THE RAVEN Hotel fire has been the dominant driver of page views to the Droitwich Standard website this year.
The building was destroyed by fire back in August, with the blaze still burning into the early hours of the following morning.
Since the fire, the Raven Heartbeat Group has been set up to try to bring the historic building back to life.
We brought you a very sad update back in May when a woman in her 40s was found dead at a property on Mayflower Road, Droitwich.
In October, 43-year-old Mohammed Samak was found guilty of the murder of his wife Joanne Samak, and was sentenced to 21 years behind bars.
In more positive news, back in March, we shared that The Kings Arms in Ombersley was named pub of the year in the annual Visit Worcestershire Tourism Awards.
The pub won the award for the second year in a row.
A woman was shot at with an air weapon from a moving car in Droitwich back in April.
The woman was walking along the Worcester Road and was on her way to The Castle pub, and she was repeatedly shot at with a pellet gun from a car window.
The car then drove back past her and shot her again. It was a ‘machine gun’ style pellet gun that discharged rapidly- although thankfully no one was injured.
Politics dominated the news agenda in May with the Worcestershire County Council elections, where the Droitwich seats bucked both the trend of the rest of Worcestershire and the rest of England, with all four Conservatives holding onto their seats.
However, overall, the Conservatives lost control for the first time in decades, with Reform UK taking over the county council.
Earlier this month, plans for 100 new affordable homes in Droitwich were given the go-ahead.
Bromford Housing Association, which bought the site earlier this year, have had their application for the layout, appearance, scale and landscaping for the site, on a field off Tagwell Road, approved by Wychavon District Council.
Former students, colleagues, and community members are paying heartfelt tribute to cherished Droitwich educator and local figure Janet Mealor back in August following news of her passing.
Janet, maiden name Bateman, is remembered as the longest-serving teacher at Droitwich Spa High School, dedicating almost four decades of her life to educating and mentoring generations of pupils.
A Droitwich Paedophile who raped and sexually abused a boy was jailed for 25 years back in November.
Jason Lane, 44, of Old Coach Road, Droitwich, had previously been found guilty of 16 offences against his victim in June at Redditch Crown Court.
We had another well-read crime story in April as a seller of counterfeited goods in Droitwich was sentenced after pleading guilty to seven offences under the Trade Marks Act.
Matthew Sier, 46, of Tagwell Close in Droitwich, was convicted of selling fake car badges and key rings.
