Every year as I compile this list, I expect the same results. While I hope for at least some good news to fill those top spots, I know that the most read stories are usually tragedies and crime with the occasional good news story thrown in right at the end. Unfortunately, it followed the same trend this year, with a few minor changes due to the pandemic. Sadly one story made it on the list right at the very end with the tragic fatal crash on Dec. 29 involving teens from Walnut Grove High School. Sad ending to a difficult year for many.
However, it is not surprising in the strange year that was 2020 that there would be some differences. Top story spot went to an uneventful story about Walmart shopping hours returning to a more normal pattern after the early COVID-19 restrictions. It also was not surprising that some of the top stories were related to the pandemic.
Then there were the usual crime and tragedies that dominated the list, but again the good news for Your Local News is that the top page accessed was the Home Page. We are grateful to the ever growing number of people who continue to go to Your Local News on a daily basis to get their news.
These stories were not chosen by us – they were chosen by the readers. The statistics recorded for online publications give exactly how many times a story has been read and sadly, most of them again reflect tragic incidents and losses that were experienced by members of our community during 2020. The anomaly that was the Walmart story, however, which was read by 10 times more people than the next one on the list.
We will continue to pray for healing for those who lost loved ones this year – to the pandemic as well as to the many other tragedies. Our hope for the community as we close the chapter on the past year is that we have much more upbeat and happy news to celebrate next year.
In the meantime, we wish all our readers a Happy, Peaceful, Prosperous and above all Healthy 2021.
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