Which Courier & Press stories were read by the most people in 2022?
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During 2022, readers in Southwestern Indiana and beyond took in our stories about crime, business and local restaurants.
They read our live coverage of a tragic home explosion that killed 3 people and damaged dozens of nearby homes and businesses and followed our coverage of fugitives from Alabama who landed in an Evansville hotel room.
They read tips on how to find morel mushrooms and voted for top local performers in high school sports. They also collectively rolled their eyes at dramatic school board controversies.
Here's a look at the stories we posted that the most people read over the course of the year.
Most read stories of the year, overall
EPD: School board member 'had knowledge' of drug trafficking (July 30)
Police: Casey White and Vicky White prepared for shootout in Evansville (May 10)
Vicky White dies after U.S. marshals catch her and escaped felon (May 9)
Tri-state expert mushroom hunter offers tips for finding morels (April 21)
Evansville house explosion kills 3, shakes neighborhood (Aug. 11)
If you're planning a Holiday World trip for 2023, there's a big change to know (Nov. 15)
No, EVSC doesn't provide litter boxes for students who identify as cats (Sept. 20)
What we knew 2 days after the house explosion on Weinbach Avenue (Aug. 12)
Why is there a camper parked on an Ohio River sandbar? U.S. Coast Guard investigating (July 22)
Most read stories of 2022, by month
JANUARY: USI Men's basketball removes five players for remainder of season
USI announced that three of its players were released from the men's basketball roster, and two more were academically ineligible.
"Unfortunately, these five student athletes failed to meet the requirements set forth by the university and athletic department," USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall said in a release.
Read the full story:USI men's basketball removes five players from team
FEBRUARY: 'Yeah, you don't wanna live there,' Joe Rogan says of Evansville
In a Feb. 16 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," the host talked with a climate scientist. Evansville came up when the conversation veered to a discussion on air pollution caused by coal-fired power plants.
Read the full story:Joe Rogan name-drops Evansville
MARCH: Toyota Indiana stops work for 5 days
In mid-March, Toyota Indiana announced it would stop work for five days the following month due to "supply chain disruptions." The Princeton plant at the time had a workforce of about 7,000 people. We looked at what it meant for those workers.
Read the full story:Toyota Indiana will stop work for 5 days. Here's what it means for workers.
APRIL: Tips for finding morel mushrooms
With mushroom season underway in the Tri-State area, we spoke to an expert about how to find the edible fungus.
Read the full story:Looking for morel mushrooms? Tri-State expert mushroom hunter offers tips for finding them
MAY: Police say Alabama prison guard and escaped inmate prepared for shootout
Escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and his accomplice, Vicky White, spent a week in Evansville at a motel, hiding out. Investigators said they had planned to have a "shootout" with officers if they hadn't been caught. With law enforcement closing in, Vicky White shot herself and Casey White was taken into custody.
Read the full story:Police say Casey White and Vicky White prepared for shootout in Evansville, Indiana
JUNE: Sheriff says he removed attorney's arrest info from website
After the Vanderburgh County Council's attorney, Jeffrey Ahlers, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, he was booked into the jail. But days later, no charges had been filed against him. While the incident was noted in the police log, Ahlers' arrest information and mugshot were removed from the jail's website within a day.
Read the full story:A Southern Indiana sheriff says he removed attorney's mugshot, arrest info from website
JULY: Police say school board member 'had knowledge' of drug trafficking
Evansville Police claimed Amy Word, a member of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Board, "had knowledge" of narcotics trafficking happening at a bar she owns. She was arrested and charged with a felony. She has pleaded not guilty and denied the charges against her.
Read the full story:Amy Word 'had knowledge' of drug trafficking at her bar, EPD says
AUGUST: House explodes on north Weinbach Avenue, killing 3
Three people died in a house explosion on Aug. 10 on North Weinbach Avenue in Evansville. Eventually, the cause of the explosion would be ruled as accidental.
The blast left three people dead: Charles Hite, 43, Martina Hite, 37, and Jessica Teague, 29, all of Evansville.
Read the full story:Evansville house explosion on Weinbach Avenue kills 3, shakes neighborhood
SEPTEMBER: No, schools don't provide litter boxes for students who identify as cats
A spread of misinformation led to rumors that Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. schools allowed students to dress and behave as animals, even providing litter boxes in the bathrooms. At the heart of the rumors was the idea that schools allow children to identify as animals as an extension of not discriminating against students because of their sexuality or gender identity.
"It's unfortunate that schools around the nation are needing to to waste valuable time to address such ridiculous rumors," said Jason Woebkenberg, EVSC spokesman.
Read the full story:Superintendent addresses unfounded litter box rumors
OCTOBER: Former motorcycle club leader sentenced to federal prison
Gary Forston, former leader of Evansville's notorious Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club, received a sentence of 16-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking scheme. According to federal prosecutors, Forston admitted he conspired to distribute more than 550 grams of methamphetamine and used a firearm to further a drug trafficking operation.
Read the full story:Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club's former Evansville leader sentenced to federal prison
NOVEMBER: Holiday world announces big change for 2023
Holiday World officials announced that starting in the 2023 season, the theme park in southern Indiana is going cashless. The park will accept Mastercard, Visa, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and HoliCash. HoliCash is a complimentary service for those that would like to load and pay with a wristband, gift card, season pass or summer fun card.
Read the full story:If you're planning a Holiday World trip for 2023, there's a big change to know
DECEMBER: How much did Illinois make selling marijuana to out-of-state residents?
After Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced he would sign an executive order to legalize medical mairjuan, Indiana became one of only 12 states that hasn't legalized cannabis in some way.
Since legalizing recreational weed in 2019, Illinois has made millions upon millions of dollars – some of which they funnel to their public schools.
Read the full story:Marijuana: Here's how much Illinois made selling weed to Indiana, out-of-state residents
Stories that just missed the top 10
The Morgan Wallen cancellation
An ice storm bore-down on Evansville in February on the very day country singer Morgan Wallen planned to kick off his "Dangerous" tour at the Ford Center.
Unlike classic band Kansas, which had been set to play The Victory Theater on Feb. 3, Wallen waited until the last minute to make the call, angering some fans who ponied up for tickets and hotel rooms.
"I just wish they would've decided ahead of time because not everybody is as financially well off as they are," Angie Sears of Indianapolis, whose 17-year-old daughter Lilly is a huge Wallen fan, told the Courier & Press at the time. "Some of us worked really hard to be able to afford this experience and trip."
Player of the Week polls
The Courier & Press' weekly "player of the week" high school football polls brought in more clicks than some of the full-fledged stories included on this list. Thousands-upon-thousands of people voted each week during an exciting season that culminated in Mater Dei capturing another Class 2A state title.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Courier & Press top stories of the year for 2022
