Current Events –
Top Ten 2015 Stories Of The Year

With only days left until 2016, it’s time for the annual OK WASSUP! Top Ten 2015 Stories.

Current Events
Plenty of huge stories made this year’s Top Ten 2015 list. Late night comedians David Letterman and Jon Stewart both retired, American Idol got its pink slip, former NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams got demoted and NBA superstar Kobe Bryant decided it’s time to call it a career.

However, despite being big news, those were not the Top Ten 2015 Stories. Take a stroll through 2015 and the top stories of the year.

10.) SOUTH CAROLINA REMOVES CONFEDERATE FLAG –

The Confederate Flag, long a symbol of racism and the segregated south, was permanently removed from the South Carolina state capitol grounds. After swift passage by the South Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill on July 10th and removed the controversial symbol for good.

9.) CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING –

On June 17th, a man was welcomed into a bible study meeting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, but his intentions were not spiritual. Dylann Roof, a self-proclaimed racist, pulled out a gun and opened fire on the unsuspecting group, killing Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., Rev. Sharonda Singleton, Myra Thompson and The Honorable Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a state senator and pastor of Emanuel AME Church.

8.) ENTERTAINMENT –

Several entertainment stories dominated the news and made headlines for the Top Ten 2015 Stories. Television legend Bill Cosby was outed for allegedly drugging then raping dozens of women; Olympic legend and Reality TV star Bruce Jenner went under the knife and became Caitlyn Jenner; after being blackmailed for millions, actor Charlie Sheen was forced to announce he is HIV Positive; and after decades of masquerading as a black woman, Spokane NAACP President Rachel Dolezal was forced to admit that she is in fact a white woman.

7.) SUBWAY SPOKESMAN IS A PEDOPHILE –

Jared Fogle, best known for losing hundreds of pounds by eating Subway sandwiches and later becoming the restaurant’s pitchman, was arrested for being a child molester. The married father of 2 used his many trips for Subway (and his millions) to coerce young boys and girls into sexual encounters. The news earned Fogle divorce papers from his wife, as well as 15 years in prison.

6.) PASSAGES –

The world lost several greats in 2015.

Politics: Former NY Gov. Mario Cuomo; former Speaker of the House Jim Wright; Sen. Edward Brooke (America’s 1st black senator); former Sen. Fred Thompson; former NSA director Sandy Berger; and Vice-President Biden’s son, Beau Biden.

Showbiz: Anne Meara; Maureen O’Hara; Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek); Donna Douglas (“Ellie Mae Clampett” of The Beverly Hillbillies); Omar Sharif; Dick Van Patten (Eight Is Enough); Jill Clayburgh; Dean Jones; David Canary (All My Children).

Music: BB King; Percy Sledge (“When A Man Loves A Woman”); Ben E King (“Stand By Me”); New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint; Gospel great Andre Crouch; William Guest (Gladys Knight & The Pips); Bobbi Kristina Brown (daughter of the late Whitney Houston).

Sports: Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs); Yogi Berra; football legend Frank Gifford; former NY Knicks player Anthony Mason; NBA legend Moses Malone; NBA great Darryl Dawkins; Coach Flip Saunders (Minnesota Timberwolves); Coach Dean Smith (North Carolina Tarheels); ESPN host Stuart Scott; Meadowlark Lemon (Harlem Globetrotters).

Personalities: Megachurch pastor Rev. Robert Schuller; civil rights icon Julian Bond; Authors E. L. Doctorow (Ragtime), Jackie Collins and Wes Craven; Bob Simon (CBS NEWS).

5.) LOVE WINS –

On June 26th and in a narrow 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is the law of the land and legal in all 50 states.

4.) KIM DAVIS DENIES MARRIAGE LICENSES –

Soon after the Supreme Court ruling confirming the legality of same-sex marriage in all 50 states, Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis made headlines by choosing to deny ALL marriage licenses, just to avoid handing out same-sex licenses. Despite claiming her Christian faith as her defense, Davis was jailed and forced to allow her deputy clerks to resume issuing marriage licenses.

3.) TERRORISM –

Terrorism toppled the news in 2015, with deadly attacks around the world. On January 2nd, terrorists assassinated journalists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris; On October 1st, a gunman killed 8 and injured 9 during a shootout at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College; On November 13th, ISIS coordinated deadly attacks in Paris, with 3 suicide bombers striking near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafés, restaurants, and a concert hall; On December 2nd, 14 people were killed and 22 were seriously injured after a terrorist attack at a San Bernardino, CA Christmas party.

2.) POLICE BRUTALITY/BLACK LIVES MATTER –

The Black Lives Matter movement grew substantially, after a surge of police brutality cases and murders of black men by police in 2015. The killing of Freddie Gray by Baltimore Police sparked multiple days of riots; the death of Sandra Bland while in police custody following a traffic stop in Texas just saw all charges dropped against the police officer; and Chicago residents continue to protest following the shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van Dyke, who has since been charged with 1st degree murder.

And the #1 Top Ten 2015 story is:

1.) DONALD TRUMP –

After entering the Republican presidential race, many believed billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump was a joke of a candidate. The Huffington Post even listed news about Trump’s presidential bid under entertainment and not politics. However, for anyone who underestimated “The Donald,” he is having the last laugh as the continuous GOP frontrunner for several months. His comments against women, against Mexicans and against Muslims has only awakened all of the misogynists and racists within the GOP, who have been fueling the Trump campaign while leaving party leaders helpless.