By Bill Forry
Managing Editor

Picking the top stories of the any one year is a subjective exercise. The following list reflects the Reporter's coverage in 2007. These are the people and events who made news over the last 12 months in our neighborhoods and - for better or for worse - they are the stories that will come to define the year gone by.

1. Street violence
How could anything be more important or outrageous than a 13 year-old being gunned down outside of his home and his killer - or killers- getting away with it. Sadly, Steven Odom was not the only victim in Dorchester and Mattapan this year. Before we flip the calendar, let's remember Mariotis Harris, Quintessa Blackwell, Tia Francis and the other murder victims of '07 who await justice.

2. Catholic schools
The reconfiguration of Dorchester and Mattapan's parochial schools marked a sea change and not just for the Catholics among us. The process was chaotic at times - the Archdiocese and their local pastors get a failing grade for a "public" process that was needlessly murky in its mission and execution- but no one quarrels with the necessity of making major reforms. The decision to close three existing schools was a tough call, but there is hope that an infusion of new money and teaching standards will eventually be an asset locally. We'll soon find out. Coming in '08: Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy.

3. Foreclosures
This was the year that the bubble burst for many homeowners who took on too much debt, too fast, or did business with unscrupulous lenders. Dorchester was among the hardest hit communities in the state in '07 when it came to foreclosures and some see the problem worsening in the new year.

4. Caritas in limbo
The Archdiocese of Boston opened '07 with a deal to sell its hospitals- including Carney- to Ascension, the nation's largest chain of Catholic hospitals and a deep-pocketed alternative to Caritas Christi. That deal collapsed, as did talks with a second national chain. Now Attorney General Martha Coakley is reviewing Caritas' books to find out what happened and whether vulnerable hospitals like Carney are in imminent danger.

5. Keith Motley takes reins at UMass
Keith Motley's rise to UMass-Boston's top job this fall was a milestone for this critically important institution.

6. President Feeney
Our own district three city councillor became the council's president in January and is likely to be re-elected by her colleagues next week. Feeney sometimes gets overlooked, but herDorchester constituents know and respect her work ethic. And, as the only councillor positioned to be acting mayor if Tom Menino steps away from the job, the prospect of her becoming mayor someday should not be discounted.

7. Big changes at Bayside
The Corcoran-Jenison companies, who brought us Bayside Expo and Harbor Point, rolled out a $1 billion vision for converting their exposition center property into a new mix of housing and retail last summer. It may take years to achieve, but the decision to move in this direction was Dorchester's development story of the year.

8. City council shake-up
John Connolly's big November victory knocked Felix Arroyo out of office, but showed that hard work and persistence still count for something in city politics. Another hard-learned lesson: Never, ever cancel a scheduled election, as city and state leaders did in September.

9. The future of the Strand Theatre
The year started with Mayor Menino promising to "save" the Uphams Corner landmark and make it the "Apollo of Boston". The mayor underlined that promise by using the Strand as the stage for his last State of the City address. Nearly a year later, it's still unclear what fate awaits the Strand - and who or what - will lead it into the future.

10. Patrick tested
Gov. Deval Patrick's first year on the job - and the impacts of his administration locally - were a frequent theme of '07. Unlike any of his recent predecessors, Patrick was called upon to deal with city crime and the related social woes. As a black leader, living just blocks from Mattapan Square, he faced intense pressure to respond to atrocities such as the murder of Steven Odom. Both he and wife Diane Patrick were frequent visitors to the neighborhood,including an October visit to focus on domestic violence.