2020 will — of course — be remembered for the pandemic, but it turns out there were lots of other stories, too — some of which I had totally forgotten about. In fact, looking back over the most-read news stories of the year, it turns out only about half of them were related to the pandemic.
Here’s a list of the Top 10, starting with the most-read, with a small disclaimer: It’s only news stories, so I’ve left out columnists like Lawrie McFarlane, Jack Knox and Eric Akis, whose piece on whether imported basa fish is safe to eat is a perennial favourite thanks to Google searches, and blogger Phil Jang, whose piece on whether you should keep your windows open or closed when it’s hot out also does well thanks to searches.
I’ve also left out things like our Christmas Lights Map, and this very short item on someone in Ontario winning $70 million in Lotto Max, even though it was — by far — our most-read piece of the year.
TOP 10 MOST-READ STORIES
1. Federal government gives seniors $300 boost; additional $200 if low-income
This piece from Cindy E. Harnett and The Canadian Press is what we call news you can use, well-read because lots of people were looking for information on the benefit.
2. Tornado lifts trampoline from Saanich yard, drops it down the block
We ran another very popular tornado story a few years ago (it's no longer online, unfortunately — it wasn't local), and when I looked at the list, I initially thought it must be that story. I’d forgotten about this one by Carla Wilson — and the amazing video:
3. 1,000-plus reports of passengers not leaving enclosed ferry car decks
This story by Carla Wilson came after Transport Canada reinstated rules requiring passengers to leave vehicles on enclosed decks. Not everyone was on board, so to speak.
4. Baby Jessica: Infant abandoned in a ditch grows up and tracks down her parents
We’ve been covering the story of Baby Jessica, who was found abandoned in a watery ditch, since 1986. Reporter Louise Dickson wrote about the 2006 reunion between Baby Jessica, now known as Adriana, and the men who found her when they were 15.
This year, Dickson was the first to reveal that Adriana had tracked down her birth parents — including the teen who had abandoned her.
5. Island COVID-19 cases are doubling at fastest rate in B.C., epidemiologist says
COVID-19 numbers in the Island Health region have been relatively low, but they were increasing quickly during the fall. Katie DeRosa took a look at how the region compared to other parts of B.C.
6. Six new COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island amid provincewide rise
Health reporter Cindy E. Harnett has written many of our COVID-19 stories, including this one about one of the first big increases after the province went into Phase Three of its Restart Plan (and the next entry, too). Now, of course, six new cases is pretty good (there were 11 reported on Dec. 31).
7. B.C. restrictions on gatherings to continue through Christmas holidays
Of recent interest, as people were trying to figure out what they were allowed or not allowed to do over the holidays.
8. Victoria Harbour Ferry says it’s shutting down after dispute with harbour authority
Andrew Duffy broke the news about Victoria Harbour Ferry saying it was shutting down. The little ferries were back in action later in the summer, after Ian Maxwell of the Ralmax Group acquired a controlling stake in the company.
9. Man in video of encounter with cougar and kittens gets a ‘solid B’ from Island expert
Maybe you saw that video of the man being followed by a cougar in Utah. We did, and we wondered whether he had done the right thing — so Roxanne Egan-Elliott asked an expert.
You can watch the video here. Be warned that it contains profanity.
10. She got her gun back, then she killed herself
This is the first part of a series by Louise Dickson about Krista Carlé, a former RCMP officer who died by suicide shortly after police returned her gun to her despite knowing about her mental-health struggles.
Carlé had been one of the first women to speak out about sexual misconduct in the RCMP.
BONUS
These didn't quite make the Top 10 list, but they were pretty notable:
‘We had a VIP arrival,’ Victoria airport confirms amid royal buzz
There was a lot of talk about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being in North Saanich in late 2019 and early 2020. This is the most popular of the stories we had on them.
First presumptive case of coronavirus reported on Vancouver Island
The Island’s first (presumptive) case of COVID-19 came on March 11. As of Dec. 31, there had been 928 cases confirmed.
