It has been a busy year for news in Waterloo region and area.
Among some of the most talked about stories were:
Below are the top 10 stories for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo based on pageviews.
10. Ontario woman’s lost wallet returned to her daughter 40 years after it went missing
Vanessa Austin of Fergus, Ont., says she was shocked when a wallet was brought to her Guelph office and given to her. It had belonged to her mother and had been lost 40 years ago in Toronto.
The man who found the wallet, Andrew Medley of Detroit, said he was at Toronto’s Eaton Centre doing some work at a storage unit when he discovered it in the air ducts.
9. Twin sisters from Gaza killed after being accepted into University of Waterloo PhD program in Ontario
The family of Sally and Dalia Ghazi Ibaid says the 26-year-olds were looking forward to moving to Waterloo and “realizing their dreams” after getting accepted into the school’s Global Student Relief Initiative.
Sally and Dalia were in the process of applying for study permits to enter the university’s system design engineering program and were preparing to cross the Rafah border when they were killed Dec. 5.
8. Did you get a text with your SIN that claims to be from Canada Revenue Agency? It’s a scam
As people were preparing their taxes earlier this year, there was a warning about a new scam.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said the scam involves a text message, containing a person’s name and personal information, that appears to come from the Canada Revenue Agency. The texts included the victim’s social insurance number, advised there was a payment due and requested payment be sent to a provided phone number in the text message.
7. Apparent tornado touches down in Ayr, Ont.
CBC K-W had several stories about what was later confirmed to be a tornado that touched down in Ayr, Ont., on Aug. 17, but it was initial on-the-ground reporting that was the most read.
The tornado damaged businesses, including Home Hardware, and ripped through Cowan Park, which the township says has been indefinitely closed due to the damage.
The Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University in London confirmed an EF1 tornado hit the town, which two weeks earlier had celebrated its 200th birthday with a long weekend full of events.
WATCH | Video shows aftermath of reported tornado in Ayr, Ont.:
Video shows aftermath of reported tornado in Ayr, Ont.
A video taken by Keith Gormans shows damage to a feed mill lot after an apparent tornado touched down in Ayr, Ont., on Saturday morning. Roof shingles, pieces of wood and other debris can be seen strewn about on the ground of FS Partners. The local fire chief said the tornado touched down around 11 a.m. ET and caused heavy damage to a Home Hardware across the street.
6. This man says moving to Canada was the ‘toughest experience ever’ with no credit history. So he created an app
Kingsley Madu created the financial app Expedier, which helps remove the financial barriers immigrants face in moving to Canada.
Madu, who was born in Nigeria, said he knew it wouldn’t be easy to start over in a new country, but says the financial barriers he faced when he arrived in Canada made it the “toughest experience ever.”
5. Guelph woman waited hours in court for son’s hearing, only to learn he died after night in OPP custody
On July 9, Nathaniel Schofield, 36, was arrested in Arthur for assault and was taken to the Rockwood OPP detachment overnight ahead of a bail hearing.
The next day, his mother Faye Dzikewich waited in a Guelph, Ont., courtroom all day for her son’s bail hearing. At around 4 p.m., Dzikewich was still sitting in court when a call came in and was played over the speakers.
“They said that my son was in medical distress and had just been rushed to Guelph General Hospital,” she said. “The judge wished me well, gave me a nod and I ran out of that courtroom.”
The province’s Special Investigations Unit continues to review what happened and has not issued a report on Schofield’s death yet.
4. After fleeing Taliban and abuse, Afghan woman in Canada for 8 years told she’s being deported soon
Frozan Hassan Zai thought she would finally be safe after leaving an abusive marriage in the Netherlands and arriving in Canada eight years ago. She married a Canadian, had a child, started a business and has helped others wanting to come to this country.
But in November, she explained to she and her children received deportation orders and were told they must leave Canada by the first week of December.
3. Amber Alert ends after girl missing from Kitchener, Ont., found
This story was largely read because of the Amber Alert being issued. Police were called to a Kitchener home for a report of a break-and-enter and a missing teenaged girl.
Police told the girl’s family had returned home and found the house had been broken into, the teen was missing but her belongings were left behind.
Police later found the girl in Simcoe County with a male suspect. A 36-year old man from Waterloo was charged in the case.
2. 2 dead, 2 wounded in shooting over ‘ongoing neighbour dispute’ in Stratford, Ont.
Two people died and two were sent to hospital with serious injuries after a man opened fire on his neighbours following a dispute in Stratford, Ont., in August.
Police identified the shooter as 31-year-old Ricky Bilcke, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the altercation.
WATCH | One day on, residents of a small Stratford suburb are coping with a fatal shooting:
One day on, residents of a small Stratford suburb are coping with a fatal shooting
After multiple 911 calls around 10:45 p.m. Thursday, police say they found four people with gunshot wounds in the area near Bradshaw Drive and McCarthy Road W. in Stratford, Ont. Two had died, including the gunman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
1. Brantford, Ont., mom missing for days found safe after relentless search, police say no foul play
There was a lot of community concern for a Brantford, Ont., mother who disappeared for five days after leaving her funeral home job in Woodstock.
The woman was found safe.
