The opening of Newtown Bypass on Valentine's Day was one of the most eagerly anticipated events in Mid Wales during 2019, but what else made the headlines and what caught your interest when it was posted online.
Below is a selection of some of the most read stories from the Powys County Times website, from the last 12 months, chosen by our news team.
January: £1 million cannabis producing factory in Newtown raided by police
A LARGE-scale cannabis factory with a potential street value of around one million pounds in Newtown has been uncovered by Dyfed-Powys Police officers.
A police spokesperson said: "Police carried out a warrant at an address in Stone Street during the early hours of Saturday morning, where a significant number of plants were found.
"Two men –aged 21 and 38 – were arrested at the scene and were later charged with producing a controlled drug."
February: New era for Mid Wales with bypass due to open today
A NEW era will be ushered in for Mid Wales today, February 14, with Economy and Transport Minister Ken Skates due to cut the ribbon on Newtown’s new bypass – paving the way forward for what is hoped will be a new wave of regeneration in the region.
Construction of the £90 million bypass project began in February 2016 and traffic will be allowed to travel on the road for the first time from around 1.30pm following the official opening, set to take place at an invitation-only event in the morning.
Mr Skates said the bypass had been delivered “ahead of schedule and to the very highest standard”.
March: Motorbikes worth £100,000 stolen from Rhayader garage
MOTORBIKES worth almost £100,000 have been stolen from a garage in Rhayader
Dyfed-Powys Police said they are investigating the burglary which happened at E T James & Sons over the weekend.
Eleven bright orange off-road KTM bikes worth £9,000 each were taken in the burglary.
April: Mums unhappy as England won't fund free child care places in Wales
A MUM who works in Knighton, but lives in Herefordshire, says she cannot get childcare funding for her daughter to attend a nursery in Powys - and other parents are reporting similar problems.
Victoria Thomas, from Kington, has been told her daughter Charlotte is not eligible for free funded education hours if she decides to send her to a nursery in Knighton, where she works, because it is in Wales.
The Department for Education (DfE), which sets the cross border funding agreements for England, does not allow English residents to access free funded education hours if their child enrols at nursery in Wales.
May: Welshpool woman's warning after cow attack in Powis Castle park
A WELSHPOOL woman has warned people to take care around cattle in Powis Castle Park after she said she was attacked by a "very feisty" cow.
Jennifer Hutton was making her way to a performance at Powis Castle, on Saturday, May 4, when the incident happened. "The cow charged at me and pinned me against the wall," she said.
The 66-year-old, who was walking alone on the path from the town centre to the castle, said she was left with cracked ribs and bruising.
June: Queen's Birthday Honours for two 'outstanding individuals' from Powys
TWO outstanding individuals from Mid Wales have been named in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Machynlleth's Nick Sanders was awarded an MBE for services to Endurance Cycling and Motorcycling, while Thomas Evans from Beulah was also recognised with an MBE for services to Farming Heritage.
Noted motorcycle adventurer Mr Sanders was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year for Powys in 2017 and he is also Patron of Blood Bikes Wales and patron of Neuro-Support which is part of The Brain Charity. He also holds current world records for circumnavigation for the coast of mainland Britain by bicycle, which he completed in 22 days, as well as completing seven world circumnavigations by motorcycle, including two world records, the second time being in 19 days and 4 hours.
July: The Hoff spends birthday in Newbridge on Wye treehouse
AMERICAN actor David Hasselhoff, known as ‘The Hoff’, celebrated his birthday in a treehouse near Llandrindod Wells.
David, who is famous for appearing in ‘Knight Rider’ and ‘Baywatch’, fell in love with the area, even if a squirrel did eat his 67th birthday cake.
His wife Hayley, who’s from Wales, organised the surprise birthday trip to the Red Kite Tree Tents, run by Chillderness, near Newbridge on Wye.
August: Kittens 'by the handful' being dumped around Newtown
AN animal charity is becoming 'overwhelmed' due to the sheer number of felines around Newtown.
Kittens by the handful have been turning up at the side of roads in rural villages around the town, leaving Cats Protection’s Newtown and District Branch full to bursting with rescue cats needing to be rehomed.
The charity has been inundated with calls to rescue abandoned kittens.
September: Newtown neighbours celebrate £120,000 lottery win
THREE neighbours from Newtown are celebrating after scooping a share of £120,000.
The trio scooped the cash when SY16 2DZ was announced as a winner on the Wednesday, September 25 People’s Postcode Lottery.
Two of the Milford Road residents picking up cheques for £30,000 each, while the third netted themselves £60,000 thanks to playing with two tickets.
October: Powys recovering from the deluge - more pictures
AS Powys spent Sunday recovering from the previous day's deluge, road and rail services have taken a battering.
Transport for Wales services through to Aberystwyth were on schedule this evening.
However rail services between north and south Wales could be cancelled for more than a week due to flood damage.
November: Snow fall causes travel disruption across Powys
POLICE officers are urging motorists to take care on the roads as heavy snow and rain hits parts of Powys.
Several road traffic collisions have been reported across the county on Saturday, November 9.
AA Traffic reports "hazardous" driving conditions due to snow on A483 in Dolfor, Llanbister, and both ways between Newtown and Berriew.
December: Tear-jerking Christmas advert made by Rhayader's Hafod Hardware is getting thumbs up from everybody
A SMALL Powys shop with a reputation for challenging big-budget John Lewis with their own Christmas ads have done it again.... with a tear-jerker that is getting thumbs up from everybody!
Rhayader's Hafod Hardware have launched their festive commercial - made for less than £100 - with cute two-year-old Arthur Jones stealing the show.
Arthur's proud dad Tom and film-maker friend Josh Holdaway filmed and edited the two-minute video all in a day.
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