JANUARY:
? A soccer mom, Debbie Judd, was jailed for two years after admitting siphoning more than $200,000 from Richmond Youth Soccer while treasurer of the club.
? A mass power outage plunged a large portion of Richmond into darkness. A huge spike in demand due to Arctic air, -12 with the windchill, sweeping through the area was blamed for the outage.
? BC Lions hero Arland Bruce took the Grey Cup on a tour of Richmond, with a special visit paid to Rosewood Manor.
FEBRUARY:
? Opponents of a controversial plan to pipe aviation fuel through Richmond clashed with supposed supporters of the plan at an open house run by project proponents - a consortium of airlines.
? Michael Buble pulled out of his starring role appearance at the upcoming Hockey Day in Canada event at the Olympic oval. He cited "other commitments" as the reason.
? A Transportation Safety Board preliminary finding points to the fact that it was the subsequent fire, rather than the impact, which killed the two pilots of Northern Thunderbird flight 204 which crashed onto Russ Baker Way in October, 2011.
? More than 16,000 people flocked to the oval to take part in the first-ever Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.
? A giant blaze at an oil refinery in Washington State highlighted the need for a new fuel delivery system for YVR, according to a consortium of airlines that want to barge fuel up the south arm of the Fraser River and pipe it through Richmond.
? After eight days of testimony, the trial of former Richmond Mountie Monty Robinson - accused of obstructing justice by leaving the scene of an accident which killed a young motorcyclist - ended.
? Richmond educators, unhappy with working conditions, took to the streets to rally as the dark cloud of a labour strike loomed large on the horizon.
MARCH:
? Parents are urged to make alternative arrangements for their children after Richmond's teachers joined their B.C. colleagues on a three-day strike, protesting over benefits as well as class size and composition.
? Richmond's famous summer night market scene took a new twist when a former market operator decided to re-stake his claim for the lucrative outdoor evening shopping dollar.
? A diner was shot and seriously injured, in the parking lot of a city centre restaurant in what police believed was a targeted hit gone wrong.
? Since new red-light cameras were installed at accident blackspots in Richmond, the amount of drivers receiving tickets sky-rocketed by more than 600 per cent.
? A year after being sentenced following a fake Viagra smuggling operation, shamed Paralympian Jim Armstrong is banned for 18 months from curling after failing a drugs test.
APRIL:
? Gene Simmons, of KISS fame, rolled into town with his glamorous wife, Shannon Tweed, to take part in Nite of Hope, an annual fundraiser for breast cancer research.
? A $4 billion development "wave" is sweeping over Richmond, according to the city's number crunchers. The news came during Mayor Malcolm Brodie's "Shaping our City" address to the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.
? An afternoon shooting in a quiet residential neighbourhood left one man dead. The victim was known to police, who believe the shooting, just south of Westminster Highway and between Garden City and No. 4 roads, was targeted.
MAY:
? The provincial government's decision to allow schools to have their own balanced calendar sparked debate across Richmond, which already has two schools on such a calendar.
? Tributes poured in for two young brothers who lost their lives in a car crash. Shane Moses, 19, and Jess, 16, were passengers in a car which spun off No. 4 Road and crashed.
? The City of Richmond declared itself GE-free (genetically engineered) by banning the growing of such crops. Although the ban is toothless (such crops are a federal responsibility), the city is adamant the move will send a message to growers.
JUNE:
? Unanswered questions provoked the City of Richmond to consider, for the first time, ditching the RCMP in favour of a municipal or regional police force.
? NBA star Metta World Peace made a surprise appearance at Palmer secondary, where he shot some hoops with students and signed autographs.
? Coun. Chak Au expressed concern over a Chinese tradition of early baby scans creeping into local culture and practise. A CBC documentary exposed ultrasound clinic UC Baby for encouraging early 3D scans.
A summary of July - December 2012 will appear in our next edition
