Noteworthy: What didn’t make news in the year 2024

By Bruce Penton on December 31, 2024.

Some names and events that made the news in 2024:

Linnsie Clark, city administration turmoil, Saamis Solar Park, uproar over utility prices, gunman shoots at Trump, Trump wins, wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves, floods, Ann Mitchell, Shohei Ohtani, crypto, Netanyahu, Ukraine, Putin, Danielle Smith, Drake, Taylor Swift, Stormy Daniels, Gavin McKenna, 34 felonies, posties go on strike, Division Avenue reconstruction, ‘no’ to Memorial Cup, MacKenzie Porter CCMA’s female artist of the year; pickleball mania.

Biden drops out, Kamala Harris in, Elon Musk, Tamara Lich, cancer diagnoses for King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Oilers fall to Florida in Cup final, Highway 3 four-laning, TikTok, Summer McIntosh, Raygun the breakdancer, total eclipse of the sun, Calgary water woes, Scottie Scheffler, illegal immigrants, Tyson vs. Paul, Christine Sinclair, Hat awarded 2026 Special Olympics Summer Games, Caitlin Clark, Alberta transgender proposals spark controversy, curling returns to Medicine Hat, hot-air balloons fill the Hat sky, river rescue.

Deborah Belyea trial, Notley steps down, Assad regime falls in Syria, Nenshi heads Alberta NDP, trans-youth law changes, Dunmore indoor equestrian arena, Jehovah’s Witnesses convene in the Hat, Brian Mulroney dies, Luke Fandrich documentary goes global, downtown road construction, Bill Wahl passes away, carbon tax protests, Coutts border blockage trial, Plainsman Clay expands, Lyle Rebbeck’s last JazzFest, Trans Mountain pipeline operational, last year for Stampede grandstand.

MH Speedway marks 40th, May was a wet month, Zorislav Krco, Joe Fisher added to Sports Wall of Fame, helium deposit found nearby, Paul Parks, honorary MHC degree for Nichole Neubauer, CORE marks 70 years, phones banned in classrooms, St. Mary’s students sing for the CFL, Pahls are Farm Family of the Year in Cypress County, quilting queen Elaine Snyder, fire devastates Jasper, Charlie Christie and Charlatan Sandford Stampede royalty, Mavericks fall in semi-finals, Wade Peterson refs boxing at Olympics, musical theatre thrives locally, ‘above average’ harvest.

Kiwanis Club celebrates centennial, national aviation award for Terri Super, milestone for Moduline, free Oilers tickets for pols, rail strike, new name: Rick Boksteyn Field, mailbox thefts, St. Barnabas marks 140 years, gun incidents increase, brilliant northern lights, Foremost’s William Barrows top bull rider, ‘grandparent’ scammers nabbed, snowplows, graders get names, grandstand renovations needed, Kinsmen make $250K donation to women’s shelter, tariff fight with U.S., Santa Claus fund charity auction another success, Chrystia Freeland shocks, Justin Trudeau teetering, Latvia? Really?

The future looks extremely bleak for the federal Liberal party. It is projected to be obliterated in the next election, with the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre taking control of the country, while the Liberals – who could fall to third or even fourth in the party standings – go about rebuilding.

But the longer Justin Trudeau stays at the party’s helm, the longer it will take for that rebuild to begin. He may have the support of some in his caucus, but that’s just the bobblehead brigade following party orders. Voters are massively against him staying, and he should be intelligent enough to see the writing on the writs.

The longer he hangs on, the worse it will be for the federal Liberals, who will live to govern another day, but certainly not in the near future.

Hatters received a nice little holiday season gift a few days before Christmas when local gas outlets engaged in a mini price war. Co-op, Petro-Can and Husky stations all got involved, with prices dipping a cent or two here and there until Co-op finally settled at $1.34.9 while its two rivals were a couple of cents higher.

Regardless, all prices were a bit more favourable than the $1.41.9 Hatters had been paying for the past month or so.

Even better is that the price drops weren’t simply pre-Christmas gifts. The lower prices held during the post-Christmas week.

It’s the season for New Year’s resolutions and this year, I’m stumped. I reduced my fingernail chewing; I gave up smoking a few decades back; I’ve lost some weight in the last few months. I’ve done more exercising; I haven’t made a spelling error in ages. Not saying I’m close to perfect, because that would be an immodest thing to declare. But if I can do anything, I can work on improving my modesty in 2025.

Short snappers: Can’t recall a winter where there’s been so much ice on roads, sidewalks and parking lots. I hope the hospital isn’t overrun with people suffering broken bones from slips and falls. â€¦ Not too early to start thinking about the 2025 municipal election, scheduled for Oct. 20. My sources say Drew Barnes will be on the ballot for mayor. â€¦

Gavin McKenna of the Tigers is getting his share of hype from national broadcasters during the World Junior hockey championship, and it will only increase in volume as we get closer to June 2026, when he is expected to be the No. 1 overall NHL draft pick. Tigers’ twins Markus and Liam Ruck are also highly regarded prospects in that draft.