Close-Up 2004: The news that defined the year

A look back at stories from 2004

Slots are key to 'new Pennsylvania'
Gov. Ed Rendell made a huge political wager in 2004, maybe the biggest of his 30-year career in public life, when he successfully pushed to expand legalized gambling in Pennsylvania.

Autistic man right at home with new family
Tim Tullis accompanied Marianne Badaczewski in September on a social visit to a priest. Tullis has often been at her side since becoming part of the extended Badaczewski family in March, upon the death of the father who cared for him dutifully into old age.

Secrecy clouds cost overruns at Pitt's Petersen Events Center
State officials pledged more rigorous oversight of construction projects last spring, in response to disclosures of high cost overruns on the Petersen Events Center. One thing they have not changed is a secretive procedure for settling disputes with contractors who claim they are owed more money.

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette
Click photo for larger image.

Flu vaccine shortage still not cleared up
Many Pennsylvania residents at risk of developing complications from the flu have struggled to get flu shots this year as the nation faced a severe shortage of flu vaccine. While the demand for vaccine has eased in many states, Pennsylvania remains among a group of states that have been unable to meet the need for flu shots for people in high-risk groups.

Mayor Murphy learns silence is golden
Facing bankruptcy for Pittsburgh, mass layoffs and a likely budget deficit, Mayor Tom Murphy adopted a new strategy in order to win state budget aid: Stay on message and don't say anything else. Murphy also found himself working with former political adversaries here and in Harrisburg before a five-year plan was crafted that cuts jobs, raises taxes and balances the budget.


Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

How domestic violence left so many kids alone
Andrew and Andre Umphrey, ages 8 and 11, are haunted by the thought that while their mother was being abducted from church at gunpoint, they were one floor below at youth services and helpless.

Salmonella at Sheetz still mystery
Investigators still don't know what caused the summer salmonella outbreak among patrons of Sheetz convenience stores, which resulted in 429 confirmed cases among people in nine states.

Coarseness, rancor, incivility reach new heights
Louder, meaner, madder, cruder. That was 2004, a year in which much of the national conversation was raw and nasty enough to justify a whole new noun: discoarse.


Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Kin of fallen soldiers left with grief, doubts
In a world in which parents aren't supposed to bury their children, Yvonne Wells possesses a catalog of photographs that bookend the life of her son, Lonny. On Nov. 9, a photographer was on hand when Marine Sgt. Lonny D. Wells caught a bullet in his leg as his unit fought street-to-street in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. He was dead within minutes.


Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Carnegie churches keep faith as waters receded
With two of his three churches washed out of operation by the September floods, the Rev. Joseph G. Luisi of Carnegie is about as ready as he can be to welcome the crush of Christmas worshippers he expects tonight and tomorrow.


John Beale, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Onorato's standing rose with the flood
Dan Onorato swears he has spent the year focusing on his job as Allegheny County chief executive, not daydreaming about his political future. But after watching him manage the government's response to the Sept. 17 floods, cut 500 jobs from the county payroll and advance the cause of row office reduction, others believe that Onorato is destined for higher office.


Leslie E. Kossoff, Associated Press Click photo for larger image.

Abu Ghraib scandal leaves permanent stain
Soldiers in the 372nd Military Police Company, the Maryland-based Army reserve unit at the center of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, say the incident has given their entire unit a permanent black eye despite good work done elsewhere. Army prosecutions of those charged with prisoner abuse are continuing, and other unit members may be called to testify. "We're forever going to be 'that unit from Abu Ghraib,' " says Sgt. Hydrue S. Joyner.


Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Ebenezer Baptist fire haunts many
Last March, a horrific fire at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District killed two firefighters and destroyed the church. Months later, memories of that day and its aftermath remain vivid and painful, but the Ebenezer congregation is moving ahead with plans to rebuild.


Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Presidential race put focus on Pennsylvania
With the presidential candidates making dozens of visits to Pennsylvania, the state became one of the key players in the 2004 presidential election.

Specter all over: Left, right, independent
On his way to a fifth term representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Arlen Specter has alternately cultivated and irritated groups on all sides of the political spectrum.