The Chron attempted to breathe some life into that tired staple of journalism, the review of the year’s top stories, by asking readers to pick the top 10 stories instead of the editors. According to 2,500 readers, the top 10 were (1) the subprime mortgage mess, (2) the Cosco Busan oil spill, (3) the MacArthur Maze fuel truck explosion, (4) the homicide rate, (5) the push to curb greenhouse gases, (6) the Southern California fires, (7) Barry Bonds’ indictment, (8) the assassination of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey (pictured), (9) the charges against SF supervisor Ed Jew and (10) the Gavin Newsom affair and alcoholism revelations.