Locally, 2011 was a year of big news. When the Daily Chronicle tabulates its annual Story of the Year ballots, there’s usually one clear choice as the top story or a situation that captured the attention of the county like no other.

But in 2011, there were three stories that staff of the Daily Chronicle felt could have been the top local story of the year: Jack D. McCullough charged in the 1957 kidnapping and slaying of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph; violence in DeKalb that resulted in the shootings of three people, one of whom died; and the February blizzard that brought the county to a standstill.

Those were easily the top three stories, but determining which one was No. 1 was tough. The top two stories were determined by one vote, with the arrest of McCullough landing on top.

The top 10 also included the loss of longtime county residents – one to old age, another to terrorism – as well as the Northern Illinois University Huskies winning their first MAC title since 1983 and the opening of the new DeKalb High School.

There were 20 choices on the Story of the Year ballot. Among those that didn’t make it were the trial and conviction of Kirk Swaggerty in a 2005 murder case in Genoa; the county filing a lawsuit regarding the Keslinger Road bridge collapse from three years ago; Brad Burzynski retiring from the state Senate; and construction starting on the expansion to the county courthouse.

Here are the top 10 local stories for 2011:

1. Jack D. McCullough charged in the death of Maria Ridulph

The July arrest of Jack D. McCullough in the kidnapping and slaying of Sycamore girl Maria Ridulph revived a cold case that many remember as shocking the community in 1957.

McCullough, 72, of Seattle, is charged with kidnapping and killing 7-year-old Ridulph, who was abducted from her Sycamore neighborhood Dec. 3, 1957. Searches went on for months, with then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and President Dwight D. Eisenhower asking for daily reports. Her remains were found five months later in rural Jo Daviess County.

The case remained unsolved for more than a half-century, with various theories proposed as to what really happened.

On July 1, McCullough, formerly known as John Tessier, was arrested in Seattle. Sycamore Police Chief Don Thomas said authorities received new information on the case several years ago that caused authorities to focus on McCullough, who lived near Ridulph in 1957. Authorities have remained silent on what that evidence is.

Ridulph's remains were exhumed from a Sycamore cemetery July 27 as prosecutors searched for DNA evidence. McCullough was indicted Aug. 19 by a grand jury on charges of murder, kidnapping and abduction of an infant. He has said he has an alibi for the day she disappeared, and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

McCullough also was charged in September with one count of rape and four felony counts of indecent liberties with a child; indictments say McCullough raped and sexually abused a 14-year-old girl in Sycamore between November 1961 and November 1962. He also has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The state has elected to try McCullough on the rape charge first, with the trial expected to begin April 9.

McCullough is being held in the DeKalb County Jail on $3 million bond on the charges from the Ridulph case, with an additional $100,000 bond for the rape case.

– Caitlin Mullen

2. Violence in DeKalb results in 3 high-profile shootings

After a third shooting in the city in 2011, DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen stated the obvious: The city has dealt with a handful of high-profile cases the past few years.

His comment was made at a November news conference announcing the arrest of Chaz Thrailkill, 19, of Markham, who police say shot and killed Northern Illinois University student Steven Agee II during an argument at a party.

Thrailkill was indicted this month on three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm.

Authorities were called shortly after 2 a.m. Nov. 23 for a report of shots fired at an apartment at 809 Edgebrook Drive in DeKalb. An argument between Thrailkill and Agee led to the shooting, police said.

The third shooting of the year was the second to involve an NIU student. In April, Richard Van Arsdale III and Mark Orozco, both NIU students, were charged in an off-campus apartment shooting that injured NIU football player Devon Butler.

Police have said the April 5 shooting was in retaliation for a drug deal that happened earlier, and they have stressed Butler was not involved in nor had any knowledge of the drug transaction.

Another shooting happened Sept. 28 across the street from the NIU campus when a man was shot during a drug-related incident in the 900 block of Lucinda Avenue. The victim was shot in the leg, then ran across the street to the NIU campus.

Devonte Matticx, 16, of Posen, has been charged with, among other things, attempted first-degree murder. Four others also have been charged in connection with that shooting.

This year also saw a conclusion to another act of violence: In May, Zachary Isaacman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Brian Mulder in the leg during an early-morning altercation in February 2010 outside the Stevenson North residence hall at NIU.

– Caitlin Mullen

3. February blizzard dumps more than a foot of snow

There were early warnings that February's blizzard would be one for the record books.

In the days before the snow started falling Feb. 1, predictions ranged first from 8-12 inches, then were revised to 15-20 inches.

And the storm didn't disappoint: By the time the blizzard ended Feb. 2, more than a foot of snow had fallen in the county. Genoa received 17.1 inches of snow, while DeKalb had 15.7 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm of historic proportions brought nearly all activity – except emergency responders and businesses that boom because of inclement weather – to a halt in the county.

It led to calls from 200-300 people stuck in vehicles in ditches, the shutdown of all schools in the county for several days, delayed mail delivery, shuttered businesses and social service agencies and rural roads that were impossible to travel

The snow was followed by temperatures that dipped below zero when combined with the wind chill. Perhaps the hardest part of the blizzard – cleanup – was next. It took several days to clear roads and get conditions safe enough to reopen schools and businesses.

– Kate Schott

4. NIU football wins MAC Championship game

A new coaching staff. An almost entirely new defense. A history of coming up just short in the biggest moments.

No problem.

The Northern Illinois University football team overcame all of it, led by first-year coach Dave Doeren, a defense that came together at the right time and a seasonlong motto that the only history that's worth anything is the history you make today.

NIU staged a dramatic comeback against Ohio in the Mid-American Conference Championship game to win 23-20 on kicker Mathew Sims' 33-yard field goal as time expired. It was the school's first conference title since 1983. Sims' kick completed the largest second-half comeback (20 points) in NIU modern history.

This time there was no heartbreak, only celebration at Ford Field in Detroit earlier this month.

"That one moment, when we were all dancing on the field together – I don't know how you guys felt, but I felt pretty good," Doeren said, turning to his players beside him after the victory. "That's what it's all about, that one single moment that you are the best. Our guys earned every second of it."

The 10-3 Huskies accepted a bid to the GoDaddy.com Bowl, which will be played Jan. 8 against Arkansas State in Mobile, Ala.

– John Sahly

5. New DHS opens; District 428 shuffles other schools

In anticipation of the new DeKalb High School's opening, DeKalb School District 428 had one of its busiest summers ever.

While construction workers put the finishing touches on the $88.5 million high school, district officials shuffled other schools around, turning the old high school into the new Huntley Middle School, and the old Huntley into Founders Elementary School.

Malta and Chesebro elementary schools were closed during the summer, with Malta students moving into the old Wright Elementary building on Route 38.

On Sept. 6, high school students got their first day of class in a building district officials say will last generations.

The school shuffle marked the end of a multiyear process, starting with the successful $110 million referendum that voters approved in 2008.

Proposed improvements are still in the works for Huntley and Founders. The school board is discussing how to best utilize the remaining referendum funds.

– Andrew Mitchell

6. Longtime 'leader of the band' Dee Palmer dies

DeKalb lost one of its most iconic figures in 2011 with the death of longtime conductor Dee Palmer.

Palmer, 97, died in November, leaving an unparalleled musical legacy in DeKalb County as conductor of the DeKalb Municipal Band for the past 63 years. Palmer became one of the most beloved figures in DeKalb, with a statue made in his likeness at Hopkins Park and the band shell named in his honor.

"He meant the world to me and everyone in the band," said Kirk Lundbeck, a member of the municipal band for the past 34 years. "When the band did a great job it was because of him, but he always gave all the credit to the band."

Palmer, wearing his signature white coat, conducted his first concert for the band in 1948 and his last in August, ending his storied career the same way he ended every concert – with a performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Outside of his work as conductor, Palmer also owned a music shop and eventually started the Palmer Family Music Education Scholarship Fund to support the arts in DeKalb.

"Everybody loved him; he was a great father and a great person," said Gary Palmer, Dee's son. "He touched a lot of lives."

– Jeff Engelhardt

7. Sycamore resident is killed during overseas conflict

Sycamore lost one of its longtime residents to violence in Afghanistan when Jay Henigan was killed in an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, where he worked in maintenance.

The September attack broke out at an annex of the U.S. Embassy after an Afghan security guard employed by the U.S. Embassy opened fire inside the office building. The gunman was killed, but not before shooting Henigan, 61, and a second person who was injured in the attack.

Henigan was a lifelong resident of Sycamore, graduating from Sycamore High School in 1968 and working in his family's business – Henigan Plumbing. Mary Lu Strack, Henigan's aunt by marriage, said his great attitude would be missed.

"Jay always just had such a positive outlook on life," Strack said.

Ted Strack, Henigan's cousin, said while the two were not as close as others, he knew Henigan loved his work overseas. It was the second time Henigan went
to Afghanistan to work as a contractor for the federal government.

Motivation for the attack was unknown, and it was unclear whether the security guard belonged to an insurgent group.

– Jeff Engelhardt

8. DeKalb Public Library renews push for expansion

A year ago, the DeKalb Public Library's expansion efforts looked stuck in neutral after a proposal to purchase the old DeKalb Clinic property fell through amid an Open Meetings Act violation by the library board.

Then in June, the push for expanding the more than 80-year-old library began again with the announcement of a $1.45 million land deal between the library and DeKalb developer Steve Irving.

Irving initially proposed turning five parcels of land along the 200 block of Oak Street into luxury condos, but instead offered the land to the library so it could expand west.

The land deal was contingent on the DeKalb City Council approving a development agreement that would close a portion of North Third Street. Dozens of residents came out in support of the library during a Nov. 14 public hearing before the council unanimously endorsed the proposal.

Library officials said there is no time to rest. They have until April 16 to submit an application for a state grant that could pay as much as two-thirds of the eventual construction costs.

– Andrew Mitchell

9. Stuckert named first female presiding judge

In early November, county officials announced Circuit Judge Robbin Stuckert would become the first female presiding judge in DeKalb County.

Stuckert was appointed after current Presiding Judge Kurt Klein announced he was retiring in December 2012. Stuckert's appointment was effective Dec. 1.

It wasn't the first "first" for Stuckert. She also was the first female judge to be appointed to an associate judge position in 2001. In 2003, she became the first female circuit judge for the county when she was appointed to fill Judge Douglas Engel's seat.

Stuckert's newest appointment was announced Nov. 1 by Kane County Circuit Judge Robert B. Spence, who is the incoming chief judge-elect of the 16th Judicial Circuit. DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties are part of the 16th Circuit, but DeKalb and Kendall counties are breaking off in December 2012 to form the 23rd Judicial Circuit.

As presiding judge, Stuckert has expressed plans to expand jury weeks, either by adding another week each month for jury trials or looking at a greater number of judges hearing jury trials. She also would like to see a transitional step-down house for those in the county's drug court program.

– Nicole Weskerna

10. Wind farm lawsuit settled

The year ended with the conclusion of a lawsuit filed nearly two years ago.

Citizens for Open Government – a group of local residents opposed to the wind turbines in the county – on Dec. 16 dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2009 after reaching a settlement with NextEra, the builders and operators of the wind farm and one of the many defendants. Details of the settlement are unknown.

The wind farm – which includes 119 turbines and spans Afton, Clinton, Milan and Shabbona townships – was approved by the county board in June 2009 and was operational later that year.

The county did not receive any money in a settlement, but the legal case came at no cost to taxpayers because outside consulting was paid for by NextEra.

The lawsuit alleged the county board overstepped its zoning authority when it authorized the special-use zoning permits for agricultural land. County officials said the project was allowed under a special-use clause that permits "essential service structures."

There is one lawsuit against NextEra and the county that is still pending.

The dissension over the wind farm started as soon as the idea was proposed. In June 2009, the DeKalb County Board granted NextEra permission to build and operate 119 wind turbines. The turbines were part of a larger wind farm that included 145 total turbines in DeKalb and Lee counties.

– Jeff Engelhardt