What was the top news story of the decade?
Former nurse Kristen Gilbert is tried and convicted (in 2001) of killing four veterans and attempting to kill three others at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northampton
Sixteen-year-old Molly Ann Bish disappears while working as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren on June 27, 2000; her body is found in Palmer three years later
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 claim the lives of at least 18 people with ties to Western Massachusetts
Mitt Romney enters the national political stage as Massachusetts governor
The sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church reverberates locally, as Springfield's Roman Catholic Diocese moves to defrock Rev. Richard R. Lavigne
A new Basketball Hall of Fame opens on the riverfront in Springfield.
Al Bruno is shot and killed outside Mount Carmel Society in Springfield on Nov. 23, 2003
In 2003, a federal corruption probe in Springfield results in the indictment of eight people, including Police Commision Chairman Gerald Phillips
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules in favor of gay marriage. The state begins issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on May 17, 2004
Western Massachusetts plays a key role in the Iraq War; on Aug. 26, 2003, Deerfield soldier Sgt. Gregory Belanger is killed in Iraq
Springfield Bishop Thomas L. Dupre retires in 2004, the day after The Republican confronts him with allegations that he molested two boys decades earlier
The Boston Red Sox the 2004 first World Series -- their first in 86 years
With Springfield facing a deficit of $37 million in 2004, the state installs a Finance Control Board to manage the city's fiscal decisions
State Rep. Christopher P. Asselin and eight members of his family are arrested in a corruption case involving the Springfield Housing Authority
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court orders the release of documents relating to the 1972 murder of Springfield altar boy Danny Croteau
Chicopee Mayor Richard R. Goyette is indicted and charged with accepting two $5,000 bribes
Eleven-year-old Haleigh Poutre suffers a severe brain injury in an apparent case of child abuse; her stepfather, Jason D. Strickland, is later sentenced to 12 to 15 years in state prison
Gas prices skyrocket, rising above $3 a gallon in 2006
Springfield Police Chief Paula Meara accepts a $300,000 buyout package and retires after a consultant's report criticizes management of the Springfield Police Department
Deval Patrick is becomes Massachusetts' first black governor
Gov. Patrick files legislation to legalize three resort casinos in the state, including one in Western Massachusetts
Springfield's Roman Catholic Diocese announces plans to close or merge a number of area churches
Barack Obama becomes the nation's first black president
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