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The Top Five News Stories Of 2014 On CBS Chicago's Website

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An ominous terror threat on social media, the struggles of an American fast food institution and the crumbling of the middle class in Chicago all grabbed the attention of cbschicago.com users in 2014.

Those stories were among the top five most-viewed on the website in the past year.

Here are the rankings:

Chicago: Terror Target
August 22, 2014

In the past six years, Chicago has become a top potential target for international terrorists, making the posting of a veiled threat by Islamic radicals on Twitter this past summer a higher cause for concern.

"Many terror organizations refer to Chicago as Obama Town," said CBS 2 security expert Ross Rice, a former FBI agent in Chicago. Under President Obama, the U.S. took out Osama bin Laden, and used repeated drone strikes to weaken terror networks.

isis-tweet

The ominous post on Twitter, purportedly from somebody connected with Islamic State, shows a photo of the Old Republic Building, 307 N. Michigan Ave., in Chicago and the White House.

The text reads:

#AmessagefromISIStoUS
We are in your state
We are in your cities
We are in your streets
You are our goals anywhere.

FULL STORY: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/08/22/ominous-tweet-connects-isis-threat-in-chicago/

McDonald's Struggles
January 23, 2014

McDonald's is losing customers as the world's biggest hamburger chain struggles to attract diners with its higher-priced sandwiches and new offerings.

"We've lost some of our customer relevance," CEO Don Thompson conceded.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company reported disappointing sales for its fourth quarter of 2013 as fewer customers visited its established restaurants.

FULL STORY: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/01/23/mcdonalds-fighting-to-be-relevant-to-customers-ceo-concedes/

'Don't Touch My Girlfriend'
October, 20, 2014

President Barack Obama had quite an encounter with a couple of voters Monday morning at his polling place at 43rd and Cottage Grove.

The president cast his ballot with the predictable fanfare and sounds of cameras, but what happened as he stood next to fellow voter Aia Cooper was not expected.

As he walked past the president's voting booth, Mike Jones, Cooper's boyfriend, told Obama, "don't touch my girlfriend."

The president expressed mock annoyance at the joke.

"There's an example of a brother just embarrassing me for no reason, just for no reason whatsoever."

FULL STORY: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/10/20/president-obama-casts-ballot-on-first-day-of-early-voting/

Middle Class Vanishes
April 3, 2014

The graphic that you are about to see is sobering, perhaps depressing, and you can't take your eyes off it.

We have the exhaustive work of Daniel Kay Hertz, a masters student at the University Of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, to thank for that.

At the risk of sounding like an old carnival barker, step right up and watch the middle class of Chicago vanish before your eyes.

However, this is no side-show.

It shows the demise of the foundation of an American city (the gray represents the middle class in the city).

IncSegGIF

FULL STORY: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/04/03/amazing-graphic-shows-chicagos-middle-class-disappear-before-your-eyes/

Water In Sochi
February 4, 2014

We all know how the old saying goes when you travel: "Don't drink the water."

Well in Sochi, Russia, you had better not TOUCH the water, either.

When Chicago Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair, who covered the Winter Olympics for the newspaper, arrived at her hotel, she was informed that there was a problem with the water and it had been shut off.

Then hotel staff delivered an ominous warning: "Do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous."

FULL STORY: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/02/04/in-sochi-russia-dont-touch-the-water/

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