Most memorable stories of 2015

We asked our reporters to tell us about their most notable story of the year. Here's what they said.

Millennial politicians find a path to power in Minnesota

"A rewarding part of my job is noticing patterns and telling stories that connect people and places around Minnesota. This story did just that - it went beyond the usual storyline we hear about millennials and helped shed some light on a new generation of young elected officials around the state." - Elizabeth Baier

An isolated Nienstedt tried to limit investigation into himself

"This story took readers inside the chancery and the Vatican embassy and revealed what was really happening in the final months of Archbishop John Nienstedt's tenure as leader of the Twin Cities archdiocese. This story, which was reported over months, focused on the private investigation Nienstedt had authorized into his personal life. It revealed how Nienstedt had tried to curtail the investigation — and how his top advisers secretly pushed for his resignation." - Madeleine Baran

In MN, a quest for a place to say goodbye to terminally ill kids

"Some stories just linger in your thoughts. That's the case with the children's hospice story I produced in October. It comes back to me while I'm driving or cooking dinner or, especially, when I'm watching my children play together. I wouldn't want to characterize it as my favorite story of the year. But I think most memorable certainly fits." - Lorna Benson

Photos: Humans of Creative Activities

"Walking through the Creative Activities building is one of my favorite things to do at the State Fair. From canning to knitting to baking to collections — the diversity (and sheer volume) of projects and talent on display is always amazing. Meg Martin and I decided to meet some of the people behind these crafts and spent two very pleasant mornings talking to them as they waited in line to drop off their goods." - Molly Bloom

Penumbra summer program teaches activism along with the arts

"This summer I got to witness first hand young people being transformed by the arts. Penumbra's summer theater program does more than teach kids how to act - it teaches them to find their voice, to stand up for what they believe in, and to work toward building a better future. Talking to these teenagers and watching them perform their own original work was inspiring and left me hopeful for the future." - Marianne Combs

Go ahead, recycle that old TV

"With the holidays in full swing, I see ads everywhere for the latest electronic gadgets. And I think back to this story when I got to observe an electronics recycler in action. Some of the broken TVs and computers I saw were just a couple years old, raising questions about how much effort we put into fixing things vs. replacing them with something new." - Elizabeth Dunbar

For troubled Minnesota youth, a map out of the chaos

"This was my favorite piece because Cody Nelson's story was powerful. Additionally, it laid out some programs available to help troubled youth get on the right path and turn their life around. We don't often hear from youth who've gone through the criminal justice system, which is another reason I liked working on this story." - Riham Feshir

Bloomington music man, 101, revives his love songs from 1930s

"It takes spirit and a sense of humor to revisit an 80-year-old romance, and 101-year-old David Dole has plenty of both. He's digging up songs he wrote to lovers in the 1930s, transcribing them as sheet music with the help of his son. I loved working with David on this piece - he's full of laughs and poignant memories, and his project underlines how music can be one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have." - Britta Greene

Art in your cupboard: Fargo potter trades cups for stories

"This is a favorite because it highlights the power of stories to connect people in surprising ways. Plus, it was just fun." - Dan Gunderson

Ex-local Somali journalist faces deportation, death threat

"The subject of this story told me this article probably saved him from deportation. The official who interviewed Ilyaas Maow had this article with her during the interview. In September, Canada decided not to send Maow back to Somalia." - Mukhtar Ibrahim

For the love of trees, on Arbor Day and every day

"It was a treat to explore four unique perspectives about trees for this Arbor Day feature. All too often, this humble holiday comes and goes with little fanfare." -Ann Arbor Miller

Exploring the largest Sherlock Holmes archive in the world

"This story took me 85 feet underground to the largest collection of Sherlock Holmes-related material in the world. The archive is oddly in Minnesota, not England, thanks to some diehard detective enthusiasts. It's the only time I've ever been excited to see a giant rat. (It was stuffed.)" - Tracy Mumford

With walleye in decline, DNR becomes prey

"I loved this story because at first glance, it was about fish. But it was about much more than that. It was about money, a way of life, who controls a resource and what's the best answer to fix it. The fact that it was the walleye made it even more a Minnesota story." - Tom Scheck

Upper St. Anthony lock closing after half a century; blame the carp

"My favorite story of the year was the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock closure. Will Lager put together a great web story with Monty Python-esque animations to go with the radio piece. The reason the Twin Cities exist in their current form is because Minneapolis had the hydropower at St. Anthony Falls for milling, and St. Paul had port access several miles beneath the falls. The lock's construction marked the end of a century-long battle by city fathers to make Minneapolis the head of navigation on the Mississippi River. But by the time it opened it was just a symbolic victory; the milling industry had faded and river navigation had been usurped by railroads and other types of shipping. I enjoyed talking with the Army Corps of Engineers staff about how the lock works, going through on a barge tow, and talking with river historian John Anfinson about how and why the lock was built." - Matt Sepic

10 things about Hmong culture, food and language you probably didn't know

"I was worried this would be a little useless to many people (since Minnesota does have a large population and the Hmong have been here for 40 years), but I was wrong. One of the best things someone can say to a journalist is that their story was helpful and that they learned something from it. Even I learned a few things compiling this list." - Nancy Yang

Students overcome tall odds, and missteps, to graduate

"Adolfo was one of a handful of students I interviewed at a suburban high school that had shown huge gains in graduating students of color. He was refreshingly open about his personal and family struggles that almost upended his academics. But Adolfo hustled his senior year. And he not only became the first in his family to graduate, but he also gave the commencement speech. You won't hear my voice in this story because Adolfo tells it eloquently in his own words." - Laura Yuen