OPINION | Barry Richard: All In All 2017 Wasn’t A Bad Year

When trying to recall the "biggest" news stories in 2017 it has hard to list them all.  There were so many events that shaped the year and impacted our lives.

2017 will be remembered as a year of storms.  Hurricanes, fire storms and political storms.  There were storms that raged along a fault line between men and women that gave rise to the "me too" movement and sexual harassment claims that would topple many among the powerful.  It was also the year of the knee and the NFL and a new Supreme Court Justice.

2017 also saw a rise in international terrorism and increased tension in places such as North Korea and the Middle East.  There were new rules of engagement with Russia, China, Iran and Syria.  The U.S. would defy the international community by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

At home corruption, collusion and conspiracy was all the rage in Washington as government investigated itself.  Here in Massachusetts lawmakers saw fit to increase their pay at will and the Senate president was forced to step aside while an investigation into allegations of influence peddling was launched.

The national economy soared and unemployment sank.  Tax cuts and investments were the buzz as shoppers filled holiday registers.  Hollywood tanked with fewer people filling movie theaters than at anytime in decades.

New Bedford experienced an increase in homicides and elected four new members to the City Council and two to the School Committee while returning the Mayor for another two years.  Voters extended the mayor's term by two years.  A pot growing facility was approved for the business park and windmills and the golf course made headlines.  The search began for a new Superintendent of Schools.

The fishing industry continued to take it on the chin with the conviction of "The Codfather" and the closure of Sector 9.  The year ended with the sinking of The Misty Blue and the loss of two crew members.

The highlight of the year: The Patriot's 34-28 Super Bowl victory over Atlanta.

So much happened in 2017.  Those are just some of the headlines.  What do you believe were some of the biggest news events of 2017?

Editor's Note: Barry Richard is the afternoon host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from Noon-3pm. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.