As the year comes to a close, we remember some of the biggest local news stories this year and provide an update on developments since they occurred. Topping the list were several high-profile deaths, the emergence of a new local leader, and economic developments that promise growth in the future.

March 5

WHAT HAPPENED: Eve Carson, an admired UNC student body president with top-notch grades, charisma and a life brimming with possibilities, was shot to death in a neighborhood near campus.

THE LATEST: Awaiting trial are Demario Atwater, 22, and Laurence Alvin Lovette, 18, two young men who were supposed to be under the watch of the state's probation system when the killing occurred. The suspects face murder and kidnapping charges in a case that has exposed sweeping problems with the state's probation system. Atwater, who also has been charged with carjacking at the federal level, faces the death penalty. Lovette, who was 17 when the incident occurred and too young to face capital punishment, also stands accused in the January homicide of Abhijit Mahato, a Duke University graduate student found shot to death in his Durham apartment. The deaths of the students helped spark an investigative series in December by The News & Observer that further exposed a troubled probation system. Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has promised to make changes when she assumes office.

May 8

WHAT HAPPENED: Holden Thorp was named UNC's next chancellor. Thorp is a Carolina guy and chemistry prodigy who rose swiftly through the university ranks. He was just 43 on the day of his hiring.

THE LATEST: Thorp's first year is proving in part to be trial by fire. Though he had held administrative posts before, this is Thorp's first job as the head of a university. He will spend much of his time in 2009 dealing with budget cuts and other financial constraints tied to the recession.

July 29

WHAT HAPPENED: Six young men are accused of interrogating and beating Josh Bailey in the home of 18-year-old Brian Minton, taking him to a wooded area west of Carrboro, shooting him and burying him in a shallow grave. Authorities also say Minton's parents helped the young men move Bailey's body to a grave near Jordan Lake in Chatham County.

THE LATEST: District Attorney Jim Woodall may announce in February whether he will pursue the death penalty against Brian Minton, Jacob Maxwell, Brandon Greene, Ryan Lee, Jack Johnson and Matt Johnson, all accused of kidnapping and murder.

August 12

WHAT HAPPENED: Chapel Hill High School senior defensive lineman Atlas Fraley died in his home in the afternoon after playing in a football scrimmage game that morning. He had called 911 around 1:45 p.m. A paramedic spent 22 minutes with Fraley and then left him. His parents found him dead around 6 p.m.

THE LATEST: Orange County EMS, the N.C. State Office of EMS, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Fraley family attorney Donald Strickland are all investigating the young man's death. They are still waiting for the state medical examiner's office to determine a cause of death.

Sept. 9

WHAT HAPPENED: The drought that gripped the Triangle for more than a year came to an end. During the drought of 2007-08, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority's lakes fell to a low of about 40 percent full in late February and early March, 2008. University Lake, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's secondary water supply, filled in early September 2008 with rains from the remnants of Hurricane Hanna.

THE LATEST: Rain just before Christmas filled the Cane Creek Reservoir, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's main water supply, for the first time since May 23, 2007. OWASA is considering relaxing its year-round water-use restrictions.

Sept. 30

WHAT HAPPENED: The Carrboro Board of Aldermen unanimously approved 300 East Main Street, a "transformational" project expected to be the gateway to Carrboro. Four five-story buildings, including Carrboro's only hotel and a parking deck, will replace the current ArtsCenter/Cat's Cradle shopping center just over the Chapel Hill town line.

THE LATEST: Many residents complain that the project is too large and will attract unwanted chain businesses to a town that prides itself on its Bohemian mystique. But the aldermen approved it because it met the letter of Carrboro's zoning ordinances and because it is expected to shore up the town's commercial tax base. Construction is slated to begin early in 2009, and the first phase, including the hotel and 18,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space, is scheduled to open by 2010.

Oct. 7

WHAT HAPPENED: The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved a retail complex about 1.1 million square feet in size -- almost as big as The Streets at Southpoint. The mixed-use Buckhorn Village would include shopping, restaurants, lodging and about 200 multi-family homes off Interstate 40/85 west of Hillsborough.

THE LATEST: Tax revenue projections prepared by the developers indicate that the $125 million project could generate almost $6 million in sales tax revenue and $1.35 million in property tax revenue a year for the county. The developers may not break ground until next fall or later because of the slow economy.

Dec. 11

WHAT HAPPENED: Gloria Espinosa Balderas, 43, of 401 N.C. 54, Apt. E13, Carrboro, became the fifth pedestrian to die this year in Chapel Hill. Valerie Hughes, Clifton Walker Steed, Barbara "Babs" Sims, and Lisa Moran, a Scottish exchange student at UNC, also died this year when struck by cars and buses.

THE LATEST: Mayor Kevin Foy says pedestrian safety is likely to be a Town Council issue in the coming year. Some residents have suggested pedestrian overpasses on some of the busier thoroughfares. Others have suggested more police patrols.

Compiled by staff writers Eric Ferreri, Anne Blythe and Jesse James DeConto.