Tears were shed, smiles were shared, anger was fueled and memories were made in 2013, but what caused such a range of emotions?

Unlike print media, StaceyPageOnline.com, which is Kosciusko County’s only all digital daily newspaper, is able to track by views the stories that had the biggest local impact of 2013.
As we peruse all of the headlines of the year, we found these to be the biggest stories of 2013, as decided upon by our readers:

No. 10
Record Snowfall
The snow started falling on March 5 and, when it ended the following day, it left areas of the county buried under 11 inches of snow. Prior to the snow storm of March 2013, the highest recorded March snowfall for Kosciusko County – since the National Weather Service started keeping records in the 1990s – was 5.5 inches in 1999.

No. 9
WCS Counselor Arrested For Pot
A Warsaw Community Schools junior counselor was arrested for possession of marijuana and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she was found in the company of a 17-year-old male student in a parked vehicle. Pamela Ann Rozelle, 37, of East Kemo Avenue, Warsaw, was arrested just after midnight on July 30 by Winona Lake Police Officer Joe Bumbaugh near Stonehenge Golf Course. The next day, Rozelle resigned her position with WCS. A trial date of March 26 has been set in Rozelle’s case. See related: Counselor Resigns After Arrest; Counselor Caught Red-Handed With Marijuana

No. 8
The Greatest Touchdown
Jacob Brock and the Lakeview and Edgewood middle schools football teams touched the hearts of thousands of SPO readers with what we called The Greatest Touchdown Ever Made. There was nary a dry eye to be found as Brock, age 13, who suffers from multiple disabilities, had his dream of running for a touchdown come true.

No. 7
Woman Charged for Starving Puppies
A caring neighbor and a video led to a Burket woman’s arrest for starving two German Shepherd puppies. Laci Harper, also known as Laci Bailey, was charged Oct. 1 after her neighbor, Patrick Jamison, took video of the two puppies chained in Harper’s backyard that were emaciated and provided no food or fresh water. One of the puppies died the same day Jamison intervened and a necropsy performed on the deceased animal proved it died of starvation. Harper is charged with two Class A misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. She has been given a deadline of April 15, 2014, to enter a plea. As of now, a jury trial is set for April 24, 2014. See related: Necropsy Ordered in Starved Puppy Case; UPDATE: Owner Insists Puppies Not Starved; Necropsy Confirms Puppy Died of Starvation; UPDATE: Warrant Served in Puppy Starvation Case; Second Charge Filed in Animal Cruelty Case

No. 6
Wawasee Bus Crash
On May 22, four Wawasee Community School buses collided in a chain reaction event that injured more than 50 students. John Wagoner was driving bus #28 southbound on SR 13 near North Webster when he slammed into the back of another bus that was stopped for a third and fourth bus which was letting off a student. StaceyPageOnline.com covered the accident extensively. See related: Bus Driver “Fair, Stable” Following Surgery; School, Responders Talk of Bus Accident; School Bus Crash Injures 50+ Students; Video Shows Impact of Bus Crash; Siblings Recount Horror of Bus Crash

No. 5
One Dead in Chapman Lake Fire
A 65-year-old Chapman Lake man nicknamed Captain Sunshine perished in a home fire on Jan. 20, when a space heat ignited the blaze at 2147 Chapman Lake Dr. Stephen Hall’s remains were found in the burned structure several hours after more than 40 firefighters from four departments extinguished the fire. See related: Fire Victim Positively Identified

No. 4
Remains of Missing Teen Found
In the early evening hours of Sunday, Sept. 29, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department investigators were called to a wooded area along CR 175 East across the Suburban Acres Mobile Home Park in Warsaw where kids found human remains. The remains were quickly identified as those of Aurora Shoemaker, an 18-year-old woman who went missing on Aug. 16, 2012. Medical examiners determined Shoemaker’s death was a suicide. See related: Remains Confirmed Those of Missing Woman; No Foul Play in Shoemaker Death

No. 3
Kosciusko’s Got Talent
Offering a $1,000 cash prize to the most talented individual or act in Kosciusko County turned out to be a big hit for StaceyPageOnline.com. With the help of sponsors – The Kosciusko County Community Fair, Bishop Farms, Tom Farms, The Sleepy Owl, Kuert Concrete, Eagle Creek Firearms, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Monteith’s Best One Tire and Auto Care, Paragon Medical and PayProMedia – we offered readers an opportunity to showcase their talents in a unique video entry contest. Local band Plaxton & the Void won the contest, which was voted on by SPO readers.

No. 2
Shooting Death of Steve Carman
The Dec. 18 violent death of a Kuhn Lake man on Dec. 18 shocked the county. Steven Carman, 51, of 44 EMS B10 Ln., Pierceton, died from multiple gunshot wounds when his former girlfriend, Sonya Lynn Armontrout, 42, allegedly hid in a closet in his home and waited for her victim. A 911 call of a potential shooting at the EMS B10 Lane home was received at about 7:18 p.m. that night. Officers arrived at the scene and located Armontrout, who surrendered immediately without incident. Inside the home, Carman was found dead and the details of his violent death emerged. See related: Victim, Suspect Named in Barbee Shooting

Top Story of 2013
Prostitution Raid at Stimmelators
The owner of a North Webster gentleman’s club and four other individuals were arrested in October and charged with promoting prostitution and illegal sales of synthetic drugs. Samuel Scott Stimmel, 64, had his finances frozen and was charged five felonies including corrupt business influence, dealing in a synthetic drug lookalike substance and promoting prostitution. The investigation was originally initiated in July. See related: Stimmel’s Finances Frozen Amid Investigation

Other headlines that made big news in 2013:

• Teen suicides rocked the Wawasee Community School Corporation in the 2012-2013 school year prompting school officials to bring in motivational speaker Jeff Yalden. See related: Life Coach to Wawasee: ‘Attitude is Important’
• Three tornadoes struck Kosciusko County on Nov. 17. See related: Third Tornado Identified in Kosciusko County
• Dana Shell, a Warsaw woman who pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in the death of a toddler, was sentenced to 1 year in the county jail. See related: Reckless Homicide Nets Babysitter 1 Year; Babysitter Charged in Baby’s Death
• Paul Gingerich was just 12 years old when he was convicted of murder. The Cromwell had his case sent back to Kosciusko County where hearings continue. See related: Gingerich Has Adult Court Hearing; Gingerich’s Role in Murder Revealed