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Junipero-Serra-Statue.

FEBRUARY

Oh, and that bad statue too

"Cool Pope" lost some cred after hinting he would make Junipero Serra a saint, enraging Native Americans who still remember Serra's role in the enslavement, torture and repression of California's original residents.

Baseball plays by its own rules

San Jose swung for the fences but came up a big whiffer, as the U.S. Supreme Court walked away from city's challenge to Major League Baseball's antitrust exemption.

Ex-spokesflak tells all

Steve Harmon left behind a prestigious statehouse reporting gig to be a spokesman for Assemblywoman Nora Campos (D-San Jose). A year after slamming a Metro report uncovering Campos' reign of terror, Harmon spilled the beans on Campos and her then-chief of staff, saying "unless you're slapped or hit physically or [sexually] harassed ... they can treat you any way they want."

Communicate this

Communications Hill residents were none too pleased with the influx of uninvited visitors and their early-morning workouts, obstructive parking, drug use and public displays of nudity. State Sen. Jim Beall came to the rescue with a bill that effectively turned the grand staircases into a park where CrossFit and public sex is outlawed.

Friends in robes

George Shirakawa Jr.'s odyssey of abusing the public's trust came to an end as the thieving ex-county supervisor pleaded no contest to political mail fraud, without ever coming clean about who helped him steal elections. In a farcical sentencing hearing, Judge Ron Del Pozzo, a past Shirakawa political supporter, nearly held the lead prosecutor and defense attorney in contempt before giving Shirakawa just 45 days community service.

Skinny road rage

Despite a drop in traffic congestion, a sect of shopkeepers along Lincoln Avenue squawked like the rapture had arrived when Willow Glen's "Road Diet" repaved the street from four lanes to three. Merchants cited massive drops in customers and revenue, but when push came to shove, refused to open their books.

A Tale of two dresses

Not since Monica Lewinsky's little black number has a dress incited so much controversy. Is it blue? Is it gold? Do we care? (No.)

Is this Mike on?

Rep. Mike Honda continued to fall asleep on the job, in front of cameras, but an Office of Congressional Ethics investigation-launched as a result of Metro's reporting-seemed to snap him out of his coma. A report released in September found "substantial reason to believe" Honda and his staff broke laws by using official House resources to boost his re-election campaign, and maybe even gave top donors pay-to-play perks.

Intro | January | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | August | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.