So what will we take away from 2014?

As the last sands of the year slip through the hourglass, looking back at the past 12 months offers a reminder of what happened — and what didn’t.

The year started on a grim note, with a headless body discovered in Little Sand Coulee, a remote area near Clark, on Jan. 9. This shocking event — selected by the Powell Tribune news staff as the No. 1 story of the year — has continued to evolve.

Almost five months later, it was revealed the victim’s name was Juan Antonio Guerra Torres. We still await more news, including an arrest.

A story that did not happen tops the political news of the year in Wyoming.

Liz Cheney, the outspoken daughter of former Wyoming Congressman and two-term Vice President Dick Cheney, announced in the summer of 2013 she would challenge Sen. Mike Enzi for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat Enzi has held for 18 years.

The Cheney campaign stumbled out of the box, however, and the fledgling politician repeatedly found herself embroiled in controversy, much of it self-inflicted.

As the new year dawned, Cheney dropped out of the race. Enzi sailed to easy wins in the GOP primary and the general election, as Democrat Charlie Hardy was never seen by voters as a serious option. In addition, Enzi will become chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, an influential post, as he starts his fourth term.

The rest of the campaign 2014 was underwhelming.

Gov. Matt Mead breezed past two challengers in the Republican primary. Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill and Dr. Taylor Haynes, favorites of the far right, discovered how limited their support was on Aug. 19.

Pete Gosar, a former Democratic state party chairman, was unable to mount a serious challenge to Mead in the general election but did offer flashes of promise for the beleaguered Wyoming Democratic Party.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis eased to a fourth term, as the Democrats were unable to field a viable opponent for her. But in that time of triumph, Lummis experienced a great tragedy, as her husband, Alvin Laramie “Al” Wiederspahn, died days before the election.

Locally, the election news was dominated by the continued struggle for control of the Park County Republican Party.

The division was based on a sharp disagreement over who is a “real” Republican and a true conservative. From the outside, this family feud revealed how dominant the local GOP is, since it can have such a loud, long battle and still easily control the governmental process.

In fact, Democrats did not even attempt to run in many local races. In the end, voters spoke and made it clear they were satisfied with the people they had long elected and supported; the tea party-based Republicans were, for the most part, on the short end of the counting on Election Day.

There was one change in local politics, however, as state Rep. Dave Blevins was defeated by Dan Laursen in the Aug. 19 primary. Since there was no Democratic challenger, Laursen earned two years in Cheyenne.

Getting away from elective politics, we witnessed the conclusion of a years-long process as the Powell City Council and Mayor Don Hillman elected to take household waste to Billings.

The city officials, who have squabbled with Park County for years, feel hauling trash over the state line will be a cost-savings in the long run. In addition, they wonder if their decision may entice the county to lower its costs, possibly luring Powell’s garbage back closer to home.

Another long-running story was the plan to construct a multi-purpose building on the Park County Fairgrounds.

We applauded the commissioners for their efforts while wondering why the fair board struggled to raise any money to help in the effort. The latest report is that the building may not be fully operational in time for the 2015 fair.

But the good news is, the building should be open sometime in 2015 and offer a wonderful new facility for our community.

Powell Valley Healthcare endured a year of challenge, but many employees willingly took time off without pay to help the embattled system get back in the black. Farmers dealt with a wet spring and an early frost but most reported productive harvests.

Aside from those major stories, residents of Powell and the surrounding area saw another year pass with the usual events. There were births and deaths, triumph and tragedy, happy moments and tears.

The Powell Tribune did its best to record some of those moments in 2014. We look forward to continuing that effort in 2015.

Next: A look ahead.