Marc Torchi burned some yard debris and thought firefighters put it out. Four days later, the most costly wildfire in South Carolina history swept toward Myrtle Beach.

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps came to Columbia for some fun. He left behind a police investigation into a marijuana pipe.

Congressman Joe Wilson got upset, and his shout at the president reverberated for weeks.

And then there was Mark Sanford and his "soul mate."

The theme of the top news stories of 2009 in South Carolina? Call it the Year of the Bad Decision.

It seemed that with every click on a news Web site in 2009, someone in South Carolina was making a choice that left the rest of the nation shaking its collective head.

By August, the parody news program The Daily Show aired an off-color segment titled "Thank you, South Carolina!" to give the state props for helping keep the rest of the country agog. "South Carolina has stepped up its game," declared host Jon Stewart.

A month later, Wilson launched himself onto the national stage with a two-word shout that seemed to galvanize opponents of President Barack Obama as much as it repulsed his fans. The South Carolina congressman's "You lie!" managed to overshadow Obama's major health care speech to Congress.

The Republican told the White House he was sorry for the outburst, but then refused to apologize again on the House floor. Members voted mostly along party lines to admonish him. Wilson and a challenger for his Columbia-based seat have since used the incident to raise campaign money.

"I will not be muzzled," Wilson said on a video posted on his Web site.

Others were more contrite about their missteps. A photo of 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps surfaced in February, showing him inhaling from a pipe commonly used to smoke marijuana at a 2008 party with University of South Carolina students. Phelps said he used "bad judgment," but never said what was in the bong.

The Richland County sheriff raised eyebrows by issuing search warrants and raiding two homes where people who partied with Phelps were staying. In the end, no charges were filed against the athlete.

In what turned out to be a good decision for South Carolina, lawmakers in October used a massive incentive package to help land an assembly plant for the Boeing 787 in North Charleston. Thousands of jobs are planned and the decision fostered unanimity among officials who usually spend a lot of time disagreeing. The decision also means Washington state will not get the plant.