2008: A forward looking year in spite of itself (The Hartwell Sun)

This issue of The Hartwell Sun is dedicated to a look back at 2008 - admittedly not a very good year. The stories on this page and the photos on page 3A chronicle a bit of the past year. The outlook for 2009 is a bit better. With hard work and a little rain, things are looking up.

2008 a year of unprecedented homicides in Skagit County (Skagit Valley Herald)

In an unrivaled year of deadly violence, 17 lives were cut short at the hands of others this year in Skagit County. Six people, including a Skagit County Sheriff’s deputy, were killed…

Year in review: Top Federal Way stories of 2008 (Federal Way Mirror)

2008 Brazoria County year in review timeline (The Facts)

1. Jennifer Jimenez gave birth at 4:47 a.m. to the first baby born in Brazoria County in 2008, Leticia Maribel Jimenez, weighing 6 pounds and 10 ounces, at Brazosport Regional Health System in Lake Jackson.

Best gift ever (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

My Uncle Edwin, who used to preside over holiday cooking with his imposing presence and even more imposing culinary skills, died from diabetes-related complications last summer. Our family gathered around his casket, mourning his loss, feeling his absence. We felt my cousin Lorina's absence, too; in prison on drug-related charges, she missed her own father's funeral.

OTL: Reaching Out (ESPN)

Visit ESPN.com for the complete story.

Texans RB Slaton reaches 1,000 yards (The Brownsville Herald)

HOUSTON - The Houston Texans have a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 2004. It's not who most would have guessed during training camp. Steve Slaton, who was penciled in to be a third-down back, ran for 120 yards on Sunday to surpass the milestone.