As 2012 draws to a close, CJR writers brainstormed the year’s best reads in their beats.
Border town edges into absurdity — Extorting a mayoral opponent by secretly filming a lap dance, and other moments of political intrigue from Sunland Park, NM
Billionaire vs. Park Ranger — The ranger targeted by bureaucrats for protecting trees from the owner of the Washington Redskins writes a tell-all memoir
Palin-tied AK conservation director illegally kills bears — “He lacks a college degree and his prime professional association with wildlife has involved killing rats and foxes in the Aleutian Islands.”
Beware of comptrollers with expensive habits — Rita Crundwell, DIxon, IL comptroller, embezzles $20 million, buys hundreds of horses, names one “I Found a Penny”
Government in-fighting in Quartzsite, AZ — “It’s an embarrassment to our town,” said Paul Winer, the nudist owner of Reader’s Oasis bookstore.
20-year-old newspaper reporter takes down corrupt KY sheriff — With help from his 27-year-old editor
Michael Canyon Meyer is a freelance journalist and former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter at @mcm_nm.