Kingsburg saw many changes in the community in 2008. From the Kingsburg hospital closing the doors to its emergency room and the election of a new mayor, Kingsburg saw changes all around. Here are some of the bigger headlines from the past 12 months:

January

Interim fire chief Gary Rocha accepted the position of fire chief in Kingsburg after the former chief resigned.

The 86th annual Chamber of Commerce awards were held at the Young Life building to honor those who made a difference in the community. Rafer Johnson was the master of ceremonies for the event.

February

The Kingsburg District Hospital closed the doors to its emergency room in order to continue operating. About 30 employees were laid off because of the closure that was estimated at saving $600,000 for the hospital.

Kingsburg saw some fog-related accidents in February, closing parts of Highway 99 for hours at a time. In early February, there were almost a dozen accidents in one day because of the dense fog and unsafe driving.

March

A new daycare facility opened in Kingsburg for children, from infant to 36 months old. The Small Wonders Infant Toddler Center, located at 1225 Simpson St., is a 1,500-square-foot building that is licensed to care for 26 children.

It was decided in March that because of the closure and construction of Kingsburg High's Athletic Bowl, there would be no fireworks display in 2008. The Chamber of Commerce was unable to find a location that would be safe for fireworks show, which is usually a big event in Kingsburg.

April

Kingsburg saw a string of daytime burglaries in April and at least eight people were arrested. The burglars would enter homes through unlocked doors or windows and leave with items such as computers and jewelry.

Four Kingsburg teens were arrested in the beginning of April, charged with vandalism to a park on the 300 block of Sunset Street. Three juveniles were booked into juvenile hall and 19-year-old Emilio Sanchez was booked into the Fresno County Jail.

May

The City Council voted to spend $157,155 on a Fairfield Inn hotel to be built in Kingsburg. The 87-room, three-story hotel will begin construction in January 2009 and will be located behind Kmart along Highway 99.

Kingsburg High School girl's softball team won the second straight Central Section CIF Division IV softball championship with a 1-0 victory over Immanuel High School.

Also in May, Kingsburg crowned the 2008 Swedish queen, Alexandra Zanovitch, at the annual Swedish Festival. Attendance was down due in part to the triple-digit temperature but that didn't stop the city from celebrating its Swedish heritage as well as its centennial.

June

Kingsburg residents saw a rise in rates for trash collection and street sweeping services because of rising costs from the companies the city contracts with. It had been four years since the rates increased last.

Kingsburg High graduated its 100th class as 235 seniors dressed in green and gold said so long to the school. There were 24 valedictorians in the ceremony, which lasted just over an hour.

About seven arrests were made during a gang sweep in early June, two of which were in Kingsburg. The arrests were made as the task force, known as MAGEC, worked in and around Kingsburg for the operation.

July

A fire that broke out July 2 at a low-income apartment complex on Mountain View Avenue and Golden State Boulevard left 42 residents homeless. The blaze, which reportedly started when a mattress caught fire from a cigarette, destroyed most of the complex and was estimated at $300,000 in damages.

A beer distributor possibly sponsoring the Crayfish and Jazz festival sparked debate between members of the community and threatened to cancel the event. The committee for the festival was considering allowing a beer distributor to sponsor the event and set up a beer garden but the committee ended up deciding against it.

Former Kingsburg stylist Kelly Fitzpatrick introduced her product for achieving a certain hairstyle. The "bumpit" is a plastic device that gives more volume to hairstyles. Fitzpatrick appeared on the Home Shopping network with her product.

August

Kingsburg resident Tom Creighton died Aug. 11 from blunt force injury to the head. Creighton was found lying unconscious on his lawn.

A teenager was arrested on suspicion of starting a fire at Heritage Park that melted playground equipment and caused more than $40,000 in damages.

Kingsburg items were a hot ticket during the month of August on eBay.com where things such as postcards, community church cookbooks and maps were selling.

September

Construction began on Coffee Pot Park, also known as Downtown Park, to replace the old equipment, put wood chips down instead of sand and bring it up to ground level.

The West Nile Virus was discovered in a sample of mosquitoes collected in Kingsburg so the Mosquito Abatement District did a fogging to help control adult mosquitoes. The low volume aerosol fog was sprayed at night when mosquitoes are most active.

October

The city loaned Kingsburg Hospital $150,000 to meet its financial needs, including paying employees. The hospital did not receive funds from MediCal because of the state budget and needed assistance in covering expenses.

The Kingsburg High School Athletic Bowl was unveiled on the night the Vikings beat Dinuba 17-7. Fireworks and the win capped off the much-anticipated new stadium.

In the month of October, Kingsburg saw both businesses opening and closing. Julie Chambers opened up Baby Cakes ice cream shop on Draper Street and Oscar Ramos Torres opened up a wine tasting room. The Town and Country Market closed its doors after 37 years of serving Kingsburg. The state of the economy and pressures from other businesses were the main reasons for closing the store.

November

In the November election, Americans voted in a new president and Kingsburg voted in a new City Council member. There were two available seats on the Council that were filled by former Mayor Leland Bergstrom and retired businessman Chet Reilly. Kingsburg residents also approved Measure A, a hotel tax. Kingsburg had a 62 percent registered voter turnout in the November election.

Caltrans announced its plan to install equipment along a stretch of highway 99 to help prevent fog related accidents. Over the 12-mile stretch of highway, the plan calls for equipment to help make drivers more aware of dangerous road conditions.

The Kingsburg High football team beat the Selma Bears 35-14 and finished in a three-way tie for the Central Sequoia League Championship. The Vikings ended the regular season 9-1.

A local man was arrested for allegedly selling vehicles to people and never delivering them. James Flynn, 52, allegedly showed pictures of vehicles to unsuspecting buyers and took money for the vehicles but never delivered them. Flynn had also previously impersonated a dental equipment repossessor and a wholesaler of antique vehicles.

December

In the last month of 2008, the Kingsburg High School football team played in the Central Section CIF Division IV championship football game against Chowchilla. The Vikings lost 20-0 at the Redskins' home field but finished the season 11-2.

Council member Bruce Blayney was elected mayor and Council member David Karstetter was elected mayor pro tem. Former Council member Paul Kruper left after 12 years and Chet Reilly took his seat.

Friends and family of Jason Hurtado held a blood drive during the Santa Lucia Festival. This is the second year the drive was held in memory of Hurtado who died after a drunk driver hit his vehicle in 2001.