Visitors to the Yukon News website in 2018 spent their time reading stories on a range of tragedies, crimes and community issues from bedbugs to RV parking. Here is a list of the top 10 most viewed stories on the website this year:
10: First mosque opens in Whitehorse - At the end of September 2018 the Yukon’s first mosque opened in downtown Whitehorse. The Yukon was the last jurisdiction in Canada to get a mosque. The mosque was opened after two years of fundraising by the Yukon’s Muslim community.
9: One dead after ambulance rolls into ditch along Alaska Highway near Haines Junction - Elizabeth Boyd, 19, of Whitehorse died in June after the ambulance she was driving rolled into a ditch. Yukon’s coroner would later report that alcohol, distracted driving and not using a seatbelt were among factors contributing to her death.
8: Bedbug situation in Whitehorse building becoming intolerable resident says - A longtime resident of an apartment in Whitehorse’s McIntyre subdivision reported in January that the bedbug situation in the building had persisted for years. A month following the report Kwanlin Dün First Nation treated three apartment buildings on O’Brien Road for bedbugs, including the building that was the focus of the original story.
7: Arrest warrant issued after Yukon man fails to show up for sexual assault, kidnapping trial - An arrest warrant was issued for Philip Tyler Reid in April of 2018 after he didn’t show up for his kidnapping and sexual assault trial. Reid was found dead the morning of Dec. 9 in Alberta. He had died by suicide.
6: Whitehorse consumers with gift cards out of luck after sudden closures - When two local businesses - Wheelhouse restaurant and Zen Spa and Salon - closed suddenly in March many Yukon residents were left with useless gift certificates.
5: Man at the centre of Whitehorse standoff says RCMP overreacted - A man at the centre of an 18-hour-long police standoff in Whitehorse’s Arkell neighbourhood told the News in May that he was asleep for most of the incident.
4: Watson Lake hotel quoting $500/night rate for weekend of peewee hockey tournament - Parents looking for a place to stay for a February 2019 peewee hockey tournament in Watson Lake found out earlier this year that Andrea’s Hotel was charging $500/night. At the time, other weekends in February were being sold for $150/night. One parent said she had been told the high rates were meant to send a message to the town that its taxes were too high. The hotel’s management have not spoken publicly about why they made the decision.
3: Former student sues teacher, Yukon government over alleged sexual abuse - A former Yukon student alleges that she was abused by a teacher and that the Yukon government failed to protect her. In a lawsuit filed in March, Desire Mitchell alleges teacher Paul Deuling sexually abused her starting in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. In a statement of defence filed in June, Deuling denies “each and every allegation in the statement of claim.” None of the allegations have been proven in court.
2: 2 dead after suspected bear attack northeast of Mayo - The tragic deaths of Valerie Theoret, 37, and her daughter, 10-month-old Adele Roesholt shook the community and garnered national attention. Théorêt and her daughter were killed by a grizzly bear on Nov. 26 at their cabin in the Einarson Lake area. Théorêt was a Grade 6 French-immersion teacher at Whitehorse Elementary School.
1: Walmart to end overnight RV camping this summer - The most viewed 2018 news story was published online in July when Walmart announced that it was ending overnight parking “following several customer complaints about unsafe parking conditions and debris in the parking lot.” RVers who used the parking lot for free complained that there were not enough camping spots in town meanwhile one RV park owner said he had empty spots most of the time and blamed Walmart.
Contact Ashley Joannou at editor@yukon-news.com