An online ballot gave readers a chance to rank 12 of the biggest stories from a list our editors selected. This is the order they chose.

• Police shoot 20-year-old James "Jimmy" Georgeson and 18-year-old Elias Angel Ruiz in separate incidents in January.
• William Simmons is found guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the 1996 death of 15-year-old Kaelin Glazier.
• Three men die in police custody after officers try to stop them with stun guns. Drugs are suspected to have played a role in the deaths.
• A homeless, mentally ill man sets a fire in March that damages several businesses on Ashland's Plaza, closing them for much of the tourist season. Raymond Lee Wilson, 37, is found guilty except for insanity.
• Eagle Point school employees go on strike for eight days in May.
• The Coquille Indian Tribe buys Roxy Ann Lanes and the former Kim's Restaurant and agrees to lease the neighboring Bear Creek Golf Course, planning eventually to open a casino in Medford.
• Downtown Medford sees a variety of projects, including the opening of Lithia's headquarters, a $9 million, four-story office building proposed at the Evergreen parking garage, the relocation of the post office and plans to build a $28.5 million county health services complex at its former location.
• Homeowner Norm Thomas shoots in self-defense and kills Mark Corsbie, 49, who was banging on doors and trying to force his way into a White City home.
• JPR-SOU dispute ousts the head of the stations and the separate foundation, redivides assets, and forms a new entity to take on additional projects.
• Rogue Valley Manor residents and Pacific Retirement Services clash over fees and the direction of the parent company, but reach a last-minute tentative agreement to avert $30 million lawsuit.
• Trader Joe's, REI, Chipotle, Ulta and other shops open in the trendy Northgate Marketplace.
• White City resident John Wyllie wins the Publisher's Clearing House $5,000 A Week "Forever" prize.

Other stories nominated by readers included layoffs at Southern Oregon University, the ongoing David Grubbs murder investigation, the South Medford girls basketball team winning the state championship, and a Since You Asked that debunked rumors that FEMA had set up concentration camps in the woods.

INSIDE

The top stories on dailytidings.com and mailtribune.com

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