A crippling drought, pigs as pets and foul play — here are the Newton Daily News' choices for the top local stories of the year, in no particular order:

Capitol II Theater closes, reopens after purchase by Newton couple

On Aug. 31, the owner of Missouri-based Big Time Cinema — the parent company of Newton’s Capitol II Theater — filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in federal court, shuttering the local movie theater as well as two other Iowa locations in an effort to keep Big Time solvent. After its closure on Sept. 12, Capitol II managers Dawn and Paul Bleeker considered purchasing the theater; however, no decisions could be made while the case was in bankruptcy proceedings.