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    Tales of medical recoveries, fringe groups overstaying their welcome, tour bus crashes and mysterious vehicles. Here are the stories that readers across Saskatchewan – and the world – were most interested in for 2023.

    JAN 11: SASK. TEEN DEFYING THE ODDS AS HE RECOVERS FROM SEVERE SPINAL CORD INJURY

    Sandy Cooper-Black is described as an old soul, a best buddy and a fighter.

    This was especially true after the 16-year-old broke his neck after being bucked off a horse while competing in a rodeo in Brooks, Alta.

    Sandy was rushed to hospital – where doctors told his family that surgery wouldn’t fix his serious injuries.

    Despite the grim prognosis, Sandy vowed to beat the odds in his recovery from the devastating fall.

    An outpouring of support ensued following the accident – with former Humbodlt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki visiting Sandy in hospital.

    Undergoing a similar injury in the Humbodlt Broncos bus crash – Straschnitzki said he gave the young rodeo star some key advice.

    “Some of the biggest things that helped me hurdle over problems was just to stay hopeful and always push towards getting better everyday,” he told CTV News.

    “I told him it’s going to be a long journey but he’s a strong spirited kid and I know he’ll get through it.”

    JAN. 19: SASK. FAMILY SENT AWAY FROM HOSPITAL, FORCED TO GIVE BIRTH ON FLOOR OF TOWNHOUSE

    Tara and Mitchell Luce certainty didn’t expect the birth of their son Lincoln to happen on the floor of a bedroom – but it did.

    The couple told CTV News that they were turned away by staff at Yorkton’s Regional Hospital after travelling 45 minutes to the city in -40 conditions.

    Tara’s contractions had become irregular. However, with only three centimetres of dilation – hospital staff told the couple to go home or grab a hotel room for the night.

    What followed next was a sequence of events that saw Tara give birth to her son on the bedroom floor of her mother’s townhouse in Yorkton.

    With the 911 dispatcher walking Mitchell through the process – the delivery went perfectly with no complications.

    Looking back at the craziness of the experience – Tara stressed a certain bit of advice for expecting parents.

    “If you think there's something wrong, go with your gut and advocate for yourself,” she said. “I don't wish this upon anyone, to have a home pregnancy, when you're not expecting to be at home — you want to be in the hospital.

    JAN. 25: SASK. WOMAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER ROGUE WAVE INCIDENT ON HONEYMOON IN MEXICO

    What was supposed to be one of happiest times of Cory Moe’s life – turned tragic after the 26-year-old from Saskatchewan landed in a Mexican ICU following a rogue wave incident while on her honeymoon.

    The incident happened while the couple was boogie boarding. Moe was pulled from water by her husband, Dalton, and taken to shore.

    Thankfully two ICU nurses – also on vacation – were present on the beach and were able to stabilize Moe until first responders arrived.

    Moe, a registered nurse from Carduff, Sask. suffered a cervical spine injury in the accident. She underwent surgery and was held in hospital for 10 days until she was stable enough to be flown back to Saskatchewan.

    In an update in March, Moe said she was able to return home and live independently after months of physiotherapy.

    At the onset of the accident, Moe’s family established a GoFundMe campaign in order to cover the costs of her hospital stay and recovery. In the days following, the campaign had reached $40,000 of its $60,000 goal.

    FEB 2: VIDEO OF SASK. HOCKEY RINKS 95-YEAR-OLD STAIRCASE GRABS NATIONAL ATTENTION ONLINE

    The unique design features of one of the oldest community hockey rinks in Saskatchewan garnered national attention this spring after going viral.

    The community rink in Lang, Sask. just turned 95 years old and still contains much of its original features.

    The viral video showed two men’s league hockey players nearly getting stuck while using the “catwalk” – a drawbridge style staircase that allows players to reach the ice from the dressing rooms in the attic.

    “It’s counterweighted with some cement blocks so you slowly come down it and it’s supposed to slowly draw down,” said rink board member Mike Williams.

    “When you’re done you push it back up with your hockey stick and away you go.”

    The rink, constructed in 1928, has served several generations of hockey players in the southern Saskatchewan village.

    Lang’s rink also features natural ice – a unique practice that’s kept up by many volunteers pitching in.

    The community established a GoFundMe to help support its quirky gathering place and ensure it continues to hosts the next generation of Saskatchewan hockey players.

    MARCH 3: SASK. MAN LEFT WITH HUGE MEDICAL BILLS AFTER INSURER DENIES COVERAGE FOLLOWING STROKE IN ARIZONA

    After Louis Lamothe suffered a massive stroke while visiting Yuma, Arizona – his family faced hospital bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars after his insurance provider denied coverage.

    The denial was centred on a 10 milligram change in Lamothe’s cholesterol medication that wasn’t disclosed to Blue Cross.

    "It wasn't until five days later that they called us and said, 'Well his dosage changed so your claim has been rejected,’” Lamothe’s granddaughter, Rebecca Fee told CTV News.

    "My grandpa was very honest on his application. He disclosed a lung disease — he has COPD. He disclosed a heart attack. He would not hide a 10-milligram cholesterol pill change," Fee said.

    Lamothe’s three week hospital stay along with a $56,000 medical flight to transport him to Regina General Hospital caused a great deal of stress for their entire family.

    "Like my grandma was just absolutely in shock. She couldn't even function for the first two days after we got that phone call,” Fee explained.

    After initially expressing confidence in its reasoning and decision to reject Lamothe’s claim on the basis of the medication change – Blue Cross reversed its decision and agreed to cover the costs.

    MARCH 14: MYSTERY SURROUNDS ABANDONED CAR ON REGINA STREET THAT SAT FOR OVER 2 MONTHS WITH TICKETS PILING UP

    Residents of Regina’s downtown were mystified about a curious car – that remained in the same spot for more than two months.

    The grey Dodge Avenger stay perched on a snow route access across from Central Park – racking up parking ticket after parking ticket according to nearby resident Thrisia Pana.

    “There have been tickets placed on the windshield and then they’re gone, so I don’t know if somebody is removing them, now there seems to be a few more, I mean, the wind can take them,” Pana said. “I mean, how many tickets does a vehicle need to get if parked in the same spot before somebody says, 'We’ve ticketed this vehicle 18 times, it’s not moving.'”

    Pana went on to say that the main concern with the mystery vehicle was safety.

    “I may not be living in a house but this is my residential area and I want to ensure that it remains a safe place and this is an abandoned vehicle,” Pana said. “Was it abandoned intentionally, was it stolen? It’s not safe and especially since it is on a snow removal route, it’s not safe because then snow builds up around the vehicle.”

    A single day after CTV News spoke with Pana and inquired with the city of Regina, the car disappeared as mysteriously as it first appeared.

    However, when asked, the city said it was not towed and that it was not aware of any vehicle overstaying its welcome near Central Park.

    SEPT 18: After being forced out of Sask. town, 'QAnon queen' moves to another community in province

    Life in Richmound, Sask. would get a bit more tense after the arrival of Romana Didulo, the self proclaimed “queen of Canada” and her following.

    Described by the U.S. based Anti-Defamation League as a “Canadian QAnon figure,” Didulo has called for violent action against those who administer COVID-19 vaccines to kids.

    The fringe group arrived in Richmound and set up in the village’s privately owned school after being publically shooed out of Kamsack days earlier.

    Their arrival would be met by protests from local residents – calling for the group to leave. These demonstrations were met with cease and desist letters, allegedly from Didulo’s supporters. The letters threatened those who opposed the group and claimed they could be found guilty of treason and subjected to public execution.

    The interactions between the group and town would lead to an RCMP mobile detachment being deployed in the village of 118 residents.

    SEPT. 28: IN DEFIANCE OF JUDGE, SASK. PREMIER TO FORCE SCHOOL PRONOUN RULES INTO LAW

    Saskatchewan’s pronoun policy saga drew national attention after Premier Scott Moe announced the province intended to force the policy into law in defiance of a King’s Bench ruling.

    A Regina judge issued an injunction in late September – essentially pressing pause on the policy while the court ruled on a legal challenge mounted by UR Pride.

    The injunction was met by Moe announcing the government would recall the legislature early and invoke the notwithstanding clause to stave off potential charter challenges to the policy.

    The policy dictated that students under 16 years of age must seek parent consent before changing their pronouns or preferred names in a school setting.

    The policy would later be enshrined into law with the passing of the Parents’ Bill of Rights in late October.

    OCT 27: SASK. FAMILY DEBUNKS MISINFORMATION AFTER DAUGHTER'S OBITUARY PIRATED ONLINE

    The loss of a child is an unimaginable tragedy – and its one that was made even worse for a Kipling, Sask. family.

    Isabel “Izzy” Wilson, 22, was tragically killed in a serious crash near Davin, Sask. on Oct. 7 while travelling home for Thanksgiving.

    Before her family even met with a funeral director – fake obituaries for Izzy began popping up online.

    Quentin and Michelle, Izzy’s parents, only noticed after a local newspaper published a front page article based on an RCMP news release and several fake obituaries that seemed legitimate.

    The article incorrectly identified members of Izzy’s family and included a funeral date – even though the Wilson’s had yet to make any arrangements.

    A week later, family members found a YouTube video of a person reading Izzy’s obituary that they could watch if they subscribed to the page.

    “They’re preying on Izzy and it’s not right,” Michelle said.

    CTV News found at least six other third-party sites with Izzy’s obituary that contain varying information, including errors in her age, hometown and details surrounding the fatal crash.

    Michelle went on to say having to deal with the fake postings has deeply affected the family as they try to say goodbye.

    “To have to try and put out these fires has rushed us in a lot of our planning," she said.

    "We haven’t been able to take our time and process things the way I think we should be allowed to.”

    NOV. 8: Members of Shania Twain's stage crew injured in Saskatchewan bus crash

    A tour bus crash on the TransCanada Highway in eastern Saskatchewan attracted international attention after it was revealed that the bus was carrying members of Shania Twain’s stage crew.

    A total of 13 people were taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash.

    Twain’s agency confirmed to CTV News that a truck and crew bus involved with the “Queen of Me” tour were involved in the rollover near Wolseley while travelling from Winnipeg to Saskatoon for Twain’s next show.

    Twain later released a statement – commending first responders and the local community helping her “touring family” in their time of need.

    The Canadian singer/songwriter later gave the students and staff of Indian Head’s High School a shout out during her performance in Saskatoon.

    “I would love to extend a huge thank you to Indian Head High School and Indian Head Union Hospital,” Twain said. “I spent the whole day and the whole night with everyone talking about how amazing everyone local was.”

    “We were a warm place,” Principal Shawn Morris explained. “We just made them feel a little more comfortable.”

    Twain also called the school prior to the show to express her gratitude.

    “I sent Shania to voicemail,” Morris laughed. “I didn’t know who was calling.”

    “We didn’t do it for the thanks or the praise,” he added.

    “Our staff did it because it’s what we were asked to do.”

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