In a year of huge headlines, in-depth investigations, breaking news and even small stories that hit a nerve, here are the top 10 stories most viewed by our readers.
An Edmonton woman who honked at a car stopped in traffic was sent to hospital in March after the other driver followed her until she got out of her car and then attacked her with a crowbar, police said.
“We believe the suspect was swinging for the complainant’s head, and she blocked it,” police spokesperson Scott Pattison told CBC News at the time. “Otherwise, those injuries could have been even more significant.”
Jared Matthew Eliasson, 28, was later charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possessing a weapon dangerous to the public.
Four pedestrians and one police officer were sent to hospital after a string of incidents that started on the evening of Sept. 30 and lasted into the early morning of Oct. 1.
The chain of events began near Commonwealth Stadium when a car drove through a barrier and struck Const. Mike Chernyk, who was handling crowd control at an Eskimos game. The driver then got out and stabbed Chernyk before fleeing the scene.
Hours later, a U-Haul driven by the same man was involved in a massive chase through downtown Edmonton, where the streets were filled with Saturday night bar crowds and football fans, police said.
The van struck four people during the chase.
Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 30, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder in the attacks, and is currently awaiting a psychiatric assessment.
While police initially said the attack was being investigating as an act of terrorism, no terrorism charges have been laid.
Angela Cardinal (not her real name) was forced to spend five nights in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre while providing witness testimony in the case of Lance Blanchard, a sexual predator.
When Cardinal complained about her incarceration, Judge Raymond Bodnarek replied, “You’re going to go back to remand tonight so that we can get you back here tomorrow.”
Cardinal was killed months later in an unrelated incident, but her case spurred the appointment of a special committee to review court policies.
“She was the victim. We should have treated her as the victim,” Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley later said.
‘It’s quite something’1:11
A gardener got way more than she bargained for in August when she plucked a carrot wearing a diamond ring from the ground.
As it turned out, the ring belonged to 84-year-old Mary Grams, who thought she had lost it for good while gardening in 2004.
Civil Emergency Alert Feb26 855PM Take necessary precautions. St. Paul County #19 https://t.co/B6uO3E9qa7 #ABemerg
In February, we learned about a new phone scam that relies on your voice to answer a simple question: “Can you hear me now?”
Anti-fraud agencies say the scammers want call recipients to say one word: “Yes.” That’s all they need to record to make it sound like you signed up for a purchase or service down the road.
It started with a tweet from the Alberta government, asking the public to stay away from the St. Paul area on a Sunday evening in February, and ended up making national headlines.
Highway 36 was closed for about 13 hours, while officials would only say the cause behind the closure was a “fluid situation.”
RCMP and municipal authorities were tight-lipped about the unfolding situation, which was resolved by the next morning.
Tim Hague died in hospital two days after he was knocked out by Adam Braidwood in a fight at the Shaw Conference Centre in mid-June.
Hague’s family waited months for an investigation into why Hague was permitted back into the ring after being knocked down four times in two rounds, and why the fight was allowed to go on as long as it did.
In December, a report into his death found that the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission failed to follow policies, and called for tougher rules around medical suspensions for fighters.
It’s not every day you see a man walking down the street dressed in full post-apocalyptic regalia, compete with gas mask, helmet, armour and a bullet belt. That is why RCMP in Grande Prairie were called out on a Tuesday night in April.
At least eight officers responded with their long guns drawn, staking out a strip mall until they were able to make contact with the man.
“Through conversation with the male they were able to determine that he was wearing a costume and there was no threat to the public,” RCMP Cpl. Shawn Graham told CBC News.
What had looked like a bomb turned out to be several Pringles potato chip cans that were painted silver.
After the body of 19-month-old Anthony Raine was found near a north Edmonton church, police put out a plea for the public’s help in identifying the toddler.
Police later announced two people of interest had been arrested in connection with the toddler’s death: Raine’s father, Joey Crier, and Crier’s girlfriend, Tasha Mack.
Both Cried and Mack were charged with second-degree murder, criminal negligence causing death, failing to provide the necessities of life and assault.
A bride and groom started married life in handcuffs after both were arrested on their wedding night in late August at Denizen Hall in downtown Edmonton.
Bar security settled the brawl outside the bar while about 100 people looked on from inside, many taking photos and video, which later went viral.
We’ve all been there — you see an obstruction ahead that will close your lane, forcing you to move into another lane. But that lane is backed up and traffic is moving at a snail’s pace.
For many, common courtesy would dictate drivers must wait their turn to creep into the main flow of traffic as soon as possible, while trying to ignore their frustration as other drivers race by only to merge at the last possible second.
But here’s the thing — the Alberta Motor Association says those “cheaters” are actually the ones doing it right.