People were given the choice of 25 stories culled out by Telegram staff and allowed to vote for their top 10, with room for comments at the end.
Stories rounding out the top five selections were the death of Temple police officer David Camden in a wreck involving his motorcycle while escorting a funeral, Gulf States Toyota’s plans to build a vehicle-processing center, and a tie between the resignation of Temple school superintendent Beto Gonzalez and the fire that destroyed Indeco Sales-Maco Manufacturing in Belton.
Finishing up the top 10 reader selections were passage of a law regulating dangerous dogs following the brutal killing of a Milam County woman, construction projects on Interstate 35 and Loop 363, Temple school elections going to a runoff after election-night confusion if more than a plurality was needed and voters passing the Temple school bond issue.
Proving the lesson that every vote counts, just missing the top 10 list by one or two votes were stories on Panda Energy announcing a power plant to be built in Temple, a Fort Hood soldier dying after losing his bearings during a training exercise, a water main break threatening the Temple water supply, Scott & White Memorial Hospital completing the opening of the Center for Advanced Medicine, and a look a year after the city of Killeen’s purchase of the First Baptist Church - without much noticeable change in what is going on there.
Numerous people commented on the flooding area-wide, with several noting it had the most impact on the largest number of people.
Other comments from readers included:
n The Center for Advanced Medicine should open the door for a very important need in our progressive city.
n For the city, the water main break and flooding demonstrates the perilous state of municipal infrastructure. We need a bond issue to have two water plants at different locations for true redundancy, better transmission and storage, and to improve the core drainage facilities.
n The Indeco fire because it affected the whole city of Belton and all fire departments in the entire county.
n Snow on Easter ... one more proof of global warming.
n Snow on Easter Sunday. I don’t think anyone will ever forget it. It wasn’t the usual light sprinkling that hardly lasts, either. It was thick and beautiful.
Another story I would have voted for (had it been on your list) was the Wildcat football team winning district. Can’t believe you left that one off, and it was a great season (it was much discussed here at work!) More people here care about that than the Rogers and Troy state softball titles.
n Beto Gonzales resigns, allowing the Temple school system to get back on a better upward track. To the above list should be added: The Wildcat football team won district and got beat in the playoffs in overtime by a team that eventually played for state.
n Beto Gonzalez resigning. The continuing instability of the TISD has the potential to haunt this community for generations.
Some stories not on the list received comments:
n I would vote 100 percent to all the stories about the Telegram 100th anniversary. … I think those stories rank the highest because they are well planned and prepared. … If there is a number for me to pick, between 1 and 10 I would pick 9½; the other half would be that it could use more history in the stories. Keep up the good work.
n My all-time favorite was not listed. When I look back over all the stories that were in the Temple Telegram my favorite of all was the heart-melting article concerning a Cameron lady named Linda Mollica and her experience the night her husband did not come home and her heartaches since that night.
That story to me is everything a story should be. I found it so moving and so did my ladies club group. I think the topic and the style it was written in is just perfect. The topic was just so sad and at the same time so beautifully written … It was titled “Cameron Woman seeks Closure.”
I have kept all the clippings dealing with Mrs. Mollica’s tragedy and I think each one of the articles are beautiful and moving. I think it is wonderful how the Telegram took a real-life situation and presented it to the public in such a beautiful and sensitive and tasteful style story.
