 1950s.(Photo: Tyler Evert, AP)
Wisconsin: Girls stab friend to please 'Slenderman'
It was a gruesome story that left many shaking their heads. Two Wisconsin girls who allegedly stabbed a classmate were trying to please the fictional horror character known as Slenderman. Anissa Weier, 13, and Morgan Geyser, 12, were charged as adults with attempted murder for a Memorial Day weekend attack that seriously wounded another girl in a park in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha. The two told authorities that Slenderman required them to perform the crime in order to curry favor with him.
Slenderman(Photo: Courtesy of Stefania Fanhlr Russo on Flickr)
Wyoming: Wild cloud wows weather watchers
A phenomenal shot of a massive cloud near Clareton made the rounds on social media this spring. The photo was taken in May by the Basehunters storm chasers group. It shows the rotating updraft of a supercell thunderstorm over eastern Wyoming, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Jon Erdman. Supercells are the largest, strongest and longest-lasting thunderstorms. They are most common on the Great Plains.
Basehunters tweeted this photo of an "epic" cloud near Clareton, Wyo.(Photo: Basehunters)
Contributing: Associated Press
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