Billy Joel closed down the Nassau Coliseum, while a horse for the ages captured the first Triple Crown in decades at Belmont Park. Two of the state’s top political leaders, including Long Island’s Dean Skelos, were convicted and lost their seats. And a 91-year-old high school graduate made us proud. 2015 has been a nonstop year. Here’s what we’ll remember.
Top news stories
Long Island's top 10 stories
Former Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam were convicted of bribery, extortion and conspiracy in a decisive verdict. See that and nine more top LI stories of the year.
Anthony Lanzilote
Best and worst in entertainment
Disappointments, debuts, farewells
Our movie, TV, music, theater and book critics on the major moments, big debuts, worst flops and notable farewells of 2015.
AMC
Video Year in Review
See the year in just 4 minutes
From American Pharoah's Triple Crown win to the popemobile in NYC to the closing of the Nassau Coliseum, see the memorable moments and stories Newsday captured on video this year.
Photos for posterity
Top LI pictures of 2015
What's this acrobatic display? A Long Islander practicing his tricking and parkour skills in summer at Robert Moses State Park.
Newsday / Alejandra Villa
Memorable takes
Matt Davies' cartoons of the year
The cartoonist says choosing this collection is a challenge.
Matt Davies
Front and center
Newsday's notable covers of 2015
See a collection of the most notable Newsday covers of the year, chosen by the editors, from January through December.
Home and abroad
Top photos around the U.S. and globe
From the Rocky Fire in California to a Chilean volcano's eruption to a New York fugitive's capture.
AP / Josh Edelson
Top NYC photos
New York City's 2015 highs, and lows
One high: Pope Francis riding the popemobile through Central Park on Sept. 25, 2015.
Howard Schnapp
'MasterChef Junior'
LI kids who found fame in 2015
2015 was a good year to get 15 minutes of fame for these select few local kids, including a young cook.
FOX / Greg Gayne
Long Island
Notable deaths
50 Long Islanders we lost in 2015
From a police officer, to a veteran actor, to a Hall of Fame hockey coach, Newsday remembers some of those whom we lost this year.
News 12; NYPD; Joseph D. Sullivan
Making us proud
Long Islanders who made us proud
From a World Series starter to a Medal of Valor recipient, there were plenty of Long Islanders who did amazing things in 2015.
Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
In memoriam
LI murder and homicide victims
These people were killed in Nassau and Suffolk counties this year, in chronological order from January through December.
Family; Facebook; Instagram
Sports
New standards
Sports firsts in 2015
The defending champion Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, set the NBA record for most wins to start a season.
AP / Chris Young
The year in sports
Top 10 New York sports stories
Take a look back at the Big Apple's top sports stories of 2015, as selected by our sports editors and retold by columnist Neil Best.
Getty Images / Jonathan Daniel
Picks of pics
Top sports photos of 2015
There are plenty of good photos taken each year at sporting events. Here are 46 we found particularly enjoyable.
Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
No one better
2015 sports champions
See which teams won titles during the 2015 calendar year.
Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Firsts & phenoms
Women in sports in 2015
A huge year for female athletes, from USWNT to Serena Williams.
Getty Images / Franck Fife
Passing on
2015 notable sports deaths
We said goodbye to athletes, coaches and personalities.
Getty Images / Mike Powell
Food
Moments to savor
Best Long Island dishes and eats
Every so often, you take a bite that makes you want to stop time and savor the moment. Here are the 20 best things we ate on Long Island in 2015.
Newsday / Peter M. Gianotti
Winning meals
Best restaurants for fine dining on LI
It was the year of the tapas bar and the gastropub, super sushi, chef's star turns and a lot of first-class food.
Gordon M. Grant
A gustatory classic
LI's 10 best burgers of 2015
Whether tricked out or naked, the burger is an essential on the dining scene. While we’ve eaten thousands over the years, here are our 10 latest favorites, ranked.
Daniel Brennan
Most notable closings
Biggest Long Island restaurant closures of 2015
This year’s closings run the gamut from Long Island’s oldest Italian restaurant, which called it quits at 96, to a promising Turkish spot that shut after only 6 months.
Destination pies
The Island's best pizza: 10 pies worth the drive
Most Long Islanders have a favorite local pizzeria whose honor they are prepared to defend to the death, Newsday's Erica Marcus has discovered.
Cookbooks galore
The best cookbooks of 2015
Sure, it's the digital age. But there's still nothing like a cookbook. Here are our Top 10 picks for 2015, from 'Scandinavian Baking' to Israeli cooking.
Newsday / Rebecca Cooney
Entertainment
Music
The year's best albums
From Adele's much-hyped '25' to Disclosure's brilliant 'Caracal,' pop music critic Glenn Gamboa rounds up his favorite releases.
Republic Records
Television's top 10
Critic's picks: Best TV shows of 2015
TV critic Verne Gay says 2015 was a very good year indeed, with 'Game of Thrones,' 'Mad Men' and 'The Jinx' among the standouts.
Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Best movies
'Inside Out,' 'Amy' and more
Film critic Rafer Guzmann says the awards-season race is wide open. Here's his top 10, with a few honorable mentions.
TNS
Celeb splits
They broke up in 2015
Ben and Jen are done, among other notable couples -- including Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield.
AP / Invision / Evan Agostini
Best books
Coates, Ferrante, Larson and Marra
These are this year's books that really stayed with us -- five in nonfiction and five in fiction.
Hogarth
Celebrity deaths
Stars who died in 2015
Remembering the actors, leaders and icons we bid adieu, from Natalie Cole to Leonard Nimoy.
Photofest / NBC
Newsday documentaries
Leaving Long Island
Islanders' last season at Nassau Coliseum
'The old barn' rocked in its final season. Newsday followed Islanders employees, fans and players throughout the emotional ride.
Belmont's backstretch
Where Triple Crowns are made
The preparation to make him a Triple Crown winner begins on the backstretch and at Belmont Park, where the backstretch is a community unto itself.
Business
The job market
Worst jobs to have in 2015
The worst jobs of 2015 included newspaper reporter, lumberjack and taxi driver, according to CareerCast.com.
AP
Tax breaks
Biggest LI business expansions
LI industrial development agencies approved tax breaks for 17 projects valued at $4 million or more in 2015.
SHoP Architects
It's a mobile world
Apple's best apps of 2015
Periscope, Instagram and HBO NOW are some of the standouts in the top 25. Spark and Zova also made the cut.
Apple
Lifestyle
For the kids
10 best children's books of 2015
Here are the top page-turners for kids of all ages, from 'Wolfie the Bunny' to 'Journey to the Moon,' as chosen by Parents Magazine.
Amazon.com
Measuring up
Top 10 moments in fashion
In 2015 one of the world’s most famous designers stepped down, and barely-there evening dresses ruled on red carpets.
Getty Images for Victoria's Secret
Prized employers
Best places to work in the U.S.
Glassdoor's annual Employees' Choice Awards for the best companies to work for includes Facebook and In-N-Out Burger.
AP