For all of the regular work the Oakville News' team conducts throughout the year, and often working 24/7, there are some days we come into the office and write some stories that are just...well, odd.
Those stories, however, are often the most fun, and part of what make Oakville such a unique and engaging community to live in. That's part of the reason why covering the news is always interesting.
Still, as today is the final day of 2024, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of our most popular and talked about articles of the year, looking back at five of the stories that caught us by surprise in all the most delightfully weird ways.
Let's take a look back at 2024 together through the weirdest events of the year in Oakville, with a dose of fascination and humour at some of the past year's highlights.
Happy new year!
Five Weirdest Stories of 2024
In ascending order, these were the five most unusual news stories from Oakville News in 2024:
5. A golden opportunity and $20 million theft
Published on April 17, 2024. Written by Tyler Collins.
Hey, do you remember that time an Oakville man was arrested for robbing $20 million worth of gold from the airport?
By far the craziest crime caper of the year, Oakville News reported on an investigation in Mississauga where a local man was arrested as one of nine suspects in stealing more than $20 million in gold, cash, and smelting equipment from Pearson airport.
The trail and case are still pending, but it was still a wild ride learning about this real-life Ocean's 11 style crime that took place just outside of town.
Read the full original article online here: 40-year-old Oakville man charged in $20 million airport gold heist
4. Bring on the breakfast!
Published on May 30, 2024. Written by Ben Brown.
19-year-old best friends Zack, Will, other Will and Nick all walked in to Mo's Family Restaurant hungry - really hungry. This odd tale of an eating contest among friends turned into a saga of just how much breakfast four teens could actually handle.
To win, you have to finish three slices of toast, three eggs, three pancakes, three slices of french toast, three sausages, three pieces of bacon, three pieces of ham, three orders of hash browns, and 20 ounces of coffee or ten ounces of juice - all in less than 90 minutes.
Do you think you could do it?
Read the full original article online here: Best friends attempt Oakville's biggest breakfast challenge
3. What's in a name, anyway?
Multiple stories, written by various authors. Most recently published on September 13, 2024.
First came the proposal. Then came the backlash. Then came the consultations - and then came the discovery that consultations didn't even happen in the first place.
And none of that includes the possible $250,000 price tag for renaming a high school. So, would Iroquois Ridge High School change their name?
In short: Nope.
All year long, the continually evolving saga of Iroquois Ridge and the school's possible name change has dominated our headlines. But the strangest part came when, after months of deliberations, the final move was to simply do nothing and leave things the way they'd been all along.
Read the full original article online here: 'Leaving things as they are': Iroquois Ridge High School to keep its name
2. The brutal hockey brawl at Joshua Creek Arena
Published on May 30, 2024. Written by Ben Brown.
Just as the hockey season was coming to a close back in the spring, one fight in a men's recreational league took a nasty turn when one player threw off his helmet and began a video assault of an opponent.
The video went viral of the on-ice attack, which led to multiple charges from Halton Police as a casual game of hockey took a shocking turn.
(Warning: this story linked below contains graphic descriptions of violence from interview subjects.)
Read the full original article online here: Men's hockey leads brawl leads to multiple charges
1. Northern lights dance over Oakville
Published on October 11, 2024. Written by the collective work of the Oakville News team.
By far the most shocking story of the year was also the most beautiful: on Oct. 10, a rare G4 solar storm came to Oakville. With a cloudless sky, that meant the northern lights were visible from town with the naked eye.
The display was classified as a G4 on the solar intensity scale, which ranges from G1 to G5, and thousands of locals ran outside in awestruck wonder to see the phenomenon for themselves.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center reported that the large magnetic storm was visible across much of northern North America. NOAA explained that the visibility of the auroras is due to solar activity affecting Earth's magnetic field.
Read the full original article online here: Northern Lights on display in Oakville
Did your favourites make the list? What were some of your oddest stories of the last year?
We'd love to hear about some of your favourite Oakville News articles from 2024 in the comments below.
Here's to all the unique, special, and one of a kind stories we'll discover together in 2025!