(Undated) -- At 10:47 a.m. on Saturday, November fifth, the state Attorney General's Office dropped a bombshell of an announcement, forever changing Penn State University. The case against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is one witf's Top Five Stories of 2011. The Sandusky story exploded nationally after word of his arrest for allegedly sexually abusing young boys over a 15-year period as well as the charges against Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz, for lying to a grand jury and failing to report child abuse. A 23-page grand jury presentment didn't paint the school'sresponse to Sandusky's alleged actions in a good light. State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan laid out the scope of the investigation. "This is not a case about football. It's not a case about universities," he said. "It's a case about children, who have had their innocence stolen from them and a culture that did nothing to stop it or prevent it from happening to others." The pressure on Penn State increased, as the week went on. First, legendary football coach Joe Paterno
said he was resigning after 46 years at the helm, breaking down in tears when he told his team. But, that wasn't enough for the university's board of trustees and later that night, Board Vice-Chairman John Surma delivered some stunning news. "The Board of Trustees and Graham Spanier have decided that effective immediately, Dr. Spanier is no longer president of the university," he said. "In addition, Joe Paterno is no longer the head football coach, effective immediately." Students later expressed their anger. On the streets of downtown State College, a mini-riot broke out, windows were broken and a news van was flipped over. "Flip it! Flip it! Flip it!" they chanted. The number of Sandusky's alleged victims eventually grew from eight to 10. At the last second, he waived his preliminary hearing, but vowed to prove his innocence. "To stay the course, to fight for four quarters, we'll await the opportunity to present our side," he said. Curley, who is on leave from the university, and Schultz, who retired, will go to trial for covering up the alleged suspected abuse. Meantime, the future of Sandusky's charity, the Second Mile, is in doubt. Each one of his 10 accusers came into contact with the former assistant coach through the nonprofit's programs.
Check out witf's other top five stories of 2011:
The fight over higher education funding
The never-ending natural gas drilling impact fee debate
