The most-read CTV Barrie web stories of 2016

It has been an interesting year in the world of news.

Our region has seen everything from murder cases and intense storms to a young boy saving a classmate and the loss of a good friend.

These are the most viewed stories by month in the year that was 2016.

January

2016 kicked off with tragedy. A police chase in the early morning hours of Jan. 26 in Springwater Township led police to a home in Barrie. Officers were looking for the driver of the pickup truck, but instead they found the bodies of two men.

The driver of the pickup, Robert Twiss, was later found walking along a road in Shanty Bay. He was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

The 45-year-old is set to be back in court in early 2017.

February

In Uxbridge, a seven-year-old boy was called a hero for holding onto a classmate who was dangling from a ski lift.

The boy's classmate lost a ski while on a chairlift at Lakeridge Ski Resort and then slipped off the chair when he turned around to look for it.

The seven-year-old grabbed onto his friend and held on until officials could arrive with a net.

March

People across the region, including us here at CTV Barrie, were saddened by the sudden death of long-time weatherman Bob McIntyre on March 10. He was a legend and a fixture on our station for more than 40 years.

In the days following his passing, Bob was honoured in the House of Commons, and remembered by loved ones, friends and you, our viewers.

You can watch our tribute to Bob’s life here.

Later that month, the search for a missing Barrie woman took a turn for the worse after her body was found in the Simcoe County Forest in Midhurst.

Jaimee Lee Miller was reported missing in November 2015 and her death has since been ruled a homicide. The OPP have offered a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

While we had a rather quiet and warm winter, Mother Nature didn’t let us escape the month of March without dealing with her wrath.

A storm over the Easter long weekend covered everything in a thick coat of ice. Hydro lines and trees were brought down around the region, damaging homes and cars.

Thousands of people spent days in the dark.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates the storm caused more than $25 million in damage.

April

Just days after freezing rain coated the region in ice, more than 20 vehicles were involved in a crash on Highway 400.

The April 3 crash happened on a stretch of the highway near Lloydtown-Aurora Road and involved two transport trucks. Police reported 13 people being injured at the time.

On April 22, the story of a man involved in a “domestic dispute” with a pet parrot captured the attention of people across the region.

"[Neighbours] heard him yelling and saying, 'I hope you die,’ and so on and so forth," said Brighton OPP Const. Steve Bates. "So we attended and we located the male of the household alone in the house screaming at his pet parrot who apparently was 'beaking off' at him, in his words."

No charges were ever laid.

May

Wasaga Beach is a tourist hotspot during the Victoria Day long weekend, but this year, residents and tourists were stunned after two people were stabbed to death.

Francesco Molinaro, 18, was stabbed outside of a Pizza Pizza on May 21. Three men were later arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

On May 23, Erick Tellos-Arias was fatally stabbed on Main Street.

By the end of the month, the OPP had arrested a 21-year-old man for second-degree murder.

Both cases remain before the courts.

June

Veterinarians sounded the alarm in June over the sharp increase in the number of dogs getting Lyme disease.

The River Road Animal Hospital reported 14 cases of tick diseases, with nearly a dozen of those being Lyme disease. The Elmvale Veterinary Hospital saw a similar increase.

“We've never seen these numbers before, in the past you might see one a year, one every other year, something like that, but that many in one year is unprecedented,” said Dr. Ken Storimans of the Elmvale Veterinary Hospital.

Veterinarians recommend screening dogs for ticks after walks in wooded areas. There are also drugs and vaccines available for dogs.

According to the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit, the region is still considered low risk when compared with other parts of the province.

July

It’s a plant that can cause severe burns and has been linked to cases of blindness, so when the notorious Giant Hogweed appeared in Owen Sound, people became concerned.

The plant was found along a number of city trails. However, officials were quick to take steps to destroy the invasive species.

According to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, if the clear sap of the Giant Hogweed is on your skin and is exposed to sunlight it can cause severe burns.

August

Search and rescue crews scoured Owen Sound in mid-August for a Cape Breton soldier who went missing.

Pte. Andrew Fitzgerald was reported missing on Aug. 13. The 19-year-old had been training in Meaford and had graduated with top honours.

For days the military and Owen Sound police searched the city for Fitzgerald. They checked backyards, combed through wooded areas and looked along the shoreline.

But despite their best efforts, Fitzgerald’s body was found near a water treatment plant in Owen Sound on August 18.

His death is not considered suspicious.

September 

A bizarre crash in the south end of Barrie snarled traffic and lifted an SUV 45 degrees off the ground.

The SUV crashed into a transport truck on Sept. 7, leaving a portion of the vehicle embedded in the side of the trailer.

The transport truck was being used in a training exercise by the Transport Training Centres of Canada.

"Our driver was making a left turn on Mapleview onto the 400 north. It's a double turning lane. He was doing his correct turn, as we watched the car decided not to make a left hand turn and decided to go straight, and then drove under our trailer," said Mariano Pacheo, an instructor.

No one was injured and the driver of the SUV was charged.

October

In a year of lackluster weather, the region did see its fair share of tornadoes, including one that hit the Stayner area in mid-October.

An EF-1 tornado with wind gusts between 100 and 120 km/h, toppled trees and downed power lines. Wind gusts also flipped a trailer onto its side.

The storm also produced a downburst in the Collingwood area. A number of vehicles and buildings were damaged, including the Mr. Transmission building.

November

Casino Rama went public in November with news that thousands of files had been compromised in an elaborate cyberattack.

On Nov. 10 casino officials warned customers, vendors, as well as former and current staff that their personal information may have been stolen.

Parts of that information were later leaked online. The investigation into the data breach is still ongoing.

A number of lawsuits have also been filed.

December

It probably comes as no surprise that the biggest story in December was the early arrival of Old Man Winter.

As promised by Environment Canada, the region saw snow well before Christmas. Storms and snow squalls dumped anywhere from 10 to 30 centimetres of snow. Some areas even saw 50 centimetres fall during one storm.

While a pain for commuters, the snow was welcomed by many of the region’s tourist spots. All ski hills and a number of snowmobile trails opened well before Christmas.

It’s considered a big deal for the local economy because many of these locations suffered through a disappointing and costly winter the year before.