ST. LOUIS — From the COVID-19 pandemic, to the protest that gave a Central West End couple international notoriety, to the killing of a retired St. Louis police captain, there was no shortage of big news and memorable stories in 2020.
And while much of this year's headlines were heavy, there were also some lighter moments that gave us a reprieve: a French bulldog with a sophisticated palette and a fisherman who reeled in a massive catch on the Mississippi.
The 5 On Your Side digital team compiled a list of the most-read stories, determined by our audience.
On June 2, retired St. Louis police Captain David Dorn was shot and killed outside of a north city pawn shop where he was working security. During a night of violence in the St. Louis area, several suspected looters broke into the store. Two have been charged in connection with Dorn's murder; others have been charged with robbery.
On March 21, an Amber Alert was activated in the Columbia, Missouri, area after a car had been stolen with a 14-day-old boy inside. The alert was canceled about an hour after it went out.
In July, St. Louis police officers executed a search warrant at the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the Central West end couple who confronted protesters with weapons just weeks earlier.
Sources told 5 On Your Side that police seized one of the weapons – the rifle – from the couple and they told police their attorney has the pistol seen in photos, which went viral.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a young mother from St. Charles County shared how she had spent weeks in and out of the hospital due to the virus. Brittany Greco, who was 27 at the time of the interview in March, said she wanted to warn people to heed the warnings and stay home.
Around that same time, non-essential businesses across the state were shuttered and schools canceled in-person classes as stay-at-home orders took effect.
A little Frenchie named Bluenjy became a social media sensation for his ability to hold objects with his paws. He eats like a tiny human, nibbling on burritos and watermelon slices.
Bluenjy acquired the skill out of necessity; he has struggled with health problems. His humans told 5 On Your Side that people from around the world have been inspired and entertained by the dog's determination - and cuteness.
A study published over the summer from researchers at Washington University suggested patients become ill because their immune systems can't do enough to protect them from the virus. Researchers said boosting the immune system could be a potential "treatment strategy" for the virus.
Now, months after that study was published, St. Louis area health care workers and at-risk populations have begun getting vaccinated.
At the end of February, there were 80,000 reported cases of COVID-19 across the world (compared to Johns Hopkins University's current case count of more than 81 million) and there were no confirmed cases of the virus in St. Louis and St. Louis County. At that point, there were 20 possible cases of the virus in our area and the health department was working to keep them "segregated from others."
James "Tim" Norman was charged in August in a murder-for-hire plot that left his 21-year-old nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., dead in north St. Louis in 2016.
Norman and his mother, Robbie Montgomery, starred in the reality series "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" that aired for five seasons on the OWN network. Norman pleaded not guilty; the court case is pending.
When the coronavirus pandemic first reached St. Louis, 5 On Your Side digital producers gathered daily updates under one story on the website, which featured the latest on the case counts and our area's response. Nine months into the pandemic, we've curated hundreds of stories in our coronavirus section. You can visit this section for the latest on COVID-19.
The incident in front of Mark and Patricia McCloskey's home in the Central West End has prompted political posturing and legal challenges for months. One of the first controversies, though, was how protesters gained access to the private neighborhood. Did protesters break down and damage it to march toward Mayor Lyda Krewson's house? Or was it damaged after?
Either way, attorneys for the City of St. Louis decided not to charge nine protesters with trespassing along the private street.
In March, Judy Wilson-Griffin was the first person to die from the coronavirus in the St. Louis area. She worked at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Since Wilson-Griffin's death, more than 1,300 people have died in St. Louis County due to complications from COVID-19, according to the county's dashboard.
After non-essential businesses were closed for weeks during a statewide stay-at-home order in April, Missouri Gov. Parson announced that businesses would be allowed to reopen in the beginning of May as long as they followed safety protocols outlined by the state's health department.
"People will be able to go back to work," Parson said at the time. "There will be some guidelines we’ll have with that, but majority will be open.”
During their delayed Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals displayed messages supporting the call for racial justice. The team wore shirts that said "Black Lives Matter" during pregame warm ups. "BLM" was stenciled into the pitching mound and statements of unity were worn as patches on jerseys. However, the organization decided players would not kneel during the national anthem.
During the early stages of the pandemic, health officials in cities and counties Missouri and Illinois worked to find a way to disseminate information to the public. Many launched their own "dashboards" that listed how many confirmed COVID-19 cases were in each ZIP code
A St. Charles man made a big catch along the Mississippi River in July. Wade Kaminski reeled in a 112-pound, approximately 5-foot-long monster Blue Catfish.
“I initially thought I got into a snag," Kaminski said. "I told my friend who was with me, 'I’m either snagged or I’ve got a monster'.”
Ginger the Labrador retriever found a forever home after seven years of waiting. In March, a photo was posted showing Ginger sitting in her kennel at Dogwood Animal Shelter in the Lake of the Ozarks area.
“Hi! I’m Ginger!” a sign clipped to the kennel read. “I’ve been here waiting 7 years, 9 months, 2 weeks, 2 days. I’m a good girl! I promise! I just need a 2nd chance.”
The post quickly gained traction, with people far and wide expressing support for Ginger as the Facebook post was shared more than 32,000 times. Then, PawsUp, an Instagram account launched by Ellen DeGeneres to publicize adoptable dogs, shared the post.
This was the first in the series of stories about the incident that thrust Mark and Patricia McCloskey into the national spotlight and led to an ongoing criminal investigation.
In June, a group of protesters was on their way to Mayor Lyda Krewson's house to call for her resignation. During a Facebook Live, she read the names and addresses of protesters who told her they wanted to defund the police. During the protest, the group encountered the McCloskeys, who stood outside of their home with guns.
Photos: Man and woman point guns at protesters in Central West End
In October, well-known St. Louis area attorney Charles “Ed” Brown of the Brown & Brown law firm died in downtown St. Louis.
"Ed had made a request that if anyone asks why he committed suicide, the answer is he was sick and dying (not COVID-19 related)," David Shulman with Brown & Brown wrote in a statement.
Two mothers and their daughters from Louisville, Kentucky were killed in February when the driver of a pickup truck lost control and struck their minivan. The victims were on their way to a volleyball tournament in Kansas City. The driver was charged with DWI this summer.
A popular local clothing company was on the defensive after one woman described an incident with the owner that had people questioning the brand and its motives in June.
