From a weeklong wait for provincial election results to a river monster and a former political candidate linked to a Russian operation and a popstar making a stop at a local eatery B次元官网网址� those were just some of Black Press Media's most-read stories across Canada in 2024.

Scroll through to read the top 20 stories of the year.

20. 

The final vote count of the 2024 provincial election came in nearly a week after the polls closed, and preliminary results kept candidates, pundits and the public on the edge of their seats.

19. 

The year-over-year fare decline for January 2024 followed a trend seen since April 2023 where prices have fallen compared with the same months the year before.

18. 

An 800 pound, 100-year-old sturgeon was nabbed and released in the Fraser River.

17. 

Harrison Hot Springs Mayor Ed Wood declared a state of local emergency for the village in light of wildfire concerns.

16. 

B次元官网网址淚 would like some space for myself to detach from all the things our society finds comfort in,B次元官网网址� said Ista Oud, 19, who is a member of the Nuxalk Nation and graduated from Acwsalcta School in June 2023.

15. 

Some people were fed up with large pickup trucks in the city's downtown core.

14. 

A gold mine west of Vernon is ready to be discovered. 

13. 

Another chapter is being written in the ongoing, 26-year saga of a long-vacant commercial building in Surrey.

12. 

Air tankers rumbled past businesses and homes in Williams Lake as a collective effort was underway to safeguard the city from an out of control wildfire in town.

11. 

Sts'ailes First Nation Chief Ralph Leon, Jr. was ousted after alleged unauthorized spending and misconduct.

10.

An investigation has resulted in the firing of 27 security screeners and nine salaried employees in the screening department at Victoria International Airport (YYJ).

9. 

What started off as a New YearB次元官网网址檚 resolution transformed into a shouting match, misgendering and a woman kicked out of the SheB次元官网网址檚 Fit section of AbbotsfordB次元官网网址檚 Trevor Linden Fitness on Jan. 15.

8. 

A YouTube network that features a former Langley political candidate as one of its primary contributors has been accused of being funded by Russian operatives in a US Justice Department indictment.

7. 

The staff at Jakes at the Lake waited patiently until enough time had passed before telling the world they had a pop music superstar swing in for a drink the other day.

6. 

In a video posted to TikTok by Katharine McPhee and Instagram by Canadian producer David Foster, the pairB次元官网网址檚 son is seen playing an impressive drum solo alongside a recording of Michael JacksonB次元官网网址檚 song B次元官网网址淩ock with You.B次元官网网址�

5. 

Janae Saunders always considered herself sporty.

At five-foot-eight, with a long stride, the Grade 11 Hunting Hills High School student has been hitting her mark on the volleyball courts since Grade 7. But the same long and lean qualities have made Saunders' friends suggest that maybe she should give modelling a try.

4. 

A Nanaimo geotechnical engineer is looking for a manufacturer to put his high-performance mountain bike prototypes into production.

3.

Highway 1 was shut down in one direction following a fatal, multi-vehicle collision on the highway in Chilliwack on Aug. 6 where two people died. The following day, police said it was believed to be that led to the crash that killed a mother and her son, while her other son was transported to B.C. Children's Hospital for surgery

2. 

People across Canada were treated to a Northern Lights display B次元官网网址� a relatively uncommon sight in southern B.C.

1. 

Alberta RCMP is warning the public after finding the first recorded instance of Bromazolam in the province.