GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As we come to the close of another year in West Michigan, what a year it has been in news. From the presidential election to the Portage tornado to some serious successes on the football field, these are the stories — both heartwarming and heartbreaking — that headlined West Michigan's 2024.
Michigan wins college football national championship
Nine years into his return to coaching at the collegiate level, coach Jim Harbaugh finally found college football's mountaintop, leading the Michigan Wolverines to a national title in a year where he served two separate suspensions, defeating the Washington Huskies in a 34-13 rout.
Detroit Lions win a playoff game, ending decades-long drought
At long last, the Detroit Lions won a playoff game, edging out the Los Angeles Rams and former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford during the Wild Card round, 24-23. The Dan Campbell-coached team would go on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, giving up a large halftime lead.
READ MORE: The legend of Blue Face, a Detroit Lions superfan
Ruby Garcia's death garners national attention
On March 22, Ruby Garcia was found dead on the side of a Grand Rapids highway. Brandon Ortiz-Vite, her boyfriend, later pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 39 years in prison. The case garnered national attention as Ortiz-Vite was an illegal immigrant, having entered the United States as a child.
READ MORE: 'He did not': Garcia family says Trump did not speak with them about Ruby's death
Total solar eclipse clips Michigan
For the first time in 60 years, a total solar eclipse happened in Michigan. On April 8, the southeast corner of the state witnessed totality when the moon completely blocked the face of the sun, blanketing the land in darkness.
2017 Solar eclipse as seen from Madras, Oregon.
Samuel Sterling hit, killed by Michigan state trooper
On April 18, Samuel Sterling was hit and killed by Brian Keely, a Michigan state trooper who was attempting to arrest the 25-year-old on warrants, chasing him in an unmarked police car. Keely was charged with second-degree murder in the case, which is still pending in court. Sterling's death sparked rallies in the Burger King parking lot in Kentwood where he was struck.
READ MORE: Stand for Samuel: Community rallies around family of man hit, killed by unmarked police car
Tornado tears through Portage, destroying neighborhoods
In a year where several tornadoes broke out in Michigan, the strongest hit the Portage area, tearing through neighborhoods and business districts with estimated 135 mile per hour winds, classifying it as a high-end EF-2 tornado. Recovery efforts will continue into the new year with millions of damages dealt.
Days after assassination attempt, Donald Trump rallies in Grand Rapids
In front of a sold-out crowd at Van Andel Arena, then-presidential nominee Donald Trump said he "took a bullet for democracy," referencing his survival of an assassination attempt a week earlier in Pennsylvania. The raucous rally also marked the first public appearance for JD Vance as Trump's running mate.
Ottawa Impact loses majority on county board of commissioners
When the results were tallied at the end of the August primary, Ottawa Impact — a conservative and at times controversial political group — lost its majority on the county board of commissioners, signaling a shift in political preferences in the county.
READ MORE: A referendum? Ottawa Impact to lose majority on commission after primary
Presidential candidates make Michigan a second home
As the presidential election neared, both the Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz campaigns made increasingly common stops in Michigan, promising to bring positive change to Michigan's auto industry and protect its middle class. In the end, the former president reclaimed the Oval Office, flipping Michigan red in the process.
Elissa Slotkin wins Michigan's open senate seat
Despite Republican victories across the state, Elissa Slotkin won Michigan's open senate seat as a Democrat, becoming Sen. Debbie Stabenow's successor in Washington by defeating former congressman Mike Rogers.
Large-scale developments continue in Grand Rapids
A trio of downtown high rises found approval from the City of Grand Rapids this fall as construction on the Acrisure Amphitheater continued and the owners of Amway Stadium announced that a professional soccer team would soon call the venue home, cementing Grand Rapids' reputation as a city intent on development.
READ MORE: A 'new era' for soccer in West Michigan
