The Kewanee Voice launched its website on May 2 of 2023 and since then has published hundreds of local articles, columns and editorials. Those stories have reached thousands of readers from Kewanee, surrounding cities and even other countries.
Installed on our website is Google Analytics, a web analytic service that allows us to track website traffic and traffic events, even allowing us to see our web traffic in real time. The service also gives us a glimpse into where our readers are located. And for the most part, our readers reside in Kewanee and Illinois cities that include Chicago, Peru, Geneseo, Princeton, Bloomington, DeKalb and Spring Valley. But we have many readers in far-flung countries including Ireland, Sweden, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico and Germany, to name just a few.
Since we’ve started, we have had close to 880,000 views and have had 140,000 users visit our site, many of them logging on to read stories that are currently in our top 10 most viewed. Here’s the list, starting with number 10 and working to the top story of 2023.
10. “Boilers win a wild one by forfeit” was the only sports story to make the top 10 but it was, as the title declares, a wild one. Written by Jami Townsend and published on Dec. 2, 2023, the article reports on a boys basketball game where a “foul frenzy” persisted until the coach from Quest Charter Academy announced that he was forfeiting the game. In the end, five Quest players and one Kewanee player was ejected from the game. With a score of 27-13, and a second under six minutes left in the second quarter, Quest Charter’s coach made the call to pull the plug.
9. “Pasquales Pizzeria opens its doors: Phone rings off the hook” was written by Matt Worden and published on Aug. 16. The opening of a new pizzeria was big news, as you’ll see later on in the list, and after opening, the pizzeria, operated by Stephen Mazzarise, was bombarded with excited residents wanting to give the restaurant a warm welcome.
8. “Good deed by Kewanee police dispatcher doesn’t go unnoticed” was published on Nov. 15 and written by Susan DeVilder. The article relays the events that led to Kewanee dispatcher Breanne Bryner receiving an award from the Kewanee Veterans Council for her act of kindness in assisting Lois and Joe Stabler.
7. “Kewanee Boiler office ablaze: Here’s what we know so far” was written by Susan DeVilder and published on Nov. 4, but the fire was covered on the ground by both DeVilder and Mike Berry, who interviewed multiple witnesses as well as a police officer. A witness had reported seeing a group of teens leaving the area after smoke was seen rising from the structure. The tip was confirmed by a Kewanee police officer. The article was viewed by thousands of people who mourned the loss of the historic landmark, and would be just one of multiple articles written by staff of The Kewanee Voice covering the fire and its aftermath.
6. “Fan banned from Wethersfield schools” was written by Dave Clarke, who covers the Wethersfield Board of Education meetings for The Kewanee Voice. The article, published on Oct. 13, was a report of the school boards reaction to an unruly fan.
5. “New Wethersfield Principal was ready to ‘come back home’”was written by Dave Clarke and features the Wethersfield new elementary principal Kyle Dennison. Dennison was a Wethersfield graduate and worked as a teacher in Geneseo and for the Kewanee School District before returning to his old stomping grounds.
4. “New ice cream parlor opens on Kewanee’s north side” was written by Matt Worden and published Aug. 18. Though the ice cream parlor got a late start in the summer season, that didn’t dull the excitement of Kewanee residents who flocked to the new parlor for a scoop or two. Joe and Tina Chamberlain opened their new business named Aspen’s Delight after their granddaughter Aspen Moore.
3. The pizza excitement heated up after the initial announcement of Pasquale’s restaurant in the article, “Mazzarise brings new pizzeria to Kewanee.” The article, written by Susan DeVilder and published on July 25, 2023, introduced the community to Stephen Mazzarise, whose family has been in the pizza making business for over five decades. The business was set for a soft opening on Aug. 8, 2023.
2. “Warner sentenced to prison: A look back on the 21-month long case” was published on July 6, 2023 and written by Susan DeVilder, who covered the trial for the Star Courier from the beginning. The plea agreement hearing drew readership from all over and was viewed 6,476 times. Warner was arrested on two charges of aggravated DUI in a Sept. 2021 incident that claimed the lives of a Moline couple, Garry and Leah Kelly. Warner was just 17 when a vehicle she was operating crossed over the center line just outside of Kewanee and hit a motorcycle operated by 42-year-old Garry Kelly. His wife Leah, also 42, was a passenger. Warner, who agreed to a negotiated plea deal, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
1. “Two teens arrrested for Boiler shop fire” blew up The Kewanee Voice website, with over 17,000 people logging on that weekend to read the Kewanee Boiler Fire coverage. The initial article stated that teens were reported leaving the scene and that police were looking for them. The next morning, the police reported the arrest of two boys, ages 15 and 16, in connection with the fire, a story that The Kewanee Voice broke. Later that day, the Kewanee Police Deparment released a press statement confirming and clarifying the charges against the teen.
Honorable mentions of 2023 news stories that almost made the top 10 and interested our readers include:
“What happened to Clint?,” a story of a Kewanee mother’s loss of her son and the mystery surrounding his vanishing; “Remembering the Kellys,” the story of Garry and Leah Kelly, the victims of a head-on vehicular crash; “From grime to shine, Johnnie Elias has an eye for detail” about the building of a car detail empire by a Kewanee resident; “Kewanee’s candyman gets his wheels” about the kindness of Kewanee residents who raised money to buy Paulie Dean a motorized scooter and “Homeowner saved by strangers in early morning fire” that tells about the fateful night where a car filled with strangers noticed flames in a neighborhood and called for help, saving the lives of the people inside the home.
