These are the ABC13 Houston team's most memorable stories of 2022

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Over the course of 2022, ABC13 has told thousands of stories about Houston, its surrounding communities, and the wonderful people within them.

As the year comes to a close, the news department reflected on the stories that stood out among the rest.

From heartfelt interviews to help for our viewers and more, these are the stories that left a lasting impact on the team that told on them.

Sports Reporter Adam Winkler

In the lab: Houston Dash's Michelle Alozie has 'other' career at Texas Children's Hospital

My most memorable story of 2022 was our feature on Michelle Alozie of the Houston Dash. Not only is she a forward for our city's women's professional soccer team, and a member of the Nigerian national team -- which qualified for the '23 World Cup -- but she also works as a research technician for Texas Children's Hospital. And she does so during the season! Fun fact-- in early December she re-signed with the Dash. So she's here to stay -- and kiddos fighting cancer will be better off because of it!

Michelle Alozie and her Dash soccer club are on the brink of an NWSL playoff spot, which is indicative of her hard work no matter which arena she's in. Alozie takes Eyewitness News off the pitch and into the lab at TCH where she's also thriving outside of soccer.

Reporter Briana Conner

Lost dog named Mila reunited with owner after car thief swiped vehicle in East Downtown

I still think of Mila's story when I need to be reminded that what we do makes a difference in people's lives.

Neha Wooten was reunited with her dog, Mila, days after someone took off with her vehicle while the pooch was still inside.

"I don't care about the car. I just want my dog back." The Jaguar XF has already been recovered, but there was no sign off the little Maltese Shih Tzu mix.

VP Marketing Britt Guarglia

ABC13 surprises Humble ISD student with American Idol Silver Ticket

Every year, American Idol gives ABC13 a Silver Ticket to give away however we'd like, and it's one of my favorite stories we do all year! This year, we surprised Sofia "Sunshine" Plata with the Silver Ticket during her choir class at Summer Creek High School, and she was shocked! She's already made it past the first round and went to Nashville to audition in front of the judges. I can't wait to watch the next season of American Idol in February to cheer her on!

GOOD LUCK SOFIA! A student at Summer Creek High School got the surprise of a lifetime when ABC13 showed up to her class Wednesday.

Senior Digital Producer Brittaney Wilmore

The Houston Astros win it all and a cancer survivor knocks it out of the ballpark

Witnessing greatness with the best news team in the city? There's no better way to spend a Saturday night.

The Houston Astros winning the World Series is my favorite story of 2022 because to me, there's nothing like the energy that pulsates through the city when the ball club is in the postseason. Whether you're a die-hard fan who never misses a game or you just start to tune in around the playoffs, the unity among fans is contagious, no matter who you are or where you come from. And after a difficult last two years for many people, it's refreshing to see joy on the faces of people of all ages. I also loved being in the newsroom alongside my colleagues and watching our teams in studio and the field. They bring such a light and professionalism.

But the biggest moment in the celebration that stood out to me was fan Liza Valverde. Instead of ringing the bell after her last radiation treatment, she was first in line after waiting 33 hours outside Academy in Pasadena to meet José Altuve in the days after the World Series win. Another fan heard about her dedication and brought a bell for her to ring. Because that's what Houstonians do for each other -- we step up, take each other in, and quickly become family. We don't know any other way! Liza met Altuve, and after that magical meeting, said, "That's why I beat cancer!" And that is probably the biggest championship moment of all.

Jose Altuve is a lightning rod of boos all over MLB, but he continues to enjoy a groundswell of support in the heart of Astros country. On Thursday, he added to his legend. See what he did for a cancer-survivor who preferred to wait hours in line to see her hero than to ring the bell as part of the end of her treatment.

Reporter Courtney Fischer

13 Unsolved: Who was waiting in the weeds to kill Worthing HS student Trellis Sykes?

I feature a lot of cold cases for our ABC13 series "Unsolved," but the story of Trellis Sykes stayed with me through 2022. It's been nearly three decades since the high school basketball star took a shortcut to school -- that cost Trellis her life. Trellis' murder wasn't front-page news back when it happened in 1994.

Digging into her case 28+ years later, we found attacks on other girls were happening in the same Sunnyside area -- they just weren't being publicized.

It was a privilege to learn about Trellis from her family and from the team of women HPD investigators working tirelessly to solve her case. Sharing her story with you this year was a highlight. We can't forget Trellis. We won't forget Trellis.

Student athlete Trellis Sykes took a shortcut in 1994 that had a fatal ending. On her way to Worthing HS, she was hit on the head, raped and murdered in a field of tall weeds. Her killer was never caught.

Photojournalist Francisco Barragan

Houstonian's Memorial Day tradition done earlier for Uvalde victims

I headed out to Uvalde, TX the day the shooting took place at Robb Elementary. It is one of the toughest assignments that I have covered.

A few days later I returned to Houston. I was assigned a story about a Houston-area family that was touched and moved by the tragedy in Uvalde. The Andersen family usually places American flags on their front yard to commemorate Memorial Day. But this year, after the shooting in Uvalde, they placed 22 American flags on their front yard to remember each one of the victims.

It was touching to listen to Matthew Andersen. He expressed a lot of thoughts that many throughout the country were experiencing at that time, and even now. The are many stories that are memorable to me this year, this is just one of them.

Anchor Gina Gaston

Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as Supreme Court's 1st Black woman justice

My favorite story of the year was Ketanji Brown Jackson becoming a Supreme Court justice -- the first Black woman and a former intern at the law offices where my old college roommate worked. It makes me feel like I'm close to greatness and I find her inspirational.

With Jackson's ascension to the bench, for the first time, white men do not represent the majority on the high court.

Sr. Manager of Digital Platforms Gina Larson

'It's a small miracle' Katy woman found by volunteers after missing for 3 day

This was the story of dedicated search volunteers, a truly devoted guardian angel of a dog, and a "small miracle." There are plenty of stories of missing people and all too often, when EquuSearch volunteers are called upon for their expert-level help, it seems the case is almost destined not to have a happy ending. For this woman to have been found safe -- against the odds -- after three days, is remarkable. And for me, Max the dog is the true hero!

"It's a small miracle that she's alive." A family got the good news they were hoping for: that a grandmother who had been missing since Tuesday was found safe.

Photojournalist/Editor Izzy Simon

ABC13 walked to help fight childhood cancers at 2022 Candlelighters Houston Fun Walk

My most memorable story this year was covering the 2022 Candlelighters walk. ABC13 participated in the walk in support of Cassie and her daughter Birdie. It was one of my first assignments as a photographer, and it was great getting to learn about the Candlelighters foundation and what they do for so many families fighting childhood cancer.

Lace up your shoes and watch ABC13 at Terry Hershey Park for the Candlelighters Houston Fun Walk, supporting families fighting childhood cancers.

Reporter Jeff Ehling

Astros throw 1st World Series no-hitter in 66 years

Who could forget the historic moment that the Houston Astros threw the first World Series no-hitter in 66 years?

After an embarrassing 7-0 loss in Game 3, the 'Stros hit and pitched like their lives depended on it in Game 4, making for one of the most talked about World Series games ever.

The bats made noise while the Phillies fans went silent in a big fifth inning for Houston. All of this went on as Cristian Javier pitched a historic gem.

Reporter Jessica Willey

'It was very painful to watch my sister die:' Survivor of smuggling attempt says of journey to US

In June, 53 migrants seeking a better life in the U.S. were found dead in a hot tractor-trailer in San Antonio. This was devastating news. History repeats itself.

Few people know what it's like to be a survivor of such a big tragedy under similar circumstances. We talked to a Colombian national who now lives in Houston. He lost his sister during their harrowing journey that ended for her and dozens of others when their boat capsized off the coast of Florida five months before the doomed San Antonio smuggling attempt. He was the lone survivor.

The gruesome discovery on a remote road on the southwest side of San Antonio is just the latest human smuggling tragedy. In the video above, hear from the sole survivor who was on a boat to the U.S. when it capsized.

Reporter Miya Shay

HPD sergeant tackles man with rifle and 120 rounds of ammunition next to kids at the Galleria

We always talk about shootings -- but this was a mass shooting avoided. A Houston police sergeant was working an extra job at The Galleria. He saw a man carrying a machine gun going toward a bunch of girls at a dance competition, and he jumped into action!

This guy is a hero -- and we had the exclusive interview!

The police sergeant jumped into action after he noticed a man dressed suspiciously in all black. Turns out the man had multiple rounds of ammo and a Bible with a specific passage.

Race and Culture Reporter Rosie Nguyen

ABC13 shares stories of Vietnamese refugees who made all-or-nothing escape and rebuilt their lives

My most memorable story of 2022 is the one about the history of Houston's Vietnamese community. Through my research of finding out why we have one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the country, I learned so much about the plight and traumatic journey of refugees whose stories are very similar to my own parents.

Growing up, my mom and dad didn't share much about the atrocities they witnessed and the dangers they survived during the Vietnam War -- mainly because it caused them PTSD and flashbacks. It gave me such a deeper appreciation about my parents' sacrifice and hard work to give my family the life that we have now, after seeing all of the archival footage that we obtained for the report and listening to the stories that were shared with me during this project.

The arrival of Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. could be broken into three major waves. Here, ABC13's Rosie Nguyen breaks it all down and why this should matter to all of us.

Digital Producer Sarah Rolen

Police chase down emu seen wandering through Greenspoint area

The emu spotted wandering the Greenspoint area is my favorite story of 2022 because, let's face it, there's nothing more "Houston" than a wild animal sighting. In a year where many stories often felt heavy and serious, it was so much fun to bring a hilarious, light-hearted story to our readers. I don't think I'll ever forget Yvette Fleming's commentary on the viral video. "Y'all see this ostrich? Somebody done lost they ostrich."

"Somebody done lost they ostrich," a witness said in a hilarious video of the chase. It was actually an emu that was running from Houston police.

Anchor/Reporter Tom Abrahams

'This is ridiculous. We're human': People wait outside social security offices in near-record heat

Houstonians waited in the extreme heat, in hourslong lines, outside of Social Security offices over the summer because of COVID-19

As a result of our stories, they made accommodations for people -- providing tents and water -- so they wouldn't be waiting out in the heat without any assistance.

Countless people are standing outside in near-record heat for hours, waiting to get help with essential benefits from Social Security Administration offices.

Digital Producer Desiree Cantu

Cher reveals herself as masked photographer to Houston couple's viral birthday picture

My favorite story of the year is when Grammy and Oscar-winning pop legend Cher was casually strolling through the River Oaks District in Houston after watching Steven Spielberg's take on "West Side Story." She said a "beautiful couple" was attempting to take photos outside of MAD Houston who caught her attention.

This was a story Senior Digital Producer Brittaney Wilmore noticed on social media, and she gave me the green light to interview Syndie Germain, a blogger who came out as the lucky Houstonian, during my first month with the station. Houston is crawling with artists, sometimes, the mega stars are walking among us, and we might not even know!