In this week’s paper, we reviewed the first half of 2017.
It’s easy to forget we had half of 2017 before the fires even started, which affected us all, displaced most of us and continue to significantly affect a large sum of B.C. residents.
However, even though the wildfires did not play a role in the first half of 2017, the beginning of the year saw some very important stories, many of which continue to affect us locally today.
The United States put duties on softwood lumber, the Ministry of Education announced they would fund more than 1,000 additional teaching positions and the B.C. election saw the Liberals lose control of the provincial government for the first time in 16 years.
On a distinctly local level, Bruce Madu was selected Citizen of the Year, snowmobilers were rescued from Mica Mountain, the Slope Line bike park was vandalized and thousands of residents were left without power following wind storms.
The first half of 2017 had some fascinating and sometimes terrifying numbers ranging from 2,500 lightning strikes on a single day within a 150 km radius from 100 Mile House to over 100,000 containers being recycled by Forest Grove Elementary.
At the Free Press itself, we’ve seen some big changes. After many years at the Free Press as editor, Ken Alexander retired (although he steps up when we need him) and Chris Nickless after decades with the Free Press as both publisher and in sales and about 50 years in the newspaper industry as a whole retired as well.
Myself, I started right at the start of the year, and we’ve had some other fresh faces including Tara Sprickerhoff, who in my opinion did tremendous work during the wildfires and on our special Fire Fight issue, and new reporter Brendan Kyle Jure.
With a brand new website that’s really helped us connect with our online readers, we’re excited to see what 2018 has to bring, are eager to listen to your stories and help you tell them.
I sincerely hope you’ve not only been able to get crucial information in a timely fashion from us this year but that we’ve delivered a local paper that you’re excited to read and that you’ve been able to laugh, cry or be otherwise moved by some of the stories we’ve shared with you.
We’re proud of the news we’ve been able to deliver in 2017 and are striving to take the next step up in 2018.