July:
? Tributes poured into the News for the late Milan Ilich who died after a long battle with illness. Businessman Ilich - one of Richmond's best known and most respected philanthropists - donated and raised tens of millions of dollars for worthy causes across the city in his time.
? Raccoon attacks on family cats and dogs continued to rise. Many family pets were injured in the south-west corner of Richmond and some went missing altogether, with the bandit-looking rodents getting the blame. Animal experts are bemused, saying attacks on cats are rare.
? Free parking in Steveston Village became a thing of the past after the local harbour authority - which owns large swathes of vacant land, previously used by visitors during big tourist events - decided to introduce pay parking.
? One of B.C.'s largest ever meth drug labs was uncovered by cops in Richmond. The clandestine operation, found in the 6200-block of Gibbons Drive, lead to four men and one woman being arrested.
? Mounties are known for "always getting their man." This time, Richmond RCMP got their ram, after pursuing a runaway beast nicknamed Rambo for the best part of three hours through residential streets and yards.
August:
? The sound of gunshot in a quiet cul-de-sac stunned residents. Police cordon off the area in the 10,000-block of Whistler Court in south Richmond to investigate what appeared to be an accidental shooting of a six-year-old child. The child recovered from the non-life threatening injuries and a 53-year-old man was later charged with firearms offences.
? The return of the Maritime Festival in Steveston drew a bumper crowd with more than 35,000 swarming to the village to check out an array of ships and boats from the past and present.
? Property tourists arrived by the planeload in Richmond to tap into the lucrative local market. Richmond realtor Steve Latham took the VIPs on a guided tour of the city and a sample of some two-to three-million dollar homes.
? The filming of ABC's Once Upon A Time rolls in Steveston, with the village transformed into Storybrooke. The fantasy TV adventure later became a hit with viewers, raking in an audience of millions for each episode.
? Child porn trader Clifton Siemens was jailed for 18 months after being caught distributing hundreds of vile images and videos of sexual abuse from his Blundell Gardens home.
? Books of condolence opened up around the city in memory of NDP leader Jack Layton who died after battling cancer for the second time.
September:
? Police pulled over a slew of luxury sports cars - mostly driven by inexperienced teenagers - in White Rock after they allegedly started racing each other down Highway 99 from Richmond at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. A meeting to plan the race took place in Richmond and many of the suspected racers were from the city.
? A second Richmondite won $7 million on Lotto 6/49. Factory worker Eddie Uy, 59, vowed to keep working, despite his massive win.
? A family survived a tsunami-like water surge while they
fished in a sheltered inlet at Garry Point Park.
Stuart Sequeira, his daughter Chloe and his father Mike were almost swept away after they were engulfed by water. The Transportation Safety Board promised to launch a probe, with water displacement from large vessel traffic on the south arm of the Fraser River a possible cause. .
? The consortium of airlines (VAFFC) behind the proposal to barge jet fuel up the south arm of the Fraser River and then pump it through a pipe under Richmond to YVR decided to "look at alternatives" to its controversial plan. VAFFC told the City of Richmond it's now looking into other options.
? A 6.4 magnitude earthquake rumbled around Richmond, causing many people in high-rises to experience dizziness and potted plants and TVs to shake. The quake centred about 80 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
October
? The body of a newborn baby was found in a log boom floating on the north arm of the Fraser River near the Richmond/Burnaby border. The baby's mother has never been identified.
? A small plane crashed onto Russ Baker Way at the Dinsmore Bridge and burst into flames. The aircraft, carrying seven passengers and two pilots, aborted a flight from YVR to Kelowna and was trying to return to Vancouver when it swerved violently on approach. The plane narrowly missed traffic on the normally busy road, but horrified motorists rushed to the aid of the crew and passengers. Both pilots subsequently lost their lives.
November:
? The City of Richmond opened up a new community safety headquarters in southeast Richmond. The $36 million facility on No. 5 Road near Steveston Highway now houses many public safety arms under one roof.
? Senior Jean Ann James was found guilty of murdering a woman she suspected was having an affair with her husband. Richmondite James, 72, slit the throat of her friend, Gladys Wakabayashi, in a jealous rage in her victim's Vancouver home.
? Former school board chair Linda McPhail and former school trustee Chak Au became the new faces on city council after the civic election, while Malcolm Brodie cruised into the mayor's seat once more ahead of his only challenger, lawyer Richard Lee.
December:
? A former Miss B.C. finalist was one of the first people charged with looting and taking part in the infamous 2011 Stanley Cup Final riot in downtown Vancouver. Sophie
? A second pedestrian was killed in less than two weeks while trying to cross a road away from a crosswalk. The 86-year-old man was attempting to negotiate No. 3 Road near Ryan road when he was struck and later lost his life.
