Top News Today –
Top 10 2016 Stories:
A Year In Review

Well, we made it to the end of 2016 and for many, the end couldn’t have come soon enough. For much of the world, 2016 was a horrific year that made constant use of the motto: “giveth and taketh away.”

In 2016, we saw the NFL return to LA, but the retirement of NBA great Kobe Bryant. We saw Texas pass a controversial Open Carry gun law, and a gun-toting militia group overtake an Oregon national wildlife refuge. The year started with a bitter blizzard that completely shut down New York City, and saw the sun set on TV’s American Idol.

However, what were the absolute TOP stories of the year? Find out now with the annual OK WASSUP! Top 10 2016 Stories: A Year In Review.

Top News Today

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10.) TERRORISM –

Terrorism dominated the news in 2016, with deadly attacks in Brussels and Berlin, as well as here at home in Minnesota, New Jersey, and even New York City.
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9.) PRESIDENT OBAMA GOES TO CUBA –

In 2016, President Obama made history by being the first sitting U.S. President to visit Cuba in more than a century. Not only did the president enjoy the island nation for himself and his family, but he lifted a decades-old travel ban, making it possible for Americans to once again visit Cuba too!
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8.) NORTH CAROLINA BATHROOM BILL –

In April, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law HB 2 (the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act), requiring transgender people to use public restrooms according to the biological sex on their birth certificate, instead of the sex they identify with. The law became immediately unpopular with the LGBTQ community, prompting a boycott of the state that has cost them billions.

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7.) FLINT WATER CRISIS –

In early 2016, a state of emergency was declared in the midwest city of Flint, Michigan, when the city attempted to save money by switching its water supply from Lake Huron in Detroit to the Flint River. Immediately, rust colored water began flowing into homes, prompting residents to complain of rashes and other illnesses. The decision to save money will be more costly since it will now cost triple to replace lead corroded pipes and return to the Lake Huron water source.

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6.) POLICE BRUTALITY –

The year 2016 saw a deadly decline in police and community relations, with police shootings and murders happening across the country.

In St. Paul, MN, Philando Castile was pulled over for a busted tail light. When he informed the police officer he was carrying a gun and had a legal permit to do so, the officer asked for his ID then shot and murdered him — all with his 4-year-old child sitting in the back seat.

In Baton Rouge, LA, Alton Sterling was murdered by police for selling CDs outside a convenience store.

These are only 2 examples of more than a dozen unnecessary shootings by police.  The common thread among ALL of them: the police were white and the victims were black.

In retaliation for the shootings, Micah Xavier Johnson took matters into his own hands, by opening fire and killing multiple police officers in Dallas.  His actions were followed up by similar sniper shootings of police in Missouri and Georgia.
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5.) 2016 SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES –

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games were supposed to be a boon for South America in general, and the bankrupt and politically corrupt Rio in particular. However, construction delays, massive pollution problems, and threats of high crime nearly forced the Olympic committee to cancel this year’s competition.

Still, the games surprisingly went off without a hitch — that is until gold medal swimmer Ryan Lochte created an unnecessary controversy when he lied about being robbed at gunpoint, causing an international crisis.

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4.) CHICAGO CUBS –

It took 108 to kill the curse of that damned Billy Goat, however, 2016 gave die-hard Chicago Cubs fans reasons to celebrate with a World Series win. Even those who are not Cubs fans couldn’t help but be happy for Chicago after their century-long drought.

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3.) ORLANDO GAY CLUB MASSACRE –

On a warm, Saturday night in June, the party at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando was interrupted by a surprise of rapid-fire gunshots. Omar Mir Seddique Mateen shot and killed dozens of revelers, claiming he was acting on behalf of ISIS, before he was killed by police. However, it was later determined that the married but closeted Mateen had been a frequent attendee at the gay hotspot, had an affinity for the regular clientage of Hispanic men, and likely carried out the shooting as revenge for having his sexual advances rebuffed.
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2.) PASSAGES –

One of the more sorrowful Top 10 2016 stories is the relentless amount of deaths that occurred within the year. Sadly, 2016 began with the death of singer Natalie Cole on New Year’s Day and ended with the passing of singer George Michael on Christmas Day.

With so many deaths in 2016, it was necessary to break them down into categories.

ENTERTAINMENT:
Wayne Rogers (actor from M*A*S*H), Dan Haggerty (star of “Grizzly Adams”), Abe Vigoda (actor on “Barney Miller”), Pat Harrington (actor), Joe Garagiola (sports broadcaster and former baseball player), Gary Shandling (comedian), Patty Duke, Doris Roberts (co-star on “Everybody Loves Raymond”), Morley Safer (“60 Minutes”), Garry Marshall (“Happy Days” creator), Miss Cleo (TV Psychic), Gene Wilder, Gwen Ifill (PBS anchor), Florence Henderson (“Brady Bunch”), Ron Glass (actor on “Barney Miller”), Alan Thicke (star of “Growing Pains” and father of singer Robin Thicke), Zsa Zsa Gabor.

MUSIC:
Natalie Cole, David Bowie, René Angélil (Celine Dion husband), Glenn Frey (founding member of The Eagles), Maurice White (founder of Earth, Wind & Fire), Phife Dawg (Tribe Called Quest), PRINCE, Denise “Vanity” Matthews (Prince singer), Billy Paul (Me & Mrs. Jones), Merle Haggard (country star), George Michael (Wham!).

POLITICS:
Boutros Boutros Gala (former UN Secretary General), Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, Rob Ford (former Toronto Mayor), Shimon Peres (former Israeli Prime Minister), Janet Reno (former Attorney General under Pres. Bill Clinton), Cuban leader Fidel Castro, John Glenn (astronaut), Dr. Henry Heimlich (inventor of the Heimlich maneuver).

SPORTS:
Boxing great Muhammad Ali, Kimbo Slice (martial arts fighter), Pat Summitt (Univ. of Tennessee basketball coach), Arnold Palmer (golfer), Craig Sager (sports analyst).
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Top News Today
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And the #1 Top 10 2016 Story Is:

1.) DONALD TRUMP –

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For the 2nd year in a row, “The Donald” is the #1 Top 10 2016 story of the year.  Trump completely owned the news cycle, with his racist and radical rants and rallies.  Many (including us here at OK WASSUP!) doubted Trump’s metal, yet he was somehow able to rally the misfits and disenfranchised of America to elect him president.

Since we expect his presidency to be a catastrophic mess, it’s very likely Donald Trump may end up as the top story of 2017 too!
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HONORABLE MENTION:

Brexit
Harambee gorilla
National Museum of African-American History DC
Kaepernick National Anthem
James Comey FBI

Did we get it right?  What do you consider to be the TOP 10 2016 story of the year?

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OK WASSUP! covers Top News Today:
Top 10 2016 Stories of the Year.