2008 was an eventful and historic year for America and East Tennessee, and we sure talked about it at KnoxViews. There were more than 24,000 comments on nearly 3200 articles, and it appears we clocked more than one million visits and more than four million page views.

In local news, the top story of the year was the tragic and senseless shootings at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church:

• 6 Shot at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
• Where there is light there is hope
• KPD press conference
• A message from KnoxViews about yesterday's events

More recently, the fly ash sludge pond spill at TVA's Kingston Steam Plant is making big news:

• TVA sludge containment dam fails, homes evacuated
• Irresponsible local news reporting on TVA sludge pond disaster?
• TVA in total denial
• National media ignoring the TVA disaster?

In politics, of course the top story was the 2008 elections and the historic election of Barack Obama as President. KnoxViews was fortunate to land a couple of exclusives, including an interview with James Carville. KnoxViews was also selected as the official credentialed Tennessee blog for the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and it was an amazing experience. Here are some election highlights, including a link to our archive of convention coverage.

• A conversation with James Carville
• KnoxViews Democratic National Convention Blogging
• Election results live: History in the making!

In local public affairs, Knox County government continued to be a source of entertainment. In addition to the p-card audit, sixth floor scandals and resignations, and temporary appointments for term-limited officials, the charter amendments generated quite a bit of discussion:

• Knox Charter petition drive launches
• Charter Amendments: Vote Yes
• Hidden snares in the charter amendments
• Why I Came Out Against the Charter Amendments
• No on Charter Amendment 3

Another hot topic is the Minvilla luxury condos for the homeless:

• Minvilla / Fifth Ave. Motel: The unanswered questions
• Minvilla: Support in Law for the Radius Amendment
• Another Mil for Minvilla?
• Does it really take over $7 million, 4 years and 7 months...

And the funniest episode of the Knox County Commission sitcom was when Lumpy lashed out at Commissioner Mark Harmon and a legend was born.

And of course, U.T. athletics is always making news:

• Fulmer, Pearl get raises
• Fulmer on his way out?
• Phil Fulmer goes out with class
• End of an era: Fulmer's last game for UT

There is ongoing discussion about the meltdown of our economy, which you can follow here

There were also passings of note:

• Hamilton Jordan
• Martha Phillips
• Tim Russert
• George Carlin
• Lou Teicher
• Isaac Hayes
• Paul Newman
• Madelyn Dunham

And last but not least, one of our favorite discussions was: Knoxville Retailers, Gone but not Forgotten

In reviewing it all, I continue to be impressed by the quality of participation at KnoxViews. Thanks to everyone for helping make this such a great blog, er, "new media website." It wouldn't be what it is without all of you.

Read more for a month-by-month trip down memory lane, with highlights based on number of views and/or comments along with some editor's picks...

JANUARY

South Knox water tower prompts talks about a ridgetop protection ordinance.

U.T. Chancellor Lorn Crabtree fired

First annual City of Knoxville Dog Parade

Knox County appoints citizens grant review panel, with controversial results (more here).

First hint of a gathering storm...

Knox native actor Brad Renfro found dead in his LA home

Fred Thompson concedes defeat.

Downtown hotel complex near convention center announced

Brian Hornback's endorsement of Amy Vandergriff didn't help her at the polls. There may have been extenuating circumstances

Knoxville ranked as the nation's asthma capital... again.

John Edwards withdraws from the presidential primary, gives inspiring speech in New Orleans. Little did we know...

Church markets revival to Powell High students during school hours

Concerns about access to Knox Co. campaign finance reports prompt action

Italian Market and Grill closes.

FEBRUARY

Knox Co. has highest early voting turnout in the state for Feb. primary.

Yes, We Can video debuts

Tennessee Scenic Vistas Act bill introduced to outlaw mountaintop removal.

Roundup of the Knox County Primaries

WDVX named Bluegrass Radio Station of the Year

Dysfunctional Knox Co. government makes the New York Times

Live blogging of Knox County Election Results in the Feb. primary.

Hillary Clinton wins Tennessee

Mike Huckabee wins Tennessee

Scoobie Moore resigns as chair of Knox County Commission

Seeking drought relief, Georgia introduces legislation to move its northwest boundary a mile north to take in part of the Tennessee River.

Brian's Blog speculates on why Scoobie lost his bid for County Clerk, hilarity ensues

Ron Paul drops out

Ethics crusader Frank Buck retiring from the state House

Rep. Stacey Campfield introduces bill to ban discussion of homosexuality in schools

Tennessee Voter Confidence Act legislation introduced to require new paper-trail voting machines by "no later than" the 2010 elections.

Cynthia Finch resigns! (Related: Cynthia Finch wants job back!)

Applicants seeking appointment to County Commission as temporary replacements for term limited commissioners.

Lumpy lashes out at Commissioner Mark Harmon calling him a "university twit," and a legend is born.

Live blogging County Commission appointment meeting

Consumer alert: Does your dog groomer use drying cages?

Tank Strickland debuts as County Commission chair

Knox County P-card audit released

TN GOP attack on Obama covered on Countdown and Hardball.

White Lily plant closes

Bob Tuke announces candidacy for U.S. Senate opposing Lamar Alexander.

MARCH

60 Minutes report on Remote Area Medical: Knoxville's Third World emergency room

Consumer update: Dog groomers could be regulated

Feds try Moncier in secret Chattanooga trial: Star Chamber court seeks to ban Herb from federal practice (And the Feds win)

Eliot Spitzer admits using recently busted prostitution ring

Live from Titusville: STS-123 launch

Mercy Health Partners to close inpatient services at Baptist Hospital

Downtown "Art Police" loaded for bear

Rev. Wright and Obama's speech

Vacation photos

Satire: Spirited Democratic primary strengthens candidates and the party

Knoxville to receive DOE solar energy grant

Knox Co. Mayor's office requests copies of Victoria DeFreese's "countless" emails under cover of the Tennessee Open Records Act.

APRIL:

Jack Daniel's names new Master Distiller

Notes from UT Journalism and Electronic Media conference, Day 1, Day 2, and Rob Curley

Candace Parker #1 draft pick

Memo to Dr. McIntyre

Claudia Ragsdale files for divorce

Bible theme park voted down

Ridgetop protection task force formed

Great News: Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge expansion

SmartFIX40: The Apocalypse (Related: Knox BLVD re-visited)

MAY

Scenic Knoxville launches effort to stop digital billboards

KGIS adds 1935 Aerial Photos

Ragsdale IdleAire investment under fed microscope

Scripps spins off newspaper division

Stimulus rebate delayed for some direct deposit recipients

Blount County mayor refers to Democrats as "far-left loons" and calls three County Commissioners "monkeys."

IdleAire files Chapter 11

KnoxViews selected as the official credentialed Tennessee blog for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver

P-card audit reveals gas purchases at J's Mega Mart

Candace Parker's record breaking WNBA debut

Media discovers internet: Free speech or free for all?

KPD officer shot

Ragsdale and Pinkston square off re. P-card audit

Local paper has misspelling in headline of front page spelling bee story

JUNE

Knoxville's Jewelry Television hit with multi-million dollar fraud lawsuit

Midway project opponents get a favorable ruling

Primary numbers suggest big wins for Democrats in November

The Bush Legacy

Former South Knox High sold for $117,700

Clinton Concedes

Knoxville featured in the NY Times

Goody's filing Chapter 11 (the first time).

Don Daugherty steps down as chair of Knox Co. Democratic Party

Knoxville lands Green Mt. Coffee expansion

UTK Audiology and Speech Pathology Program Under Fire in 2008 Budget Cuts

Recall: Raw tomato troubles grow

Google Street View maps Knoxville

Temporary layoffs at SeaRay

Drill baby drill: 68 million acres of untapped oil leases (More discussion here)

Plans for Old South High revealed,

Sylvia Woods elected Knox Co. Dem Chair

CMT promotes Southern Appalachian stereotypes

Permanent job cuts at Sea Ray

Authorities shut down largest known TN puppy mill operation

Knox County Office of Neighborhoods director Alison Wagley resigns

JULY

Nichols appoints special prosecutor to investigate Knox Co. finances

Baptist Hospital winding down operations

City of Knoxville proposing Homeless Housing in South Knoxville

Why does the downtown theater show such crappy movies?

Local election preview

City Councilman Steve Hall injured in motorcycle accident

Midway industrial park officially dead?

TBI seizes Finch computers, records,

Minimum wage: $6.55/hr eff. July 24

Blount Co. inside hardball re. judicial race

Chattanooga lands VW plant

Check your bank's health

Knox County Commission internet discussion forum launches

Neyland Stadium makeover: $200 million

Bridgeview Grill closing

Randy Tyree for Sheriff

Tyree to file formal complaint re. improper use of Knox County deputies for campaign purposes

Salter: Solway Reports Not "Recreated"

News Sentinel local endorsements criticized

AUGUST

White Lily v. blogger dust-up

Rush's Music: 50th Anniversary

Obama: Antichrist?

Herb Moncier files lawsuit demanding that 13 officials be sworn in as soon as the election is certified

Strip mining in a gated golf course community

Knox Co. August election results

Padgett in third place and some other interesting results

WBIR gets County Commission 6-A election result spectacularly wrong

TN AG to investigate Knox County Mayor's Office

Arkansas state Dem chair shot and killed at HQ

MetroPulse photo spread on commission race in very poor taste

Greenpeace protesters arrested in downtown Knoxville

DeFreese wears a wire

Shooting at Central High School

Hillary ends it, Obama wins it

McCain Picks Palin!

SEPTEMBER

Palin's teen daughter pregnant

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac takeover imminent, plus yet another bank failure

Conservatives trying to sell a "new" kind of feminism?

TN Supreme Court ruling against Alcoa in asbestos case

The shocking truth about Sarah Palin

Knoxville Gas Panic?

State Sen. Rosalind Kurita's primary victory overturned by the Tennessee Democratic Party

Racism at Values Voter Summit?

Yankee Stadium: OK, NOW you can tear it down

Lehman bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch sold, AIG restructuring

Palin e-mail hacking probe reaches all the way to Knoxville (See also: No secrets, and Kernell indicted)

The day of silence in Slovenia

Can we trust the Bush mortgage bailout plan?

Disappearing Chilhowee Lake

UT launches new national research center for collaboration between biologists and mathematicians

Coacho Ocho

OCTOBER

My holiday with John McCain

Some of her best friends are gay

Biden-Palin debate discussion

Would you take $500,000 for your house?

Knoxville area Solar Tour

Downtown Holiday Inn sold?

Brunswick furloughs local workers for the rest of the year

Lumpy confronted mall killer

Moore out, Pinkston stays

Finally, the final debate

"I Voted" Discussion Thread

McCain robocalls to Virginia residents claim Obama is a terrorist

Plumbers for Obama

KNS asks readers if they should endorse

UT budget cuts will eliminate programs, jobs

Official KnoxViews Electoral Vote Prediction Contest (And the winner)

KNS: Newspaper endorsements are irrelevant, but we'll go ahead and endorse Alexander, Duncan, Wamp, and Roe anyway

#9: Gone, with his "body of work"

KNS endorsements: Another GOP trifecta for State Senate

Surprise! KNS endorses McCain/Palin

ATF busts assassination plot with links to Tennessee

Knox early voting turnout

NOVEMBER

Knox County RIP

Change I Can Finally Believe In...

Knox County and State Senate results

Layoffs and other big changes at the KNS

Memo to the TNDP: Bloggers are your friends

Red states left behind

Frustration boils over in Tennessee liberal new media

Seen on Kingston Pike at Cherokee Blvd today: the KKK

TNDP shakeup underway

GOP ready to rock and roll up in the statehouse

Knox County Commission and Hillcrest Nursing Homes

Local blogger calls Obama the "greatest singular evil"

Panel discussion with Georgiana Vines' UT Media Management class

Cherrie's Internet Cafe gone sour?

Burchett running for Knox County Mayor

South Waterfront project comes home

Sarah says Happy Thanksgiving, Turkey!

UT President's wife confined to the parlor

Obama administration taking shape

The "Greatest Generation" survived the Depression. Could we?

College students beware of catching liberal cooties!

DECEMBER

Dog number 4 dies at Happy Tails

Hillcrest withdraws from purchase deal

Victor Ashe gets his walking papers

Cherrie's buyout deal blows up

UT to eliminate academics

Convenience voting coming to 2009 city elections

Jail on the Green?

Downtown development: S&W Grand Cafe

Knox Housing Partnership unveils LEED-certified affordable housing

Traditional Marriage, Bible-Style

KNS laments demise of Hillcrest deal

Race for the TNDP chair

Major TN economic announcement

UAW's Gettelfinger: Corker didn't have the juice to get the deal done

Obama invites Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration

Honda announces plans to cancel the 2009 Honda Hoot

The Continuing Health Care Crisis For Small Business