6 minute read
SHRUBTOWN
The most read stories of the past year
Traffi c on Wednesday Journal’s website, oakpark.com, offers a glimpse into the issues and stories that most engage local readers. Using Google Analytics, we searched by number of page views to fi nd what articles saw the most online traffi c from July 2021 to early May 2022. A “page view” occurs every time a webpage appears on the internet browser of an individual computer, phone, or tablet. A large number of page views, presumably, indicates a large audience. Here then are the top ten local articles on oakpark.com over the past year, as well as the most popular ones on Facebook.
1.
Protest at Trader Joe’s
(November 23, 2021) 38,973 views
Protestors assembled in front of Trader Joe’s, owned by Lincoln Property, to bring attention to their recent acquisition of Weiss Memorial Hospital’s parking lot; a move they argued signaled Pipeline Health’s intention to close the hospital and sell off its parts.
2.
Chicago man, woman charged in
connection with death of teen (August 9, 2021) 23,238 views
A Chicago man and woman faced charges for their involvement in the death of a 15 year-old girl whose body was discovered in an Oak Park alley.
3.
Jewish delicatessen dreams do come true
(July 14, 2021) 18,979 views
Paul and Lisa Stern shared their inspiration and plans for the upcoming opening of Fritzi’s Delicatessen.
4.
George Wendt, legend
in open water swimming, drowns at event (September 13, 2021): 18,629 views
Fenwick High School teacher and celebrated Chicago swimmer, George Wendt, died of drowning in Lake Michigan during the Big Shoulders Open Water Classic.
5.
Oak Park orders evacuation of North
Blvd apartment building (November 8, 2021) 17,459 views
Tenants of an Oak Park apartment building were given fi ve days to evacuate their homes after municipal inspectors noted fl oors sloping up to four inches towards the center of the structure.
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6.
spotlight on new WTTW show (November 24, 2021) 17,441 views
7.
After shooting, Oak Park eyes Airbnb regulations
(July 25, 2021) 15,613 views
8.
Lynx spotted
in Oak Park (April 22, 2022) 14,136 views
The Errol Kirsch House on Fair Oaks Avenue received significant coverage in WTTW’s new drone shot show, “Beyond Chicago from the Air.”
A party at a local Airbnb that ended in gunshots led the Village of Oak Park to consider requiring Airbnb hosts to obtain the same license as bed and breakfast operators.
stock photo The Oak Park Public Health Department began tracking a lynx after receiving multiple reports of sightings around Oak Park.
9. During a funeral procession, an OPPD offi cer shot into a vehicle with a Cop shoots vehicle during ‘rowdy’ funeral procession (September 24, 2021) 13,288 views passenger waving a handgun out of their window.
10.
New affordable housing development
opens in Oak Park (September 20, 2021) 11,588 views
Community Builders opened their fi rst Oak Park project, “The 801”, in effort to increase affordable and transit-oriented housing.
The Top 10 most engaging stories on Facebook
The stories that engage local readers on OakPark.com are not necessarily the ones that are most popular on social media. With the help of our social media software, Hootsuite, we were able to see which stories were most impactful on Facebook (July 2021 to early May 2022) by evaluating the number of engaged users the individual posts received. An “engaged user” is anyone who clicks on a link to read more of a story, shares a post, likes, or comments. With this metric we have the ability not only to measure how many people may have seen a post, but what posts garnered further investigation and discussion.
1.
Fire in Delia’s Kitchen
(November 23, 2021) 3,235 engaged users
Delia’s Kitchen caught fi re on November 23, bringing all Oak Park Fire Department personnel to the scene, and causing neighboring businesses to evacuate. Continued on page 70
2.
Lynx spotted
in Oak Park (April 25, 2022) 2,038 engaged users
3.
OPRF equity director
to leave for principal position (April 8, 2022) 1,972 engaged users
4.
Oak Park church
harassed over ‘fasting from whiteness’ (April 13, 2022) 1,620 engaged users
5.
Married in Oak Park, newlyweds to take fi ght to Ukraine
(March 9, 2022) 1,404 engaged users
6.
OPRF students banned
from attending soccer playoff against Evanston (October 29, 2021) 1,211 engaged users
7.
OPRF student
arrested after being found with a fi rearm (May 3, 2022) 1,191 engaged users
8.
Oak Park orders evacuation of North
Blvd. apartment building (November 10, 2021) 1,121 engaged users
The Oak Park Public Health Department began tracking a lynx after receiving multiple reports of sightings around Oak Park.
Dr. Patrick Hardy announced his new position as principal of Hinsdale South, resigning from his role of Executive Director for Equity and Student Success at OPRF HS after one year in the position.
First United Church of Oak Park drew negative attention and backlash after conservative outlets criticized their Lenten season of “fasting from whiteness” in which the church removed liturgical works and music written by white people, and highlighted instead the contributions of non-white Christians.
Not even married for a week, Maria and David planned to fl y to Poland and return to Maria’s home county of Ukraine to fi ght against Russian forces.
Offi cials at OPRF HS announced that students were banned from attending IHSA Class 3A soccer sectional fi nal game against Evanston Township, citing reports of “extreme disrespect” and a “pattern of unsportsmanlike behavior” displayed by students at a previous game.
An OPRF HS senior was arrested and taken into custody after being found with a loaded handgun outside the school’s main entrance, incurring Class 3 and Class 4 felony charges.
Tenants of an Oak Park apartment building were given fi ve days to evacuate their homes after municipal inspectors noted fl oors sloping up to four inches towards the center of the structure
9.
Oh my God, New
Rebozo moving to Forest Park (February 10, 2022) 1,110 engaged users
Francisco Lopez, also known as Chef Paco, moved New Rebozo to Forest Park at the end of March, reopening in his own building as N Rebozo.
10.
Holiday Inn
Express proposal to return to village board (December 9, 2021) 1,095 engaged users
Holiday Inn Express’ proposal for a special-use permit began its path to village approval for the second time, after its original permit expired, and faced backlash for its potential contribution to traffi c and parking problems in Oak Park.
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