From gussied-up comfort food to an over-the-top chain, 2008 had it all.  Dana Craig picks her favorite 10 restaurants of 2008.

From the summit of Everest to the intricate workings of the human heart. From outer galaxies to the dungeons of Stalin’s gulag. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to stand atop the world’s highest mountain. Dr. Michael DeBakey developed treatments for heart disease that prolonged the lives of millions. Arthur C. Clarke carried readers and moviegoers light years into space and centuries into the future. Alexander Solzhenitsyn bravely revealed the horrors of the Soviet prison system.

Today we revisit some of the people (and one animal) who made the Flair pages memorable this year.  And as we wrap up 2008, we wish all of our readers a happy new year.

Looking back at the people you met in the news this year.

All in all, 2008 wasn’t the best movie year. Even so, the 10 best movies of the year were pretty darned good. 1. “The Wrestler” - Mickey Rourke is brilliant - yes, that Mickey Rourke - as a has-been pro-wrestler trying to find fame again after 20 years.

Today, we revisit some of the athletes and sports figures who helped make the 2008 sports pages memorable this year, from an Olympic gold medalist to a budding golf star—at the age of 12.

Hey, it was the year that Britney made a comeback, so who can complain about the music of 2008? Seriously, though, while the record industry continues to wheeze on life support, all was not glum on the sales side:

Today we revisit some of the people and landmarks who made the Business scene memorable this year.

1/1—Revelers celebrate the new year around the world; the ball drops for the 100th year in New York’s Times Square. 1/2—Pakistan postpones elections to February because of continued rioting after the assassination of leading opposition candidate Benazir Bhutto. Oil prices soar to $100 a barrel for the first time. 1/3—Barack Obama wins Democratic caucuses in Iowa, while Mike Huckabee wins Republican caucuses.

From kids activities and scavenger hunts to comedy shows and burlesque, there is something going on for all ages and tastes to ring in 2009 around Richmond.

Frequent reviewers Judith Chettle, Doug Childers and Jay Strafford have chosen their favorite 10 books, five fiction, five nonfiction of 2008.