In 2021, the articles on SkyHiNews.com saw more than 2.9 million reads with the most popular stories ranging from changing COVID restrictions to crime to real estate. Below are the most read stories from the last year.

1. Colorado loosens mask requirements under Level Green restrictions (April 4)

Gov. Jared Polis’ latest public health order relaxes the state mask mandate for roughly half of the counties in the state.

On Saturday, Polis updated the state’s public health order that had required masks in public during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the places where masks are required in counties with low enough case counts.

Under the new order, counties in Level Green on the state’s 3.0 dial, which constitutes fewer than 35 cases per 100,000 people, masks will only be required in public schools, child care facilities, government facilities, congregate care facilities, jails and prisons, healthcare settings and certain personal services.

2. Viral mountain lion video opportunity to educate (Dec. 4)

Even through a glass door, a full-grown mountain lion staring inside your home can be quite scary as Grand County resident Sarah Bole discovered Thursday evening.

Bole, who lives off County Road 4 near Lake Granby, is familiar with various wildlife trekking through her yard, but she had never seen a mountain lion until she got home from work Thursday and one was outside her back door.

“I thought it was very unusual that my little dog was sitting at the door like that and he didn’t come greet me or anything and then I looked up and the mountain lion was frozen on the patio in mid-step,” Bole said. “That’s where the video starts.”

3. Felony arrests: Woman caught receiving meth in mail also brought drugs into county jail, police say (June 8)

A woman who recently received methamphetamine through the mail is facing new charges for allegedly introducing meth to the Grand County Jail.

Keetsa A. Kyle, 39, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of contraband and introducing contraband after meth was found in a holding cell Kyle had been held in overnight, according to an arrest affidavit.

Kyle was arrested by Granby Police on May 12 for possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and violation of a protection order.

4. Fraser woman dies in accident involving car (Sept. 16)

A 37-year-old Fraser woman died after being run over by her own vehicle on Wednesday night.

The Grand County Coroner identified the woman as Angela Peppin on Thursday.

According to the Fraser Winter Park Police Department, around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday, emergency personnel responded to the report of an accident on Fraser Avenue just west of US Highway 40.

5. Hot Sulphur Springs stops water intake from Colorado River (Aug. 1)

The Hot Sulphur Springs Public Works Department is notifying all residents to limit water usage to essential functions after turbidity in the Colorado River caused the town to shut off the intake plant.

Around 10 p.m. Saturday, the town turned off the intake plant which means the water storage tank is not being refilled. The town emphasized conservation for the next 48 hours.

“The river turned black on us last night,” Hot Sulphur Springs Water Plant operator Philip McElroy said.

6. FBI searches for evidence near Berthoud Pass (Aug. 27)

The FBI has confirmed the agency conducted an evidence recovery operation on Wednesday near Berthoud Pass in Grand County.

A spokesperson for the agency confirmed the operation via email, but declined to comment further to protect the ongoing investigation. The spokesperson added that there is no threat to the public and that more information would be provided as soon as possible.

7. Pre-evacuation orders issued for Black Mountain Fire (Aug. 29)

Two areas in Grand County north of Parshall and Hot Sulphur Springs are being put on pre-evacuation orders by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office for the Black Mountain Fire.

On the county’s evacuation map, the areas under pre-evacuation status are K11 and HSS21. The evacuation map is available at gcgeo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ca4f74421b69416da9be1b9b92166534.

Residents in K11 and HSS21 should pack their belongings and be ready to leave at any moment, according to the sheriff’s office.

8. Ranch near Kremmling with private ski hill sells for $30 million (Jan. 5)

Last year’s historic housing market ended with a bang, after a $30 million property sale on the last day of 2020.

The High Plains Ranch, owned by Colorado business magnate Charlie Gallagher since 1999, sits on 6,900 acres outside Kremmling in the Grand River Ranch neighborhood. It sold to Capstone Property Group for $30 million on Dec. 31 after being listed at $39.8 million.

A second listing for the property renamed it Elk Island Ranch to differentiate it from other High Plains Ranches around the country, according to broker Brian Smith of Hall and Hall.

9. Accusations surface in Grand Lake (Sept. 24)

Recent accusations in Grand Lake were punctuated last week by the town manager alleging two elected public officials have acted to deprive Grand Lake of tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes.

An email that Grand Lake Town Manager John Crone sent all trustees except Trustee Cindy Southway on Sept. 15 brought his accusations against her, her husband and Grand County Assessor Tom Weydert before the town board.

In the email, Crone alleged Southway and her husband “have been conspiring” with the owners of a 15-acre parcel where the Southways keep their horses to have the property assessed as agricultural, even though the town’s zoning requirements prohibit such use anywhere in Grand Lake.

10. Proposal aims to open Rollins Pass to off-road vehicles (May 13)

A proposal from a number of off-roading groups is rekindling Grand County’s interest in opening a motorized route over the historic Rollins Pass.

Also known as Corona Pass, this pass connected Rollinsville to Winter Park. The majority of the route is open to motorized use except for a trestle east of the pass and the Needle’s Eye Tunnel, which was closed by Boulder County and the US Forest Service in 1990 after a collapse.

The Boulder Wagon Road also utilizes Rollins Pass, but bypasses Needle’s Eye Tunnel. That road was closed to the public in the early 1970s due to damage concerns. Because of these closures, there has not been a continuous motorized route open over Rollins Pass for the last 30 years.