From an early-morning pipeline leak in January to the December announcement that former Iowa State starting quarterback Jacob Park would transfer, 2017 has been a roller coaster. Here's a look back at our 10 most-read stories from the year.

10. Chris Soules charged with felony in deadly hit-and-run

Kenny Mosher, a 66-year-old Aurora farmer, was killed in April while driving his tractor along a county road after a pickup truck driven by reality television star Chris Soules struck him from behind, authorities said.

Soules, who gained fame on reality TV shows, including "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal car crash, a class D felony. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

9. Iowa State starting quarterback Jacob Park takes leave from Cyclones football team

Iowa State starting quarterback Jacob Park told the Des Moines Register in October he planned to take a personal leave from the team, citing medical concerns. It was unknown at the time whether he would return, but Park has since announced he plans to transfer.

8. A grieving mom writes her teen son's touching obituary and pleads for Iowa to do more for the mentally ill

Mary Neubauer struck a chord with Iowans after she penned a touching obituary for her son, Sergei. In it, Mary described her son's love of the family dogs, soccer and wrestling, cooking and his favorite treats. But she also revealed his struggle with mental illness and the years he spent fighting the effects of childhood traumas that haunted him all his life.

She described the state's lack of resources for those with mental illness.

She and her husband, Larry Loss, pleaded with "lawmakers and policymakers everywhere to recognize the toll that mental health struggles and addictions are taking on our society, particularly our young people," the grieving mother wrote. "(We) believe it is a crisis facing America, one that must be acknowledged, better understood and ultimately addressed for people to have the tools to heal. Iowa did not have adequate mental-health resources during Sergei's times of crisis."

7. Pipeline leaks 138,600 gallons of diesel in northern Iowa

In January, a pipeline owned by Magellan Midstream Partners leaked 138,600 gallons of diesel fuel in Worth County near Hanlontown, company officials said.

The spilled fuel pooled on an acreage with grass and trees and a tilled farm field, stretching across an acre and a half of land.

The company later blamed the leak on a third-party excavator. Magellan said the unnamed excavator did not call Iowa's 811 "Call Before You Dig" line, which helps contractors locate underground utilities and other possible hazards before excavation.

6. Iowa infant had maggots after a week without care; parents charged with murder

A northern Iowa couple was arrested Nov. 1 and charged with murder in connection with the death of their 4-month-old son, whose body was found covered in maggots in a baby swing at the family's home.

A forensic entomologist studied the maggots to determine that the child had not been removed from his baby swing for more than a week and that he had not had a diaper change or bath in that time, court records show.

The State Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide, and the cause of death was failure to provide critical care. Both parents have pleaded not guilty.

5. He's a black high school quarterback. 5 of his teammates were pictured in white hoods. It may get worse.

Register Columnist Kyle Munson spoke with Creston/Orient-Macksburg High School quarterback Kylan Smallwood after a photo began circulating showing five of his teammates wearing white hoods and surrounding a burning cross.

"Smallwood is a towering 6-foot-3 African-American young man, a popular basketball and football star in a predominantly white town," Munson wrote. "But suddenly he was confronted with five of his teammates posing in a racist photo, emulating a violent strain of white supremacists who routinely lynched blacks."

4. Altoona outlet mall signs 24 stores. Here's who's coming:

Thousands of eager shoppers filled the shops at Altoona's new 300,000-square-foot outlet mall when it opened Oct. 20.

But the excitement began months before when 24 retailers announced in February they would have locations in the mall. Among those drawing the most excitement were Vera Bradley, francesca’s, Lids, Levi’s Outlet Store, Zales Outlet, Converse, Asics, GNC and Yankee Candle — none of which are at Iowa’s other major outlet center, Tanger Outlets in Williamsburg.

3. Iowa mourns death of complicated hero from iconic photo

Even if you don’t know Jason Oglesbee’s name, you might know his face and physique. He was the burly construction worker dangling from a crane in downtown Des Moines who on June 30, 2009, plucked Patti Ralph-Neely from the churning waters of the Des Moines River.

From the riverbank, former Register photographer Mary Willie (then Mary Chind) snapped a dramatic photo of the rescue that won a 2010 Pulitzer Prize.

Oglesbee, 53, died in April.

2. Iowa cheerleader: I'd rather quit the team than quit protesting during the national anthem

Alyssa Parker, a sophomore from Des Moines and founder of her campus’ new Black Student Union was among the cheerleaders and football players who knelt during the national anthem at Buena Vista University's Sept. 30 homecoming in Storm Lake, Iowa.

When the college announced a policy requiring those on the field to "stand for the national anthem as a unified team, Parker quit the cheer squad.

“(Fighting) social injustice, standing up for what I believe in and using my voice for others who no longer have one: These are beliefs I hold to my core,” Parker wrote in a Facebook post announcing her move. “They are what make me Alyssa. I couldn't bring myself to give that up.”

1. This sleepy boy and his heifer at the Iowa State Fair are winning over the internet

Audri the heifer and her human Mitchell Miner closed their eyes for a nap following a busy day at the Iowa State Fair. When they woke up, they'd gone viral.

A snapshot of the duo cuddled up and sound asleep in a pile of hay had made its way to social media, melting hearts and eliciting fond farm memories for countless Iowans.

More of this in 2018, please.