Jan 14: It's so hot in January that Ballarat completely sells out of inflatable pools. We obviously made a splash with the headline. FULL STORY. 

Jan 18: Thousands attend third Ballarat Beer Festival. FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

Jan 18: A body was recovered from a mine shaft at Avoca and a Maryborough man was arrested by homicide detectives in relation to the suspicious disappearance of Ricky Lee Ganly. FULL STORY.

Jan 26: Lake Wendouree was packed for the annual Australia Day fireworks. FULL STORY/PHOTOS.

Jan 29: A 16 year old girl was hit by a car while walking to school at Sebastopol on her first day of VCE. The girl has since made a complete recovery and thanked emergency services officers who helped her at the scene. FULL STORY.

Jan 30: The City of Ballarat admits it could be more transparent with its expenses and vows to post them on its website, after one councillor claimed $870 for a development weekend she did not attend. FULL STORY.

Feb 6: The CBD building home to the Plaster Fun House burns to the ground. Grenville street was blocked for months as the building was demolished. The business has since re-opened at a different venue. FULL STORY/PHOTOS/VIDEOS.

Feb 6: Ballarat mother of four Angie Edwards loses her battle with cancer amid a huge outpouring of tributes and support from the Ballarat community. FULL STORY.

Feb 12: Dramatic new video emerges of a grass fire threatening homes in Ballarat's west. FULL STORY/VIDEO. 

Feb 15: Thousands flock to Lydiard Street for the Ballarat Beat Rockabilly Festival drew people from all over Australia. FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

Feb 28: Ballarat High School win the Head of the Lake boys' race for 2014 in a new course record. The win ends a 14 year drought for High School. FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

March 17: Police search for two hungry men with hamburgers who held up a taxi in the early hours of the morning in Mair street. FULL STORY.  

March 27: Police raid a Canadian home and seize about 100 cannabis plants growing inside a sophisticated hydroponic set-up. FULL STORY. 

March 28: Police issue a warning after cyclists and runners are targeted with spike strips around Lake Wendouree. FULL STORY.  

March 29: Then-Premier Denis Napthine announces that, if re-elected, VicRoads headquarters will be built next to Civic Hall. FULL STORY. 

March 30: Mt Clear win a hard-fought grand final over Brown Hill in the Ballarat Cricket Association first grade competition. FULL STORY. 

April 5: A fire which ripped through bushland in Ballarat at Mt Pleasant and Golden Point was deliberately lit. FULL STORY. 

April 14: The Hepburn-Beaufort CHFL match was abandoned after a melee. Former Carlton player Glenn Manton was at the centre of the fracas. FULL STORY. 

April 17: Ballarat mourns the loss of Donna Taylor, wife of radio announcer Paul Taylor, who died after a battle with cancer. FULL STORY. 

April 22: Police launch a manhunt after an offender held-up Pinkies Pizza in Ballarat with a knife. FULL STORY. 

April 25: Almost freezing temperatures didn't stop thousands of people attending this morning's Anzac Day dawn service in Ballarat. FULL STORY. 

May 6: Denis Napthine is accused in parliament of choosing Ballarat's mayor, as two Ballarat councillors say they were told during a briefing in November that Dr Napthine wanted a Liberal-aligned mayor to lead the council. FULL STORY.

May 12: A truck crashed into the side of a school bus at Mt Clear. Six students were taken to hospital. FULL STORY. 

May 28: Mt Clear College backs down and overturns an earlier ban on students taking a same-sex dates to the debutante ball. FULL STORY. 

May 29: Merv from the Hamburger Cart packs up and leaves Ballarat after five years to chase love on the Gold Coast. FULL STORY. 

June 6: One man now owns every McDonalds in Ballarat. Fast-food mogul Laurie Nigro has completed his acquisition of the entire Ballarat McDonald’s market after buying the franchise for the city’s first store on Bakery Hill. FULL STORY. 

June 7&9: Up to 15 bikies stormed a Ballarat nightclub assaulting and intimidating staff and patrons on June 7. However, on Monday police struck back on June 9, raiding seven premises across the region and arresting two men, believed to members of the outlaw Finks Motorcycle Gang. One of the premises raided by police is believed to be the club's Ballarat clubhouse located in the CBD, only metres off Doveton Street North. FULL STORY.

June 20: Jane Bunn presents the weather for the final time for WIN TV in Ballarat. Thankfully, she was back on our screens later in the year for Channel 7. FULL STORY.

June 27: The Courier reveals children as young as 10 are abusing the devastating methamphetamine known as ice. The startling revelation comes from local doctors and drug treatment organisations, who say kids who haven't yet finished primary school are seeking treatment for addictions to the now widespread drug. FULL STORY. 

June 29: The Courier publishes an interactive map showing exactly which postcodes contain the states' registered guns. It turns out there are more than 33,000 guns registered in the Ballarat region. FULL STORY/MAP. 

July 8: A police drug raid netted almost $2 million in cannabis plants at houses near Daylesford. FULL STORY. 

July 8: The Courier publishes a special video to mark 25 years since the Ballarat Miners defeated the Melbourne Tigers - the ultimate David v Goliath showdown. FULL STORY/VIDEO.

July 10: A player revolt aided in the sensational mid-season sacking of Smythesdale coach Glenn Treacy. FULL STORY. 

July 11: A Ballarat East milk bar owner armed with a stick chased off two men who tried to rob her at knifepoint. FULL STORY/CCTV VIDEO. 

July 18: The community is shocked when it is revealed Ballarat Football League Sunbury club members Albert and Marie Rizk were aboard the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight that was shot down over Ukraine. FULL STORY. 

August 1: Ballarat experiences its biggest snow dump in a decade. Hundreds of amazing photos of snow all over Ballarat came pouring in from readers and our photography tea, Check them out: FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

August 7: A Ballarat family was devastated when its beloved American bulldog Molly was wrongly euthanised after it had been captured by a City of Ballarat ranger following an alleged attack on a Maltese shitzu cross. FULL STORY.

August 11: The Provincial Hotel is sold. Developer Darren Fraser, who converted the former RSL building in Lyons Street South into Ballarat Premier Apartments, bought the rundown building for an undisclosed sum. Mr Fraser will turn the former hotel and nightclub into 20 boutique apartments, a day spa/health club, function room and a cafe/bar. FULL STORY.

August 28: The Ballarat Business Awards were a resounding success yet again. See all the photos and re-live the night here: FULL STORY/PHOTOS.  

Sep 9: A huge reaction to our poll on what Ballarat's new suburb should be called. 'Mullawallah' or something different.... FULL STORY. 'Beardington' was the popular choice.

Sep 13: Bungaree are the 2014 CHFL premiers. FULL STORY.  

Sep 15: A Ballarat bush squatter says he will try to stay and rebuild his makeshift home in the forest even if authorities bulldoze it. FULL STORY. 

Sep 20: North Ballarat City go back to back in the BFL. FULL STORY. 

Sep 24: Ballarat police uncovered a massive cannabis-growing operation at Sebastopol. FULL STORY.

Sep 26: Tragic news as a woman is found dead inside her burnt-out home in Mt Helen. FULL STORY. 

Oct 6: Police caught Marcus Volke, from Ballarat, boiling severed parts of a woman's body on his stove when they responded to requests for a welfare check at his Brisbane apartment. FULL STORY. 

Oct 8: This unlucky driver took an unexpected dip in Lake Wendouree. FULL STORY. 

Oct 19: Run Ballarat draws 5500 participants for the annual fun run. FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

Oct 27: Ballarat is treated to a huge lightning storm. PICTURES HERE. 

Nov 15: Fire crews extinguished a fire which engulfed a limousine at a Woodmans Hill petrol station. FULL STORY. 

Nov 19: A shot is fired inside a central Ballarat house. FULL STORY. 

Nov 22: Ballarat Cup 2014 was a huge success. Here's Cup Day as we saw it. FULL STORY/PHOTOS/VIDEO.

Nov 29: Labor retained its key Ballarat seats with a strong swing across the state replicated in the city. Both Sharon Knight and Geoff Howard will gain another four years on Spring Street with big victories. FULL STORY. 

Nov 30: More than 6000 women took on the grueling Miss Muddy Ballarat at Creswick in 30 degree heat. FULL STORY/PHOTOS. 

Dec 2: Darren Wilson showed no emotion as a jury found him guilty of murdering autistic Scarsdale teenager Timothy O'Brien with an axe. FULL STORY.

Dec 14: Victorian harness racing is caught up in a major controversy after the banning of a make of sulky led to six late scratchings in the $100,000 Ballarat Pacing Cup. FULL STORY.

Dec 17: A Ballarat woman appeared on Channel Nine's Millionaire Hotseat on Tuesday night when the first question - generally the easiest - stumped her in brilliant fashion. "Which of these is not a piece of jewellery commonly worn to symbolise a relationship between two people," asked host Eddie McGuire. The options: A, Engagement ring, B, Anniversary ring, C, Wedding ring and D, Burger ring. Within seconds a confident Ms Beseler had locked in B, Anniversary ring, quickly realising she'd made one hell of a mistake. FULL STORY.

Dec 19: Stockland Wendouree was evacuated after a fire was detected in a toilet cubicle. FULL STORY.