The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.
A lot can happen in a year. So much so that, we’d admit, it’s not always easy to remember all the details. Thankfully, Bangor Daily News Digital Editor Leela Stockley compiled a highlight reel of sorts with photos from throughout 2024. Photos taken by BDN photographers, reporters and editors help us reflect on the year that was as we get started on 2025.
It was a year of some unprecedented storm destruction along the coast, a year of workers and local officials standing up to a misguided Postal Service proposal, a year that Nite Show host Dan Cashman announced that he would be winding down his mainstay of local late night TV after more than 600 episodes.
It was a year of backflips and art installations, of the fairs and canoe races that reliably entertain us each year, of celebrations for new U.S. citizens and recognition of previously unknown U.S. soldiers.
It was a year that high school students stood up to bullying and sexual harassment, it was another year of decline at the Bangor Mall, and it was a year of political change.
The sun still rose, Katahdin still stood tall, while both beauty and heartbreak filled our days.
A December vigil in Bangor, as captured by the lens of photographer Linda Coan O’Kresik, remembered the lives lost to homelessness.
Stephen Morey of Bangor attended the vigil in remembrance of his friend Craig Stevens.
“The vigil brings up good memories and sad memories,” Morey said. “I really miss him. We’ve lost too many.”
Indeed, we have.
2024 started with other losses for many in Maine, particularly on the coast. A January story brought historic flooding and damage. Photos from up and down the coast showed streets and structures inundated by water, piers badly damaged, and, in a photo that was published around the world, even entire buildings being washed into the sea.
“I’ve never seen the pier lifted up like that. Never,” local resident Galen Lowe said of the Harborside pier in Bar Harbor. “This destruction is unprecedented. It’s unbelievable.”
The year wasn’t all destruction and loss, however. We also gained 61 naturalized citizens at an August ceremony in Bangor. One of those new Americans, Marilou “LuLu” Ranta had already won a prestigious James Beard award as chef and owner of The Quarry in Monson.
“No offense James Beard, but this tops everything.” Ranta said, in one of our favorite quotes from 2024.
Another good quote, from that very same ceremony, came from Chief Judge Lance Walker.
“Here today you remind us of the value of our own citizenship,” Walker said. “The history of the United States is, after all, a history of immigration. The United States is also a land of fresh starts.”
The coming year provides an opportunity for a fresh start for each of us. May we meet it with the same determination, joy and compassion that was seen in many BDN photos throughout 2024.
