Top Local Stories of the Decade

It's just about 2010. Here are my choices. What do you think?1. After being snatched by federal authorities, Elian Gonzalez is sent home to his father in Cuba on June 28, 2000.2. Art Basel Miami Beach starts in 2002, an offshoot of the Swiss affair, it changes Miami's cultural life...

By Chuck Strouse

December 10, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

It's just about 2010. Here are my choices. What do you think?

1. After being snatched by federal authorities, Elian Gonzalez is sent home to his father in Cuba on June 28, 2000.

2. Art Basel Miami Beach starts in 2002, an offshoot of the Swiss affair, it changes Miami's cultural life forever.

3. Not long after the battle in Seattle, Miami's streets explode with the Free Trade Area of the America riots in November 2003.

4. The Marlins go from 10 games under .500 to win their second world series over the Yankees, also in November 2003.

5. Miami Commissioner and former county commission chairman Arthur Teele, facing federal indictment, shoots himself in the lobby of the Miami Herald.

6. Hurricane Wilma whacks the area in 2005 after Katrina blew through, It was the worst huricane season in history and did nearly as much property damage and Andrew.

7. On the day Tomas Regalado is elected Miami mayor in 2009, commissioner Angel Gonzalez quits rather than face jail time. Just a couple days later, commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones is suspended after indictment.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Chuck Strouse is the former editor in chief of Miami New Times. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes and won dozens of other awards. He is an honors graduate of Brown University and has worked at newspapers including the Miami Herald and Los Angeles Times.

Contact: Chuck Strouse

Follow:

Twitter: @chuckstrouse