Signs of the apocalypse were everywhere in 2016. Great Britain voted to leave the European Union, Donald Trump was elected president, and white supremacy rose from the dead. Some of America's most iconic people dropped dead like Zika-infected mosquitoes caught in a haze of insecticide. Among others, we lost David Bowie, Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn, Brady Bunch mom Florence Henderson, Prince, and the greatest athlete of all time, Muhammad Ali.
Hundreds of thousands of readers logged in to read my columns this past year too. In one, I called the winner of the presidential election. In another, I nailed the City of Miami Beach for planning to cancel the popular Floatopia event. And in a third, I memorialized the great Janet Reno.
My most popular topic of the year was Memorial Day, AKA hip-hop weekend. In one piece, by far the most viewed of the year, I pointed out this holiday exemplifies how racism still exists in Miami Beach. In another, I discussed a planned air show for that weekend that was quietly passed by the commission as a way to undercut black tourists. More than 100,000 people read that story online.
Let's hope 2017 is a better year for everyone.
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Number two was my summation of the top ten female newscasters. There's no doubt that readers love beautiful, smart women on television.
The third most viewed topic was Chris Bosh. I told the Heat it was time to cut ties with the star and move forward. This year has not been easy for the team, Bosh, or fans, but it has done the right thing for Miami.
Finally, there were my columns about 21-year-old Miami Northwestern Senior High alum Jaquan Lenard, who died in a hail of bullets, and little King Carter, the 6-year-old boy who was also killed in a gun dispute. The county needs to stop this sort of violence now. Young men and boys should not be dying unnecessarily.
Let's hope 2017 is a better year for everyone.
Follow Luke on Twitter: @unclelukereal1.
