We're getting a little misty-eyed here at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, where 12 months of 2012 have passed like a speeding coal train through Tacoma. Those of us whose careers depend on newsy doings owe the year 2012 a major professional debt. Let's take a look:

Sadly, the year began with a murder. Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot New Year's Day at Mount Rainier. Shooter Benjamin Colton Barnes was later shot during a manhunt.

In January a shitload of snow dumped. Dubbed "Snowmageddon," the South Sound was inundated with school closures, traffic snarls, power outages and Twitpics of snow. Luckily we all rushed out to stock up on milk, eggs and bread beforehand. We looooove French toast.

Due to population growth, Washington gained a new 10th congressional district, centered in Pierce and Thurston counties. In November, Democratic businessman Denny Heck beat Republican Dick Muri to represent the 10th in D.C.

In February, Josh Powell, a suspect in the disappearance of wife Susan Cox Powell, kills their two young sons, then himself in his Graham-area home.

In the spring the Elks Club sold its Central Tacoma lodge and property, which will soon become the site where managers try to calculate just how many heavily discounted George Foreman grills it takes to appease Satan.

She grew up singing at Shakabrah Java's Wednesday open mics. In June Tacoma's singer-songwriter sensation Vicci Martinez was back on national television as a finalist on The Voice singing competition show.

Privatized liquor sales began in June slowing down checkout lines - the point where the liquor tax is added and the customers freak over the prices leaps and hand back broccoli and non-garnishables to reduce the final tab.

In June, LeMay-America's Car Museum took a chunk of the Tacoma Dome's parking lot and opened to the public, showcasing cool cars and a kick ass stage.

Still reeling over the lost of the Northern Pacific Railroad to Seattle in the late 1800s, Tacoma secured the Grand Alliance container shipping consortium from the Port of Seattle, making the Port of Tacoma the best of all the land.

While Tacoma experienced below average temperatures in July, German couple Erivan and Helga Haub donated a huge Western art collection and money to Tacoma Art Museum, boosting plans for a $15 million expansion, which hopefully adds one more booze station at parties.

In August, Ivan the Gorilla, who use to play with tires and bang the s--- out of the glass barrier at Lakewood's B&I Shopping Center, died at the Atlanta zoo.

Since taking office in 2009 thanks to a wonky election procedure and the wily persistence only a slightly deranged individual could muster, Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam was finally booted in August. Washam's various alleged or already-settled misdeeds have potentially put taxpayers on the line for roughly $4 million in lawsuits and legal fees.

Like every year, our glorious summer arrived in September and lasted until mid-October when major Downtown Tacoma employer DaVita announced it will move some operations to Federal Way. The cigarette butt street cleaners leaped with joy.

The railroad stoplights returned to South 72nd Street in October when Sound Transit opened long-awaited Lakewood Sounder rail extension route.

Best month eva Novemba saw Washington voters legalize marijuana sales and ratify same-sex marriage. Wait! Voters rejected Prop 1 forcing the Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners to whack the hell out of 2013 bus schedules for the disabled, seniors and people who rely on bus service. Keep an eye out for meeting for public comment!

The Tacoma City Council in December approved a $397 million budget that includes far fewer employees, slashed services and higher taxes.

The Olympia City Council voted to adopt stricter rules on sitting and lying on sidewalks, and will most likely ban public camping the first of the year.