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How did we fare in 2020?

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It depends on how we respond to those challenges in 2021

The Star Herald news writers each year at the end of December consider and recap top stories that filled the pages throughout the year.
We thought 2019 was a rough year, with a continued depressed farm economy, destructive flooding and tru Shrimp’s broken promise of a $100 million development.
We turned the calendar page into 2020 with hopes for brighter days ahead.
Little did we know we’d face one of the biggest challenges in recent history.
We watched as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on lives and livelihoods worldwide and saw it as another tragedy that happened “elsewhere” to “other people.”
But it made its way to Rock County and affected our people just as it had on the other side of the world.
It struck the most vulnerable among us — nursing homes, and it affected the youngest among us — school children sent home to learn “remotely” in front of computer monitors.
This in turn affected parents who were already adjusting to working at home and employers who were adjusting to quarantined workers and shrinking revenues.
In our news stories, we found ourselves using terminology like “shelter in place,” “social distancing” and “flatten the curve.”
And as 2020 unfolded, we at the Star Herald struggled to keep up with COVID-19 victims — restaurants, bars and retail closures. Shuttered meat packing plants and agriculture commodity backlogs.
We shared heartbreaking stories of Rock County farmers making impossible decisions to euthanize herds that had nowhere to go for processing. These were among the darkest days many could remember in farming, on the heels of several years of declining farm income.
And eventually, we shared news of our first human lives lost to the deadly virus.
Rock County also wasn’t spared from national unrest over issues of race as our local State Troopers and National Guardsmen traveled to the front lines of violent protests that left entire Minneapolis neighborhoods in ruins.
Amid all this, we participated in an historic and contentious presidential election and a national Census count, which, in themselves, were top stories of the year.
Meanwhile, we at the Star Herald were pleased to report on Rock Countians showing their true spirit of resilience and generosity through it all.
One of our proudest moments this year was the “Rock Solid — We're in this Together” promotion that sold over $250,000 in local gift cards that went directly to local businesses.
We couldn’t have our usual town celebrations, but our Chamber director creatively designed drive-through and drive-by events that captured the essence of the occasions while keeping us connected to each other — at a safe social distance.
Among the many things we’re reminded of in a year like 2020 is that we’re defined not by the tragedies that befall us, but rather by how we respond to them.
Happy New Year, dear readers. May 2021 be the year we build on our challenges to be stronger and better than ever.

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