In a busy year dominated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there were plenty of other big news stories — some better, some worse — in southern Denton County in 2021.
Two of the three most-read stories of 2021 at crosstimbersgazette.com involved a celebrity. The most-viewed article, by far, was the April 26 report about actor Charlie Sheen suing Itamar Gelbman, who was then running for mayor of Flower Mound. The next most-read story was about Dr. John Gomez of Argyle succumbing to COVID-19, and the third-most-popular story we broke was Dallas Cowboys legend Jason Witten being named head coach of the Liberty Christian School football team.
Early in the year, many of the most-read stories were coronavirus-related, as vaccines became available and Denton County set the standard for vaccination clinics. Then, along came February’s Winter Storm Uri. Throughout the year, our coverage of crime, automobile crashes, development and new restaurants continued to get the most clicks.
Here are the most-read and most-talked-about stories on crosstimbersgazette.com this year:
Jan. 5: Flower Mound principal moved out of ICU
Jan. 10: Denton County COVID-19 vaccination hub opens
Jan. 17: Local doctor passes away from COVID-19
Jan. 20: Yaser Said’s son pleads guilty to concealing father from arrest
Feb. 1: Jason Witten named head football coach at Liberty Christian
Feb. 1: Northlake police: Woman, girl die in crash on I-35W, suspect flees
Feb. 1: State’s largest drive-thru vaccine clinic to open in Denton County
Feb. 13: Harvest, Justin residents identified as victims of Fort Worth crash
Feb. 16: Rolling power outages continue after coldest night in 72 years
Feb. 26: Man dies after driving car into Lake Grapevine
March 2: Abbott ending mask mandate, allowing businesses to reopen 100%
March 3: 2 more River Walk restaurants announced
March 15: Man smashes Argyle store door for a soda
March 19: Flower Mound man stabs, strangles other drivers after crash
March 25: After that winter storm, don’t give up on your plants too soon
March 30: Alligator spotted near Argyle
April 4: Corinth-area kidnapping suspect arrested
April 17: Furst Ranch heading ‘back to the drawing board’
April 26: Charlie Sheen takes legal action against Flower Mound mayoral candidate
May 24: Local principal apologizes for yearbook cover
May 27: Police identify, charge man who shot Flower Mound officers
June 1: Flasher arrested after several incidents in Highland Village area
June 1: Macy’s coming to old Stein Mart location in Flower Mound
June 4: Former Flower Mound councilman charged with sex crimes against child
June 7: Photo of alligator on I-35W ramp reignites concern
June 17: Judge orders Gelbman to pay Charlie Sheen’s legal fees
July 3: Former Guyer teacher pleads guilty to improper relationship
July 6: Sisters identified as Lake Lewisville drowning victims
July 6: Town of Flower Mound, fire chief part ways
Aug. 21: Authorities investigating death of Denton County Jail inmate
Aug. 26: Charges filed against 4 men after Highland Village police chase
Aug. 30: Yellow Rose Steak and Chophouse closes
Sept. 7: Woman charged after leading Flower Mound police on chase
Sept. 14: Denton County fire marshal dies of COVID-19
Sept. 27: Furst Ranch owner seeks rezoning
Sept. 30: Fitness trainer from Flower Mound charged with invasive recording
Oct. 7: Marty B’s Coffee coming soon to Bartonville
Oct. 12: Residents hear pitch for apartments at Shops at Highland Village
Oct. 13: Police investigating report of sexual assault at high school
Nov. 19: Flower Mound peewee football team benched for being ‘too good’
Nov. 23: Flower Mound approves new subdivision on LISD land
Nov. 24: Braum’s coming to FM 407
Nov. 24: Teens from Argyle, Northlake die in Sanger crash
Dec. 6: Flower Mound Council rejects residential development on LISD land
Dec. 14: Flower Mound police arrest juvenile for hoax threat
What will 2022 have in store for us? We wouldn’t want to even try to guess, but we do promise to continue our mission to keep you informed and engaged as we have for the past 43 years. Happy New Year!