Biggest Portsmouth Stories of 2012

Portsmouth residents will long remember the year 2012 as a monumental one that saw incredible things take place alongside of terrible tragedies. It was a year that began with the historic float out of the former Memorial Bridge lift span and concluded with the City Council having to go back to the drawing board to locate a new parking garage site.

In between was the tragic death of Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney during a drug raid in April, the USS Miami fire at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in May and the murder of UNH student Lizzi Marriott. There were also lots of political action that extended from the New Hampshire Presidential Primary in January through election day on Nov. 6 when President Obama defeated Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. President Obama's campaign event at Strawbery Banke in September was certainly one of the biggest local highlights of the race.

As is the case every year, choosing the 10 biggest stories from 2012 is never an easy task. But after some careful thought and consideration, here is our list.

1. VIDEO: Memorial Bridge Lift Span Floats into History, Feb. 10, 2012. As they shivered in the freezing cold from Prescott Park and One Harbour Place, Portsmouth area residents witnessed history when the middle lift span of the Memorial Bridge was floated out.

2. Tugboat Nearly Capsizes by Memorial Bridge, Feb. 21, 2012. As Portsmouth residents watched in disbelief, the Miss Stacy tugboat was nearly capsized at the base of the Memorial Bridge after it took on too much water from the strong Piscataqua River current. Fortunately, the vessel was saved and later returned to service.

3. Police Chief Killed in Greenland Shooting, April 12, 2012. During a drug raid at the home of Cullen Mutrie on 517 Post Road in Greenland, Police Chief Michael Maloney was shot and killed and four other police officers were wounded. Mutrie also shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Brittany Tibbetts, before turning the gun on himself during the armed standoff.

4. . An exploding beer keg inside of Redhook Ale Brewery's warehouse area killed 26-year-old Benjamin Harris of Newington.

5. Seven Injured in Nuclear Submarine Fire [VIDEO], May 23, 2012. A fire that broke out in the forward compartment of the USS Miami nuclear submarine at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard burned for more than 10 hours and was battled by dozens of Seacoast area firefighters before it was brought under the control.

6. President Obama at Strawbery Banke, Sept. 7, 2012. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden campaigned at Strawbery Banke Museum one day after President Obama accepted the Democratic Party's nomination in what was a historic and memorable event.

7. Dover man charged with Lizzi Marriott's murder, Oct. 15, 2012. Seth Mazzaglia, 30, of Dover was charged with the second degree murder of UNH student Lizzi Marriott, which was followed by an extensive search for her body. To day, Marriott's body has not been found and Mazzaglia's case is scheduled to go before a Strafford County Grand Jury for possible indictment.

8. Tiki Bear saved from South End fire, Oct. 23, 2012. Portsmouth firefighters resuscitated Tiki Bear, a cat, who was inside a house fire in the South End, which earned the gratitude and admiration of the home owners as well as the community as a whole.

9. PHS Clippers Win Division III Football Title, Nov. 17, 2012. The Portsmouth High School Clippers won their second straight Division III football championship after defeating the Goffstown Area High School Grizzlies, 54-27.

10. City residents stave off Worth Lot parking garage, Dec. 4, 2012. The City Council voted, 5-4, to no longer consider the Worth Lot site for a new parking garage after several dozen city residents and business owners mounted a successful campaign urging city officials to consider other sites.