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Weeks of hot, dry weather that shriveled crops and delayed planting of the 2001 wheat crop was voted the top state story by Journal-World readers and 6News viewers.

The Kansas soybean harvest was down 30 percent; grain sorghum yields were down 32 percent. About the only Kansas crop that seemed to hold its own last summer was corn. With 416 million bushels harvested, the total was down just 1 percent from a year ago.

The decision to move the Menninger Clinic, a world-renowned psychiatric clinic founded 75 years ago in Topeka, was picked the No. 2 statewide story. Walter Menninger, the clinic's chief executive officer, said the move was necessary because of a decade of financial woes, which he blamed on the rise of managed care.

The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal for tougher water quality standards in Kansas was voted the No. 3 story. Hundreds of farmers and environmental advocates turned out for public hearings on the standards. All sides threatened lawsuits, and in December the Sierra Club and the Kansas Natural Resource Council made good on their threats.

Voters' decision to return Dennis Moore to Washington, D.C., was picked the No. 4 statewide story. In one of the most closely watched congressional races in the nation, Moore defeated Republican Phill Kline to hang onto Kansas' 3rd District Congressional seat.

A couple other political stories tied for No. 5 and No. 6: voters' removal of two Kansas State Board of Education members and the Legislature's approval of new rules for lobbyists.

Linda Holloway and Mary Douglass Brown lost their seats on the board in the August GOP primaries. The biggest issue in their races was evolution and how the board treated it in its science standards. Both voted in favor of de-emphasizing evolution in testing standards.

Under a legislative compromise reached in April, lobbyists must report what they spend on food, drinks and trinkets for each lawmaker during each month the Legislature meets. There is no limit on food and drink but an annual $40 limit on gifts per legislator.

The strengthening of the Kansas Open Records Act was voted the No. 7 story. Prompted by a statewide investigation by newspapers including the Journal-World that found widespread violation of open records law, new rules were passed to help ensure everyone gets access to records that shed light on the workings of public bodies.

An April 19 tornado that hit the Parsons area, damaging more than 600 homes and 110 businesses, was the No. 8 story. More than two dozen people were injured and four counties were declared disaster areas.

At No. 9 was the story of a former Kansas Lottery employee accused of stealing $63,000. On Sept. 15 four days after Lawrence resident Greg Ziemak announced his Oct. 1 resignation the Kansas Attorney General's Office charged Richard Knowlton with 268 counts of computer crime, theft, and official misconduct. Knowlton said his actions were intended to highlight lax security at the lottery.

The removal from office of the Shawnee County sheriff was voted the No. 10 story. Dave Meneley was ousted in February after judges ruled he perjured himself in hearings related to the theft of drug evidence from the department.