WINDSOR, N.S. - It’s a difficult reality in this business that often the most widely read stories we publish are ones that involve tragedy, disaster or crime.
Some might see that as human nature’s insatiable need for catastrophe, or that local news organizations are exploiting tragedy — but it also highlights the need for local news.
When things happen, leaving a void for a misplaced sense of respect does not serve the community or the public good. Although it can be painful for those involved, and for the journalists who cover these stories, it’s something of a necessary evil.
At the end of the day, people are interested in what’s going on around them — in their communities, in the people who live here and what happens to them.
We’re here to document what happened, the good and the bad. Here’s the top 15 stories that were read online in 2018.
1 — A man was killed during a house fire on Sangster’s Bridge Road in Falmouth on Feb. 5. RCMP officers were first on scene, but were pushed back by flames and smoke.
2 — An Enfield man was killed in a motorcycle crash on Sept. 4. It was a particularly devastating year for motorcycle accidents in Nova Scotia.
3 — A stubborn tire fire kept volunteer firefighters busy at a salvage yard in Upper Rawdon on May 15. Firefighters from Hantsport to Halifax responded to the scene.
4 — RCMP responded to a reported firearms incident at Avon View High School. Luckily it was a false alarm and classes eventually resumed on Sept. 20.
5 — Garnett Smith was sentenced to 90 days in prison, to be served intermittently on weekends, following a guilty verdict of several sex-related charges. One of the victim’s family members said the sentence was “a joke” after it was handed down in January.
6 — Former Brooklyn Fire Chief Andrew William McDade was charged with sexual assault. The chief left his position with the fire department shortly before these charges came to light on Sept. 5. The trial is slated for January 2019.
7 — A camper trailer went off Highway 101 near Hantsport on Oct. 4. The trailer was a total loss, but luckily nobody was injured in the incident.
8 — The Hants Journal checked in with what was going on with Windsor’s iconic Nova Scotia Textiles building, following a failed attempt to sell the structure. It remains vacant since our story ran on Jan. 10, 2018.
9 — A fatality and an injury were reported following a collision in Poplar Grove on June 12. The two-vehicle accident occurred on Avondale Road and traffic was diverted while the RCMP collision analyst collected evidence.
10 — A woman was seriously injured after a single-vehicle collision on Chester Road. This April 22 incident took place between Sangster’s Bridge Road and Windsor Back Road, along Highway 14. The road was blocked to traffic for much of the evening.
11 — Police announce that a high-risk offender is being released from custody and is relocating to the Windsor area. The man in question was convicted for sex-related offences against young girls.
12 — A Hantsport woman gets a rude awakening after a car crashes into her home. Police said the driver lost control of the vehicle and had to be taken to the hospital.
13 — A long abandoned building on Windsor’s Water Street will soon see new life as a craft distillery. Entrepreneur Michael Oxner has big plans for the soon-to-be revived James Roué Beverage Company.
14 — Ted Woundy, a legend amongst the Hants County music community, passed away this fall. Those who knew who him shared some of their memories of Woundy, and shared how having him as a music teacher at Avon View High School impacted their lives.
15— A man died following a collision on Highway 101 near St. Croix. The Halifax-bound section of the highway was closed for several hours as emergency personnel attended to the scene.
