MACON, Ga. — With every new year comes a time to reflect on all that's happened, but this year is special because we're on the verge of a new decade.
So, here's a list of the top 20 stories that helped shape Central Georgia during the 2010s, hand-picked by 13WMAZ editors and journalists.
Did we miss a story? Let us know on our Facebook page.
1. THE LAUREN GIDDINGS CASE
She had a bright future. She loved softball. But in the summer of 2011, Lauren Giddings, a Mercer University law student, was murdered by her neighbor and classmate.
Trial proceedings lasted into 2014 before her killer, Stephen McDaniel, ended up confessing. As recently as 2018, McDaniel asked for a new trial, which was denied.
Today, Mercer's law school still honors her memory with a 5K every year. Money raised through the race goes to the Lauren Giddings Scholarship Fund to cover bar exam expenses for one law student.
2. ROMAIN DALLEMAND
A nearly decade-long saga for the Bibb County School District came to a head in 2019.
Former superintendent Romain Dallemand was sworn in back in 2011 and built big dreams for school district with 'Macon Miracle.' But rumors of reckless spending and bribery surrounded him, which led to lawsuits and court charges.
Dallemand was finally sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion in Florida in February, and a federal judge decided in August that he owes Bibb County Schools $47 million.
Today, the Bibb County School District can say they have the best superintendent in the country, with Curtis Jones winning "National Superintendent of the Year" the same month Dallemand was sentenced to prison.
3. "42" FILMING IN MACON
Macon's entertainment scene is booming nowadays. With a major Marvel and Ron Howard movie under its belt, you could say the city is growing in popularity among production companies.
Macon's movie success really took an upward turn with the filming of "42" in 2012, starring Harrison Ford and a young, pre-Black Panther Chadwick Boseman.
Whether it's then or now, Hollywood's stars seem to enjoy Macon, with Harrison Ford visiting the Rookery and Natalia's and Gerard Butler enjoying a day on the river with locals.
4. MERCER UNIVERSITY SPORTS
72 years. That's how long the Mercer University football program was on break. But in 2013, the Bears took to the gridiron again, with then-coach Bobby Lamb leading the pack.
Just a year later in 2014, Mercer's basketball team would shock the nation in what would be a memorable upset in the NCAA tournament. They went on to win an ESPY for it the same year, and player Kevin Canevari went viral online for celebrating the win by doing the "Nae-Nae."
Then, in February 2016, one of the team's players, Jibri Bryan, was shot and killed during a suspected drug deal at a Flash Foods just off-campus.
5. MACON-BIBB CONSOLIDATION
Around 2014, Macon underwent the huge task of combining the city and the county.
It was something voters approved, but since then, homeowners have been concerned about property taxes and the county budget and whether or not consolidation was the right decision.
6. ELDERLY LAKE OCONEE COUPLE MURDERED
There's one thing that still haunts Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills every day, even five years later.
In May 2014, someone beheaded Russell Dermond and dumped his wife's body in the lake outside their million-dollar home.
In the following years, Sills says his department has followed dozens of leads, interviewed hundreds of people, even called in the FBI. Media attention grew, with people creating their own theories, websites, and podcasts about the case online.
The murder remains unsolved.
7. THE TELFAIR COUNTY CRAIGSLIST KILLER
You always hear about the dangers of using Craigslist to buy cars and furniture, but you never think it could be real.
The murders of Bud and June Runion in 2015 showed just how real and scary it can be. The Marietta couple came to Telfair County in hopes of buying a Mustang that Jay Towns advertised online.
He allegedly robbed them, then shot them to death. Just this year, his murder indictment was thrown out.
8. BETTY CANTRELL CROWNED MISS AMERICA
In 2015, all of Warner Robins could say that Miss America was from their town. Betty Cantrell, now Maxwell, had won the crown.
Maxwell went to Mount de Sales Academy in Macon and onto Mercer University's school of music to study voice.
Since her pageant days, she's launched her own music career and came back home to perform at the Independence Day Concert in Warner Robins in 2018.
9. HALEIGH COX
A young girl from Monroe County at the center of the medical marijuana debate during the 2010s helped legalize a form of the medicine for the state.
Haleigh Cox suffered from constant seizures and ultimately had to be treated with cannabis oil in Colorado. Eventually, Cox and her family inspired "Haleigh's Hope Act" in 2015, which allows for the use of low-THC oil for certain illnesses.
Cox and her family were able to reunite in Georgia after the bill was passed, as she was then able to be treated in her home state.
10. NU-WAY FIRE
In March 2015, not only was Macon's favorite hot dog shop destroyed, but a 120-year-old piece of history was lost.
A fire burned down the iconic Cotton Avenue restaurant and destroyed the historic building that housed it in the process. The Macon-Bibb Fire Department suspects it was an electrical issue that caused the fire.
Luckily, the business,which was started in 1916, had other locations throughout Central Georgia to send their employees to.
11. FIFTH WAVE EXPLOSION
While Macon has had its fair share of successful movie shoots, one in January 2015 created thousands of dollars in damage for Bibb County.
Filmmakers for the science-fiction movie blew up a bus near the corner of Cotton Avenue and Second Street, causing extensive damage to nearby business. At the time, Bibb County officials said they weren't warned about the explosion.
The explosion now affects the way production companies are allowed to shoot in Macon. As recently as November 2019, the county was carefully inspecting how pyrotechnics were going to be used for a shoot with Random Productions.
12. BROOKLYN ROUSE'S ROAD TO RECOVERY
In December 2016, one Macon pizza delivery driver had a close call.
Then 22-year-old Brooklyn Rouse was shot in the face while delivering pizza for Papa John's. She had to learn to walk and write again after her injuries.
An outpouring of support came for Rouse, and the community ended up raising over $15,000 for her.
Since the shooting, Rouse has used her experience and resilience to speak out against gun violence and start a nonprofit to help reduce crime.
13. THE SAM POSS CASE
The murder of a teenager by his classmates devastated the town of Perry in 2016.
Sam Poss' body was found in the woods off Lake Joy Road in Houston County after he went missing. His friends -- Dakota White and Brandon Warren -- were charged with murder and were convicted in 2018.
Since then, White and Warren have either appealed their sentence or asked for a new trial.
Today, Poss' family keeps his memory alive through sock drives for the homeless.
14. PEACH COUNTY DEPUTIES KILLED IN SHOOTOUT
Central Georgia law enforcement mourned four line-of-duty deaths in 2016, including those of Peach County Deputies Patrick Sondron and Daryl Smallwood.
Both were shot when responding to a complaint from ATV riders who said they were confronted by an armed man. Ralph Elrod was pinned as the suspect.
The case against Elrod almost became a death penalty trial, before the Macon district attorney announced he took a plea deal that included two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus another 100 years.
Today, car shows are held in Sondron's memory, and his son recently graduated from fire training and plans to be a first responder.
RELATED: 'He inspired a lot': Slain Peach County sergeant's son graduates from Houston County fire training
15. ARRESTS MADE IN THE TARA GRINSTEAD CASE
A case thought to have gone cold finally had a big break in 2017 with the arrests of Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes.
Tara Grinstead disappeared from her home in Ocilla more than 10 years earlier before they were arrested. The case garnered national attention over the years, and with new details forming, the attention only grew.
Ryan, her accused killer, still awaits trial, but Bo was convicted in Wilcox County for lying to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Dukes still awaits trials in Ben Hill and Houston Counties.
16. GEORGIA CORRECTIONS OFFICERS KILLED BY INMATES
What was supposed to be a routine inmate transport turned deadly in June 2017, when two inmates on a Georgia Department of Corrections bus killed two officers.
Christopher Monica, 42, and Curtis Billue, 58, were shot and killed by inmates Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose.
A nationwide manhunt ensued after Rowe and Dubose fled. They led law enforcement on a chase all the way to Tennessee before they were captured. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills shelled out a hefty reward for their capture.
Dubose was seen in court as recently as Dec. 2019, and Rowe faces the death penalty.
17. GREGG ALLMAN'S DEATH
One of the most influential Southern Rock musicians that put Macon on the map died in 2017. He was 69.
Gregg Allman was the lead singer of the The Allman Brothers Band.
Thousands of fans and dozens of family members, including his ex-wife Cher, gathered in Macon to bid him farewell at his funeral. He rests in Rose Hill Cemetery along with band mates Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.
But their legacy lives on. Just this month, the legendary Capricorn Studios where the band recorded was reborn as Mercer Music at Capricorn. Mercer University along with Creek Media held a two-day celebration filled with southern musicians -- old and new.
18. IRMA AND MICHAEL
If there's one thing Central Georgia can count on being crazy, it's the weather. Two storms that really impacted the area and its farmers came through late in the decade.
Irma came through as a tropical storm in September 2017. The storm destroyed pecan trees in Fort Valley and left some in Central Georgia without power for over a week.
Hurricane Michael blew through a little over a year later in October 2018.
The storm ravaged south Georgia's crops and claimed the life of an 11-year-old girl in the state. Funding for farmers who lost crops in the storm continues to slowly trickle down from the federal level.
19. COMPANIES EXPANDING TO CENTRAL GEORGIA
Central Georgia has seen a lot of companies come and go through the years.
Most notably, Amazon decided to put in a distribution center in south Macon. The center caused a frenzy at a job fair this year.
20. MACON-BIBB, MONROE COUNTY BORDER BATTLE
This debate dates back to even earlier than 2010.
While there were disputes now and then about where the lines should be, it all came head to head after Bass Pro Shops and new developments worth millions of tax dollars moved in.
Governor Brian Kemp even got involved earlier this year. The debate is still unsettled.
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.