2021: The top 10 most-read local news stories

Well, we made it. Two years of a COVID-19 pandemic down. Stories about mask requirements, drive-thru vaccination clinics and a defiant barber were some of the most-read stories on The Daily Herald’s website during the last 12 months. Some of our most deeply reported stories were well read, too, as were a handful of articles on the lighter side.

The top story below was viewed more than 92,000 times, while most headlines on this list received about half that number of clicks.

Here is a countdown of the most-viewed local news stories of 2021 — an objective list that swerves from the serious to the not-so-serious.

Check our other top 10 lists for more curated news.

10. Owner of Everett’s Anchor Pub arrested in rape investigation (Oct. 23)

Over the past several years, multiple women have reported being sexually assaulted by the owner of a prominent bar in downtown Everett, according to police. Christian Sayre, who has owned The Anchor Pub since 2014, was arrested Oct. 22 and booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of two counts of second-degree rape and one count of indecent liberties.

9. ‘Bachelorette’ on her Snohomish County roots: ‘This is home’ (Aug. 17)

After a steamy summer of “The Bachelorette,” the world found out in August that Katie Thurston became engaged to a bloke named Blake, from Canada. But did you know that she’s not the hopeless romantic from Renton that so many media accounts have led you to believe? She’s from Everett. What’s up with that? In a phone interview with The Herald, the 2009 Lynnwood High graduate talked about her Snohomish County roots. Since that conversation, the couple called off their engagement.

8. County health officer enacts indoor mask requirement (Aug. 10)

The Herald reported the return of a countywide mask mandate. All Snohomish County residents 5 and older, regardless of vaccination status, had to wear a mask in public indoor spaces, like grocery stores, retail shops and gyms, under a directive from Snohomish Health District Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters. In late July, Spitters issued an indoor masking recommendation. In August, it became a requirement.

7. Outside the ring, survivors say Snohomish coach abused them (July 8)

When MMA gym owner Jeremy Pidgeon was arrested, three women say it unmasked decades of domestic violence. In May, Pidgeon was convicted by a Snohomish County jury of domestic violence assault in the fourth degree and later sentenced to a year in jail. He lost his job as the head girls wrestling coach at Snohomish High School, but continued to advertise self-defense classes for women, kids and law enforcement at his gym, Team Mean in Snohomish.

6. $90,000 fine doesn’t stop defiant Snohomish barber (Oct. 8)

In 2020, the state set out to seize the scissors from barber Bob Martin’s hands. It’s still trying. The 80-year-old Snohomish barber continued to openly defy the rules for operating in the pandemic, despite receiving a $90,000 fine and not having a business license.

5. Drive-thru vaccination clinics open in Everett and Lynnwood (Jan. 15)

The Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce opened two appointment-only, drive-thru vaccine clinics in January — one at Paine Field in Everett and another at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood. The public clinics were expected to bolster the county’s ability to quickly get shots into arms, and speed up what was a slow rollout of the state’s vaccine distribution plan.

4. Twist: ‘American Idol’ heartthrob from Monroe not on the show (March 24)

Social media lit up in March with a question: Why was Benson Boone not on “American Idol” Sunday or Monday? The 18-year-old singer from Monroe won over viewers and all three judges on the season premier of ABC’s televised singing competition on Feb. 14. He got the golden ticket to advance to the “Hollywood” round. But there was no sign of Boone when the episode aired. Despite thousands of inquiries on TikTok, where he has 1.4 million followers, Boone did not disclose why he left the show until later in the year.

3. Woman left alone for 3 hours at Lynnwood Jail killed herself (Aug. 3)

A Kirkland police investigation provided the fullest account yet surrounding the death of a woman in the Lynnwood Jail. The nearly 200-page report detailed events that occurred over 36 hours that culminated in the July 13 death of Tirhas Tesfatsion.The county medical examiner ruled her death a suicide. Lynnwood police policy requires safety checks on inmates at least once every 60 minutes. But Tesfatsion was left alone for three hours.

2. Family loses newly purchased dream home to eminent domain (Aug. 21)

When Lindsay and Matt Mosteller bought their Bothell-area home in January 2020, they planned to live there forever. The 0.86-acre property with a four-bedroom house has a big garden, an old barn and room for goats and chickens. But in July, they were told the county would need to buy their entire lot, along with another property, via eminent domain for two new stormwater detention systems.

1. Life at the Grand Apartments in Everett is now a ‘nightmare’ (Oct. 9)

Tenants at the Grand Apartments on Rockefeller Avenue shared stories of how their lives had become “a nightmare of epic proportions.” Longtime residents said the new owner, an investment company, was trying to bully them out of the building.