If you were online in 2018, there was so much news that sometimes days felt like weeks, weeks felt like months and don’t even get us started on how long months felt.
With such a morass of news, it can be difficult for some events to earn staying power in the collective minds of digital readers, but from a shocking double murder-suicide that spanned three states to the election of a new governor, there were a handful of stories this year that rose above the rest.
The Courant published thousands of stories throughout the year. Here are the 25 that you found the most compelling.
25. NCAA investigating UConn men’s basketball program; inquiry includes recruitment of at least three players
Kevin Ollie had a rough 2018, to say the least. He was fired as the UConn men’s basketball coach after a dismal 14-18 season. But before that, the NCAA announced it was investigating the team for potential recruiting violations.
24. CCSU head of student conduct tied up, assaulted woman and had weapons cache, police say
Christopher Dukes, the director of student conduct at Central Connecticut State University, was arrested in April after a short standoff with Hartford police. As of October, he was suspended from his job at CCSU.
23. What did Sen. Richard Blumenthal really say about his military record and Vietnam?
Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, so it’s no surprise Trump has lashed out at him on Twitter. He often brings up Blumenthal’s service record, which includes a six-year stint in Marine Corps Reserves during the Vietnam War. You can see what he really said.
22. Connecticut bride battling breast cancer says ‘I do’ 18 hours before her death
Heather Lindsay and David Mosher’s wedding ceremony caught the attention of the nation in January. Lindsay, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, married Mosher in the chapel at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in late 2017. She died shortly after.
21. No explosives found at North Haven home where SWAT team members were injured, cause of blaze still unclear
Nine police officers were injured and one man was killed when a North Haven barn exploded and caught fire in early May. The man who died had held his wife hostage for several days before the explosion.
20. Court upholds $41 million verdict in tick bite case
A student who was permanently disabled after developing encephalitis from a tick bite while on a class trip to China was awarded $41.7 million from a jury in 2009. Early this year, a federal appeals court ended the nine-year saga.
19. West Hartford police continue investigation of Stoner Drive stabbing as town grieves child’s death
In a tragedy that stunned the West Hartford community, 12-year-old Brigid Curtin was stabbed to death by her brother in late December. Their mother was also seriously wounded in the attack.
18. Hartford officer recovering after stabbing; suspect charged with attempted murder
The Hartford community held its collective breath in May this year when veteran officer Jill Kidik was stabbed in the neck during a struggle at a downtown apartment building. Kidik was rushed to Hartford Hospital, and is determined to return to work.
17. Cinderella moment: Hospital and family work together to get Newington senior to her prom
Arguably the most heartwarming story on the list, Newington high schooler Toni Laites thought she was unable to attend her senior prom in May due to a flare up of ulcerative colitis. But thanks to some creative planning by the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center staff, she was able to make it.
16. Opinion | My party’s over: Why I quit the GOP
The Republican Party suffered significant electoral losses in November, and Michael J. London’s August op-ed may have been a sign of things to come. London, a former member of the Trumbull Republican town committee, had harsh words for the party and detailed his reasoning behind his departure.
15. Lee Whitnum charged with breach of peace after being removed from debate stage
An otherwise routine gubernatorial debate took an unexpected turn in April, when fringe candidate Lee Whitnum was arrested and dragged off the stage. It wasn’t the first time Whitnum has made waves. She previously garnered attention when she called U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy a “whore” during a televised debate.
14. Teen charged with Enfield student’s fatal stabbing collapses during court hearing
The tragic stabbing of Enfield teen Justin Brady reverberated around the community in September. Nowhere was this more evident than in the arraignment of Shyhiem Adams, who was charged with manslaughter. Nearly 40 people attended the arraignment hearing and a distraught Adams collapsed.
13. Kennedy Cousin Michael Skakel wins at Connecticut Supreme Court, conviction vacated in 1975 slaying of Martha Moxley
One of Connecticut’s most notorious crimes was in the spotlight again in 2018. Kennedy Cousin Michael Skakel — who was convicted in 2002 of the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley — had his conviction vacated by the state Supreme Court in May. The ruling overturned one made by the court less than two years prior that upheld his conviction.
12. Records reveal brutal details, motive in slaying of Griswold couple and their son
When a Griswold couple and their son were found dead in December 2017, it would be months until a motive was revealed. Siblings Sergio and Ruth Correa are charged with the killing.
11. The life of aspiring artist Katie Pladl unraveled when she returned to North Carolina
A bizarre and tragic story involving a woman’s adopted family, biological father and her infant son landed in Connecticut earlier this year. The deaths of Katie Pladl, Steven Pladl, Anthony Fusco and 7-month-old Bennett Pladl spanned several states and captured the attention of local readers.
10. Top Democrat in Connecticut Senate calls on Elizabeth Esty to resign
When news broke that U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty allegedly mishandled repeated acts of domestic violence by her eventually fired chief of staff, state Sen. Martin Looney was one of the most significant figures to call for her to resign. She eventually announced she wouldn’t run for re-election.
9. Kevin Ollie fired after UConn claims ‘just cause’
After a disappointing 14-18 finish, Kevin Ollie was fired as the UConn men’s coach in March after five seasons. It was a shocking fall for the former player, who won the Huskies a national title in 2014. The fallout of the firing continues, as the school and Ollie wage a legal battle over whether he is owed his $10 million buyout.
8. State police: Patrol car struck slow-moving rig in cash that killed trooper Kevin Miller
Connecticut law enforcement suffered a shocking blow in March, when state trooper Kevin Miller was killed in a crash on I-84 in Tolland. Miller, 49, was a 19-year member of the force and the father of two children.
7. Child Advocate: Montville schools’ failure to report ‘fight club’ activity ‘egregious’
A substitute teacher at Montville High School was fired in 2017 and arrested after overseeing a ‘fight club’ in one of his classes. But he wasn’t the only school staff member to suffer consequences. The superintendent of Montville schools, the high school principal and assistant principal were also arrested and charged.
6. Witness tells police he saw restaurant manager shoot cook in case related to Yelp review
A bad online review sparked a deadly series of events in Manchester in late 2017. By the new year, details began to emerge. A witness told police he saw a Manchester restaurant manager fatally shoot a fry cook after an argument.
5. Gov.-elect Ned Lamont: ‘We are going to solve this thing by working together’
Connecticut faced one of its most significant elections in recent memory, with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy not running for a third term. Voters went to bed on election night with Republican Bob Stefanowski slightly ahead, but as results came in from the cities, Democrat Ned Lamont proved victorious, and it’s no surprise readers wanted to read about what the governor-elect had to say the day after the election.
4. Man slams car into Middlesex Hospital entrance, sets himself on fire, records it live on Facebook
The scene at Middlesex Hospital in February was unlike anything anybody there had likely seen before. Steven Ellam set himself on fire and drove into the hospital’s entrance — all while filming the whole thing on Facebook Live.
3. Hartford police say man drove stolen car to court to face stolen car charge
Arguably the most ironic headline on Courant.com in 2018, Jonathan Rivera was arrested in May when he showed up in court to answer a charge of stealing a car. The problem? He showed up in a stolen car.
2. Gallery owner arrested after dropping sculpture of giant drug spoon at Purdue Pharma
Heroin kills more people in Connecticut with each passing year, and one gallery owner from Stamford wanted to make sure people were aware. So in June, he placed an 800-pound steel sculpture of a bent, burnt heroin spoon in front of Purdue Pharma, a top manufacturer of opioids,
1. Courant exclusive: More than 1,000 pages of documents reveal Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza’s dark descent into depravity
After The Courant waged a five-year legal battle, Connecticut State Police released more than 1,000 pages of documents relating to Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza. Included in the trove of information was Lanza’s disturbingly detailed spreadsheet of mass killers as well as writings in school and to others online that detailed his descent into depravity.
