Just as readers have their favorite news story from throughout the year, us reporters have certain stories we write that stick with us. Here are some of our “writer’s picks” for top Athens Messenger stories of 2017:

A ‘preposterous gadget’: Millfield duo pulled an out-of-this-world prank 70 years ago — July 9

This story was one of the most outrageous features I’ve written in my short time as a journalist — by far the most outrageous story I’ve written this year. I was approached by Bill Omen months prior to this story’s July publication date to write about the anniversary of a fake UFO crash staged in Millfield in the 1940s by a young man and his mischievous uncle. I even went so far as to call the young man, now in his 80s and a resident of New York, to ask him about that fateful day. I also went to the Omen’s recreation of the phony crash along with John Halley, our staff photographer. Needless to say he got fantastic, hilarious photos of the whole thing.

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