A Look Back

Hey, 2011 -- good riddance.

No, seriously. That's pretty much it. I mean, what's that old saying? "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Well, there's not a lot of nice that has gone on in the area over the last year.

We started out the year with five teenagers shot at in a Redlands apartment complex, killing two (still unsolved). And since, the good news has felt like it has been few and far between.

Let's run down some of the names that have made the news what it's been in 2011:

Nathan Gastineau: Cos-play group founder and former San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy accused of having sex with an underaged girl, who was a Sheriff's Explorer and fellow cos-player.

Terence Giberson: Allegedly found naked inside his apartment with a naked 4-year-old girl by the girl's father.

McDonald's: The fight over whether a shopping center that may include the fast-food giant should be approved tore apart the once quiet Loma Linda City Council meetings.

Randy Ortis: The man accused of firing the fatal shots in an attack outside of Charlie Jewell's in downtown Redlands, all caught on police surveillance footage.

Dr. Ramon Fakhoury: A doctor who was working on a contract basis in the Loma Linda University Medical Center's East Campus urgent care center has been accused of sexually assaulting patients.

Tombstones: Police found a back yard full of the grave markers (possibly stolen) during a drug bust in Loma Linda (there were a few of those, too) back in August.

Lucien Daigle: The Los Angeles Police Department sergeant was arrested in Mentone after allegedly being pepper sprayed by a homeowner during a break-in.

Citrus Valley High: What was a great story -- the Blackhawks' football team winning its first league title in only its third season -- turned ugly when their first-round playoff game against Aquinas turned into a melee.

Politics (not as) usual: As we run up to the presidential primary season, we've been slammed with debate after debate, while also watching the battle lines being drawn between the established Tea Party and the upstart Occupy groups.

US Postal Service: As Congress debated its future, the local scene saw two big shakeups: The end of Sunday delivery in Loma Linda, and the closure of the historic Bryn Mawr office.

David R. Zamora: The Colton mayor died in his car during his lunch hour from serving the city. He had only been serving in office seven months, but had served the community for 28 years.

See? And that feels like it's just scratching the surface, especially when you factor in how many victims of violent crimes end up at LLUMC.

(And this is leaving out my own personal issues, which included joining the ranks of former newspaper employees looking for steady work.)

Sure, there's been good things happening. Lots of great charitable events that have helped brighten people's spirits and get them through the holiday season (Kmart's Layaway Angels nearly got us a great happy story to end the year).

But overall, this year can just lock its doors and throw away the keys. Even having to sludge through a full year of elections seems more encouraging than 2011 has been.