For a lot of us, 2016 is a year that we can't wait to put in our rear view mirror and start moving full speed ahead into 2017. A lot of crazy things happened this year, both on a national and local level. With the election, racial conflict, and mass shootings it's been hard to think about the positive; but we really need to.

That's why we've put together a list of some of the best; most uplifting stories that came out of Rockford, so far, this year.  Which ones do you remember and which ones did we miss?

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    1

    Rockford Ends Homelessness Among Vets

    For second year in a row, the city of Rockford was able to virtually eliminate homelessness among the veterans in our city. According to the Rockford Register Star, Mayor Larry Morrissey appeared on CNN earlier this month to discuss how it was accomplished.  Morrissey said, "What we did was work in collaborative partnerships, accountable partnerships, We held ourselves accountable to meet the goal and we made it very personal."

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    2

    The UW Sports Factory Opens

    Rockford has already started to see a spike in tourism now that the new state-of-the-art UW Sports Factory is open. WIFR reported that 3,200 people attended the factory's grand opening shootout tournament this summer and the numbers and the appeal should start to grow with the addition of Owly Oop Sports Pub..

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    3

    Dean Lowry is Drafted by the Packers

    Former Boylan High School football player, Dean Lowry, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers this past spring and was kind enough to chat with me and Steve on the Steve Shannon Show in September.

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    Rockford Day via Facebook
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    4

    The Inaugural Rockford Day

    2016 marked the first year of Rockford Day, appropriately scheduled for August 15th because 8-15, duh. On Rockford Day we celebrated everything that makes this city great like, local businesses, shops, vendors, restaurants and so much more. We're already looking forward to next year.

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    Bettmann Archive, Getty Images
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    5

    Women's Baseball Center Moves to Rockford

    Labor Day weekend we learned that the International Women's Baseball Center is moving to the home of the Rockford Peaches. According to Steve Shannon "the IWBC is moving their facility in California, to a building across from Beyer stadium;" the official announcement ceremony was held on September 3rd.

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    Rick Diamond, Getty Images
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    6

    Cheap Trick Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    Rockford's very own, Cheap Trick, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in April. Billboard gave them a mention in the "10 Unforgettable Moments from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016 Induction Ceremony" for Rick Nielsen's comments about wanting to do a song with N.W.A.

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