Winners

Tom Henry: Mayor survives a brutal campaign to win a second term. Meanwhile. …

Sandy Kennedy: In what can safely be described as the most contentious race for city clerk in generations, the longtime incumbent wins an eighth term.

Parkview Field: Downtown ballpark hosts its 1 millionth visitor in April and finishes the 2011 season with TinCaps posting a regular-season attendance of 376,022.

Harry Baals: Fifty-seven years after his death in office, the four-term mayor gets a new life as the would-be honoree for the new City Hall building, later named Citizens Square.

Fort Wayne truck assembly plant: GM announces plans to invest $275 million in the local plant to build the next generation of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Northrop girls track: Bruins share win with Lawrence North to bring home eighth state title.

Carroll baseball: Chargers defeat Indianapolis Cathedral to win back-to-back Class 4A state baseball titles.

Bishop Luers: The Knights win their third consecutive state title for Class 2A football and 10th overall.

Recycling: City’s single-cart curbside recycling program hugely successful, increasing convenience for residents, dramatically increasing recycling and actually lowering trash collection bills.

Dane Fife: After building a solid program in six years as coach of IPFW’s men’s basketball team, the former IU star gets his dream job – assistant head coach at Michigan State.

Melanie Park: Riverview Middle School teacher is named Indiana Teacher of the Year. She teaches reading remediation at the Huntington school.

Losers

Congress: Earning the nickname of “Do-Nothing Congress,” it set a record for fewest bills passed since that stat was first complied in 1947. Though it managed (barely) to avoid a government shutdown and reached last-minute agreement on extending the payroll tax cut (for just two months), its notable failures included the supercommittee that was supposed to cut the deficit.

Sentencing reform: Effort to change sentences for many nonviolent crimes from prison time to local probation and problem-solving courts dies in the legislature, with little optimism about its chances in 2012.

Charlie White: Embattled secretary of state resists calls from governor and other state leaders to step down after indictment on felony counts, including perjury and voter fraud.

Indiana teachers: Massive package of education laws takes power away from teachers unions, partly links pay to test results, causes layoffs and transfer of state money from public to private schools.

Tossups

Mitch Daniels: Hoosier governor and his state get lots of national attention – much of it positive – as he weighs a bid for the White House. Daniels ultimately decides not to run, but could well be in the position to become a Cabinet member the next time a Republican wins the presidency.

The Harrison: Deadlines come and go for the last component of Harrison Square, but city officials and developers of the retail/residential/office building remain confident construction will start this spring.

Texting ban: Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, shepherds a texting ban through General Assembly, but state troopers issued just 46 citations and 40 warnings through early December. Officers say the ban is too tough to enforce.

Clean air: Legislature again fails to enact a statewide smoking law, but pressure is mounting and support growing.

Milestones

Colin Lister: Longtime Komets executive was largely responsible for the fan support, success and longevity of the Ks. The native Australian died in January at 83.

Paul Mike Burns: A one-term mayor and five-term City Council member, Burns was known as a watchdog over city finances and made his name blowing the whistle on a city purchasing scandal. He passed away in January at 93.

Marsha Adams: Local author well known for her PBS cooking show and, later, for sharing her heart transplant experiences, died in February at age 75.

Engineer John: From 1953 to 1971, John Manahan Siemer hosted a much-beloved cartoon show on WKJG-TV, Channel 33. He died in September at age 89.

John Martin Smith: A lawyer and DeKalb County historian, he was co-founder of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg and National Auto and Truck museums in Auburn. Smith, 72, and wife Barbara, 71, died in an auto accident in October.