O’Connor appointment tops state stories

Sandra Day O’Connor’s appointment as the first U.S. Supreme Court justice easily led the I allot for the top Arizona news in 1981, but even ‘ ,en the vote was far from unanimous. Though not really in the running for the Top n, Arizona Associated Press member editors and news directors gave at least some consideration to such other events as the successful transcontinental SuperChicken balloon journey and the unsuccessful predictions in Tucson for “rapture,” the day when all Christians were to be taken up bodily into beaten. It was an eventful year and the diversity of the voting reflected the variation . But with a few exceptions, the events deemed the most newswor – thy over the past 12 months centered more on individuals than on situations. Arizona’s economy, the copper industry’s depression, an Apache Cowity tax revolt, a variety of natural gas leaks, plane crashes, murder trials, a group suicide and other deaths – these all drew a scattering of votes but wound up far down the list. • Second place went to the return of Marine Sgt. James Lopez, career diplomat Robert Ode and the other Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days. A strong third was the Arizona lottery and its ticket sales that far exceeded expectations . The Orme Dam controversy and its resolution was No. 4 in the voting, followed by Arizona’s passage of its alternative to Medicaid. Eight of those voting gave top honors to the O’Connor story, and only the hostage return drew more than one first-place vote. Selected