Here are 2017’s top online stories — plus a few of our favorites

The fun part of picking the Top 10 stories of 2017 is that few people agree completely with our lists, and that’s kind of the point. We want to spark debate and find out what people really think.

But you can’t debate this list of Top 10 online stories, because we’re going strictly by the numbers. Here are the stories that you, our online audience, clicked on the most, starting with a story from November:

1. Man who inspired ALS Ice Bucket Challenge succumbs to the disease at age 46

Three years after the viral, icy craze swept the nation, Anthony Senerchia Jr., the man whose battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis inspired the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” died of the disease at 46 in New York late November.

Originally a lighthearted challenge among friends, the challenge spread through Senerchia’s town and then caught fire nationwide, resulting in more than 17 million videos related to the challenge and about $200 million in donations to ALS research.

2. Bounty hunters took the wrong woman into custody at Columbus Walmart. A jury awarded her $950,000.

A jury handed down almost $1 million in damages against Ace Bonding Co. in September after a woman was held against her will in a Columbus Walmart by a bounty hunters who captured the wrong person.

Jasmine Hayes was working at the Walmart when a bounty hunter entered the store looking for a woman with the same name wanted on a child cruelty charge. He handcuffed the woman as management watched, and realized he had the wrong person between 45 minutes and an hour later.

3. Phenix City man fell while buying a watermelon. Now Walmart will pay him $7.5 million.

Walmart doled out $7.5 million in damages this November after retired Army sergeant Henry Walker became injured while shopping for a watermelon in a Phenix City Walmart.

The retired 59-year-old Army sergeant’s foot became stuck in a wooden pallet. He fell, breaking his hip and foot. The lead attorney on the case said the verdict would encourage Walmart to pay more attention to safety in its stores.

4. Northside High graduate found dead in University of West Georgia dorm

Marquis House, a graduate of Northside High School, was found dead in his dorm at the University of West Georgia in February. He was 19 years old, and died as a result of diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes that can lead to coma and death. House’s roommate discovered his body and called 911, but House was already dead of natural causes.

He had worked as a volunteer at Camp Kudzu, a camp for children and teens with juvenile diabetes.

5. 21 arrested in Columbus area sting targeting child predators

Local law enforcement officials arrested 21 suspects in mid November who allegedly traveled to various areas to meet up with children for sex. The suspects, whose ages ranged from 22 to 55, were arrested after undercover investigators posed as underage children online in an operation called “Hidden Guardian.” Police had more than 600 interactions with the subjects, who sometimes exposed themselves or requested child pornography.

6. Surgeon who backed hockey players, student writers dies at 71

Plastic surgeon Thomas Andrew “Butch” Cochran Jr. was found dead in a pond by his Harris County home in mid-July. He began his career in Columbus back in 1977 after an overnight stay with Bill and Janet Amos where he and his wife, Susan, spontaneously bought a home.

The Cochrans were very involved with the Columbus Museum and the Columbus Symphony, as well as Columbus State University. After Susan passed in 2011, Butch established a Faulkner program through CSU’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians in her name. Twenty CSU teachers and students have attended the Faulkner conference over the past five years thanks to Butch.

7. Entire Cottonmouths team transported to Illinois hospital after bus crash

In a scary moment for Columbus hockey fans, news broke out of Illinois that the entire Columbus Cottonmouths team had been involved in a bus crash. The team was scheduled to play the Peoria Rivermen in late January when the bus went off an interchange ramp about 20 miles from Peoria, Ill.

Twenty-three passengers, including players, staff members and head coach and general manager Jerome Bechard, were transported to the hospital with mostly minor injuries. Cottonmouths owner Wanda Amos said the team was “banged up,” but most were released the same day from the hospital.

8. Columbus man who molested girl almost daily for 3 years also impregnated teens, police say

A Columbus man arrested on aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes charges allegedly told police he has a dozen children after impregnating multiple girls as young as 15.

Jimmie Jenkins, 45, of Columbus, was arrested after a 10-year-old girl told authorities she was tired of Jenkins “messing with her” and whispering “You better be ready tonight,” according to police.

9. If you got a spam call about a ‘free cruise,’ you might be owed up to $900

If you’ve ever received any kind of spam phone call, you can understand the frustration felt after saying “Hello?” only to realize that a robot is on the other end of the line. Well some recipients were lucky enough to get a small piece of revenge against those robots.

A free cruise spam call resulted in a class action lawsuit against Resort Marketing Group settled for millions of dollars this summer. Callers affected could apply to receive up to $300 for each call received.

10. Warrants issued for 26 accused in $500,000 insurance fraud scheme in Columbus

The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office assisted in an insurance fraud investigation that ended in June with 26 suspects facing 326 charges, including insurance fraud, racketeering, theft by deception, identity fraud and exploitation of the elderly. Insurance companies victimized by the scam included GEICO, State Farm, Nationwide, SafeAuto, Allstate, Progressive, USAA, Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual, Safeway, Everest National, Direct Auto and The General Insurance.

The suspects reportedly purchased liability insurance on vehicle and then intentionally strike another vehicle, taking responsibility for the wreck. Then the driver would report the wrecks to the insurance company, but not law enforcement.

Staff Picks

Local mom’s back-to-school photo becomes big hit on social media

Beluah, Ala., mom Jena Willingham’s cheeky back-to-school photo took the internet by storm. The Facebook photo shows Willingham lounging in the pool, drink in hand and a wild grin on her face, while her backpack-laden kids stand at the edge of the water looking … less enthusiastic.

The photo landed the mom on national news and catapulted her into a sweet – if brief – moment of social media celebrity status.

Georgia woman threw drink in lineman’s face because her power was still out

A Covington woman earned Georgia’s scorn after she reportedly tossed a soft drink in a lineman’s face because she was upset her power was still out. This came after Hurricane Irma hammered the state and sent power crews working long hours to get the grid back online.

Covington mayor Leigh Anne Knight posted a long message online berating the anonymous woman, and the lineman’s family later thanked the community for supporting his hard work.

Lakebottom egg hunt turns chaotic: ‘It was like when Mufasa got killed in the Lion King’

It started as a unique idea: let’s drop plastic, candy-filled Easter eggs from a helicopter into Lakebottom Park. What could go wrong?

Everything. Everything can go wrong.

Parents and families took to Facebook after Easter to speak out about their experience during Bridge Church’s Easter egg drop event with one mother equating it to the scene in “The Lion King” where Mufasa is tragically trampled. Video footage from the event showed children running through dust clouds, battling adults twice their size and leaving with only a handful of candy.

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Here are 2017’s top online stories — plus a few of our favorites."