SALT LAKE CITY — Who could have guessed, last Dec. 31, standing at the precipice of a new year, that the governor would up and move to China? That thanks to a new brand of flu, "terror" would soon be defined not by bombs in buildings but by sniffly noses and sneezing? Or that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would back a city anti-discrimination ordinance?
With some monumental wins (Real Salt Lake) and a couple of solid kicks in the gut (unemployment, shocking deficit and other general grossness), 2009 has given
Utah a topsy-turvy ride. Now, in the spirit of reminiscing, we've polled the staff at the Deseret News as well as readers and compiled a list of the year's top 10 stories.
Please note that balloting had already begun when mother of two Susan Powell vanished from her West Valley City home Dec. 7, so that story was not ranked. Powell's husband, who allegedly took the couple's two young sons on an impromptu camping trip the night she disappeared, has been named a person of interest in the case. Authorities are still scrambling to find clues.
With that caveat, here are the top 10 Utah stories of 2009:
1. Just six months after nabbing a second gubernatorial term, Republican Jon Huntsman Jr. "wasn't looking for a new job in life," he said. But when President Barack Obama asked him to step up as the new U.S. ambassador to China in May, he couldn't refuse. Huntsman, who adopted a child from China and speaks Mandarin Chinese, secured Senate approval despite his widely viewed status as a potential Republican challenger to Obama in 2012. Before leaving, he passed the title of governor to Gary Herbert, who dived head-first into health care reform and a budget bathed in red ink.
2. After publicly calling its members to action in the fight against legalizing gay marriage, the LDS Church threw its support behind a Salt Lake City ordinance that made it illegal to consider sexual orientation when firing people from jobs or evicting them from apartments.
Although "the church remains unequivocally committed to defending the bedrock foundation of marriage between a man and a woman," a spokesman said when the City Council voted to approve the ordinance in November, the church "believes in human dignity, in treating others with respect even when we disagree."
The statement followed months of charged political battling between the LDS Church and the gay community, which included a series of gay "kiss-ins" at churches across the country.
3. Utah Jazz owner, businessman and philanthropist Larry H. Miller, 64, died of complications from diabetes in February, leaving behind a grieving widow, five children, 21 grandchildren and a changed Utah. Miller's contributions to the state, in addition to a slew of successful car dealerships, include auto racing venue Miller Motorsports Park and a $21 million law enforcement training center. As one Jazz fan, touched by Miller's empty seat at EnergySolutions Arena, explained, even the average Utahn who didn't know the unassuming millionaire "feels like they know him."
4. On the witness stand for the first time since she was abducted at age 14 from her Salt Lake City home, Elizabeth Smart on Oct. 1 kept her composure as she described how she was held captive for nine months and raped three to four times a day. True to form, her accused kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, had to be removed from the courtroom because he would not stop singing hymns. Mitchell was "not close to God," Smart told the judge at his federal competency hearing. The man, whom she described as "evil, wicked, manipulative, sneaky, slimy, selfish," used religion as an excuse to get what he wanted, Smart said. Just a few days after sharing her experiences, Smart, now a poised and confident 21-year-old, departed on a proselytizing mission for the LDS Church in Paris. Meanwhile, Wanda Barzee, Mitchell's estranged wife, pleaded guilty to aiding in Smart's abduction and agreed to testify against her husband.
5. Nearly 41,000 Utahns lost their jobs in 2009, proof that, at least for now, the recession is still alive and kicking in many Utah homes. The unemployment rate hit 6.5 percent in October, nearly double October 2008's 3.5 percent.
6. The University of Utah capped a perfect season Jan. 2 with a blowout win over No. 4-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The winning streak earned the team a No. 2 final ranking and Kyle Whittingham the title of national coach of the year, but it didn't attract an invitation to the BCS championship game. The snub rubbed some lawmakers the wrong way, and talks about college football fairness heated up in Congress.
7. Although the Legislature hasn't nailed down the expected shortfall for Utah's 2009-10 budget, estimates quickly ballooned from $700 million to $850 million in November. Some lawmakers fear deficits could reach $1 billion. Gov. Gary Herbert pledged to find budgetary balance without a tax increase, but many legislators, alarmed by possible cutbacks in education and human services, expressed doubt in such a rosy outcome.
8. Getting a drink in Utah got easier in July — no more applications, fees or club memberships required. Ending what some bar owners call "40 years of oppression," the Legislature loosened up on liquor laws and opened bars, which were formerly required to operate as private clubs, for public access. Salt Lake City followed the state's lead by lifting restrictions on the number of bars downtown. Lawmakers hope the changes will boost tourism in Utah, which has developed a reputation for giving drinkers the runaround.
9. Forty-eight Utahns dead. More than 1,000 hospitalized. Nearly half a million vaccinated. What started out as a seemingly isolated influenza outbreak in Mexico quickly developed into a worldwide health concern: H1N1. In the spring, schools shut down and communities were immobilized. By fall, though the wait to get a vaccination stretched on for hours, the panic was manifesting itself differently — in the absence of handshakes and the abundance of hand sanitizer.
10. When Real Salt Lake took the field Nov. 22 they had a losing regular-season record behind them and two injured players in front of them — one just recovering from food poisoning and another favoring a sprained ankle. Imagine the feeling of euphoria that swept Utah when the team beat the odds against three-time Major League Soccer champions L.A. Galaxy and brought home the first professional sports championship the state's seen in nearly 40 years. Celebration broke out in the airport, the state Capitol and Rio Tinto Stadium. The U.S. House of Representatives was so happy that it passed a resolution, ushered through with a 347-0 vote, to congratulate the team. "What's great about sports," said Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, "is you never really know what's going to happen."
e-mail: estuart@desnews.com