With vaccine rollout, 2021 had its ups and downs

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Jan. 3, 2021 — Here we are in a new year, still reeling, with more than 920 coronavirus-related deaths and more than 400 people hospitalized.

The vaccine has given us optimism. But the big issues have not been resolved.

President-elect Biden said a few days ago that it will take time.

“We need to be honest — the next few weeks and months are going to be very tough, very tough for our nation,” he said. “Maybe the toughest during this entire pandemic.”

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Jan. 2, 2022 — Here we are in another new year, more than 1.5 million shots and more than a thousand deaths later, still dealing with COVID-19.


The Biden comments, in the lede of last year’s column, centered on the slow rollout of the vaccine.


Remember the frenzy and frustration that went with the vaccines a year ago? Do you remember how demand far exceeded supply? How some older Delawareans sat in traffic for hours to get their first shots?


Do you remember the science fiction feel of mass vaccinations? How odd it was it to see National Guardsmen directing us through a maze of orange cones and into a tent in the shadows of Dover International Speedway. How easy it was to roll down a window and roll up a sleeve to get that first shot.
Delawareans were eager to get those shots, to work toward some sense of normalcy, and to take stress off those on the front lines.


In March, the Delaware State News reflected on the first full year of the pandemic.


At that time, reporter Mike Finney checked in on the medical community and shared what may be the quote of the year.


“My heart has broken over and over this past year,” said Hanna Goss, a registered nurse and manager of the Clinical Decision Unit/COVID Isolation Unit at TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford. “I grieve every single patient we lose. I remember their faces and their last moments. It’s emotionally exhausting.


“I hide it from my family because I don’t want them to have to feel the same emotion I feel. I am supposed to be strong. I hide the heaviness of caring for COVID patients because no one will really understand unless they experience it.”


Based on data alone, you might describe the pandemic stages as one of optimism as vaccine supplies increased ... excitement as masks could be shed in May ... relief as case numbers dropped and the state of emergency ended in July ... renewed worries as delta and omicron variants spread ... and grave concerns as families started gathering around the holidays.


We enjoyed summer afternoons on beaches and gathered, almost like normal, at the Delaware State Fair — disappointed that big acts like Hank Williams Jr. were dropped and we were oddly seated in “pods” for the remaining shows.


The unemployment picture has improved, but area businesses are still struggling with new hires.


Supply shortages continue to hold back areas of the economy.

Students still wear masks to school. And the debates continue about personal protections and personal rights.

Yes, here we are in a new year, still reeling in many ways and still holding onto hope that vaccines — and boosters — will lead us to a better year in 2022.

The vaccine effort, of course, leads our list of top 10 stories in 2021.

The others:

From Delaware to the White House: On Jan. 20, President Joe Biden took the oath of office, under skies clouded by the pandemic and political tensions. It was just two weeks after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in a day of chaos and violence.


“Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now,” President Biden said in his inaugural address.


Delaware mourns: Former Republican Gov. Pierre S. “Pete” du Pont IV, a fiscal conservative who took office when the state was on the edge of bankruptcy in 1977, died in May. He was 86.

Ruth Ann Minner, who became Delaware’s first woman governor in 2001, died in November. She was 86.


At her funeral in Milford, President Biden was among those to marvel at her life story. She dropped out of school to help with the family farm, later getting a GED and college degree at Delaware Technical and Community College before entering politics. Twice a widow, she managed a successful towing company.


“If I were back teaching, I’d teach a course in Ruth Ann Minner,” said President Biden in a eulogy. “Think of what she did. A bright woman from humble circumstances. No fanfare. Not a whole lot of hollering and shouting. Just got up every morning and put one foot in front of the other.”


Evacuations in Afghanistan: The familiar tails of C-17s from Dover Air Force Base were in news images in August during the chaotic evacuations in Kabul after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. In one viral photograph, the interior of a C-17 was shown with hundreds of people seated in the large cargo hold.

In late August, President Biden was in Dover for the dignified transfers of 13 U.S. servicemen killed in Afghanistan.


Awaiting trial: In April, the state announced the indictments of Kristie L. and Brandon Haas in connection with the death of Emma Grace Cole, who was 3 years old when her remains were discovered near a Smyrna youth softball field.


Ms. Haas, the child’s biological mother, was charged with murder by abuse and other charges. Mr. Haas, the child’s stepfather, was charged with child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. A trial date is set for September.


Auditor indicted: In October, Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuiness was indicted on misdemeanor and felony charges for alleged wrongful actions, including hiring her teenage daughter for a seasonal job and providing her access to a state-issued vehicle.


“If anyone should know better, it is the state auditor,” said Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, giving credit to whistleblowers for reporting information.


The auditor, likely the only statewide elected official ever indicted in Delaware, remains in office. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.


Death of an officer: The small community of Delmar and the law enforcement community in Delaware and Maryland mourned the death of Delmar Police Cpl. Keith Heacook who was killed in the line of duty. He was assaulted while responding alone to an incident of a fight in progress just after 5 a.m. on April 25.


Criminal justice legislation: The Delaware General Assembly passed multiple reform measures, including use of force standards and an expansion of Justice Department powers to investigate such incidents.


The synopsis of Senate Bill 147, signed by the governor on June 30, says the act “codifies a reasonableness requirement for the use of force, both non-lethal and lethal. This is important when the state of mind is an issue in a criminal trial, such as when the judge or jury must decide as to what someone believed, knew, or intended at a given time. The justification law as currently written uses the term ‘defendant believes’ throughout its several sections. This Act makes it clear that the determination of one’s state of mind is an objective standard — that is, what a reasonable person would have believed, rather than what the defendant believed. Additionally, this Act makes clear that deadly force includes the use of a chokehold.”


Other changes include an end to the practice of sharing juvenile mug shots, a requirement for law enforcement to record custodial interrogations, and an automated expungement process.


Last laps for Dover International Speedway: When NASCAR returns this spring, Dover International Speedway will be known as Dover Motor Speedway, following its acquisition by conglomerate Speedway Motorsports.


Under the ownership of Dover Motorsports, the track’s roots go back 52 years when John Rollins financed and Melvin Joseph built the high-banked oval that David Buckson envisioned.

The state, taking pandemic precautions, limited Dover International Speedway to 20,000 fans for its big race in May.

The Firefly Music Festival, headlined by Billie Eilish, drew 50,000 fans to The Woodlands on the speedway grounds in September. Fans were required to show proof of vaccination.

Last graduation for Wolverines: In July, Delaware State University completed its acquisition of financially challenged Wesley College, a Dover institution founded in 1872. In May, Wesley held its final commencement ceremonies, celebrating the Classes of 2020 and 2021.

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Enjoy this 10-minute slide show of the 2021 front pages:

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