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2009: A look back

Photo Gallery

Gazette photographers' favorite shots of 2009

Gazette photographers Bill Olmsted and Dan Lassiter choose their favorite photographs of 2009.

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Photo

Gazette files

Women crowd into the entrance of the Rock Assembly of God Church in August in an attempt to find needed clothing and other goods during the church’s monthly giveaway. High unemployment, home foreclosures and other economic woes were the key reasons that 2009 was a tough year to weather for many area Rock and Walworth county residents.

Photo

Gazette files

A Janesville police officer comforts a woman who arrived at the scene of a fatal shooting in April screaming, 'That's my daughter.' Kyle Hicke was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of Erica M. Ostenson of Janesville. Hicke’s trial is set to begin in January.

Photo

Gazette files

Volunteers wait to load vehicles with bags of groceries at the School District of Janesville Employee’s Community Food Drive in December. The district assumed responsibility of the event, which had been organized for 25 years by UAW union members employed at the local GM plant.

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This illustration shows the what the new hospital Dean Health System is building in Janesville will look when it is finished in 2011.

JANESVILLE — The year 2009 is one that many people want to forget.

And for good reason.

It's no surprise the impacts of the recession are the top story in the Gazette's readership area, as voted on by members of the newsroom.

The effects of the souring economy hit people nationwide, but even more so in Rock and Walworth counties because of the auto industry tailspin.

Page after page of this 2009 newspapers contained stories of area businesses laying off more workers, companies moving out of the area and the struggles those changes left for former employees.

The need at food pantries and other service organizations jumped dramatically. People who had volunteered or donated in the past were now in the receiving line. Unemployment in the Janesville-Beloit area skyrocketed to the highest in the state.

Many laid-off workers vowed to start new careers, creating enrollment surges for the second-straight year at Blackhawk Technical College and UW-Rock County.

As we put 2009 behind us, local leaders are looking to brighten the economic news through efforts by a new countywide public-private economic development initiative called Rock County 5.0.

Following are the remaining top 10 stories—including two stories tied for second place:

2. Heroin made a comeback in southern Wisconsin, and many of its victims were—shockingly—people in their late teens and early 20s. Local officials called it an epidemic.

Rock County Coroner Jenifer Keach counted six heroin-related deaths in 2008 and seven for the first nine months of 2009, with two more '09 cases awaiting toxicology results.

A needle-exchange worker out of Madison told the Gazette that of the 2,000 needles he distributes each week, 800 go to users in Rock County—including smaller communities. Others told the Gazette about heroin making inroads into small groups of high school seniors.

Local law enforcement noticed the trend and focused on heroin dealers. Sheriff Bob Spoden and Janesville Police Chief Dave Moore spoke to Janesville's school board and city council, warning that the community should not ignore the problem.

2. Call it the highest-stakes contest in Janesville history. In June, General Motors announced it would produce its new small and subcompact car at one of three plants that were closed or scheduled to close: Janesville, Orion Township, Mich., or Spring Hill, Tenn.

The news left some locals holding onto hope that the Janesville assembly line would fire up again. Others said the city should move on. Some say the contest turned into which city could put together the biggest incentive package.

A $409 million incentive package assembled by local and state government fell far short of the $1 billion Michigan offered. GM announced June 26 the Orion, Mich., plant came out on top in the three-way competition.

While Wisconsin's bid failed to save jobs in Janesville, it was heralded as an incentive model that helped retain Mercury Marine jobs in Fond du Lac and expand the workforce at Oshkosh Corp., which this year won a multibillion-dollar military contract.

3. A Milton man is suspected of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in the city's Fourth Ward neighborhood in April.

He is accused of leading police on a high-speed chase through Janesville and Beloit after the shooting, forcing police cars to ram his vehicle.

Kyle E. Hicke, 38, is charged in Rock County Court with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm by a felon and attempting to flee or elude an officer.

He was arrested after the April 22 murder of Erica M. Ostenson, 25, of 412 1/2 S. Academy St., Janesville.

The homicide highlighted the problem of domestic violence and domestic homicides in Janesville and Rock County.

If convicted, Hicke faces up to life in prison.

He is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 11.

4. With depressing economic news aplenty, the start of construction on St. Mary's Janesville Hospital provided some hope for the area in 2009.

When it opens in late 2011, the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital and Dean Clinic Janesville will directly employ nearly 700 people. Another 150 or so indirect jobs will be created to serve the hospital and clinic.

SSM Health Care and Dean Health System broke ground in fall on the 313,000-square-foot hospital and clinic that will sit on a 50-acre parcel at Racine Street and Interstate 90/39. Dean, which operates Riverview and Northview clinics in Janesville, is the longtime physician partner for St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.

While the project was announced in April 2008 and a staged groundbreaking took place that November, the project was delayed because of unfavorable interest rates in the tax-exempt bond markets.

5. The long-awaited expansion and remodeling projects at Janesville's Craig and Parker high schools were completed on schedule, in time for the opening of school in September.

The massive projects were made possible through a $70.8 million referendum passed in November 2006.

The schools' most prominent new features are the new gymnasiums, which have room for four full-sized basketball courts. The projects had something for nearly everyone, with improvements for the arts, sciences and other subjects as well as upgraded air-delivery systems, including air conditioning.

The projects, along with the recent expansion projects at Blackhawk Technical College and UW-Rock County and expansions at most of the Janesville School District's school buildings over the past two decades were seen by some as a selling point for anyone looking to locate a new business here: What other city can claim such a recent, comprehensive modernization of its educational infrastructure?

6. It took numerous appearances before the Janesville City Council and a close vote on a liquor license, but the Jets flew into Janesville in September.

By all measures, the Junior A North American Hockey League team is a success.

City council members in March voted to spend $200,000 to improve the ice arena to bring the team here. Some in the community disagreed with the vote, saying the council should not spend public money for a private venture, especially in tough economic times.

The council also approved a liquor license so the team could sell beer. President Bill McCoshen said profits from liquor sales are needed. That vote, too, was controversial, with some in the community asking why alcohol is needed in a venue where young people play hockey. Some predicted dire consequences from drunken patrons.

That has not occurred.

Deputy Chief Steve Kopp said he is not aware of a single incident involving alcohol at the ice arena.

McCoshen said the team needs attendance of 700 to be a financial success. The average is 656, and the crowds are enthusiastic.

7. Six women confronted the Janesville serial rapist at his sentencing in June, calling him an evil bastard who deserved to die in prison.

Michael R. Huber, 33, was sentenced in Rock County Court in June to 195 years in prison for six felony charges of first-degree sexual assault. He had pleaded guilty to the charges.

Six victims and their families, law enforcement officials and Huber's family packed the courtroom at sentencing.

The courtroom erupted in applause after Huber was sentenced. People stood and hugged. Many cried. One woman shouted to Huber, "Rot in hell."

Huber admitted to six home invasions and sometimes rapes from 1998 to 2005, but he was only charged in two of the cases, attorneys said. He was arrested in February 2008 after a 10-year investigation.

8. It took almost all of 2009—and a little of 2008—for the village of Darien to come to an agreement with Police Chief Steve DeVoy.

Many said DeVoy's argument with the village board started in the fall of 2008, but the public became aware of it in December 2008 when employees found surveillance cameras in the police department. DeVoy was suspended with pay, and the village started investigating whether the cameras were legal.

That investigation turned up the fact that DeVoy had spent time at work violating the village's computer policy and having a sexual relationship with a subordinate.

DeVoy and the village settled before a hearing, although the matter did make it to Walworth County Court in April when DeVoy's attorney tried to block the Gazette's request for copies of the material found on department computers.

DeVoy in November settled with the village for six months pay and $30,000. He was re-appointed to his position and will resign in May.

9. The year came to a close with the sad news that the United Auto Workers could no longer support their 25-year tradition of buying and bagging food for needy families over the holidays. But the Janesville School District's employee groups came to the rescue, taking over the drive with the help of some UAW stalwarts.

The school employees, backed by donations from across the community and former GM workers around the country, exceeded expectations, collecting about $40,000, which was used to deliver about three weeks of groceries to 350 individuals and families.

10. Mother Nature made her presence known in the first big snowstorm of winter 2009 with a 1-2-3 punch. The massive snowstorm Dec. 8-9 brought more than a foot of heavy, wet snow to southern Wisconsin, followed by cold and windy weather that ensured a rugged ride on area roads.

The storm meant long hours for emergency responders including plow crews and utility workers. The heavy, wet snow brought down trees, many onto power lines, causing thousands of residents in the area to lose power.

While the storm was the seventh-biggest snow on record in Janesville, operations director John Whitcomb said he only remembers one storm that was worse in his 11 years overseeing the city's plow crews.