Here are the Tribune-Herald's picks for the top local stories of the year:

Brian Howard, 66, walks past a buoy that under normal conditions should have been floating in Lake Whitney.
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald

The drought

The worst one-year drought on record brought misery to Central Texans. Farmers watched crops wither and ranchers sold off their herds when hay became rare and pricey. At least one Texas A&M University climate expert predicted the drought might last another five years or possibly until 2020.

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin hoists the Heisman Trophy during halftime of a Baylor basketball game.
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald

Baylor football

The Baylor football team had its best season in decades, culminating in a victory in the Alamo Bowl and quarterback Robert Griffin III becoming the university’s first Heisman Trophy winner. The year was not without its troubles, however, as Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC and was followed by the University of Missouri. The Big 12 stabilized itself, adding Texas Christian and West Virginia universities.

SpaceX tests the Merlin 1C engine at its McGregor facility in November.
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.  signed a long-term development deal with the city of McGregor that provides incentives for SpaceX to expand, which could result in hundreds of new jobs in McLennan County. SpaceX also secured a $1.6 billion government contract to take cargo to the International Space Station on its Dragon spacecraft. And in December 2010, the Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to orbit Earth and safely return.

Baylor unveiled this rendering of a possible new on-campus stadium on the banks of the Brazos River that could cost &36;250 million.
Baylor University rendering

New Baylor stadium

Baylor University announced in November it is studying the feasibility of building an on-campus, riverfront football stadium that could cost $250 million. The news was met with cheers from excited fans and city leaders. The university’s board of regents released an artist’s rendering of what the structure might look like.

Buddy Skeen walks out of county jail after posting bond.
Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald

Buddy Skeen

McLennan County Tax Assessor-Collector Buddy Skeen was indicted and arrested in December on charges he improperly profited from the sale of a county vehicle. Skeen, 69, then filed for re-election, maintaining his innocence. “It’s a good day in the neighborhood,” Skeen said to reporters seconds after walking out of the county jail .

Fat Ho Burgers customer Angel Flores enjoys her lunch.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Fat Ho Burgers

Fat Ho Burgers restaurant opened in March to huge crowds, fueled by controversy surrounding its name. The business’ name received national and even international attention, but the crowds soon dwindled. Fat Ho’s owner, Lakita Evans, closed the doors on the S. 11th Street burger joint in September. Evans vowed she would reopen the business, but has yet to do so.

A Waco police officer watches the Lakewood Villas Apartment complex where the murders occurred.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Lakewood homicides

Four men are accused of firing at least 20 bullets into a car parked outside a Waco apartment in March, killing two men in the back seat and sending the survivors fleeing for their lives. An AK-47-style assault rifle was among the weapons used in the crime. McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said in November his office will seek the death penalty against at least two of the men indicted on capital murder charges.

Students in Jennifer Traudt's third-grade class at South Waco Elementary raise their hands to answer a question Friday.
Duane A. Laverty / Waco Tribune-Herald

Education cutbacks

Facing dismal economic reality, the Texas Legislature approved a measure in June that slashed state education funds by $4 billion over two years. Expecting deep funding cuts, Waco ISD gave layoff notices to about 200 employees, mostly teachers, in April. The district was able to offer almost all of those employees new contracts before the school year began. WISD officials now say they need to close several schools to cut costs and are currently examining how to carry this out.

Scientists examine the site at Buttermilk Creek, where the oldest human habitation in the Americas was found.
Michael R. Waters / Science

Archaeology discovery

Scientists from Baylor and several other universities reported in March that stone tools dating back 15,500 years were discovered near Salado, making the site the oldest known human habitation in the Americas.

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• The Trib editorial board surveys a lively 2011 in Waco