This list is by the numbers, folks.

I dug through the reports and found the stories that catch the most attention, according to our fancy data.

As to be expected, the murders of John and Maria Granat in a Palos Township home remains an important story for readers. A motorcyclist who crashed on Southwest Highway creep up to a top spot later in the year.

Readers also responded to Palos Patch's coverage of bald eagles in a local forest preserve.

The top spot, however, goes to our coverage of a holiday cross removed from an Alsip water tower.

See the top stories for 2012:

1. Alsip Drops Holiday Cross Over Lawsuit Threat
2. Updated: Man and Woman Found Dead in Palos Park Home
3. Palos Park Couple's Deaths Ruled Murder-Suicide
4. Private Attorney Replaced with Public Defender in Granat Murder Trial
5. Attorney in Granat Case: Dismiss Murder Charges Against 1 Teen
6. Motorcyclist Hospitalized in Southwest Highway Crash
7. Bald Eagles Nesting in Palos Township
8. Teen Girl ODs on Heroin in Palos Hills Home
9. Lawyer for Teen Accused of Killing His Parents Drops Out
10. Charges Filed in Crash That Left 1 Dead, 3 Hospitalized Near Palos Hills

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