The 11 Most Discussed Puget Sound News Stories Of 2018

SEATTLE, WA - We all remember the big Puget Sound news events of 2018 - the Seattle head tax debate, the shooting of Pierce County deputy Daniel McCartney, the death of Paul Allen, and the awful summer wildfire smoke.

But there were plenty more 2018 stories that were, arguably, more poignant for some.

We combed through the thousands of stories Patch published in 2018 to find the ones that people commented on most. You might not remember all of these stories, but they definitely got people talking.

The Girl On The Roof

• A student from a Shoreline school for special needs student was seen on the school's roof. An investigation into the school revealed similar incidents, and sparked a state inquiry. School officials argued that the girl was safer up on the roof.

Man With Multiple DUIs Kills Bicyclist With His Car

• Many people wanted to know how a man with multiple DUI convictions was allowed to get in a car and drive. This story revealed some gaps in the system monitoring people banned from driving.

West Seattle Shooting Leaves Track Club Traumatized

• This story got people talking because it was a tragedy on top of another tragedy. Not only did a father get shot and killed, but an entire track team witnessed the murder.

Website Names UW Men Accused Of Rape

• The "Make Them Scared" website documented incidents of rape - and named the perpetrators. But many wondered whether that was appropriate.

Pierce County Transfers Jail Inmates To ICE

• Is it right for police to essentially deliver local residents into ICE custody? Some were outraged, some thought it's the right thing to do.

'Medicare For All' Movement Growing In Puget Sound

• Healthcare is almost always a divisive topic. But when readers got wind of an effort to expand Medicare to all who wanted it, some were very upset - they feared a government takeover of the healthcare system. Others wondered what's the point of keeping our present system.

Washington Man Killed By Tribe On Forbidden Indian Island

• People around the world were shocked by the saga of John Allen Chau, the 27-year-old Vancouver man who was shot with a bow and arrow after he set foot on an island in India. People were divided over whether Chau's death was justified since he disobeyed orders to leave the inhabitants alone.

Students Across Puget Sound Walk Out Protesting Gun Violence

• What do kids know? Many adults said students who walked out of school in March were too young to understand the 2nd Amendment and the politics of gun control. The students, it turned out, didn't really care what adults thought - they just wanted to go to school and not get shot.

Does AmazonGo Store Discriminate Against Some People?

• AmazonGo opened its Seattle store to the public in January. But without a smartphone and a debit or credit card, you couldn't get in. Some were outraged at the apparent high-tech discrimination.

Big Companies Have Most Workers On Food Stamps

• The largest companies operating in Washington - including Amazon and Uber - employ the most people who receive food stamps. Some readers were shocked, others were not, and some had sympathy for the big corporations.

Seattle Police Want iPhone Cracking Tool

• Documents showed that Seattle police and the King County Sheriff's Office were in the process of acquiring a tool that could hack into iPhones. At least in the case of Seattle police, the department wasn't being fully transparent about it. This story got people talking about privacy and surveillance.

Was there a story from 2018 that you found particularly outrageous? Email neal.mcnamara@patch.com.

Patch file photos