Maybe you were distracted by coverage of the pandemic. Maybe you decided to ignore all the news in an effort to keep your sanity. Or maybe you just want to re-live a year that some wish would just go away (kind of like 2020).

Regardless, here’s the Barrington Times’s annual replay of the year that just happened. 

January 2021

• The good: Local EMTs, firefighters and police officers are among the first people to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Students return to in-person learning after going remote from November through the end of the holiday break.

• The bad: Residents send nasty letters to other residents; lawn signs are stolen; and police try to distinguish if any of the back-and-forth bitterness reaches the level of criminal. Also, a once-beautiful property, the former Zion Bible College campus continues its steady descent into disrepair. The Barrington Building Board of Review orders all property buildings to be secured and calls for some structures to be demolished. 

• The ugly: Just weeks before she retires, BCWA executive director Pam Marchand announces yet another rate hike. “We’re trying to keep it below 5 percent,” she says. “Probably 3 or 4 percent.” 

February 2021

• The good: Barrington native Brett Azar lands a role in the NBC sitcom “Young Rock.” Barrington’s Boy Scout Troop 46 braves icy temperatures to collect nearly 200 coats for Big Brothers Big Sisters of RI. 

• The bad: The town’s roll-out of vaccines for the elderly leaves some of Barrington’s oldest residents calling an unanswered phone number for hours, struggling to get an appointment, and a few days later, locked out of the town hall in sub-freezing temperatures. A company proposes building an asphalt plant just over the town line in Seekonk, Mass.

• The ugly: The flag fight continues, as the town council passes a hotly-debated flag-flying policy. 

March 2021

• The good: After losing their goalie to a concussion, the East Bay Co-op girls ice hockey team rallies to defeat South County 7-6 in a Game 3 overtime thriller in the semifinals and earn a trip to the state finals. Not to be out-done, the BHS girls swim team wins its seventh straight state championship. 

• The bad: Parents and Barrington School Committee members speak out about a shift in the curriculum they refer to as “de-leveling.” The state gives a green light to allowing indoor music performances in schools, but Barrington’s reentry task force decides to delay that move, frustrating local students and parents. 

• The ugly: The BHS boys hockey team’s playoff hopes are dashed when a member of an opposing team tests positive for Covid-19, pushing the Eagles into a two-week quarantine and forcing them to forfeit their playoff game against Burrillville.

April 2021

• The good: BHS student Christopher Clyne collects dozens of used and broken bikes, repairs them, and donates them to children in need. The middle school construction project finishes with a $4.3 million surplus.

• The bad: Neighbor disputes intensify, including one on Adams Point Road that involves one resident shining bright flood lights on a neighbor’s home late at night. 

• The ugly: Dog walkers at the Sowams Road athletic field do a lousy job picking up after their pets, forcing youth sports league officials to do the dirty work before allowing kids onto the field.

May 2021

• The good: The Barrington High School football team wins the state championship, defeating St. Raphaels 34-6 in the finals. The BHS and BMS Science Olympiad teams qualify for nationals.

• The bad: In a special forum, residents and town officials ask DOT officials for assurances that they will eventually rebuild the bike path bridges — the DOT refuses to make that promise. 

• The ugly: Police break up a large underage drinking party that was held in the woods at Veterans Park, later charging 11 teenagers and transporting one child to the hospital for detox. 

June 2021

• The good: The Barrington High School math team wins its 19th state championship in the last 22 years. The BHS sailing club also races to a state title. And two members of the BHS tennis team square off in the state finals. Two police officers rescue a woman who jumped into the Barrington River. After 35 years with Barrington Police, Dino DeCrescenzo retires as chief. Hundreds attend the 2021 BHS graduation ceremony, held in-person at Victory Field. 

• The bad: A person finds a caged rabbit abandoned in a parking lot at Haines Park. Police later issue the rabbit’s owner a summons for improper care of an animal. 

• The ugly: A raccoon that terrorized people attending a backyard hockey banquet surfaces a few days later at another home and bites two residents. It also charges at a police officer, who draws his weapon and kills the animal.

July 2021

• The good: Barrington Little League softball and baseball teams win District 2 and state titles during the All-Star season. Barrington hosts a special summer sports clinic for disabled veterans. 

• The bad: A resident stops into the station to file a complaint after twice finding bags of dog waste left in his yard waste barrel. 

• The ugly: Residents across town call police to report someone riding a Segway door-to-door soliciting bug spray or pest control. At least one resident also says the alleged salesman had requested access to the house. 

August 2021

• The good: The town shifts its policy on parking at the town beach, allowing non-residents to park there on weekdays. Barrington hosts a diversity-themed film festival outside the town hall. Hurricane Henri spares the East Bay, altering his track farther to the west and away from local homes. 

• The bad: A witness spots someone stealing flowers from the community garden.

• The ugly: Lifeguards leave their posts at the town beach in mid-August. A Nayatt Point resident tells police someone is flying a drone near their home and taking pictures inside the windows. The drone’s pilot denies the claim. 

September 2021

• The good: Work begins on safer routes for the bike path bridge detour, although most folks agree that the DOT still needs to rebuild the bridges. Barrington’s own Leigh Payne is chosen to represent Rhode Island at the Miss America competition. 

• The bad: Staffing shortages impact businesses of all sizes, including the local bagel shop which is forced to temporarily close.  The state issues a blue-green algae warning about Brickyard Pond. Barrington Police mourn the loss of Sgt. Gino Caputo, who dies after a five-week battle against Covid-19. 

• The ugly: A Kyle Street resident wakes up to find her SUV was stolen from the driveway. The vehicle is later recovered in New Hampshire. 

October 2021

• The good: Residents and police officers offer a helping hand to a local woman whose dog went missing. “While I never did find her, I am strengthened by your support,” the woman writes in a letter. Longtime residents Betsy and Richard Staples are honored as Volunteers of the Year by the Audubon Society of RI.

• The bad: Barrington High School loses a legend when longtime track coach Bob Gourley passes away. Barrington officials threaten to lock up middle school basketball courts due to trash being left all over the courts. The community faces a new debate: Whether the school district should terminate unvaccinated teachers. A rule drafted by the school department’s reentry task force bars the BHS sailing team from competing in regional regatta.

• The ugly: Parents continue to rip school officials for problems with the student busing. “The most frustrating thing is the fact that I feel helpless,” says one mom. 

November 2021

• The good: Barrington stays “in-house” and names Phil Hervey as the next town manager. Mr. Hervey has served as town planner in Barrington for 16 years. Local doctor builds benefit bike ride “Tour de Rhody.” Longtime resident leaves $200K to the town when she passes away.

• The bad: Residents call the police to report larcenies from their vehicles. Items reported stolen include quarters, a driver’s license, masks and some swim goggles.

• The ugly: Members of the BHS Class of 1990 are unable to locate a time capsule they buried in the high school courtyard decades earlier. 

December 2021

• The good: Eagles win Thanksgiving Day game a week late after officials are forced to postpone the game to Dec. 2 because of Covid-19 cases at Mt. Hope. Barrington Pop Warner has two cheer teams travel to Florida for Nationals. 

• The bad: Firefighters battle blaze at historic Alfred Drown Road home. A threatening message is found written on a bathroom wall at the high school; officials move classes to remote learning for three days. 

• The ugly: In separate incidents, two homes are broken into. And speaking during a public comment period, a resident says the council is clearly excluding certain people from serving on certain boards and commissions. Also, a member of the council says the out-going town manager withheld information from him.

The best (or worst) of the police report

Following is an All-Star list of police report items from 2021 that we felt were worth remembering:

• Party bus: An official from the Bayside YMCA told police it appeared that people had entered one of the Y’s buses parked in the lot. Pizza boxes and other trash was found inside the bus, and officials could smell the odor of marijuana. It also appeared someone had pried open the bus door. — Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021

• Learning remotely: Barrington High School officials reported that a former student had been hacking into Zoom classes. The former student is using other student accounts to log in and posting vulgar song lyrics. The school resource officer contacted officials from the student’s current school in Ohio; they said they will speak to the boy’s parents. — Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021

• Bathroom ban: An employee at a local business called police after a man used the business’s bathroom and left a mess. He was also told the bathroom was not open to the public, but he insisted on using it. The business employees said this was not the first time the man had helped himself to the bathroom. Police issued the man a no trespassing order for the business. — Tuesday, March 2, 2021

• Dog vs. bench vs. car: Police responded to the Barrington Shopping Center at about 12:30 p.m. after a dog that had been tied up to the bench outside Starbucks pulled the bench off its base and dragged it into the side of a vehicle. When police arrived the dog, a Golden-doodle, was headed toward traffic on County Road. Officers were able to stop the dog and later spoke with the owner, who said she had tied up the dog briefly when she went inside the coffee shop to pick up her order. — Saturday, March 27, 2021

• Raccoon crashes party: Police responded to a Walnut Road residence after a raccoon attacked people who were attending a banquet for a hockey team. Police said the raccoon first approached the tent and then charged after one of the hockey players. The raccoon then bit a 55-year-old woman who was at the party, police said. EMTs treated the woman at the scene, and she told officers she was going to drive herself to the hospital for further treatment. Police could not locate the raccoon. — Sunday, May 23, 2021

• Just a bad driver: Police received reports of an erratic driver. An officer eventually located the suspect vehicle and ordered it over to the side of the road. Police conducted a field sobriety check of the driver — officers said the woman was not under the influence, but was actually just a very bad driver. — Sunday, June 20

• Odd items: A Juniper Street resident told police that the people doing work at her home may have stolen some items from the residence. The resident said a Barbie Doll, two toothbrushes, a set of Tarot cards, some groceries and an iPhone are missing. — Friday, July 9, 2021

• Done cutting: A South Lane resident called police to report a larceny. The resident (said) they had been cutting their grass and left the lawnmower by the edge of the roadway to go get another lawn bag for the grass clippings. When the resident returned to finish cutting the grass, the mower was gone, apparently stolen. — Friday, Sept. 3, 2021

• Squirrels acting strangely: An Alfred Drown Road resident called police to report a squirrel that appeared to be having a seizure in her driveway. The resident said the squirrel later died, and she also said many of her neighbors have seen multiple squirrels acting strangely in that neighborhood. Residents are concerned. Police advised the resident to call the RI DEM. — Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021

• Armed driveway: A Middle Highway resident called police after making an interesting discovery. The had hired a company to put in a new driveway, and while workers were digging up the old driveway, they found a handgun buried for years under the concrete. — Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021

• Clothespin caper: An Anchorage Way resident contacted police regarding a suspicious condition. The resident said he believed someone had been entering his house and leaving wooden clothespins in different spots. — Wednesday, Oct. 13

• Mug mystery: A Blanding Avenue resident called police to report a suspicious condition. The woman said she had been away from her home for a few days and when she returned, she noticed that a light was on and there was a strange coffee mug left in the back yard. — Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021

• Armed floorboard: A contractor was doing work inside a Tyler Point Road home when he discovered a pistol underneath some floorboards. — Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021