2023 was a big year full of major local headlines, with many stories even garnering national attention.

Before we ring in the New Year when the clock strikes midnight, let's look at some of the most significant news events that impacted our local community this past year.

January started off with a major headline: famous Marvel movie actor Jeremy Renner shattered his leg after pushing his nephew out of the way of an oncoming snowplow on his Reno property.

Since the January 1 incident, Renner has continued his recovery and is doing great work for the community, most notably starting his non-profit for vulnerable kids, RennerVation Foundation. 

Snowplows, of course, means snowfall, and we saw a lot of it. Last winter brought record snow in Northern Nevada. It was the highest snowfall recorded and a drought buster. Many ski resorts were open until July.

Now turning to a tragedy, on February 24, five people were killed when a medical air service Care Flight crashed near Stagecoach in Lyon County. Those killed included the patient, his family member, the pilot, a flight nurse, and a flight paramedic.

In March, the result of this year's record snowpack brought severe flooding in rural areas. Governor Joe Lombardo issued a state of emergency declaration for all counties in Northern Nevada. Lyon County towns Mason and Yerington were hit particularly hard.

Now moving to the 2023 Nevada Legislature, this was Governor Joe Lombardo's first year in office with the Nevada state legislature.

It was contentious: some high-profile issues were school choice, gun reform, and Oakland A's moving to Las Vegas with a publicly funded new stadium. Governor Lombardo set a new record for the most vetoes issued at 75.

On a more buttoned-down note, let's talk about the calamity that was this year's Burning Man. Because of a massive mid-summer deluge on the playa, thousands of burners spent hours in the mud trying to evacuate. The exodus included thousands of vehicles sitting in several miles-long lines of vehicles. Perhaps next year will be better burners! For those who stayed, burners are a hardy bunch. 

2023 was the final year of the National Championship Air Races being held at the Reno-Stead Airport after 59 years. The airport said it will no longer host the event "citing the region's significant growth amongst other concerns." On the final hours of the last day, two pilots tragically collided in mid-air during a race, and both pilots died in the crash.

The October 7 Hamas Attack on Israel has sparked an international debate over Israel-Palestinian relations. With the ongoing attack on Gaza, many University of Nevada, Reno students gathered on campus to protest the escalating violence against innocent civilians in the Israel Defense Forces' attempt to eliminate the Hamas terrorist group.

In early December, a 67-year-old gunman killed three faculty members and wounded a fourth in a mass shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. To honor the staff members who lost their lives, the University of Nevada, Reno held a candlelight vigil to show solidarity with its rival school.

To end things, let's talk politics. The Nevada GOP is pushing all major Republican candidates to enter their February 8th party-run state caucus. The decision has created controversy, as the Nevada Legislature mandated the state to hold a Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) just two days before on February 6. Even Nevada's top elected Republican Governor Joe Lombardo spoke out against the caucus.

Finally, former President Donald Trump stopped at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center earlier this month to ask all Republican voters to "commit to the caucus. During that event, the Nevada GOP officially endorsed Donald Trump for president. However, they say they would like to see all candidates stump in Northern Nevada to pitch why the voters should choose them.

Perhaps the most significant difference today from one year ago is the lack of record snow. Whether you closely followed some of these stories with us or not, we hope you will continue to tune in to 2 News in 2024 to see what the year will have in store for all of us.