2016's biggest saints, scoundrels and stories, according to readers

NOW THAT 2016 has taken the hint, finally high-tailing it out of here - and good riddance, sucker! - 'tis the season for wistfully looking back at all the good, bad, ugly and beautiful about the Year That Was.

And what a great help you were, dear reader, for participating in our year-end poll surveying the people and stories that shaped 2016. After all, you selected the winners in our nine categories detailed below, so hopefully the answers won't be too surprising - or shocking. It's clear we've got so much to celebrate and be grateful for in this great city, yet there still are far too many reasons to shake our fists in frustration and disappointment. But that's life, right?

Again, thanks for your participation, thanks for keeping it fun - and thanks for reading the Daily News. See you in 2017!

YEAR'S MOST HEARTWARMING STORY?

The nominees:

*  The birth of Amani, the first gorilla born in Philadelphia in about 20 years.

*  William Evertz Jr., 5, who saved his allowance to buy lunch for the Winslow Police Department.

* Sylvia Metzler, breast cancer survivor who had her chest tattooed after a double mastectomy.

* Christina Santhouse, survivor of the rare Rasmussen's encephalitis, which led to the removal of half of her brain.

*  CHOP double hand transplant recipient Zion Harvey throwing the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game.

The winner: William Evertz treating the boys in blue.

YEAR'S MOST

SCANDALOUS STORY?

The nominees:

*  Lead exposure impacting Philadelphia's most at-risk children.

* "I bought an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle in Philly in seven minutes."

* Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus "gifting" their 14-year-old daughter as thanks for financial help.

*  Appearance of blatant nepotism in DNC's "Donkeys Around Town" deal/promotion.

* Nearly $593,000 spent from a Mayor's Fund for Philadelphia account with scant oversight from its board.

The winner: The Stoltzfuses, who were charged with child endangerment and have been in jail since their arrests.

YEAR'S MOST ABSURD STORY?

The nominees:

* Catfish falling from the sky near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

* Ocean off Jersey Shore turns a Caribbean blue-green hue.

* "Dwayne from Swedesboro," 97.5 the Fanatic's fake caller.

* Pistachio Girl goes viral.

* Bethlehem patrolman uses masturbation to stay awake while driving.

The winner: What else? The day it rained sea creatures.

YEAR'S BIGGEST SAINT?

The nominees:

* Lamar Anderson, homeless gent who came to aid of a man being attacked at Suburban Station.

* Mariana Chilton and Donnell Jones-Craven of EAT Cafe, Philly's first pay-what-you-can restaurant.

* Brandon Colter, who at no charge transported the elderly and disabled during the SEPTA strike.

* John and Doreen McGettigan, who cared for a homeless, mentally ill, 80-year-old woman until she died.

* The anonymous donor of a headstone for 10-year-old foster child Ethan Okula, initially buried in an unmarked grave.

The winner: This one was very close, but nice-guy Colter impressed you the most.

YEAR'S BIGGEST

SCOUNDREL?

The nominees:

* Chaka Fattah, convicted of 23 counts of conspiracy, fraud, bribery and money laundering.

* Visit Philadelphia ex-CFO Joyce Levitt, who embezzled more than $200,000 over seven years to fund her fine dining and furs.

* State Rep. Leslie Acosta, secretly pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

* Vincent J. Fenerty Jr., ousted from his PPA executive director slot after sexual harrassment claims.

* Josh Huff, former Eagles receiver busted with an unlicensed gun, hollow-point bullets and marijuana in his car.

The winner: This one was a landslide victory for Fattah - probably his last.

WHO WILL BE MOST MISSED IN 2017?

The nominees:

* President Obama

* Ed Snider

* Sheena Parveen

* D'Angelo's Meats

* Ryan Howard

The winner: Our outgoing 44th commander-in-chief. His approval rating is the highest it has been at any point in his second term.

WHO WILL BE MOST WATCHED IN 2017?

The nominees:

* Donald Trump

* D.A. Seth Williams

* Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz

* Live With Kelly & You contest winner Richard Curtis

* Ex-Fox 29er Sheinelle Jones, now on NBC

The winner: The incoming president-elect - no doubt for all the reasons you can imagine. Keep the popcorn nearby.

STORY OF THE YEAR?

The nominees:

* Villanova wins first national basketball championship in 30 years.

* Wine sales begin in Pennsylvania supermarkets.

* Guilty verdicts in the George Washington Bridge lane-closure conspiracy case, a.k.a. "Bridgegate."

* The fall of former Attorney General Kathleen Kane, sentenced to 10 to 23 months in jail for orchestrating an illegal news leak to damage an enemy.

* City Council's approval of the "soda tax," a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages.

The winner: The Wildcats' dramatic, buzzer-beating victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

PERSON OF THE YEAR?

The nominees:

* Mayor Kenney

* Kevin Hart

* Jay Wright

* Kellyanne Conway

* Vladimir Putin

The winner: Villanova's Wright, who scored his first-ever basketball championship as coach with his team's 2016 NCAA title.