This was a year dominated by the coronavirus, from stay-at-home orders and closed schools to overwhelmed hospitals and a breakthrough vaccine. Indeed, three of the top 10 most-read stories of the year (and six of the top 20) were coronavirus-related stories.
But AccessWDUN readers also flocked to stories about gun rights and ammunition shortages as well as a cheating scandal that rocked the Georgia State Patrol. Sad stories about murders and traffic-related deaths also made the top stories.
As we get ready to ring in the new year, AccessWDUN is taking a moment to look back on the top stories of the year. The rankings are based on the number of unique pageviews each story got from our readers.
And now, the top 10 stories of 2020:
1. Gov. Kemp orders statewide shelter-in-place through April 13
April 1, 2020, 70,694 unique pageviews
Gov. Brian Kemp announced a statewide shelter-in-place order in April to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has caused nearly 5,000 illnesses and about 140 deaths. He also announced that he is closing all K-12 public schools through the end of the current school year, although online learning would continue.
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2. Two coronavirus cases confirmed at NGMC Braselton
March 16, 2020,58,686 unique pageviews
Two patients at Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Braselton campus were diagnosed with Coronavirus in mid-March, the first two confirmed cases in Hall County. Hospital officials said the patients were being kept in isolation and that anyone who needs medical attention should feel safe coming to the Braselton facility.
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3. Habersham becomes first Second Amendment Sanctuary County in Georgia
Jan. 13, 2020, 49,959 unique pageviews
After months of discussion, the Habersham County Commission voted in January to make the county Georgia’s first Second Amendment Sanctuary County. “Whereas, it is the desire of the Habersham County Board of Commissioners to declare its support of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and to the provisions of the Constitution of the State of Georgia that protect Habersham County citizens’ induvial, inalienable rights to keep and bear arms,” the resolution reads in part.
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4. Ammo crunch leads to Hall County placing larger-than-normal order
Oct. 5, 2020, 39,819 unique pageviews
The Hall County Commission approved a request in Octoberfrom the Sheriff’s Office to make a larger than usual purchase of ammunition. Gun owners reading that opening line are probably nodding their collective heads right now, saying they understand, because there is a very evident shortage of ammunition available for sale in Hall County and across the country.
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5. Employee killed in workplace accident at Fieldale Farms in Murrayville
Jan. 15, 2020, 39,546 unique pageviews
An employee was killed in an on-the-job accident in January at the Fieldale Farms facility on Thompson Bridge Road in Murrayville. The Hall County Sheriff's Office identified the man as Chit Tuay, 38. Fieldale Farms Corp. President Tom Hensley said Tuay had worked for the company for five years.
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6. Driver charged with vehicular homicide in five-vehicle Rabun County wreck
May 24, 2020, 33,530 unique pageviews
A Rabun Gap man was jailed in Rabun County after a five-vehicle wreck that left two people dead and injured several others Saturday afternoon north of Clayton. Macon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy David Head, 46, and his wife Dawn Head of Scaly Mountain, N.C., died of their injuries, according to Macon County, N.C., Sheriff Robert L. Holland. Tristan Michael Bartlett, 22, is charged with two counts of second-degree homicide by vehicle, driver to exercise due care and failure to maintain lane, Rabun County Detention Center records show.
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7. Gainesville mother charged with murder in stabbing of two children
Dec. 12, 2020, 33,246 unique pageviews
The Hall County Sheriff's Office obtained warrants for the arrest of a Gainesville woman in December on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in the stabbing deaths of her two children at a home on Crescent Drive. Deputies responded to the residence around 2 p.m. Friday when they found 5-year-old Mateo Miranda Jaramillo and 6-year-old Katherine Miranda Jaramillo dead and their mother, Berenice Jamarillo-Hernandez, seriously injured.
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8. Entire GSP trooper class fired for cheating on online test
Jan. 29, 2020, 31,091 unique pageviews
An entire graduating class of the Georgia State Patrol's Trooper School was fired or resigned in January after getting caught cheating on an online test to become certified to operate a radar speed gun. Thirty-two troopers from the 106th Trooper School were fired Wednesday. Another resigned when the cheating allegations came to light. The class graduated in August. The investigation began in October after officials learned about the allegations from the girlfriend of one of the cadets, who said she took the online test for him.
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9. Gainesville closing many businesses to fight spread of COVID-19
March 23, 2020, 30,541 unique pageviews
The Gainesville City Council in late March ordered the closure of many businesses in the city that attract large groups of people in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The city closed all restaurants and bars to dine-in customers, although they can continue to sell food for take-out. The action also closes gyms, fitness centers and sports clubs offering exercise equipment, as well as all movie theaters, live performance venues, bowling alleys and arcades.
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10. ID's, details released in fatal North Hall collision caused by fleeing suspect
July 22, 2020, 30,479 unique pageviews
One person was killed, and two others injured, in a July car accident caused by a male suspect fleeing a traffic stop in north Hall County. Gainesville resident Brian Allen Hayes, 48, was identified as the man killed in the crash, which was allegedly caused by the driver of another vehicle who was fleeing from a traffic stop on Bethel Road. About a half mile from the scene, the suspect, 30-year-old Gainesville resident Christopher Wayne Sosebee, lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a curve.
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And now, the next 10
11. Hall County closes facilities to the public, encourages online transactions
March 21, 2020, 30135 unique pageviews
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12. NGHS: Don't expect Hall County coronavirus peak until early June
April 1, 2020, 30,057 unique pageviews
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13. Father arrested after leaving child at Walmart in Gainesville
Jan. 27, 2020, 29,138 unique pageviews
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14. Banks County deputies charge former NFL player after chase
Feb. 7, 2020, 29,077 unique pageviews
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15. Gwinnett County and county's 16 cities issue mandatory stay at home orders
March 27, 2020, 27,865 unique pageviews
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16. Peaceful protest escalates into tense confrontation in downtown Gainesville
May 31, 2020, 27,060 unique pageviews
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17. Drug agents find illegal drugs, more than $200K in cash at Gainesville man's house
May 26, 2020, 26,997 unique pageviews
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18. RMA cancels fall GHSA sports due to COVID-19; first missed football season since 1916
May 14, 2020, 26,786 unique pageviews
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19. Gainesville police vehicle torched in officer's private driveway
June 2, 2020, 26,667 unique pageviews
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20. Body found in the lake identified as that of missing Hall County man
Feb. 23, 2020, 16,170 unique pageviews
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