Year in Review: Relive Bismarck-Mandan’s Top Local Stories of 2014

Frankie MacDonald is a well-known YouTube weatherman who has built a strong following with his entertaining - and informing - weather forecasts.

This particular forecast was one of the first of Frankie's we ever covered. Frankie was spot-on with his forecast, as an early-Spring storm forced schools and businesses to close as more than six inches of snow fell on Bismarck-Mandan.

We have since built a strong relationship with the viral sensation from Nova Scotia and lean on him whenever inclement weather strikes.

Country star Jake Owen loved his first trip to Bismarck so much that he decided to make a surprise trip back on his day off back in April.

Word quickly spread around town that the long-haired crooner was back and 1033 US Country was there to capture exclusive coverage from his one-day trip, including the star talking about how Bismarck holds a special place in his heart.

The July 4th celebration in Mandan got an unexpected (and mostly unwelcome) surprise when the annual Independence Day parade was canceled due to lightning strikes in the area.

In this post, we spoke with Marlo Anderson, one of the parade's co-chairs, about the decision to cancel the historic parade. Predictably, the decision was met with resistance from the public.

Back in October, a new survey came out listing the most exciting places in North Dakota. Let's just say we were surprised - and you were, too.

Earlier this month, the favorite dive bar in each state was named - but do you know where North Dakota's is located?

By far one of the most controversial posts of the year, Devils Lake High School came under fire for banning girls wearing tight pants and the questionable decision to illustrate the point by showing clips from 'Pretty Woman', where the main character is a prostitute.

Predictably, the backlash was strong. The situation even gained national attention, with outlets like Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and others picking up the story.

The school did respond, admitting the situation could have been handled differently.

Way back in March, BBC published a video featuring the stories of several Williston residents, highlighting was life in the western oil town was like.

The video was met with controversy, with some arguing it wrongly focused on the negative aspects of the growing city rather than offering a balanced look at how Williston has changed as a result of the oil boom.

At the beginning of 2014, we put together a post featuring famous people from North Dakota. Some were no-brainers, while others were quite a surprise.

This post from April details one of the most horrific crimes in North Dakota's history.

Back in 1920, the bodies of seven members of the Wolf family and their 13-year-old chore boy were discovered by their neighbor after the family had been brutally murdered at their farm in Turtle Lake, ND. The lone survivor was 9-month-old, Emma.

Even though neighbor Henry Layer confessed to the killings, many still question the actual happenings of the tragic event.

Words like "bars", "hotdish", and "barbeque" may seem like relatively common terms around North Dakota, but they mean something completely different around the rest of America.