 - A MOTHER'S CHALLENGE : When her 17-year-old daughter, Sarah, was hit and killed in a Grover Beach crosswalk in 2002, Elizabeth Scruggs' activism and determination in not letting the case languish resulted in the driver's being charged with manslaughter in September.
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 - O SO GOOD : This July Oprah Winfrey learned what SLO residents have known all along—that the sandwiches at the Art Café and Bakery are worth betting the farm on. Which Oprah did, to the tune of a large, undisclosed sum that owner Margaux Sky used to spruce up the Higuera Street eatery.
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 - A FATHER'S GRIEF : In March, Bill Mitchell joined the worldwide protest in San Luis Obispo, carrying a big photo of his son that read, "Bring my son home now." A week later Sgt. Michael Mitchell died while attempting to rescue a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Sadr City — killed in an occupation his father had worked so hard to end.
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 - CRAFT OR CONTROVERSY? : In early November, a temporary art installation at Cal Poly as part of Beth Diamond's landscape architecture class caused a county-wide uproar, as the exhibit suggested that gay marriage could open the door for humans marrying animals.
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 - END OF AN ERA : Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of rancher, philanthropist, and developer Alex Madonna, who died April 22 at the age of 85. In addition to his Inn, he was famous for his ongoing battles with city and county officials.
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 - IN WITH THE PATIENTS : Of the 400-500 inmates in the San Luis Obispo County Jail every day, about 30 are also patients of the jail's medical staff. Early this year, New Times followed those doctors and nurses around for a day as they handed out medication; treated wounds, breaks, and infections; and tried to heal the physical problems of one of the county's highest-risk populations.
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 - GRIEVING MOTHER AND FATHER : On May 25, friends and family of Army Pfc. Michelangelo Mora —a 19-year-old Arroyo Grande resident killed in Iraq—gathered at his hometown cemetery where he was buried with full military honors. Mora, a scout in the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, died in a Humvee accident during a mission near Najaf on May 14. He had been scheduled to return home on June 30.
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 - DRY: After 2003's earthquake damaged this 4-million-gallon water tank in Paso Robles, city officials worried they would have to take drastic conservation measures because of the loss of water storage space. But residents were able to reduce their use and the city made it through a long, hot summer. Tank repairs should be complete sometime in early 2005.
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 - FIRE MAN: This summer, a hundred-something people congregated in the Oceano Dunes and built a massive wood-and-wire-framed man and stuffed it with hundreds of thousands of pieces of junk mail. Then they lit it on fire.
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 - SENTENCED TO JAIL : In September, a jury convicted Kenneth Freitas of vehicular manslaughter for the 2002 death of Sarah Scruggs, 17, in Grover Beach. A month later, Superior Court Judge Dodie Harman took into account the man's 10-year record of driving violations—and the fact that he'd spent six months in jail in 1999 for two road rage convictions—before giving him four months in prison and three years probation. Freitas shocked the courtroom by rejecting that ruling, and Harman subsequently sent him jail for a full year. The ruling is currently under appeal.
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 - LONG SAD NIGHT : Despite earning massive financial support from her party and registering more Democrats than her opponent, Peg Pinard lost the race for the state's 15th Senate district to Abel Maldonado on Nov. 2. Both candidates had raised surprisingly large amounts of money, but the $2 million-plus that the California Democrat Party pumped in Pinard's coffers made the race one of the hottest in the state.
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 - STILL ON TOP : Mayor Dave Romero was reelected to the city's top job in November. The mayoral election was characterized by Matt Mackey, a Cal Poly student who won 20 percent of the vote. Romero said he was confident going into the election. In his next term, Romero said he would like to see the Marketplace referendum pass.
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 - KING CITY CRASH : A devastating accident this September left three local youths dead and one in a coma when the car they were traveling in struck an SUV going the other way. The 14-year-old who was driving has since been charged with two misdemeanors—vehicular manslaughter and driving without a license.
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 - NO Q FOR YOU : While much of the this year's election headlines focused on national issues, the debate surrounding Measure Q—which would have banned county residents from growing genetically engineered crops—sparked fierce debate around the county. The measure was defeated by a 59 to 41 percent margin.
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 - LIFE'S LOVE AND LESSONS : After New Times profiled Jennifer Wayland—who lost both her legs to spina bifida—and her 4-year-old daughter Amandalyn, several readers made gifts to the family.
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 - FLAP FOR A KING : When Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation, his January arraignment in Santa Maria resulted in a veritable media circus, with news outlets, fans, and protesters arriving from all over the world.
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 - WANTING TO BE HEARD : Protesters in San Luis Obispo participated in a worldwide demonstration on March 20, the one-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion.
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