That was the year that was 2005

FEBRUARY

Two Lothian hospitals were hit by a severe outbreak of the winter vomiting bug, and then 100 operations were cancelled at the ERI because of a bed blocking crisis.

A poll conducted by the Evening News on road tolls showed that the city was going to vote no - and on February 22 the official result came in the same. In a landslide defeat for the council 74 per cent voted against congestion charging.

Luke Mitchell was finally sentenced and told he would spend at least 20 years in jail. And while his mother pledged to appeal and clear his name, the Scottish Executive launched a crackdown on Scotland's knife crime "epidemic".

The city launched a ban on drinking and begging in a range of areas including Hunter Square, the Grassmarket and the Cowgate; Dolly the sheep cloner, Professor Ian Wilmut, was given the go-ahead to experiment on human embryos in a bid to find a cure for motor neurone disease; Vladimir Romanov finally gained complete control of Hearts and Phil Anderton, became the club's new chief executive.

MARCH

March came in like a lion with a sudden snow storm which caused a 30-car pile up on the M8 and paralysed roads throughout Lothian.

The world's oldest independent family-run department store, Jenners, was sold to House of Fraser for £46 million, leaving staff stunned.

Meanwhile there was drama at the High Court in Perth, when Sean Flynn, 21, accused of killing his 43-year-old mother Louise Tiffney, walked free with the case against him found not proven. Mrs Tiffney went missing from her Edinburgh home in May 2002. Her body has never been found.

The most famous aircraft in the world, Concorde, went on public display at the Museum of Flight in East Fortune; Tam the Gun, the soldier who fired the One o'Clock Gun at Edinburgh Castle, revealed he was battling cancer; Gordon Brown faced demands to cover the cost of policing the G8 protests; and the city's parking Enforcers were revealed to be the most diligent in the country, when it was announced that George Street was the most ticketed street in Scotland.

APRIL

Lothian's Catholics paid tribute to Pope John Paul II who died aged 84 - while Hearts fans were condemned for booing during a minute's silence.

The world of art was in mourning too, with the death at the age of 81 of Leith-born Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, hailed as the founder of the British Pop Art movement.

Edinburgh Zoo announced that it was to build a massive new polar bear enclosure as part of a £60m revamp.

And new parking restrictions were unveiled for the first time - as was the £3m in annual fines the city could expect by extending the Capital's controlled parking zones.

While Hannan Shihab, from Baghdad, who was badly disfigured in a US bombing attack, successfully underwent the first in a series of operations to reconstruct her face at St John's Hospital in Livingston, former Lord Provost Norman Irons claimed his mother was killed by "basic neglect" at the ERI.

Hearts unveiled plans for a £35m redevelopment of the Tynecastle stadium. And hundreds turned out in Oxgangs to see the demolition of Capelaw Court, a 15 storey landmark in the city for 40 years.

MAY

Tony Blair won a historic third General Election - although his majority was slashed by nearly 100. And Scotland's Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace quit as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

In local government, Andrew Burns was spared the axe despite the road tolls vote - which meant that he was able to witness drivers flouting the ban on cars travelling down Princes Street when controversial new restrictions came into force.

Health chiefs launched an independent inquiry to investigate the care received by elderly patients at the ERI.

It was revealed that the Forth Road Bridge could face closure in as little as ten years; a £1 billion plan to double the size of Edinburgh Airport was unveiled; and after an £800,000 search to develop a brand for the Capital, the decision is made to market the city to the world as "Inspiring Edinburgh".

In sport, John Robertson was ditched as Hearts' manager and Hibs qualified for the UEFA Cup.

JUNE

Anarchist groups said they'd be heading to the city while the G8 Summit was being held in Gleneagles and Sir Bob Geldof urged a million protesters to descend on the Capital.

A campsite was to be set up at the Jack Kane Centre, and more than £100,000 was to be spent on a massive clear-up operation.

It was another bad month for the ERI when an investigation conducted by the Evening News discovered MRSA was rampant in the hospital.

There was concern for the health of artist John Bellany, rushed to hospital after a double heart attack. He has since made a good recovery.

A stunning new vision for Granton, complete with hotels, theatres and art galleries, was unveiled by Waterfront Edinburgh; plans to transform Leith Docks were also revealed, including 18,000 homes and a 5000-seater arena; the troubled Ratho adventure centre was saved from closure in an £8m rescue deal by the council; and crumbling masonry was revealed to be falling from city buildings 17 times a month.

George Burley agreed to become Hearts' new head coach.

JULY

The G8 summit came to Gleneagles, and celebrities and protesters alike descended on Edinburgh. Around 250,000 people turned out for the peaceful Make Poverty History march, but violence broke out days later as anarchists rampaged through the city centre, clashing with police.

The mood changed again though when 67,000 music fans turned up for the Live 8 concert at Murrayfield.

Supporters of Kenny Richey were optimistic for his release after a legal ruling in the US meant he could be moved to a low-security county jail.

There was misery for travellers as city bus drivers started a series of strikes in a dispute over pay that would escalate throughout summer. The month was also overshadowed by the July 7 suicide bombings in London - which meant Edinburgh commuters saw a stronger police presence at railway stations.

Meanwhile a massive shake-up of Lothian's hospitals was announced, including the closure of the Royal Victoria, Hermanflat in Haddington and community hospitals at Loanhead and Rosslynlee.

At least there was joy for fans of Harry Potter, as Edinburgh-based author JK Rowling launched her latest instalment of the Hogwarts hero at Edinburgh Castle.

AUGUST

The entire country was shocked by the murder of Livingston schoolboy Rory Blackhall, whose body was found in a wood three days after he failed to arrive at Meldrum Primary School.

Police later raided a nearby home and found the body of chief suspect, 37-year-old Simon Harris, on bail for sex offences against little girls.

Earlier in the month, a massive search was launched to find the mother of a newborn baby found dumped in woodland beside Dumbiedykes. The baby, less than an hour old, was named Gary Holyrood. His mother has never been traced.

The political scene was rocked by the sudden death of Livingston MP Robin Cook, aged 59, while residents in the west of the city were shocked by the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Steven Lennon. Billy Brown, 17, of Calder Gardens, later admitted stabbing his gang rival in the heart just hours after agreeing a truce with him.

There was travel chaos when bus drivers dumped hundreds of passengers in the middle of their journeys; others were stranded at Edinburgh Airport when British Airways baggage handlers at Heathrow walked out on strike; and the council announced cars would be banned from parts of George Street.

At least there were celebrations in Loanhead, when Alex and Sandra Fraser scooped one of the biggest lottery payouts in Scotland - £8.5m.

SEPTEMBER

Labour peer Lord Mike Watson appeared in court charged with willful fire-raising at Prestonfield House Hotel in November 2004. He pled guilty and was sentenced to 16 months.

The council's controversial Central Edinburgh Traffic Management scheme - including traffic bans on certain New Town streets - came under fierce criticism from the police and heritage groups.

Meanwhile, the bill for policing the G8 summit emerged - £2.7m - with fears it would have to be paid by the taxpayer. That, however, was chicken feed compared to the news that the cost of the city's planned tram network had soared by £66m to at least £539m - because planners had failed to take inflation into account.

While motorists flocked to the petrol pumps amid unfounded fears of petrol shortages, Hollywood rolled into Midlothian with A-list star Tom Hanks in Roslin filming the movie version of The Da Vinci Code.

It was revealed that the architects behind London's Gherkin building had been appointed to draw up a £5m redevelopment plan for the Ross Bandstand; the talk in Leith was of a proposed £80m cruise liner terminal planned for the port; Ingliston market traded for the last time; and it was announced that the ageing Royal Hospital for Sick Children would be replaced by a new facility.

There were shockwaves throughout the council as its deputy education director, Colin Dalrymple, was sacked after police uncovered corruption in a deal to deliver £550m worth of improvements to city schools.

OCTOBER

The plight of Michael McGarrity, the three-year-old who survived alone for up to six weeks beside the body of his dead mother, prompted widespread anger. His mum Anne-Marie, 33, a known methadone user, collapsed and died at her flat in North Fort Street.

Michael was only found, dehydrated and skeletal, when police broke down the door after neighbours complained of a strong smell.

Meanwhile, anger was growing over the city centre traffic changes, prompting Donald Anderson to concede the plan wasn't working.

A £180m vision for the Canongate was revealed involving the demolition of flats to be replaced with a glass-fronted hotel and a new road linking Waverley Station and Holyrood, as was a £240m ten-year plan for Princes Street.

The city's eyesore, the St James Centre, was put on the market with a £160m price tag, raising hopes for redevelopment. Deputy Lord Provost Steve Cardownie defected to the SNP - losing Labour overall control of the city council for the first time in nine years.

There was trouble afoot at Tynecastle too, with the shock departure of manager George Burley.

NOVEMBER

Shockwaves continued at Tynecastle as Phil Anderton quickly followed Burley through the exit door.

Outraged chairman, George Foulkes, also resigned amid accusations of Vladimir Romanov's "dictatorial" style.

More upset was to follow when the new head coach was named as Graham Rix, who was jailed in 1999 for unlawful sex with a 15-year-old.

Pressure on the city centre traffic scheme reached a peak when the Evening News focused its Get It Sorted campaign on the chaos, calling for sweeping adjustments. Within days, the city council announced a dramatic U-turn on key areas of the plan.

The ERI announced it was to carry out the UK's first live liver transplants, with around 30 operations proposed for the next three years.

There was dismay as Jack McConnell ruled out a £21m National Photographic Centre at the former Royal High School - and more when Tam the Gun lost his cancer battle, aged 60.

And finally, US Supreme Court judges were branded 'inhumane' after condemning Kenny Richey back to Death Row, overturning January's decision.

DECEMBER

Council house tenants said "no" in the stock transfer vote - deciding against £2bn worth of investment in their homes.

Council chiefs had hoped to transfer 23,000 houses to a new housing association, releasing cash for vital repairs and demolition. Tenants were warned rents would have to rise to help fund the vital work.

Two major new developments took a step forward: a £20m hotel, pubs and shop plan was announced to develop the gap site created by the Cowgate fire in 2002, while £70m plans for offices and a shopping centre on the Morrison Street goods yard at Haymarket site were finally given ministerial approval.

Meanwhile, the NHS announced major new guidelines to improve the care of the elderly in hospitals, eight months after an Evening News campaign highlighted the deaths of two pensioners from "neglect".

And John Maguire and Laurence Scott-Mackay made legal history when they became Scotland's first same sex couple to say "I do" at the registry office at India Buildings in Victoria Street.

By Judy Vickers, Sandra Dick, Gina Davidson and Sarah Howden.