Vote on 2013's top news stories of the year

The first plans were released for a $90 million renovation of Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. Linn County voters approved plans to pursue a casino in downtown Cedar Rapids, and prepare to request a gaming license. Longtime Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin announced his plans to retire. And the Iowa football team goes from a 4-8 record in 2012 to 8-4 in 2013, including a bid to the prestigious Outback Bowl.

To be sure, it's been another dynamic year on the local news scene. But are the stories mentioned above among the top 10 news stories of 2013? Here's your chance to tell us.

Click the link at the bottom of this story and you'll be taken to a ballot where you can vote on what you think are the top news stories of the year in Eastern Iowa. You'll be able to vote for 10 stories, using a 1-10 scale. The story you rank 1 would be your most important story of the year, while the 10 would be 10

^th

most important.

Voting starts today and ends Saturday, Dec. 22. And here's the exciting part -- starting Dec. 27, we'll begin unveiling your choices online! We'll start on Dec. 27 with the stories ranked 10th through sixth, as picked by readers. Then on Dec. 28, we'll begin unveiling the top five stories, one each day, ending with the #1 story being posted on Jan. 1. We'll also post the full list of Gazette staffers' top 10 stories on Jan. 1.

So -- start voting! It's time for you to tell us what you think were the top 10 news stories of 2013!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE AND SUBMIT YOUR BALLOT! (link will open in a new browser window)