PITTSBURGH — 2021 began with hopes of things returning to a new normal, as students returned to the classroom, mask mandates were lifted and the COVID-19 vaccine became available. But this year’s news was about more than just COVID-19. These were the most popular stories on WPXI.com -- and the WPXI News app -- this year:
Stimulus checks, updates and other pandemic payments
Three rounds of stimulus payments went out to American taxpayers, courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.
The first checks were sent electronically beginning on Dec. 29, 2020, with two more sent in the beginning half of the year. Child Tax Credit payments went out monthly.
Here in Pittsburgh, stories related to this topic garnered more than 2.3 million pageviews.
Yikesss!
It was a crazy day in Pittsburgh news this past April, when a photograph of this giant snake in Frick Park sent the Internet abuzz.
Officials determined the Black Rat Snake is actually pretty common to the area.
Homes for sale, including Mr. Rogers’
Yinzers are nebby, and many of you looked at several photo galleries of homes for sale in the Pittsburgh-area.
None moreso than the former Squirrel Hill home of Mr. Rogers, that sold over the summer for $866,000.
PHOTOS: Mister Rogers’ Squirrel Hill home
Pennsylvania’s mask mandate
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced that after midnight May 31, businesses, events and venues could go back to normal, except for the mask mandate.
Pennsylvania lifted the order requiring masks on June 28.
That wasn’t the end though: there was a lot of back-and-forth when it came to school districts in the state.
In mid-December, Pennsylvania’s high court threw out the mask mandate for schools.
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Getting vaccinated
Distributing the COVID-19 vaccine was a big story in 2021.
When it started becoming available at the beginning of the year, doses were hard to find. All Pennsylvania adults were able to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in April.
Kids in Monroeville were the first in the 5-11 age group in the area to get COVID-19 vaccinations in November. That same month, booster shots were made available to all adults.
The vaccine isn’t without its issues: a Washington County teen’s parents spoke to Channel 11 in May about myocarditis, a rare condition possibly linked to the COVID-19 vaccine. A Bethel Park woman also told Channel 11 in May that she became paralyzed after receiving the vaccine.
‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’ showcases local restaurant
The show, hosted by Guy Fieri, showcased The Starlite Lounge in Blawnox on May 14.
A pretty cool story that a lot of Pittsburghers read on WPXI.com and in the WPXI News app!
The best and worst school districts in the state
In October, a website named the best and worst school districts in Pennsylvania.
The highest ranked local district was North Allegheny in McCandless, which came in third on the list.
Fights on flights and fines from the FAA
The mask mandate for federal transportation will continue in 2022, but problems on airlines persisted nationwide during this year.
In May, Southwest Airlines removed Pittsburgh women from a flight over what they said was a misunderstanding over sneezing.
Then in August, a father and son on a Pittsburgh-bound flight were among passengers fined by the FAA for unruly behavior.