David Wilcox's 5 most memorable stories of 2022 – The Citizen

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My most memorable stories of 2022 were memorable for very different reasons.
Some stories were memorable because of the sheer amount of time I spent researching and assembling them. Those include my April history of New Guinea, the early Black settlement near the Owasco River in Auburn, and my October investigation into former restaurant owner and City Council candidate Robert Otterstatter. Each took about a month. Researching New Guinea began with a visit to the Cayuga County Historian’s Office and continued with me poring over books, maps, census records and other sources for all the information I could piece together about the scarcely documented settlement. Similarly, investigating Otterstatter meant contacting dozens of people and institutions, essentially vetting every claim he made on the record about himself and his business over the past few years.
Other stories were memorable because of the people involved. It was a blast to catch up with Mike Fantasia, the Auburn native and Hollywood location manager who retired after a career that included “Top Gun: Maverick” and movies with Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. And it was an honor to tell the story of Jason “Country” Daniels and the Auburn community football game renamed in his memory.
Then there was the “pet pants” letter. Reporting this April Fool’s Day prank gone awry, and the reaction to it on social media, was memorable if only because of how patently ridiculous it all was.
So there you have it: my five most memorable stories of 2022.
(5) updates to this series since Dec 27, 2022
The writer of a fake letter from the city of Auburn announcing a “pet pants” law has turned herself into the city.
Little is known about New Guinea.
Mike Fantasia had just wrapped “Top Gun: Maverick.”
An investigation by The Citizen has found a history of false claims made by the co-owner of an Auburn restaurant that recently closed after hi…
Dajinie Daniels didn’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving last year.
I edit The Citizen’s features section, Lake Life, and weekly entertainment guide, Go. I’ve also been writing for The Citizen and auburnpub.com since 2006, covering arts and culture, business, food and drink, and more.
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It’s that time to reflect on 2022. It was a busy year with a lot of stories to cover. Here are my five most memorable stories of the year. 
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