Check out the top 10 most-read Daily Press news stories of 2023
Some of the most-read Daily Press news stories of 2023 included an $82 million SuperLotto Plus winner in Victorville, an internet shutdown across the Victor Valley and the opening of the McDonald Peach Orchard in Apple Valley.
But of the millions of online page views, those news stories did not crack the top 10 list of most read news and non-sports stories read in 2023.
Here are the top 10:
1. Green fireball in the sky
With three days left before the end of the year, the “Green fireball seen streaking over Southern California, Nevada, Arizona,” soared to the top of the Daily Press most-read story of 2023.
Our No. 1 most read story explained how many people reported seeing a “green fireball” streaking across the sky on Thursday night, Dec. 28.
Hesperia resident David Cameron told the Daily Press that just after 6:30 p.m., he looked to the northeast and saw a “green object” streaking slowly toward Earth.
“It had a long green tail, and it was visible for a few seconds before it disappeared,” Cameron, 59, said. “I wish I had my camera with me.”
After the story was published, the Daily Press received dozens of calls and emails from people across the Southwest who claimed they also saw the falling object.
Several people claimed the falling object was a decommissioned SpaceX satellite burning up on reentry. Others speculated that the object was part of this year’s Geminid meteor shower, as reported by the Daily Press.
2. Bigfoot hunter
Our No.2 most read story was about the death of former Crestline resident and Bigfoot hunter Claudia Ackley. She claimed to have encountered the creature while hiking near Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino National Forest in March 2017.
Nationally known, the 51-year-old Ackley was found dead at her Tennessee home on July 3, following a suspected heart attack, her partner Ed Brown confirmed to the U.S. Sun.
Ackley told the New York Post that in 2017, she was with her two daughters, ages 14 and 11, and dog at a trailhead near Lake Arrowhead when one of her children saw something that made her freeze in her tracks.
When Ackley hurried to see what was wrong, she claimed that she witnessed an alpha male Sasquatch leering at her from behind a tree. She described the creature as having a huge head and ears, and black almond-shaped eyes. He was like a Neanderthal man with lots of messy hair.
Ackley said the creature was perched about 30 feet up between two branches of a tree.
3. Emerald River
The No. 3 most-read story was “Laughlin's Emerald River Resort is a Nevada gem,” an area described as a towering, unfinished cement structure that has dominated the Laughlin skyline for years.
Herm Walker, a member of the Laughlin Advisory Board, explained that the structure has been called, not so affectionately as “the eyesore,” “the birdcage,” “the skeleton,” and other disparaging nicknames by residents who have lived in its shadow for more than 30 years.
4. Angry mountain folk
What happened when snow-weary mountain residents heard that state officials were planning to reopen the shuttered mountain to the public while the area was recovering?
Our story, “Decision to reopen San Bernardino Mountain roads draws mostly anger,” came in at No. 4 on the list of most popular stories.
The decision by the state came in mid-March after nearly a week of heavy snowfall that began on Feb. 22. San Bernardino County officials on Feb. 27 declared a local emergency after mountain residents found themselves trapped at home or unable to reach home due to several feet of snow that fell.
“Caltrans has sole authority over state highways," County spokesman David Wert told the Daily Press. "Members of the unified command were consulted on the decision by Caltrans to open the highways to all, but the decision is ultimately that of Caltrans."
The historic storm covered the entire San Bernardino Mountain range from Forest Falls east to Wrightwood, which led to the National Forest Service issuing an emergency closure order and restricting mountain access only to residents and emergency crews.
During the storm, roofs collapsed, residents were trapped in homes, stores ran out of supplies and Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency to support and fund disaster response in the mountain communities.
5. High Desert hurricane history
The No. 5 most-read story answered the question: “What happened in San Bernardino County when Hurricane El Cordonazo arrived on land in 1939?”
As Hurricane Hilary moved toward Southern California in August, many mentioned that if the hurricane made landfall in California, it would be the first tropical storm to do so since 1939.
The Daily Press looked back to 1939 as residents watched as Hilary’s eye approached landfall near the southern border.
In September 1939, four tropical cyclones hit Southern California, with the last being the most devastating.
As residents struggled with cleanup from previous storms, El Cordonazo made landfall in California near Long Beach on Sep. 26, 1939. It was the only tropical storm to make landfall in California during the 20th century.
The storm resulted in the death of 93 people; 45 died in flooding on land and another 48 were lost at sea, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The storm brought the greatest September rainfall ever to Southern California, with Los Angeles receiving 5.42 inches in 24 hours, and Mount Wilson 11.6 inches, the National Weather Service said.
6. Speedway sold
Our sixth most-read story of 2023 was “Fontana’s speedway sold for $559m to Ross Perot Jr., set to be logistics hub.”
In March, it was announced that Fontana's nearly 30-year-old Auto Club Speedway would be replaced by a multi-million dollar logistics hub after Ross Perot Jr.’s Hillwood Development bought the property.
At 6.6 million square feet, the logistics facility will be called the Speedway Commerce Center, according to CBRE, which brokered the purchase.
The Dallas-based Hillwood Development Co. and CBRE Investment Management purchased 433 acres of the speedway property for an estimated $559 million, according to Corion Properties.
Auto Club Speedway received entitlements from San Bernardino County in 2021 to reduce the size of the existing two-mile track to develop a smaller half-mile “Next Gen” short track, and to make room for the logistics center.
Auto Club Speedway will retain ownership of 90 acres for the short track and parking lot rights for 106 acres around the track. Speedway President Lane Allen said the new track will not be ready for races until 2024, according to NASCAR.
7. Abandoned eagle eggs
Many could not resist reading the ongoing story of a bald eagle couple’s yearly attempt at trying to have a family.
In March, the Daily Press reported on the story “Bald eagle couple Jackie and Shadow abandon unhatched eggs in Big Bear.”
The No. 7 most-read story reported how Jackie and Shadow abandoned their two eggs weeks after they were due to hatch in a family nest in Big Bear.
Since mid-January, the eagle couple took turns keeping the eggs warm through several storms, including a blizzard and historic snowfall in the San Bernardino Mountains.
The departure of the eagles was announced by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, which installed the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest Cam to monitor the nest around the clock.
Jackie delivered the couple’s first egg of the year on Jan. 11, high atop a 14-story Jeffrey pine tree. Her second egg came on Jan. 14.
Eagle eggs typically incubate for about 35 days, which meant the couple should have welcomed new eaglets right around Valentine’s Day.
It’s uncertain why the eagle eggs didn’t hatch, said the nonprofit, which believes that they may have not fertilized, or stopped developing.
8. Tactical gear seized
Our No. 8 most-read story, “Deputies at Apple Valley Airshow surround vehicle, seize illegal tactical gear,” told how sheriff’s deputies at the Apple Valley Airshow surrounded a black vehicle and seized illegal tactical gear in October.
Deputies, just outside the gate of the Apple Valley Airport, approached a black Dodge Ram and began questioning the driver.
A records check of the driver, Christopher Lee Gallegos, 36, of Hesperia, revealed his driver’s license was suspended, according to sheriff's officials.
Gallegos is not on active duty in the military nor is he a veteran. He was wearing the uniform while attending the Apple Valley Air Show, deputies said.
Deputies searched the vehicle before towing it. Inside the Dodge, deputies said they found a gas mask, three body armor vests and a retractable baton. Gallegos was also found with a U.S. Army uniform, which had his name on it and Ranger patches.
9. Child in rat feces-filled home
Our story, “Child found living in rat feces-filled drug house in Apple Valley, arrests made,” reached the No. 9 spot.
Three people were accused of operating a rat feces-filled drug house, where a child also lived, according to Apple Valley deputies.
In July, deputies followed up on a tip about possible illegal activity at a home. Deputies served a search warrant at a home in the 13400 block of Kiowa Road, just south of Yucca Loma Road.
While searching the home, deputies say they found methamphetamine, heroin, a Taser and drug paraphernalia.
The drugs and paraphernalia were accessible to a young child living at the home, where three people were arrested, according to deputies.
Rat feces was also found throughout the home. Children and Family Services was contacted, and the child was released to a family member, sheriff’s officials said.
10. Del Taco tattoo
In October, Danny “Wacky” Benavidez got the attention of thousands of readers when he created a full-back tattoo of the Del Taco logo.
At No. 10, our “Barstow man sports Del Taco back tattoo,” story spotlighted Benavidez and the tattoo he created on the back of Marine Corps veteran David Jones.
The tattoo included the classic red, green, yellow and orange logo, which pays tribute to the “Original Barstow” Del Taco. The tattoo includes the rising sun, flames and the words “Est. 1964” and “The Original Del Taco Barstow.”
Jones told the Daily Press that he got the Del Taco tattoo because the Barstow eatery “means something special to those who live here and know its history.”
“The food at the Barstow Del Taco is superior to any other Del Taco in the country,” Jones claimed, along with hundreds of others. “One bite and you can tell the difference.”
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Check out the top 10 most-read Daily Press news stories of 2023
