Estevan

With 2024 nearly over businesses are looking back at what went right and what could have done better over the year.

The Downtown Business Association hosted a number of events and supported businesses, capping off the year.

Chair of the DBA Laurel Buck says that the year had them in the community for events that took place.

A look at national news events in September 2024

1 - Israel recovers the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including an Israeli-American hostage. The family of Hersh Goldberg-Polin says they have confirmed his death, ending a relentless campaign to rescue him that included meetings with world leaders. The 23-year-old Goldberg-Polin was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, and was last seen with his left hand missing and speaking under duress. The army says the hostages were killed shortly before they could be rescued. 

Jimmy Carter, the self-effacing peanut farmer, humanitarian and former navy lieutenant who helped Canada avert a nuclear catastrophe before ascending to the highest political office in the United States, died Sunday at his home in Georgia.

He was 100, making him the longest-lived U.S. president in American history.

Concern for Carter's health had become a recurring theme in recent years. He was successfully treated for brain cancer in 2015, then suffered a number of falls, including one in 2019 that resulted in a broken hip.

A look at national news events in August 2024

1 - The Israeli military confirms the death of Hamas' military leader, Mohammed Deif. Deif was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July, knocking another leader of the militant terror group off Israel's hit list. Israel says it targeted Deif in a July 13 strike on the outskirts of Khan Younis, but hasn't been able to confirm the kill for weeks. The Israeli confirmation came a day after an apparent Israeli airstrike in Tehran killed Hamas' top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. 

Online predators are becoming increasingly resourceful in trolling media platforms where children gravitate, prompting an explosion in police case loads, said an officer who works for the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in British Columbia. 

Data show the problem spiked during COVID-19 when children began spending more time online — but rates did not wane as police anticipated after lockdowns ended.

In B.C., they soared, almost quadrupling from 2021 to 2023.

A look at national news events in July 2024

1 - The strike is over at WestJet. The Calgary-based airline reaches a deal with its mechanics to end a strike that had disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend and saw 829 flight cancellations. In a statement on its website overnight, WestJet says there will still be flight disruptions in the week ahead as its planes are brought back into service. 

A look at national news events in June 2024

1 - Israel's government says its conditions for ending the war with Hamas have not changed and that conditions for a ceasefire are still not met. The comments come a day after U.S. president Joe Biden put forward a proposed peace deal between Israel and Hamas that seeks to enact a three-phase wind-down of the war. Israel's government says putting a permanent ceasefire in place before the conditions are fulfilled is a "non-starter.''

A look at national news events in May 2024:

1- Manitoba's Peguis First Nation declares a state of emergency after years of flooding caused heavy damage to infrastructure and housing. Chief Stan Bird says the community has seen significant rates of emotional distress, with a rise in self-harm among youth, drug addiction and incidents of domestic violence. The First Nation recently filed a $1-billion lawsuit alleging the federal and Manitoba governments failed to protect it from the frequent flooding.

A former chief adviser and close friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn't think Trudeau will stay on to lead the Liberals in the next election.

Gerald Butts writes in a Substack newsletter today that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's recent resignation from cabinet dealt Trudeau a staggering blow that loosened his already tenuous grip on the party.

He says Trudeau was "unlikely" to lead the party into the next campaign before Freeland's stunning departure and is "now much less likely to do so."

A look at national news events in April 2024:

1 - Nunavut is 25 years old today. Premier P.J. Akeeagok says the anniversary reminds him that his job is both a privilege and an immense responsibility. The creation of Canada's newest territory on April 1, 1999, was part of a historic land claim settlement. It was also the first major change to the country's map since Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation.