Looking back at the PNJ's top 10 stories of 2017
Apr 16, 2018Brandon Girod/cgirod@pnj.comBuy PhotoPelican 212, a Pensacola band featuring eight siblings, will perform on "America's Got Talent" on Tuesday. The group posed with show judge and creator Simon Cowell before performing.(Photo: Troy Moon tmoon@pnj.com.)Buy Photo At the start of a bright new year full of hope and promise, it's worth taking a step back to reflect on the news that shaped our community in 2017.This year, several tragedies rocked our area, bringing us together in sorrow as we said goodbye to little ones who were ripped from this earth much too soon. The deaths of Naomi Jones, Jai'nier Barnes and Dericka Lindsay caused us to bow our heads, shed some tears and hug our loved ones a little tighter.The horror of Billy Boyette's multi-state killing spree invaded our collective sense of safety. The fear of the unknown in the aftermath of the International Paper factory explosion gripped the plant's neighbors. We all held our breaths as Hurricane Nate swept over Pensacola and exhaled a sigh of relief when this year's devastating hurricane season finally came to an end. And we all craned our necks toward the sky on that one day in August that promised to deliver a spectacular view of the sun, hidden by the moon's shadow.And while many things united us this year, ages-old debates continued to divide us as we dove into difficult conversations over religion, race and history. The symbols at the heart of those debates — the cross at Bayview Park Cross and the Confederate monument at Lee Square — will likely continue to dominate headlines well into the new year and beyond.So as we prepare, together, to take on 2018, let's look back at 10 stories that defined 2017:1. International Paper explosionAutoplayShow ThumbnailsShow CaptionsLast SlideNext SlideCantonment residents were showered with debris after an explosion at the International Paper factory Jan. 22. The incident emitted an unknown amount of a paper-making ingredient called black liquor on the nearby Woo... (Pensacola News Journal)
