This story is part of Black Press Media’s 2019 Year in Review. Celebrate the end of a decade by taking a look back through our top stories by clicking here.
It was a busy year for news across B.C. this past year, with everything from crazy animal stories to a manhunt for two fugitives making the news.
Here are the top 10 most read stories from across the province:
VIDEO: Grizzly bears fight along northern B.C. highway in rare footage
Cari McGillivray saw a rare and amazing sight near Stewart, B.C., in September, and luckily was able to film it for the rest of us. McGillivray saw two bears bears wrestling across the roadway and standing on their hind legs several times.
Fishermen land piranhas in Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake
It wasn’t quite like a scene from the Piranha movie series, but two fishermen were surprised when they caught something much different from the rainbow trout they were angling for in Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake.
| The B.C. Conservation Officer Service confirmed this fish caught in Westwood Lake this week was a red-bellied piranha and is the second piranha caught in the lake this year. (Submitted) |
Bodies of B.C. fugitives believed to have been found in Manitoba
In August, a nationwide manhunt for two Vancouver Island men wanted for the killing of three people in remote, northern B.C. came to an end.
"Im confident it is them" – @rcmpmb say the manhunt for 2 B.C. murder suspects is over.@BlackPressMedia#canadamanhunt #canadianmanhunt #manitobamanhunthttps://t.co/kuqdNxtaFe
— Kat Slepian (@katslepian) August 7, 2019
PHOTOS: Salmon Arm trail cam takes rare shot of wolverine
It was a beautiful day in Salmon Arm in October as Grant Hiebert captured what he thinks is the photo of a lifetime.
| A once-in-a-lifetime photo of a wolverine. (SIMDeer) |
‘You don’t have to do this:’ Prince George man tells black bear as it tries to drown him
It was a terrifying day for this Prince George man as a black bear chased him and tried to drown him in a lake on the outskirts of the city.
| A fight with a bear left a scar Brandon Lattie will never forget. (Brandon Lattie) |
WATCH: Video of rocking Surrey house party in 1990 ‘almost like you’re there,’ filmmaker says
“It’s a time capsule, for sure,” is how Rick DeBank describes a video he took of a rollicking Surrey house party from 1990.
| Party-goers in Rick DeBanks’ video filmed in 1990. (Photo: youtube.com) |
VIDEO: Dashcam shows semi truck rollover in Abbotsford
The man who took the video said he thought “I going to die,” but luckily, the dramatic rollover led to only minor injuries.
| Dramatic footage shows a semi truck crash into a truck, then roll over on Sumas Way. (Submitted) |
‘The system has fallen apart:’ Victoria woman’s son died a day after being accepted to treatment centre
Jan Mahoney thought the worst was over when she finally got her son, Michael, into a treatment facility. Tragically, she was wrong.
| Michael Mahoney died at 21 from a fatal dose of opioids, just a day after his application to a Tier 5 treatment centre was accepted. His mother, Jan Mahoney, now says the application and waiting process for getting Michael into treatment took far too long. (Photo courtesy of Jan Mahoney) |
B.C. senior’s $368 ticket for cellphone in cupholder sparks debate
A $368 ticket given to a Richmond senior who left her phone in her car’s cupholder while driving sparked outrage for many.
Hey @IRPlawyer, what do you think of this? My mom is in her 70s, has never had a single ticket in 50+ years of driving in BC. Today, she got a $368 ticket for having her phone visible (plugged in while connected to Bluetooth for voice / SMS). She wasn’t looking at / touching it. pic.twitter.com/ofuTSOxzYi
— Trevor Kramer Ⓥ (@tkhereandthere) September 30, 2019
ICBC insurance renewals get more complicated this year
The province’s public insurer, rarely popular, got a complicated new overhaul by the B.C. government this year.
Car insurance is changing. Here’s how we’re getting it back on track and better for BC. To find out more, visit https://t.co/JRpyU1TD37 pic.twitter.com/bJQDhrAgxK
— ICBC (@icbc) July 17, 2019
