What Were The Most Popular Reads On Tewksbury Patch In 2020?

TEWKSBURY, MA — Many of us are welcoming the end of 2020, easily one of the worst years of some of our lives. Most of this consternation and pain is center around the coronavirus-COVID-19 pandemic.

But the coronavirus wasn't the only thing in the news this year. At Tewksbury Patch, 2020 was insanely busy. Nearly 2,000 stories and posts were published by me as well as other Patch reporters and our news partners.

And apparently, residents were eager to read those stories. At this time last year, Tewksbury Patch had about 1.5 million page views. By the end of 2020, it will have about 2 million.

So what do you think? What story drew the most page views — coronavirus, or something else?

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The coronavirus was a significant story since it arrived in the region in March. A High School group was quarantined after an Italy trip in early March and a week later a teacher was quarantined after attending an event with a likely case. Tewksbury declared a state of emergency. The first confirmed case in town was March 19 and the next day the town banned personal care services.

In April, CVS opened a rapid testing site in Lowell and a U.S. Army Reserve task force was sent to the State Hospital to respond to an outbreak. A month later, there were still hundreds of cases at the hospital. By mid-October, the town's caseload dropped to single digits, but it rebounded, rising to over 500 active cases in December.

Some Tewksbury companies were hit with coronavirus safety complaints, but the virus brought out the best in many people. Residents nominated local heroes including nurses and other health care workers.

Businesses did their best to survive the accompanying lockdowns. Some got federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, restaurants offered takeout and delivery and two local entertainment centers tried offering drive-in movies.

The virus wasn't the only story this year, though. Prior to its arrival, the school committee chair was arrested at a high school basketball game in Andover and ordered to stay away from Andover schools. In May, a monkey was supposedly spotted in town, although police and animal control officers never found any evidence of it. The senior center director was charged with cruelty to animals. Police responded to bank robberies and other crimes.

Other stories that captured attention: the Red Sox cut ties with the Lowell Spinners and a database included eight Tewksbury UFO sighting reports.

Can you guess what the most-read story of the 2020 is? Leave a note in the comment section below and I will have a post later this week.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.