"FOUND! 'Nothing short of a miracle,' " blared the headline announcing the safe return of kidnapped Salt Lake City teenager Elizabeth Smart nine months after she'd been abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night.
Elizabeth's appearance in mid-March on a Sandy street alongside the homeless couple who were later charged with kidnapping and sexual assault did seem miraculous to the people around the world who'd followed her story.
Her ordeal topped the Deseret Morning News editors' list of the state's biggest stories of 2003, outranking Gov. Mike Leavitt's appointment to a top post in the Bush administration, which opened the door for Utah's first woman governor. The Smart story also ranked ninth nationally (see related story).
Other stories that made the editors' list included the acquittal of Salt Lake Olympic bid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson; the ongoing debate over the future of downtown and the Main Street Plaza; and the saga of a young boy diagnosed with cancer whose family refused to let him be treated.
Here's the Top 10 for 2003, according to the newspaper's editors:
1. Elizabeth Smart: In October, Elizabeth breaks her silence in an interview with NBC's Katie Couric and said she is "pretty much the same." The high-school student also speaks with Oprah Winfrey and is the subject of a book by her parents as well as a made-for-TV movie that aired on CBS in November.
Meanwhile, legal proceedings for her alleged captors, Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, have been on hold for several months while mental competency evaluations were conducted.
2. Leavitt goes to Washington: The three-term governor is tapped in August by President Bush to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Earlier in the year, Leavitt said he wasn't interested in the "highly problematic" job but changed his mind after being wooed by the White House.
Although some Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., tried to block his appointment because of concerns over a number of environmental-related issues, Leavitt won Senate confirmation in October by a vote of 88-8.
3. Parker Jensen: The state attempts to force Parker Jensen, 12, to undergo chemotherapy against his family's wishes after he is diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma. Utah's Division of Child and Family Services finally gives up after determining the treatments would not be effective without the family's cooperation.
The battle sparks new controversy over parental rights, and new legislation limiting the power of Utah's Division of Child and Family Services is expected to be introduced during the upcoming session of the Legislature.
4. Olympic trial: Salt Lake Olympic bid leaders Tom Welch and Dave Johnson are acquitted of all charges midway through their federal trial by U.S. District Judge David Sam, who labels the government's prosecution "misplaced" and says that in his 40 years of experience, he's never seen a case so devoid of criminal intent or evil purpose.
The decision marks the end of the Olympic bribery scandal, which first surfaced five years ago with allegations that Welch and Johnson lavished $1 million in cash, gifts and favors on the International Olympic Committee during the campaign that landed the 2002 Winter Games.
5. First woman governor: With Leavitt's departure for the nation's capital, Lt. Gov. Olene Walker becomes Utah's first female governor. At 73, she's also America's oldest governor, but the longtime GOP politician shows no signs of slowing down.
The upcoming legislative session is likely to be the scene of a showdown between Walker and Republican leadership over her proposal to boost state spending on education by shifting money earmarked for road and water projects.
6. Main Street Plaza: The American Civil Liberties Union files a second lawsuit against Salt Lake City to prevent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from controlling speech and activity on the pedestrian plaza it purchased in 1999.
The challenge comes after a compromise was finalized by Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson and the LDS Church that traded a public-access easement on the plaza for a $5 million community center in Glendale.
7. Downtown malls: Nordstrom announces it intends to leave downtown when its lease at the Crossroads Plaza is up in 2005 after the Salt Lake City Council refuses to rezone The Gateway to allow the Seattle-based retailer to relocate there.
Before the council's refusal, the LDS Church announces the purchase of Crossroads Plaza and plans to spend some $500 million renovating both that mall and its ZCMI Center across the street. The money will also cover the cost of moving a Brigham Young University extension and the LDS Business College downtown.
8. University of Utah football: The U. football team wins its first outright conference title since 1957. The Mountain West Conference champion heads to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl, played today against Conference USA champion Southern Mississippi.
9. Flu outbreak: Already, seven Utahns have died from influenza during a flu season that started sooner and hit harder than anticipated. With children especially susceptible this year as well as the elderly, supplies of the flu vaccine are scarce.
Health officials announce just before Christmas that they believe the flu season might be winding down. Still, many are wary of the bug and are being careful to minimize their exposure, even going so far as to stop shaking hands.
10. Acacia Bishop kidnapping: Utah toddler Acacia Bishop is kidnapped from her Salt Lake County home over the Memorial Day weekend and is believed drowned in Idaho's Snake River by her grandmother.
Her parents continue to search for the little girl, who was 19 months old at the time of her kidnapping, and have established a $500,000 reward for her safe return. Idaho Falls police believe Bishop was drowned by her grandmother.