Around this time of year news organizations and editors like to look back and select their top stories of the past 12 months. (We take a local photographic look back on pages 7-14.)
The WHT reported on a lot of stories over the past year – some good, some great, and some, not so nice.
I think the top few have to include the successful completion of the $2 million fundraising drive for the Brockton and Area Medical Clinic; the sod turning for the new hotel at East Ridge Business Park, which is currently under construction; and that day in late August when the OPP swarmed into Walkerton by the dozens in search of a suspect who later escaped in a stolen truck – only to be caught a few days later in Kitchener.
The high number of police officers, several toting assault rifles, surprised and disturbed many residents around Sacred Heart High School. It also resulted in a complaint being lodged by a local citizen.
Another big story was the closing of the Walkerton jail and the refusal by the Province to show the research numbers that prove it will be a cost-saving move.
The federal and provincial elections didn’t really generate that much surprise locally – even though Agriculture Carol Mitchell lost her seat to newcomer Lisa Thompson as rural Ontario punished the governing Liberals in most non-urban ridings for all but ignoring citizens north of the GTA. I think many were expecting the Liberals to lose Huron-Bruce.
In 2012, there will be more stories to cover. One that comes to mind is the eventual release by Brockton council of the costs involved in moving forward with acquiring lands for sports and the multi-purpose administration building. It could well be the ‘big story’ for the coming year.
There are sometimes ‘slow news days’ – even slow news weeks – in the community news business, but 2011 certainly wasn’t a slow news year. And 20012 promises to be more of the same.