Here's out look back on the top 10 news stories in December (so far). We'll continue our Year in Review feature through Jan. 1.
- A lawyer facing sexual assault charges was denied bail. Alexander (Sandy) Zaitzeff has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to touching under 16, five counts of assault and theft under $5,000. He also faces a charge of breach of recognizance. The news got worse for Zaitzeff later in December, when his legal licence was suspended after the Law Society of Upper Canada said they were investigating alleged professional misconduct.
- The inquest into the 2011 Thunder Bay District Jail death of Cody Thompson-Hardy was delayed once again. The 18-year-old died while in custody, after being raced to the hospital. The inquest faced a number of delays, mostly due to jury roll issues. This time it was unspecified legal issued needing to be worked out that cause the delay.
- Thunder Bay MP Patty Hajdu, the federal minister of status of women, came under heavy fire after it was revealed she signed on to spend $1.1 million for new office space that kept her in the same building as ministry staff. Hajdu, a first-time MP, turned down a less expensive option that would have cost $400,000, but would have housed her staff in a nearby building instead.
- A deadly collision on the Thunder Bay Expressway took the life of 50-year-old Gary Maki, who was ejected from his pick-up truck and pronounced dead at hospital. Ontario Provincial Police continue to seek witnesses to the three-car pileup, which closed the busy highway for several hours. The driver of an SUV involved in the collision is alleged to have crossed the centre line.
- City council decided not to seek changes to the way residents vote in 2018, punching out the idea of a ranked ballot by a 6-4 count opposed to the measure. The province changed regulations that would allow voters to rank candidates by preference, the lowest-ranked hopeful dropping off the ballot at the end of each round if the threshold to win wasn’t reached.
- A Simpson Street bakery employee scared off a would-be robber who pulled out a night and demanded cash. The clerk instead pulled out a bigger knife and the suspect ran off into the night, last seen headed to the city’s east end.
- Police suggested foul play might have played a role in the disappearance of a 23-year-old Ottawa man. Justin Duncan was last seen on Dec. 12 at the intersection of Memorial and 10th avenues.
- Pricilla Thomas was sentenced to four years in prison on a manslaughter charge in the 2014 death of 35-year-old Jeffrey Monroe.
- A British Columbia-based company officially took over the OLG Casino Thunder Bay’s property and management, a 20-year commitment to operate the facility. Gateway Casinos and Entertainment will also run similar operations in Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.
- A pair of email threats sent students fleeing the hallways at St. Patrick High School and led to the closure of the south-side facility for the remainder of the day. A search by police turned up nothing, though the investigation is ongoing.
