By Crystal Burns
Life came to a sudden halt on March 11 when news of the novel coronavirus, which originated in China, hit home. Many small businesses and schools were shuttered. Essential personnel were asked to risk their health and safety for the good of their communities, and the numbers of those contracting COVID-19 rose as Americans tried to come to terms with physically distancing from loved ones and wearing face masks in nearly all public spaces. More than 300,000 Americans have died, and there is no bright side to be found in their deaths.
While 2020 could go down as the most difficult year in modern history (it’ll take historians decades or longer to make that call), good news can still be found in our admittedly subjective list of 12 year-in-review top or favorite non-sports stories of the year.