On a special "Hometowns Revisited" edition, we'll take a look back at some of our favourite small town stories of the year that just ended.

We'll hear from a man who spent months crossing Canada from town to town, relying on the kindness of strangers -- and listening to their stories. 

St. Thomas, Ontario vows to effectively end homelessness within its borders; a woman who spent years on the streets reflects on whether that's a promise kept.

A decade after its release, a haunting song about the town of Vulcan, Alberta by the Rural Alberta Advantage is a fan favourite. The songwriter tells us he wrote it without even knowing about his own Vulcan roots.

In Vulcan, we meet a tall drink of milk named Beef, who holds the Guinness World Record for world's tallest steer. His owner fills us in on what it takes to keep Beef full.

As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that knows exactly where the Beef is. In Vulcan, Alberta. I literally just told you that. 

We'll look back at the heroic figures we spoke with over the past year -- and, regrettably, the dastardly villains, who were actually sometimes the same people. 

A Sydney snake removal expert arrives at a job to discover a truly mind-boggling number of snakes -- but he rises to the occasion while they're writhing to the occasion. 

Despite the pain, Lizanne Wilmot put the pedals to the medal, and blazed a new trail on the old-timey bicycle known as the "penny farthing". 

There's definitely a hero in the surprising story of an octopus hitching a ride on a shark -- we're just not sure whether it's the octopus or the shark, or the hybrid creature they form together known as "sharktopus". 

A jealous woodpecker lays siege to a Massachusetts town -- shattering reflective surfaces everywhere to destroy the enemy he sees, which is, of course, himself. 

As It Happens, the New Year's Day edition. Radio that knows not everyone benefits from a moment of reflection. 

Hollywood actors and writers are anxious about AI filmmaking, but one Bollywood director tells us that, as far as many Indian creators are concerned, it's democratizing the process. 

Many Calgarians are once again under a boil-water advisory after the second major water main break in as many years -- and this one left our guest stranded on the roof of her truck. 

Our guest fills us in on his annual headline-of-the-year bracket -- where the entrants range from the sublime to the ridiculous, except for the sublime part. 

We revisit our conversation with the Oscar-winning filmmaker Molly O'Brien and her pioneering aunt, Orin O'Brien -- about Orin's many years as the only female member of the New York Philharmonic. 

We'll hear what it was like to play for Leonard Bernstein -- and why artistry and acclaim don't always go hand in hand. 

A California man says the 550-pound black bear living underneath his house is no longer welcome -- but for obvious reasons, the bear does not care about that. 

As It Happens, the New Year's Eve Edition. Radio that knows it's gross when your roommate walks around bear-foot. 

First, airstrikes on alleged drug boats from Venezuela. Then the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers. Now, after an attack on Venezuelan soil, we reach Democrat Adam Smith. 

Israel is suspending dozens of aid groups for failing to comply with new registration rules -- rules the Norwegian Refugee Council says would jeopardize the safety of their Palestinian staff. 

When a LinkedIn user saw her engagement tanking, she started using more masculine language. She says the results tell a worrying story about gender bias on social media platforms. 

In a brief Christmas miracle, a beloved river wave in a Munich park was restored by a surfing vigilante. But then the city stepped in -- and now, a surfer says things are about to get gnarly. 

The neighbours who once mocked the late Cecilia Gimenez for her botched, simian portrait of Jesus now pay tribute to a woman whose botch job saved their jobs.

A Tennessee teacher tells us what kept her at the blackboard for 61 years and 43 days -- the world record for the longest serving teacher in the same school. 

As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that reflects on a campaign of chalk and awe.

Donald Trump says a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is closer than ever -- but a Ukrainian MP tells us he's not sure where the US president is getting his information.  

They're about to resume the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 -- and an independent investigator says it has the best chance yet of solving the enduring mystery of the plane's disappearance.

A British researcher who's spent 15 years cataloguing the distinct scents of cities and towns around the world shares her olfactory insights -- including the smell of Montreal in the morning. 

The death of Annette Dionne has people around the world remembering her and the other Dionne Quints as mid-century Canadian celebrities. But our guest says that fame was often a hardship. 

Now that the Christmas dust has settled, we'll hear Roch Carrier's reading of the 'The Hockey Sweater', the tale of a timeless rivalry in a time before online shopping. 

Gävle, Sweden's famous straw ruminant has been attacked yet again -- and this time, it wasn't arsonists or birds, but Nature itself. 

As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that reports on a serious bleatdown.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." Well, tonight's show contains a lot of genius -- but we've cleaned up all the sweat and just left you with the inspiration. 

If you're looking for fashion inspiration, why not look to the trend-setting chimpanzees -- who are accessorizing with blades of grass placed delicately in their ears, and, even more delicately, in their butts. 

Anna Brynald of Denmark won the whole shebang this year at the world's most important seagull-impersonating contest -- by keeping her feet on the ground and screeching for the stars. 

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra produces music from produce -- although, when you first hear it, you might feel like you've been sold a bill of gourds. 

At 14 years old, Pearl is now the world's oldest living chicken -- and her owner credits her longevity to her joie de vivre, and her close friendship with a mop. 

When Mitchell O'Brien found himself being slowly swallowed by a patch of quicksand, he and a longtime friend admitted they both admired one another romantically -- emphasis on "mire". 

Buckle your seatbelt and prepare for take-off. Here is "Fireside" Al Maitland's classic reading of "The Shepherd", by the late Frederick Forsyth.

Mr. Forsyth lived many lives before becoming a best-selling author, including the life of a RAF pilot. He told us what it's like to be thousands of metres in the sky when fog sets in, and how that experience inspired his haunting Christmas story.

When Tony Kent was growing up reading gripping thrillers, including "The Day of the Jackal," he never imagined that one day he would help write Mr. Forsyth's final novel -- and that he'd be on the same book cover as the man he idolized. 

The annual broadcast of "The Shepherd" has become a tradition for the program. And, that is in large part because of the calls and emails we've received from listeners ever since it first aired in 1979.

As Brown University tries to reassure its community about safety on campus...we reach a student who’s been here before. 

While Australia has vowed to crack down on hate speech, a politician there says antisemitism has become 'part of life' in his country. 

The World Health Organization's chief scientist tells us why the W-H-O is taking a closer look at traditional remedies...and says it's time to marry many of those with modern medicine. 

As It Happens holiday readings are kicking into high gear. There's only one more sleep until our annual broadcast of 'The Shepherd.' Tonight we present Chris Howden's annual reading of a Cape Breton classic that highlights the bittersweet notes of a Christmas get-together. 

Heads Will Scroll. A BC highschool student heads to the finals of an international scholarship competition ... with a video that lays out the science that keeps us addicted to our phones. 

As It Happens, the Tuesday Edition. Radio that appreciates his off-screen achievement. 

Russian investigators suggest Ukraine could be behind a car bomb that killed a top military official in Moscow. Our guest tells us whoever's behind it, the message is clear. 

Cyclone reconstruction is just the latest shock to Sri Lanka's bottom line. And an economist in Colombo says the way forward is mixed at best. 

We reach a National Cancer Institute scientist in Maryland who's raising eyebrows with his latest research: A vaccine he's making in his kitchen, and drinking in beer form. 

As Hanukkah draws to a close, we bring you our second reading of the holiday...involving the arrival of a surprise, winged visitor who portends the unexpected in more ways than one. 

Two Dalhousie University computer scientists pull off a Christmas miracle ... by getting an enormous, terrifying, yet locally-beloved mall attraction back into working order. 

 Scientists discover that Hawaiian Monk Seals...who they'd frankly considered pretty inarticulate...actually have about 25 different vocalizations including a pronounced "Whine". 

As It Happens, the Monday Edition. Radio that wishes those whiny seals would just knock it arf. 

A fellow scientist remembers his friend Nuno Loureiro -- the beloved MIT professor authorities believe was killed this week by the same man suspected of killing two students at Brown University.

Air Canada reaches a settlement with passengers after a crash-landing in a Halifax snowstorm more than 10 years ago -- an event that left our guest with an understandably visceral fear of flying.

As part of a ceasefire deal with Israel, the Lebanese army must disarm the militant group Hezbollah by the end of this year. A former MP in Lebanon weighs on whether that's possible -- and what it could mean if it isn't. 

The Canadian couple who were struggling to secure a travel visa for their adopted Ugandan daughter have finally made it home for the holidays.

In tonight's holiday reading, a child's Christmas wish for new ice skates is badly misinterpreted -- to the extreme dismay of that child, and then his mother. 

This year's World Pie-Eating Championship has a sur-pies winner -- but the contest's pie master laments the much faster competitors of days gone pie.

As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that's off the tarts.