All things pandemic continued to dominate the headlines this year, but other major events made their way to our list of top local stories in 2021.
Remember the attack of the 17-year cicadas? Brood X emerged in late May, and before too long the noisy insects were everywhere, flying into our windshields and crunching under our feet.
The general election in November made history. Hamilton County Clerk Aftab Pureval beat City Councilman David Mann in the race for Cincinnati mayor, becoming the first Asian American to lead the city.
And how about them Bearcats? The University of Cincinnati football team went undefeated and became the first non-Power Five school to reach the College Football Playoff. No. 4 UC faces No. 1 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
But back to the pandemic. It was impossible to ignore, generating several of our top local stories this year, including:
- Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to lift the statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions. We returned to live sporting events, concerts, festivals and other large gatherings.
- The delta variant – and now omicron – causing an increase in infection rates and hospital admissions. ICUs at or near capacity are now the norm at local hospitals.
- Hamilton and other southwest Ohio counties in the region reaching the highest level – purple – on the state’s map of COVID-19 hotspots.
- The long-awaited vaccine rollout, and Ohio’s first winners in the Vax-a-Million contest designed to encourage people to get the jab.
Whether you blame it all on the pandemic or not, employers struggled to find workers in 2021. The restaurant industry in particular is still reeling from the Great Resignation.
Rounding out our list of the year’s top stories:
The number of homicides committed by juveniles in Hamilton County increased sharply in 2021, exceeding the total of the previous four years combined. (Read about the crisis here in The Enquirer's special report, Kids Who Kill.)
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman announced he would not seek reelection. The Terrace Park Republican said he was tired of partisan gridlock.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati unveiled plans to consolidate its 208 parishes into 57 “families of parishes,” which will begin sharing priests, staff and facilities.
The region saw an unprecedented number of candidates enter local school board races, many frustrated by COVID-19 policies and the controversy surrounding critical race theory.
New indoor-outdoor music venues debuted on both sides of the Ohio River. In July, Foo Fighters officially opened the Andrew J. Brady Music Center at The Banks, drawing thousands. In August, Kesha headlined the first show at PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation in Newport.
And let’s not forget the monkeys! Residents of East Price Hill reported seeing monkeys on the loose near the old St. Joseph Cemetery. Although officials were unable to find any wayward primates, the story went viral and even inspired a special subscription offer to The Enquirer and Cincinnati.com. (If you missed our Escaped Monkey Flash Sale, fear not. Click here to see our latest special offer for access to all of our subscriber exclusives.)
Help us pick the top local story of 2021
So what was THE top story of 2021? We’ve narrowed it down to six – you, the reader, will take it from here. Make your pick for 2021’s top local story in the poll below. We’ll publish the final results online on New Year’s Eve.
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