In Perspective: 2012 In Review

In 2012, you made your voice heard.

It was a heated election season around the country and in central Illinois.

Rodney Davis and David Gill supporters poured a lot money into the 13th district, making it one of the most expensive congressional races in the coutnry.

Davis came out the winner.

The year 2012 also marks the end of the long saga over former governor Rod Blagojevich's fate.
He left Illinois for a Colorado Prision. prision.

One of our most viewed stories of the year on illinois homepage.net was out of St. Joseph.

Former teacher Jon Jamison was accused of having sex with three students.

That sparked a still ongoing lawsuit against the St. Joseph-Ogden School District.

Jamison pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

In Decatur, throughout central Illinois, and across the state, the drought dominated headlines.

It was a harsh summer, and we still haven't seen all the effects of the 2012 drought.

It didn't happen in central Illinois, but the school shooting in Connecticut will have a lasting impression here.

Schools across the country, including those in our communities were forced to take a hard look at their own safety measures.

"It's hard to respond to something so tragic and of course our children are the most innocent people in our society and it's our responsibility to keep them as safe as possible," says Unit 4 Superintendent, Judy Wiegand.

The tragedy is also bringng about a conversation on gun control.

And even though 2012 is coming to a close, you can bet this story will be a big topic as lawmakers move forward in 2013.

Finally, it was a hard year at WCIA 3. We were forced to say goodbye to our friend and co-worker, Robert Reese. He died in October after a long and difficult battle with cancer. He started working at WCIA in 1998.