As 2020 came to a close, there was an overwhelming hope that the problems brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic were on their way out with the turn of the calendar.

A year later, we know that turning that page to January — or again and again for the other 11 months — didn’t make the pandemic go away. Rather, the resilient virus evolved and continued to burden businesses, schools and families across Butler County throughout 2021.

But we evolved, too. Though COVID-19 lingered, we reacted. We were also resilient.

Across Pennsylvania, 6,802,189 people were considered “fully vaccinated” as of Dec. 28, per the department of health’s COVID-19 vaccine dashboard. In Butler County, 110,933 were “fully vaccinated,” with 45,374 having received an additional dose since Aug. 13, 2021.

Despite the virus, life went on. We elected new faces to office and saw the completion of projects and the opening of new businesses. We planned the festivals that we canceled in 2020 and celebrated momentous occasions in-person with family and friends. We also supported one another amid catastrophes, including a fire that affected Butler’s Main Street in early 2021.

Beyond this, we saw our county further embrace and learn from the things that worked well virtually in 2020.

There was turmoil, too.

For example, schools, businesses and the government debated whether masks should be required.

Only recently, the state Supreme Court invalidated a mandate requiring all students, staff and visitors to wear masks at K-12 schools. Beforehand, there was plenty of back and forth on this matter. Many felt quite passionately about their opinions and often shared those opinions in public forums, such as school board meetings.

Over the coming days, we will reflect on the top stories from Butler County in 2021. We’ll look at the top stories in politics, education, business, health care and more. We’ll tell you which stories were most well-read on the website and highlight a few of the best photographs from 2021.

We hope you’ll join us in looking back over the coming days.

As for 2022, it seems inevitable that next year will bring more COVID-19, more turmoil and more conflict. But there will also be more festivals, more cause for celebration and more occasions to be there for one another.

As we enter the new year, we are undoubtedly tired, but we remain resilient.

— TAL