Huntsville news isn’t always warm and fuzzy and, human nature and curiosity being what they are, the worst of it tends to get the most views. While there are some news stories we’d rather forget, and others we wish had never happened, there were some bright spots in the past year among those that caught our readers’ attention the most.
Everyone likes to talk about the weather and 2017 gave locals plenty of opportunity to do just that.
On August 5, a series of three tornadoes touched down in the Huntsville area sometime between 3:30 and 4:15 p.m. All were classified as EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which estimates tornado wind speed and damage on a scale of EF-0 to EF-5. All three had an estimated wind speed of between 130 km/h and 150 km/h, which caused damage to homes and cottages as well as trees.
They were followed just over two weeks later by thunderstorms that brought record-setting rain and caused flooding in some areas of Huntsville. The August 22 storms dumped more than 100mm of rain on Huntsville and overwhelmed culverts and washed out roads.
See photos of the tornado damage in Environment Canada confirms tornado touched down in Huntsville.
Tragedies and crime involving local residents were widely read, including a workplace accident that resulted in the death of local man Mark Lalonde; an assault at an Aspdin Road home that led to second degree murder charges after the victim, Michael Earl, died in hospital; and missing 19-year-old Jeffrey Remmelgas, formerly from Huntsville, who was found dead in Kingston.
Reports that Huntsville OPP were looking for a driver who approached three young girls and then possibly the same suspect in a second incident in which a driver approached a young girl had Huntsville parents on high alert. It resulted in a local business, Festing Toyota, which is near where one of the incidents happened, designating itself a safe zone for any kids approached by strangers in the area. No further incidents were reported by the OPP.
Huntsville Place Mall will be undergoing a major facelift in the coming months
Doppler readers were eager to learn what big changes were afoot at Huntsville Place Mall after staff revealed that renovations and new tenants were in the works. Since then, The Bear’s Den Restaurant has opened in the former location of King’s Buffet, and The Brick, which is under new ownership, has opened next to Dollarama.
Still to come, according to mall manager Lindsay Edwards at the time, are a new food court, new local vendors, relocated and updated washrooms, and renovated entrances.
Ciara Thompson waves to the audience after being crowned Miss Canada 2017 (Photographer: Stéphane Leroux)
When Ciara Thompson began entering pageants, she did it as a challenge to herself, as something to force her to get outside of her comfort zone. Her goal wasn’t a crown but in March, much to her surprise, she earned one as the newest Miss Canada. After a few mishaps during the competition, she thought it was out of reach. She was wrong. Read about how she got there in Huntsville’s Ciara Thompson is Miss Canada 2017.
Should admission to Muskoka Heritage Place be free for locals, most of the time? That was one of 39 recommendations presented in a consultant’s report after a review of the town-owned facility’s operations. Other suggestions included a moderate name change from Muskoka Heritage Place to Muskoka Heritage Park, constructing a pavilion that could be used for events, and making the property available for walking, jogging, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, picnicking and other recreational opportunities year-round. Read about the other recommendations in Free admission for locals, name change proposed for Muskoka Heritage Place.
The Empire lot, the former location of the Empire Hotel which burned down in 2008, is one of several vacant properties along Huntsville’s Main Street. Those properties have been a source of frustration for both councillors and the Downtown Huntsville BIA, all of whom would like to see Huntsville’s core filled to capacity to help draw visitors. At an Economic Development Committee meeting in April, Mayor Scott Aitchison broached the topic of expropriation as a possible option for the “overpriced” Empire lot, one at least worth looking in to. That got people’s attention.
A winter view of Pipe Man in the Muskoka River from Huntsville’s swing bridge
And as a whole, stories about Pipe Man (yes, again), captured the attention of Doppler readers. With the contentious sculpture now out of the water and back in the hands of the donor, it’s unlikely to make a three-peat in the top stories of 2018.
If you somehow missed the kerfuffle (let us know what rock you’ve been under — it seems to be a good one), you can see all 27 of our Pipe Man stories from the last year-and-a-half here.
What local news story affected you the most in 2017? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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The three tornados touched down on Friday, August 4th. The devastation shown in the photo accompanying this article (Rebecca Lake not Bella) was from a tornado that was re-classified as an EF2 windstorm by Environment Canada, and confirmed on August 6th.