You went wild sharing our food news on Facebook. You came to our website for the harder news about crime and fatal accidents. We know because we dissected the numbers — nearly 5.5 million page views plus a Facebook reach of almost 2.5 million — and there was no mistaking the types of stories you most consumed. Here’s a quick look back at what you cared about in 2022.
Before we reminisce, we want to thank you for your support and readership. We couldn’t do any of this without you. We plan to continue fostering that relationship as we head into 2023 and beyond.
What you read on our website
Crime. Fatal accidents/bodies found. More crime. A bit of food news. A dash of politics. A splash of quirky. And even more crime.
Of our top 50 most-read news and features stories, approximately 80% related to crimes (from arrests to drug busts to court cases), or accidents/fatalities. Out of respect for the families, we don’t want to bring back up any of the specific stories about lost loved ones.
But here’s a few of the crime stories that peaked your interest and are worth re-visiting:
- Stephanie Russell, a former Owensboro doctor, is facing federal charges after trying to hire an undercover FBI agent to kill her ex-husband, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The case is still pending.
- A total of 15 people were arrested in April in relation to a large-scale meth trafficking operation after a lengthy investigation by local, state, and federal agencies. More than a dozen of the individuals involved are facing federal charges.
- An off-duty Daviess County Detention Center deputy jailer was charged with the Class D felony of first-degree promoting contraband. Christian D. West eventually pleaded guilty but entered a diversion program, which means the case can be dismissed if he complies with all the requirements over the next 5 years.
- Bronson T. Lindsey, a 32-year-old Rockport man, is facing several charges related to an incident where he is alleged to have shot an Owensboro police officer and led law enforcement on a lengthy pursuit Saturday night was arrested early Sunday morning. The case is still pending.
While you interacted with most of our food news on social media, a few stories also performed well on our site, most notably:
- Breaking the news about Crumbl Cookies coming to Owensboro
- Breaking the news (or perhaps better described as non-news?) that Texas Roadhouse was not relocating, with a reminder that Chili’s and Chipotle were on the way
- Introducing you to a new restaurant named Pamir Afghan Cuisine
- Letting you know that a new Mexican restaurant, Jordy’s, was offering something unique
The most-read news story that wasn’t crime- or food-related was Century Aluminum laying off 628 Hawesville Smelter employees and fully curtailing operations for 9-12 months.
Then there was the surprise Johnny Depp sighting the weekend before Halloween.
Throw in a bit of our coverage on both the primary and general elections, plus our continued coverage of the Julie Gordon saga, and that rounds out our most-read stories of the year.
How you interacted on social media
Wow, you sure did care about Chili’s opening. That post — a simple photo and three sentences — reached the largest audience and had the most interaction of any of our Facebook posts all year and had — and if you know anything about how our comments section can get, that’s really saying something.
There are numerous ways to breakdown how you interacted with our Facebook posts, but we’ll try to highlight them quickly below.
- Reach
- Chili’s was number one, but the announcement that Michael’s was coming to Owensboro was also a big deal.
- The announcement about Pamir Afghan Cuisine opening was third with a reach of just less than 100,000.
- The Johnny Depp sighting was a close fourth.
- Also with a reach of more than 60,000 were the posts about OMU demolishing the Elmer Smith Stacks, the return of the Holiday Stroll downtown, and the grand opening of Crubml Cookies.
- Likes and reactions
- Re-ranking the posts using this method allowed a new story to crack the top 5. You really enjoyed the news about Shiloh’s Lounge owner Justin Davidson planning to offer a family-friendly atmosphere with the opening of a roller skating rink in the old Save-a-Lot location at 1814 Triplett Street.
- You also liked stories about staples such as Beef ‘O’ Brady’s winning an award and Briarpatch Restaurant bringing back Michael’s Pub.
- Staying with the love of food, you responded well to the opening of Mechanicsville Kitchen and future opening of The Peach Cobbler Factory.
- Comments
- Did we mention you like Chili’s? There were more than 1,600 comments on that post — basically double the number of the second-place post about the Afghan restaurant.
- Next was the final post about the Confederate soldier statue being moved to its final resting place. Those comments are good for a few laughs to end the year, but there’s also plenty of negativity — so tread lightly.
- A surprise in the top five of this list was the post about the purple lights that have been popping up around the city. It’s apparently a coding issue, but a lot of you seem to like the look.
If you enjoyed any of these stories or any of the others we wrote throughout the year and you’re not a subscriber, please consider supporting Owensboro’s only locally owned media outlet and purchase a subscription today. We truly appreciate and value every one of our supporters.
